Music » Big Beat Music

Since the Chemical Brothers explosion, new big-beat acts from the U.K. are greeted with skepticism, but Propellerheads are no copycats. Alex Gifford and Will White did the usual groundwork by releasing singles and EPs before giving up a full album. The groovy single "History Repeating," featuring '60s cabaret vocalist Shirley Bassey, plays slightly into the lounge revival of the late '90s but with a James Bond-esque style that grabs attention similar to Portishead's "Sour Times." The recurring spy film theme makes this a perfect soundtrack for Austin Powers's first rave--"On Her Majesty's Secret Service" is actually a Bond remake. Propellerheads also slip in full-on "rock" jams ("Bang On!") and slick urban cut-ups reminiscent of De La Soul, who appear on "360° (Oh Yeah?)." Shifting tempos from laidback to lightning-fast with exceptional ease, Decksandrumsandrockandroll is a solid collection of funky, jazzy, hip-hop-influenced dance music that has earned its mainstream acceptance by delivering the goods. --Liisa Ladouceur

Initially, the sophomore album from California beat-shifters the Crystal Method sounds like the same psychedelic beats and psychotic samples that made their 1997 debut, Vegas, such a riot and established them as the only stateside dance act with real spunk. While Tweekend does apply similar grooves and siren sounds, repeated plays prove that the duo of Scott Kirkland and Ken Jordan have learned how to melt the mind in addition to rocking the house. With guest spots by Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello and Stone Temple Pilots' Scott Weiland, Tweekend is both subversive and dance-friendly. In "Murder," Weiland sings over a woozy blend of crunching riffs, wah-wah guitars, Moog moos, and mysterious strings for a kind of twisted BT-like pop poetry. "PHD," "Wild, Sweet and Cool," and the organ-grinding "Roll It Up" are classic beats-and-bliss Crystal Method. But "Name of the Game" is straight-up rock and rage, while "Ten Miles Back" and "Blowout" are surreal drives into a nocturnal desert. Tweekend is so dense and delirious, it's hard to find your way out. But you may not want to return from this lost (T)weekend. --Ken Micallef

Japanese reissue of the British electronica act's 1997 album includes two bonus tracks, 'Molotov Bitch' & 'No Man Army'. CBS. 2004.

Subtlety does not exist in Fatboy Slim's world. The no-nonsense king of big beat has a job to do: get the party started right. The relentless musical hook is at the center of Greatest Remixes. Reggae and ska rhythms ("Magic Carpet Ride," "Get Up! Go Insane!"), R&B lines ("The World's Made Up of This and That," "What Is Kahuna?"), and acid-synth ("Roll the Dice") are all just grist for the groove mill. "Dubby Jointy" is the disc's wildest track. Backwards tape whooshes, a screaming guitar lick, and a crazed, creepy vocal part coalesce into an inspired version. The album's closer, a remix of "E.V.A." by Jean Jacques Perrey surprises. Fatboy knows enough not to mess too much with the 30-year-old song. The original--funky, loungy, and spacy--could have been recorded last week. --Fred Cisterna

Array

Continuing in the darkly epic vein of 1999's The Contino Sessions, Death In Vegas's Scorpio Rising layers psychedelic fuzz and electronic scenery over slow-burning dance-rock. DIV's DJ duo Richard Fearless and Tim Holmes veer madly between new wave revivalism ("Hands Around My Throat") and straight-up rock remakes ("So You Say You Lost Your Baby"), with shoegazer clamor and goth treacle in the crawlspaces. Like Sessions, the record features high-profile guest vocalists; this time, Oasis's Liam Gallagher, Mazzy Star's Hope Sandoval and former Jam frontman Paul Weller are on hand to juice up the record's pop-dance hybrid appeal. Gallagher has the most success, putting his scruffy rock god pose to good use on the intensely catchy title track. There's nothing here that significantly changes the band's formula, but Scorpio Rising stays interesting and relevant with a jumble of high drama and chaotic influences. --Matthew Cooke

When Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland started distributing homemade singles around Los Angeles at the beginning of the '90s, their bass-fortified, hard-rolling techno concoctions perked up the ears of industry impresarios and local scenesters alike. Vegas, their affectionately-titled major label debut, refines the formula. Thick with layers of pounding beats and rock dynamics, it takes the typical club fare and beefs it up with a uniquely western slant. The detectable influences range from the power chords of AC/DC to old school hip-hop patterns to the smooth melodies of Stevie Wonder. On blistering tracks like "Trip Like I Do" and "Keep Hope Alive," the Crystal Method confirm that America has become a force of contention in the electronica field. --Aidin Vaziri

Japanese edition of the 1998 & second album by Norman Cooke (a.k.a. Fatboy Slim) featuring 'The World Went Down' added as a bonus track, completely different artwork than the U.S.release & the hit singles 'The Rockafeller Skank' & 'Gangster Tripping'. 12 tracks total. A Skint Records release. The full title is 'You've Come A Long Way, Baby'.

Recorded for Howie B's Pussyfoot label (and featuring a guest appearance by him on "Buggin' & Breakin'"), the Headrillaz' debut has a simple goal: to get you out on the dance floor. To this end, the trio mixes live guitar, bass, and drums with programmed break beats, dub effects, and Saul's fluid rapping to produce a punk rock-techno-hip-hop hybrid not unlike Prodigy's, but with even more adrenaline. The Headrillaz proudly list the beats per minute for each of the eight tracks on the album--"Trepanning" clocks in at an amazing 155 b.p.m.--but they're smart enough to know that all that energy would be wasted if the grooves weren't paired with melodic bass lines and cool synth and sax samples that will keep you listening even after you're too exhausted to move any more. --Jim Derogatis

Release Date: 1998-10-27, Audio CD, Om Records