So whatever happened to these guys? You remember their hit single History Repeating, which at one point was played on every radio station back in 1997 after being featured in that hysterical film, There's Something About Mary. Then, there was the Spybreak! track which appeared in The Matrix. Meanwhile, the track Crash, was used in Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. Even the Take California track from this same album was the first song ever used in an iPod commercial. So, by my calculations, these guys had it going for them, and then poof! Nothing! Did they just cash out? The only full length album to date is Decksandrumsandrockandroll released on London based Wall of Sound back in 1998. The big beat sound by Will White and Alex Gifford quickly took the world by storm. The groovy and repetitive beats which were perfected at the time by The Prodigy, The Chemical Brothers, Fatboy Slim, and The Crystal Method take on a jazzy, funky and playful spin, with a few vocal samples, turning on a few new mainstream listeners to breaks and breakbeat. On the track, 360° (Oh Yeah?), De La Soul contributes frozen-style urban rhymes that quickly flip the record to intelligent slow-groove loungy hip-hop sound. History Repeating is of course at the center of the album, featuring the vocals of '60s cabaret vocalist, Shirley Bassey. This is definitely a catchy tune that quickly got snatched up by a few advertising campaigns (including a Jaguar and a Pantene Pro-V commercial... heh). But the big beat sound proliferates the album, prominent with plenty of breaks, James Bond-like spy film themes, and the head-bopping sounds that still sound super fresh a decade later. Propellerheads are still quiet. No new tracks and no new albums since the one and only. Well, there was one new track, appropriately titled 10 Years, which appeared on the Wall of Sound's compilation double disk, Off The Wall - 10 Years Of Wall Of Sound, commemorating the labels, well... you guessed it, 10 year anniversary. Last I heard, Will White played the drums for Long Range during its live performances. Long Range, of course, is a UK group comprised of Nick Smith and Phil Hartnoll of Orbital. Meanwhile, I continue to enjoy this album time and time again... And until the duo decides to get back into the studio, I have only one thing to say: Bang On!

This is one album which I feel never got the props it deserved. Often slept on by most, opting to listen to big beat's bigger stars (like Fatboy Slim or The Crystal Method) or becoming bored by the sound by the time the album was released, this duo may be remembered by most as a one hit wonder (or even a blip). Truth is Propellerheads are far from that. Songs are timed perfectly, never becomming redundant in their loops or beats, samples are never overused ad nauseum or mask the richness of the tracks. Each song stands on it's own, displaying a varied individuality, despite the persistant spy-soundtrack feel that the baselines and strings evoke. The only lull to me is "360 (Oh Yeah)", but it is still a nice downtempo groove to let you catch your breath before the drums start up again.
Unlike their peers, the Propellerheads fail to conjure a room full of sweaty jagger-filled frat boys playing playstation and instead delivers music steeped in rock, soul and funk traditions that can be grooved to on the most distinguishing of dancefloors.

This is the album that turned me on to breaks. I bought it essentially because of "History Repeating", and when I put the CD on and pressed "play", I fell in love with the rest of the album. While breakbeat is the dominant genre, each track has an identity all its own, and gets sprinkled by influences from other genres as well. Will White and Alex Gifford seem to have a lot of influences and to enjoy lots of different types of music. My only problem was that some of the tracks repeated the loops one too many times, as if I was expecting a new break to come in, but the overall result of the album is so good I don't care about those minor details. Thumbs up and heartily recommended.

Like the style says, this album is very bigbeat. The Propellerheads
use odd sounds, turntable scratches, a piano, an organ and energetic
danceable beats to create funky, groovy music.
Not all tracks are in the same style, some are chillin' and some are
swingin'.
The track with Shirley Bassey doesn't fit on the album if you listen
to the other tracks but its a good track, her voice just fits the
music.
The James Bond theme track ("On Her Majesty's Secret Service") is an
excellent Propellerheads translation.