Chems

If there is one thing to learn from The Chemical Brothers it's that longevity in music requires a unique and evolving sound. None of their albums sound the same, yet if you were to play Exit Planet Dust to someone who only heard We Are The Night, they will probably guess it's still the Chems. It's that uniqueness that sets them apart from hit single-driven producers. Even their singles are diverse; it's more common to see a b-side than a remix. After all this is said, DJs never shy away from playing classics like Hey Boy, Hey Girl or Block Rockin' Beats. It just goes to show that they cover every basis; flowing yet diverse albums, club-ready singles, rockin' b-sides, all the while never giving in to the whole, "Hey, here's my new single! It has 6 mixes!" cliche.

Exit Planet dust is dirty, mind-blowing stuff only to be amplified with louder drums and bass in Dig Your Own Hole, which is considered by many to be the pinnacle of their career. The Private Psychedelic Reel set the tone for their next album; Surrender. It's deep psychedelia at it's prime, which at times seems reflective, and others extremely rockin'. Hey Boy, Hey Girl will always be a great club tune, whether you heard it for the first or millionth time. Come With Us showcased all of the various styles the Chems excel at producing; chaos in the title track and My Elastic Eye, acidic tribal vibes from It Began In Afrika, the joyous house sound of Star Guitar, Beatles-like psychedelia in Pioneer Skies, the smooth melody of The State We're In and the almost indy-rock style of The Test. It's definitely their most varied album, which is probably why most people were disappointed with it. However, if you keep in mind how diverse it is, it's amazing how the same two guys made the whole thing. What an appropriate album to come before their greatest hits. Obviously with a duo like this, there is no way of cramming all of your best work on to one disc without chopping every song in half. It's cool that they put the tracks in chronological order, too. The two singles from the album are both very different. Get Yourself High made way for all future trippy hip-hop tunes like Galvanize, Left, Right, and The Salmon Dance. It makes one never forget that before the Chems released albums, these were the kinds of tracks they DJed with. The Golden Path made way for all of the deeply emotional songs found on Push The Button and We Are The Night.

The Chemical Brothers have evolved from dirty acidic beats to heavier beats to psychedelia both mellow and hard to hip hop and powerfully emotional songs. Push The Button and We Are The Night have very similar styles yet are two completely different sounding albums. The one thing that stands out for me in both albums is their ability to create purely instrumental songs that are so deep with emotion, they can make anyone feel something strong. Marvo Ging, a track written about a childhood friend who did magic tricks and called himself just that, sounds like childhood innocence being captivated by something which isn't necessarily captivating. Surface To Air can bring a tear to anyone's eye. It slowly evolves from a mumbling intro to a beautiful display of instrumental harmonies, then abruptly ends. Although vocal, Close Your Eyes proves that the Chems have an ear for talent as no one could have made that song amazing besides The Magic Numbers. The vocal harmonies mixed with the reflective percussion and dreamy synths can uplift anyone who listens. Saturate (Electronic Battle Weapon 8) is definitely my favourite song on We Are The Night. It starts soft, making you think it will be somewhat of a mellow house track, but it gradually intensifies, then stops, then gradually intensifies again. The second time around it stays and becomes something beautiful with desperately screaming instruments in harmony ever increasing in melodic emotion. Amazing.

The Chemical Brothers have always delivered to the dance floor, but they never had an actual dance before. The Salmon Dance in all of it's quircky instruments and hilarious vocals is bound to become a dancefloor hit. What sets it apart from other novelty dances is the fact that it doesn't take itself seriously at all. Also, the chorus in it is dreamy and trippy, but it quickly cuts right back in to the quircky hip hop vibe again. This makes the song very layered and hence, easy to listen to over and over again. I would really like to see a single for this, it's unlike anything they have ever attempted before.

No matter what syle they are currently exploring and evolving into, The Chemical Brothers always keep the same feel to all of their work. They always make music with intention and title their tracks appropriately, instrumental or not. There is something about all of their songs that sets them apart from any other musical act on the planet, yet they remain ever changing and their songs never sound the same. It is simply undescribable how they manage to pull that off so well, but it's easy to figure out how they remained the top of their game and will keep doing so until they retire.

It all started in 1992, when "Song To The Siren" was produced and released - it was one of the first (if not THE first) big beat tunes in the world. It sounded very fresh at that time and it blew Andy Weatherall, Hacienda and many other clubs, people and producers away. As the time was passing by, they've started to become more famous - so that even the original stateside Dust Brothers realized that their moniker was being 'abused' by some newcomers from Manchester.
"Exit Planet Dust" was the beginning of a brand new chapter in music history. It was the music the world was waiting for - something that no one has ever heard before. However, it was "Setting Sun" that got everyone talking about Chems. Not necessarily their best track, but definitely their most popular. Shortly after its release, the demand for big beat was unbelievably high. Artists like Prodigy, Fatboy Slim, Propellerheads, Junkie XL, Lunatic Calm, Midfield General, The Crystal Method...and many many others have decided to work for the big beat audience.
Released in 1997, the Chemical Brothers' second album "Dig Your Own Hole" has launched big beat to a brand new level. It was the music you could hear EVERYWHERE - on radio, on TV and in movies.
A follow-up to "Dig Your Own Hole", "Surrender", has proven that The Chemical Brothers are always expanding their limits, producing new music, and never repeating themselves. The album was more chilled and the sound was more 'polished', compared to the raw and powerful sound of "Dig Your Own Hole". Needless to say, a lot of fans were put off by the album, but Chems have also gained some new ones.
Nowadays, The Chemical Brothers may not be as influential as they were before, but their music still oozes quality and perfection.

As a summary, I just wanted to say that if it weren't for The Chemical Brothers, the big beat wouldn't have been as popular as it was. The Chemical Brothers are related to big beat just like Kraftwerk are related to electro and like The Beatles are related to rock & roll.
I'm not saying that you must like their music, I'm just saying that you should at least respect them for what they have done. Yes, big beat is now dead. But it died around year 2000 - just when Chems have changed the music route, so maybe it really was them, who was the driving force?

Some people think the chem brothers are out of wack now that they are putting some modern sounds with their music but i disagree. The chemical brothers have never sounded better and they still are a groundbreaking group. Everytime you listen to a track you cant help but wonder how long it took these guys to find the perfect sounds to melt together the way they do. As long as they dont go the sad cassius or daft punk route they will always be the best.

Although I wish the Chems would go back and do more dark stuff like on Dig Your Own Hole, I still think they're good. At least they are moving forward, and are still making some very original tracks. But I do think the earlier stuff was much better. Especially a little known track called Morning Lemon - very, very tasty indeed.

the chemical brothers seem to become more and more aimed at whatever is popular, and not at whatever is good. the early chemical brothers work are very groundbreaking and very good, but when they released surrender something snapped, something went wrong, and now with come with us, the chemical brothers have completely lost it. it's a shame. they used to be good.