Some albums guaranteed to move the crowd...
Nov 09 '00
I've bought more techno/electronica/jungle/et ceterah albums than I care to count, and in general I must admit that my favorites are ones that demonstrate a great deal of creativity and uniqueness. However, those attributes can lead to the album not necessarily being suitable when it comes to getting people moving on the dance floor. As the subject of this editorial is 'best dance/DJ albums', I'm going to focus on the ten albums I've heard that serve best as party-rockers, even though I have purposely omitted some of my favorite techno-oriented albums - as they are more suited towards listening to while driving, or while you're at work. My intent here is to give you the sounds necessary to rock the set.
At least, I believe that's the intent of the subject - someone inform me if it is not and I'll gladly alter the list. Anyway, try these on for size:
1. The Chemical Brothers - Dig Your Own Hole
This is probably the album that'll appeal to the widest audience, as it has strong roots in hiphop as well as electronica sounds. "Block Rocking Beats" is just about the perfect dance song to start off with, given its incredibly loud bass line accompanying the equally-loud, hard-hitting rhythm, and tossing a super-funky guitar riff and some strange siren noises on top of that. "Piku" is the first tune to exhibit any signs of slowing the pace down, but even then, it manages to keep the energy flowing with a great funky guitar sound, and immediately after that comes the super-fast and powerful "Burning Sun" and "It Doesn't Matter". The finale, "The Private Psychedelic Reel", features some very cool sitar playing over what might just be the loudest, most raucous beat on the whole album - a superb way to finish things off. And in-between all of those (my favorites) are many more good party songs, some slower and more hiphop-oriented, others leaning towards the fast techno feel. Either way, it's a perfect party compressed onto one CD.
Non-party value: still really good. It's a perfect album with which to improve your mood if you need it, as it never really gets depressing in any way.
2. Aphrodite - Aphrodite
Aphrodite is, in my opinion, one of the more simplistic jungle producers out there, but he has one great thing going for him: his love of old-school/underground hiphop. It's very evident in the brilliant songs "King Of The Beats" and "Listen To The Rhythm Flow", which to this day still blow my mind every time listen to them. And I also can't get enough of the Pharcyde samples on "Rising Quince". The other songs continue this very upbeat and super-uptempo feel, and even the ominous-sounding "Style From The Darkside" isn't really all that dark.
Non-party value: next to none. The drum patterns for almost every single song sounds just about identical! Even with my two favorite tunes, the only difference between them is in the 'non-jungle' portion, where he reverts to nothing but hiphop samples...but the 'jungle' parts sound almost 100% the same! The basslines also suffer from a somewhat similar feel, although it's not as evident as the rhythms.
3. Roni Size - In The Mode
Ooooh yeah. I immediately put this in my "love it!" list, I've listened to it at least once a day since the day it was released, and I've not gotten at all tired of it. This album is much harsher than my top 2 choices, but I enjoy it far more precisely because of that! The problem there is that it can be hard for some people to dance when they're covering their ears in pain - like one of my best friends does every time I play "Centre Of The Storm" and those really high-pitched background noises kick into full gear.
Non-party value: fantastic, at least for me. Even though, as with most jungle music, the songs can tend to get just a little bit repetitive, the beats that the songs are founded on are so intricate and complex that I wind up not caring.
4. Meat Beat Manifesto - Original Fire
I had to toss an MBM album in here somewhere, and Original Fire is easily the most party-oriented of any of their releases. There is exactly one low point on the album for me, with Luke Vibert's rather lack-luster drum-n-bass remix of "Radio Babylon". I say if you can do so, program the CD player to skip that and continue with the greatness that is the remainder of this album. Even the slow-paced remix of "Asbestos Lead Asbestos" works well, as it is almost totally transformed from its original, dance-hall/hiphop sound with flutes and guitars, and instead becomes an unbelievably loud and harsh industrial symphony...only the immensely hard-hitting rhythm is left intact, and man, what a rhythm it is. Then there is the new single "It's The Music", which rocks my world five million ways to Sunday, boasting a BOOMING bassline on top of a disco-oriented drum rhythm and very smooth atmospheric sounds (not to mention a hilarious sample of a preacher denouncing the Satanic evils of modern music).
Non-party value: pretty decent. It's not nearly as much of a 'sit down, listen, and smile' album as MBM's other albums on Nothing Records (Subliminal Sandwich and Actual Sounds & Voices). It also suffers from some repetition (particularly with the original mix of Radio Babylon). But it rocks nicely in the car and is great for keeping you from dozing off in your cubicle. Wear headphones though, as it's bound to scare your co-workers.
5. Prodigy - Fat Of The Land
Two words - "Diesel Power". Or maybe I should use "Kool Keith" instead. Does anyone NOT like this fantastic MC?! He rocks the mic to a huge extent on "Diesel Power", and when you add that insanely-cool beat, you've got one of the greatest dance songs ever. It's also profanity-free, if you're worried about that sort of thing. Of course, the other great party tune, "Funky $..t", is obviously not profanity-free, but with the great Beastie Boys sample on top of the hyper-kinetic beat, and the cacophony of loud synthensizer noises going off on a constant basis, you just can't sit down to that song. Ironically, I'm not at all a fan of the most popular single, "Firestarter", but so many others are that I can't help but assume that it'll get the crowd moving as well. Toss in a few more pure gems like "Narayan" and "Minefields", and you've got one hell of a party album.
Non-party value: good, almost great. The Kool Keith track alone is worth the price of admission, and "Narayan" has some incredibly good singing and guitar-work to go on top of the powerful beat...I love it. But then there's "Firestarter", which I just can't stand. I'd still recommend it.
6. Juno Reactor - Beyond The Infinite
This album is just a little bit more subdued than the others in my list, as it heads towards a more beautiful, trance-oriented sound. But I enjoy it more than any other aside from Roni Size's. The opening track, "Guardian Angel", is just unbelievably cool, with a nifty little ambient intro that grows into a louder-than-a-bomb, jungle-oriented tune. At times it's the drum rhythm that takes over the tune, with a metallic clanging noise sometimes overwhelming everything else, and at other times it's the synthesizers, but the end result is one non-stop high-energy work of art. "Feel The Universe" and "Samurai" are also just wonderful tunes that keep that pace up admirably. However, "Ice Cube" and "Magnetic" tone down the volume somewhat and, while still being very good songs, might be too subdued for the dance floor.
Non-party value: excellent. I'm gonna add this to my "love it!" list (along with two other Juno Reactor releases) very soon, thanks to the wide variety music offered. There's little to no lyrics (and very few word samples), so if that turns you off, avoid it. I, however, couldn't care less.
7. Redman - Doc's Da Name 2000
I had to toss a rap album on here at some point, and with his great sense of humor, superb mic-rocking ability, and marvelous production, Redman's latest release would be my choice for parties. "I'll Be That" might not work too well for dancing, despite it's flawless beat, as people might start rolling with laughter and wind up unable to move. But the remainder of his lyrics strike a great balance between MC battling, crowd-moving, and humor that makes it ideally suited for parties. Warning: unlike Kool Keith and Prodigy's collaboration effort, Redman's music is most assuredly NOT for those who have an aversion to that "parental advisory: explicit lyrics" label.
Non-party value: great! I don't want to dis Redman by calling him out on being so profane, because unlike many modern rappers like Jay-Z or DMX or Master P, Redman has a great vocabulary, a great (although too loud for some) voice, and he knows how to rock a microphone on a level that very few other MC's can reach. Let alone those beats are just so damn funky...wow! But be warned that Redman is neither serious on any level (aside from being a seriously good MC), nor is he at all appropriate for kids.
8. Hive - Devious Methods
This is a jungle album that I am 100% down with. Unlike Aphrodite, Hive takes care to ensure that you can definitely tell one song from the next. He also doesn't stick with the fast-paced rhythms of jungle music from beginning to end..."Psi Clone" features a much more 'standard hiphop' rhythm, even though it continues using his unique samples of siren noises and ominous bass lines. If you've heard his tune "Ultrasonic Sound" from The Matrix soundtrack, you should note that that tune is only somewhat demonstrative of how the rest of this album sounds...as none of the other songs go for any kind of heavy-metal feel at all. The underlying theme of his music is pure chaos - he tosses a dizzying array of samples on top of these unbelievably sped-up break beats that can leave you breathless. It's not for everyone, due to the harshness, so I can only place it at #8 for party-rocking purposes.
Non-party value: awesome! I've not yet bothered to make a stupid Top 10 Jungle albums (would it be too crass for me to admit I'm only writing this to get hits and it serves no real purpose?), but I'm sure Devious Methods would make it. This will make my 'love it!' list real soon when I get around to reviewing it.
9. EBN - Telecommunication Breakdown
I love this album in so many ways, and it's perfectly made for partying, except for one problem - there are tons of little interludes that are comprised of nothing but word samples. Now they are pretty funny ones, I'll give EBN that...but I myself wouldn't want to interrupt the beats with those interludes at a party! Now, if you maybe burn a custom CD that only features the actual songs, then you are definitely in business. EBN had some help in being produced by the all-mighty, revered-by-everyone (I hope) Jack Dangers of Meat Beat Manifesto, and it shows, as the album has a very strong hiphop/electronica hybrid influence. Grandmaster Melle Mel also makes a very rare appearance by rapping on "Shoot The Mac-10", and even though it may not be his best effort ever, again...it works for rocking the party. The rest of the songs sound like something Terminator X of Public Enemy would put together - featuring a ton of samples on top of fast-paced, bass-powered hiphop beats. I'll admit that my favorite track, "Homocidal Schizophrenic (A Lad Insane)", is so harsh sounding that I wouldn't use it, despite it's ultra-phat beat. The background sounds are too annoying and would kill the dancing vibe. But aside from that and the interludes, you've got hiphop/electronica greatness here.
Non-party value: great. I listen to it almost once every two days or so, not skipping a track. For some reason I feel compelled to not add it to my 'love it!' list...as I think from a purely artistic standpoint, it's not up to the standards set by MBM or The GZA or others in my list. But make no mistake, I enjoy EBN a great deal.
10. Boom Boom Satellites - Out Loud
If I were the only person who's opinion mattered at a particular party, I'd pop this album in and just play it on infinite repeat. These two obviously insane - yet brilliant - techno artists aren't merely content with offering you super-loud basslines and loud rhythms. They see fit to toss tons of P-funk sounds on "Batter The Jam", they slow down the pace yet boost the volume with the industrial-oriented "Limbo", then they switch up to indescribably fast-paced drum patterns and jazz samples for "An Owl". "On The Painted Desert" slows things down again in a beautiful way, although it boasts one of the loudest rhythms in a lineup of nothing BUT loud rhythms. And "Oneness" tosses in an element of punk rock even as they go overboard with screwing around with samples. It's very experimental in nature and therefore is bound to not match up to everyone's tastes...but it works just great for me, and with its emphasis on loud, fast beats, I don't think you could go wrong.
Non-party value: superb. You want a bass-powered system, of course, to fully appreciate it, but that means that it is perfectly suited for driving around. It's become my favorite album for my commute to and from work, and definitely will be a 'love it!' item for me real soon.
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Epinions.com ID:
churst
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Member: Craig Hurst
Location: Indianapolis, IN
Reviews written: 98
Trusted by: 37 members
About Me:
"God is dead." - Nietzsche, 1883... "Nietzsche is dead." - God, 1900
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