Amazon.com

Once a roving maverick who skipped from euphoric rave to speed-metal to ambient soundscaping as if just to prove he could, recent years have seen Richard Melville Hall relax into a comfortable--and yes, lucrative--niche. On the surface, Hotel follows a similarly laid-back trajectory to his last two albums, Play and 18; melancholic torch-songs indebted to electro-pop, gospel, and David Bowie's "Heroes." That vibe is typified on Hotel by the rousing, keyboard-drenched likes of "Beautiful" and the twinkling, optimistic "Spiders," but that's not to say Moby is stagnating, exactly. For one, he's bravely jettisoned the vocal samples that powered the likes of "Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?" and relies instead on his own understated, faintly awestruck vocals--and, indeed,those of guest vocalist Laura Dawn, whose sparse, synth-and-drum-machine cover of New Order's "Temptation" is a low-key highlight. But there's also a return to his raving roots on the pulsing, diva-led "Very," and a touch of politics on "Lift Me Up"--a song that hides its contempt for the Bush Administration amid a dark carnival of sweeping strings and disco-noir rhythms. --Louis Pattison ... Read more

Reviews (98)

nothing ventured nothing gained
Moby came out with Play in 1999 and it was a dud. Then six months later it was like a tidal wave. People were digging it all over. When I went to London in 2000, I saw Moby posters up all over. It was one of the biggest records of the time. It was big enough that Eminem attacked him that year. Moby started hanging out with Bowie and became an international rock star. That was weird because all I remember was some samples of some Delta Blues records. His next record 18 was a real dud. Even the single "Stars" that was tacked on afterwards didn't help it at all. That was okay because Moby was an artist who put out a lot of different records. Now it's six years later and Moby is a very different cat. The first two songs "Raining Again" and "Beautiful" are great tracks. These are almost standard rock songs with Moby's vocals. There are a few guest vocals. Some of these songs sound like demos. Moby's voice starts to wear thin. What is he singing about again? Why should I care? It's like Moby did a very introspective album, but didn't find anything interesting to talk about, but was too unaware to know any better. Moby is just yanking our chain.

Not his best
The sounds of "Hotel" are simply not as thumping and exciting as anything on "Play," nor are they as sinuous and insightful as anything from "18." "Hotel" sounds less like the progress of a maturing artist than a half-hearted collection of songs that Moby may not have released except for increasing pressure to come out with something new.

"Hotel" lacks the ragged edges of Moby's earlier works and almost comes off as a prepackaged group of sounds to be chopped up and placed in Volkswagen commercials. It's still pleasant to listen to, but it doesn't have the "gotta start the whole CD over again" grab that "Play," and, to a lesser degree, "18" have.

If you are new to Moby, stick with the classics. If you want to listen to some decent but not groundbreaking dance tracks and a couple of moody makeout songs, go ahead and get "Hotel."

A mix of genres
This is the first album of Moby I bought, and I am surprised. I didn't expct 'real' songs. I mean, songs without this order: couplet-chorus-couplet-chorus-bridge-chorus. But most tracks are 'real' songs! I also expected dance and trance, but this album has many rock and many slow songs. The songs are more simple then I expected. I heard Moby was a music genius so I decided to buy this album and I hoped to hear something new. Well, I dind't. But in the end I was happy with this album because the songs are good. It fits in my CD collection and I will also buy Moby's other abums.

The album has 12 tracks and an intro and an outro. However, my CD has 2 outro's, while on the backside of the CD it says 14 tracks. A fault or was it meant to be a surprise? Anyway, let's continue. The first half of the album has many rock songs and the second half has many ballads. Moby hasen't got a great voice but somehow it seems to match the songs. Laura Dawn sings with him sometimes. She also has a whole song she she alone, Temptation. It's called Temptation and it sounds very quietly. It calms you down. Lift Me Up stays in your head with it's simple chorus, repeatig 'lift me up' all the time.

Raining Again, Beautiful and Spiders are all simple rock songs but they are all very different. Moby has got a good voice for rock. You want to sing the songs when you hear them. The melodies are good. The lyrics are simple, but not that bad they ruin the song. Track 9 is a gay track. Laura sings very high and if you are straight you will hate this song, just like me. It really sucks. Forever has a special effect. Moby's voice is low but the background melody is high. It gives a mysterious, good effect. I Like it is the best track of the album. With some sexy sounds and Moby's and Laura's voice it sounds very orginal. Dream About me really is a dreaming song. If you hear it you think about the paradise. It has a classic melody.

I could also review the other songs, but thrust me: Buy this album. If you don't like one half you could always like the other. The music is a mix of diffrent genres. You will love each song at least a bit. The intro's sound mysterious and are a perfect way to open and end the album. Moby did a good job.

one for the day, the other for night
This review is for the 2 disc version 1) vocal2) ambient.

Disc one is great for the day time with the exception of a few clunkers [New Order tune].But it also has some real winners [Lift Me Up].

Disc two is just perfect for the night... excellent ambient music to help you wind down from a tough day at work or a wild night out.Perfect as the last disc of the day, as you doze off.My favorite of the two discs.

Pick your favorites from disc one and add them to your shuffle.Leave disc two by the bedside for deep relaxation.

I live the how he split the music into 2 CDs
I got my "hotel" from amazon last week.

Been listening too both CDs equally. I would give this album 4 stars, it is not quite as good as his past two albums, but I added a star for splitting the CDs into two. He put his relaxing music on a disc labeled "Hotel:Ambient" and his faster paced vocal/music on a CD simply labeled "Hotel". So now when I studying or trying to relax, I put in the Hotel:Ambient CD. When I'm driving or working, I put in the Hotel CD. I appreciate him thinking about how his fans would listen to his music, and both of them help me get through my day.

Thanks Moby. ... Read more

Amazon.com's Best of 1999

Those who have followed Moby's career are familiar by now with his deep convictions and spiritual connection. On his 1999 release, Play, he celebrates his faith in a masterful, unobtrusive way, channeling gospel and other inspirational samples through beats so earthy they could grow grass on a cement dance floor. It's impossible to separate the joy of the message from the joy of the grooves. --Beth Massa ... Read more

Reviews (641)

Amazing
Moby has changed the face of music with this album by mixing techno, church spirituals, and classical music. Moby can be really creative with this album and can perform great instrumentals along with mixing. My favorite tracks are Bodyrock, South Side, Natural Blues, Porcelain, Find My Baby, and My Weakness. It isn't really a dance album, it's more of an electronic soundtrack. On a 12-hour road trip I went on, I listened to this entire CD and enjoyed most of the songs as I was bored in the car. If you truly like music, do not miss the opportunity to get this album. This album is absolutely amazing from a man that produces REAL music. I recommend this album to good music listeners who have tastes in all kinds of music and for those who have nothing to listen to on a long car trip.

5 stars is my rating and there is no good reason why you cannot rate this album one star. (Unless you are a big fan of grunge rock music or boy band oriented pop)

A Hands Down Must Buy
When you say the word "techno", people tend to imagine loud, obnoxious electronic dance songs with loads of annoying sound-effects. Rest assured that if that's your defintion of techno, this ain't techno.

Moby takes 18 tracks and tackles multiple genres: rock, hip hop, blues, gospel, accoustic, and many more. Many tracks contain samplings of other songs (ranging from Love Rap by Spoony G and The Trecherous 3 to Run On For A Long Time, a 1937 gospel piece), while others are true original compositions with Moby doing the vocals himself. It creates for a rather confusing effect: you won't know exactly who you're listening to--but believe me, you'll be enjoying yourself too much to care.

Moby is a devout Christian, and his spirituality shines in every one of these 18 tracks. It would be wrong, though, to call this religious music--it's not looking to convert anyone, if that's a worry of yours. I'm an Agnostic myself, and I loved the spiritual, empowering feelings of these songs.

I've noticed other reviews say that some songs are great while others fail, but I honestly believe each and every one of these songs has something to offer. Some, like "7", "Down Slow", and "Inside" don't have any lyrics and do resort to a more traditional techno sound, but are enthralling nevertheless.

So go on and add it to your shopping cart. If you don't absolutely love it, then--well--feel free to write me an angry e-mail.

Takes Electronica to new heights!
This is one of my favorite CDs of all-time, along with mr.deviant's "Techno Obsession". With "Play", Moby takes techno and electronica into a whole new place, a more emotional place. For years critics have panned electronica because they claim it can't "have soul, or feeling", Moby shatters this myth with virtually every track on "Play".
Believe the hype surrounding this one. It's a classic, and belongs in everyone's CD collection. Just buy it, and thank me later.

Well-known now!
Moby has come along way from his very first album entitled 'Moby' which was his early techno works to his most recent album 'Play'. We got a taste of what Moby can really do with ambient music, pop-techno, dance, and rock in albums such as: Everything Is Wrong, Ambient, Rare: The Collected B-Sides 1989-1993, etc... Now, Moby takes another step up and brings a lot of gospel and soul music into his keyboard and electronic music works. 'Play' gives you a wide variety of different styles of gospel and soul. The song "Honey" starts with a simple catchy and rhythem and builds in a nice and light techno beat. Others like "Find My Baby" and "Why Does My Heart Feel so Bad?" combine more of a soul feeling into melodic piano and light dance beats. His most successful song in the album was "South Side" which features Gwen Stefani (No Doubt) leading Moby in the chorus. The song also became a hit single along with it being a hit song all by itself. 'Play', towards the end of the album, steps into more slow and ambient textures in songs like "Down Slow", "Inside", and the poetic-like songs "If Things Were Perfect" (I think that's one of them that he just TALKS in) and "The Sky Is Broken" which is very visionary-like with its slow and soothing melodies and beginning beat throughout. The ending song "My Weakness" starts off with a beautiful choir background and later builds in a beautiful orchestral texture in. This makes the song, with it's orchestral sound, a most remembering moment in what Moby can do...My Weakness makes for a fascinating ending for the entire CD.

'Play' was a platinum-selling album worldwide. He later released "Play The DVD" which includes numerous videos of some of the hits off of the CD. It also includes a MEGAMIX that gives you a variety of industrial, rave, dance, and trance mixes of songs off of Play. These are both things that one should own if you are a fan of Moby.

That's my review, Thanks!

If things were perfect, this album would be among them
Moby is more than a genius of techno, he is a genius of music. What he does in this album is so joyful and depressing simultaneously, I just want to listen to it over and over again. The best tracks are Porcelain, Why does my heart feel so bad?, Southside, Natural Blues, and Run On. And the rest are still amazing songs. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

This isn't really Prefuse 73 anymore
I absolutely loved Prefuse 73's old albums.Things have changed in this album.Songs like perverted undertone are replaced by a little more artist flavor.Personally, I'm not a big fan, and am a little dissapointed that this album didn't sound like his last two.

his best?
i'm still teetering on that question, i love this album and vocal studies & uprock narritives, but i seriously think this one has beaten it out of its number 1 prefuse album on my list. this album is just so diverse, with sound. I love how he mixedclassical into his work, it is so emotional. brings tears to my eyes, i have no idea why, the music just touches my heart. heh, that sounds so corny.

UNBELIEVABLE
Another incredible and innovative record from one of the most significant musicians around today.Buy this and his whole catalog

"Rain Edit Interlude"
Let's just start by announcing my favorite track on here, ok? "Rain Edit Interlude" transports a fairly long sample from Linda Perhacs' Parallelograms into the glitchhop modernity of Prefuse 73's fourth full length. Yes, to me it is the best. In fact, it seems to almost transcend the rest of the album as more of a fully baked "song", less a merely super-produced mix of glitches and samples. P73 (aka Scott Heren) seems to do well working with female vocalists (see Savath & Savalas) - even when they're simply sampled. The vocal track(s) tend to beautifully round out his glitchy click clack hip hop production. Other featured artists/samples include Ghostface, El-P, Aesop Rock, Broadcast, Tyondai Braxton, Masta Killa and GZA. Recommended for fans of Amon Tobin, DJ Shadow, Unagi, Kid Koala, etc.

I love you Kazu
This record rips it up. It's party music. It's wild. It's the more experimental record you will ever here. It is off the hook. It is where hiphop is. Ghostface Killa shows up on a track. The sisters from On Air Library are on here too. "Pastel Assassins" is a major track. Kazu from Blonde Redhead sings on another track. There are also appearances by The Books, Aesop Rock, GZA, Nobody, Beans, and a load of other fine tracks. Some of the previous records by Prefuse 73 seemed out of control. This is a studied journey. It's a valid statement. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential recording

An album even the technophobic couldn't ignore, The Fat of the Land made Prodigy one of the first U.K. rave acts to infiltrate pop culture. Hard-core hip-hop-derived breakbeats, layers of unabashed (but creative) sampling, and meaningless shouted lyrics struck a chord beyond the electronic-music community. The inclusion of "Firestarter" and "Breathe" (both previously released hit singles) certainly aided the disc's widespread success, but it was the ferocity (and controversy) of "Smack My Bitch Up" that caught the world's attention. Guest Shahin Bada's Indian vocalizations convey the sense that dance music has come a long way from "Pump Up the Volume"! "Diesel Power," featuring Kool Keith, and "Funky Shit" set a wicked groove; the cover of L7's "Fuel My Fire" recalls the energy of the Sex Pistols. In fact, the dark aggression of The Fat of the Land bears closer resemblance to both rap and punk than the hedonism of techno. Leader Liam Howett simply gives up 10 solid songs with bombastic production values, transforming dance music into the art of noise. --Lisa Ladouceur ... Read more

Reviews (181)

Intense and Hypnotic
I listen to all different genres of music, but I have found that, honestly, "Fat of the Land" is one of my favourite albums of all time, and certainly the best Prodigy album there is (Jilted Generation certainly gives it a run for its money, and is probably more experimental; but the genius of Fat lies in the fact that it has a very coherant theme running throughout the tracks, and most of the musical ideas work very well). Naturally, however, some tracks are better than others.

Ranked from (1) to (10) (1 is the best track and 10 is the worst

Smack my B-- up: Very urban and gritty, the only drawback of this song is that it takes overly long to get off the ground. The Indipop vocal bridge thing is awesome, though.(7)

Breathe: Perhaps the most popular song on the album, but not really my favourite. Keith Flint's vocals don't work so well, nor does the rock-fusion effort. Serial Thrilla is a much better track in that regard.(8)

Diesel Power: Might've been nice if it weren't for the lame guest rapper.(9)

Funky S--: Awesome song; very fast-paced and aggressive, extensive sampling but all the samples work real well.(4)

Serial Thrilla: Perfect metal/techno fusion track. The guitar part is great, and the vocals fit real well into the song (though I'm not sure that they mean anything). Definately this is the heaviest and most aggressive song on the album, as well as one of the best. The overall sound is very dark and gritty.(2)

Mindfields: Another great track. Mindfields is based on a very simple theme, but it has a very earthy feel to it.(3)

Narayan: Really mystical; this track best captures the trippiness of the latter part of the album in general. It would've been an awesome song, but unfortunately it's not as coherant as it might've been and could use a bit more cleaning up. The lyrics are disturbing and cryptic - they add alot to the overall feel of this track; and the Sanskritish vocal thing in the middle is also great.(6)

Firestarter: Another techno/metal fusion track. Works very well overall; not quite as good as Serial Thrilla, but much better than Breathe. I saw the music video for this and it's also pretty cool.(5)

Climbatize: All in all, I'd say this is by far the best track on the album. This song is very coherant musically, and it has all the elements that make the album great: it's trippy, mystical, exotic, dark, agressive, earthy... (1)

Fuel my Fire: Probably the weakest overall. Fuel my Fire is a cover, adn it shows. The vocals are edgy and sorta irritating, similar to Breathe in alot of respects.(10)

Heartpounding Hardcore Techno
Prodigy's "The Fat of the Land" is one of the best hardcore techno albums recorded. Their combination of guitar rock, rap, club dance, and sampling gives this album some of the most unique techno sounds. Such quality rightfully made them the first rave band to make mainstream in the US. Prodigy has inspired many dance/electronica acts since the release. Its edgy lyrics and edgy beats keeps every listener anxiously awaiting for what'll happen next, regardless of who's singing lead vocals. Every beat keeps many on the dance floor. Such controversy, especially on "Smack My B**** Up", keeps this album interesting. Their top 40 hit single "Firestarter" capitalizes the theme. After six years of release, "The Fat of the Land" continues its hardhitting impact. This is the ultimate album for the ultimate techno fan. Even many non-techno fans will enjoy this. Those who love it, which surely many will, should watch for their new album to be released in 2004.

A Prodigy Indeed
Prodigy has always been a great band. Mixing several genres and coming up with something that is not crap. I love this album from beginning to end. Prodigy's "The Fat of the Land" is to Electronica what "Nevermind" is to Rock. Favorite tracks on this album are "Smack my Bitch Up", Breathe", "Mindfields", "Narayan", "Firestarter", and "Climbatize".

Prodigy made it - it's that simple
Most people are idiots - many people understand this fact, and that it applies to them - however, under partiucular circumstances the average man can forget that he is a complete idiot for a brief period of time, during this time he may look even more idiotic than at other intervals, but on the inside he feels only sheer adrenaline pumping excitement - this album combined with some big speakers and a couple of shots of tequila, can definitely provide the average idiot with a simple means of escape from his own lunacy - One Love -

A unique and terrific album
Some albums stand out from the pack either because they are unique or outstanding.

"The Fat of the Land" by The Prodigy stands out for both reasons. As any good dance album should, "The Fat of the Land" provides a raucous good time from start to finish. It is full of energy and inculcates the listener with that energy -- I think it's impossible to not feel like moving when this album is playing. Moreover, I really don't think that there is even one remotely weak song on this album.

However, what differentiates this album from others of its kind is that it is an odd dichotomy of dark and forboding and yet pounding and fast at the same time. I think that it serves up a different sound that I really haven't heard since.

"Breathe" and "Firestarter" are the two songs that people would be most familiar with -- and they weren't hits for nothing; they are contagiously feral and to this day their sound holds up. In addition to those two, I really like the songs "Smack My Bi*ch Up" (the song is just flat out pure energy -- you become its b*tch as it smacks you upside the head and exhorts you to dance, to move, to do anything but just sit there on your hands), "Funky Sh*t" (my favorite on the album due to its slightly eerie sound), and "Narayan".

If I feel the need to pump up the stereo with something that is fast-paced and energetic, I usually reach first for "The Fat of the Land." If you are a little tired of what the 2000s have served up so far and want to go back in time and explore the 90s, this is definitely one worth checking out. I'd be very surprised if "The Fat of the Land" didn't grab you. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The eighth album by these OG glitch kingpins is a curious thing. While none of the album's sounds are particularly different (Autechre is working with pretty much the same palette started with), it's not like they've gone laptop folk or added favela beats. The band's relentless experimentation continues unabated. Each of these songs here has more parts than an entire Rush album; every succeeding Autechre album has gotten more complex, as if there were Oulipo-style rules system guides the entire practice. But, while some patterns change rapidly--the complex and jagged try dancing to this rhythms rarely repeat for very long–-sine tones and drones underneath it all change very slowly. So, while the music may be composed in a postmodern way, then, it's staunchly modernist in its sharp, subtle honing of minimalist compositional techniques. The contrast between the jagged sounds and the surface and the moaning bass tones will either thrill or bore. There is no middle ground.--Mike McGonigal ... Read more

Reviews (23)

Don't Judge Too Quickly
At first listen, you may say Untilted is the worst CD
you've ever heard in your life and be strongly tempted
to hurl it in the gargabe.However, don't judge too
quickly.Give it another chance or two and you'll see...oh
my goodness...I love it!Warning: the first three minutes
of track one are VERY ANNOYING and may turn you off...
but allow yourself to get past that....eventually you too may realize...this CD is 5 stars!

A new one for the books.
It's always an event when these guys put a new album out, and as usual, Autechre has given us a work of art that is both unpredictable and serene in it's charm. Charm? Do you have a better word in mind? As you know it's difficult to describe the sonic structures of Autechre's pieces, but this album will grow on new and old listeners alike.O, and go see them live. jb

Still godly
Decades ago, a famous sportswriter, apparently tired of criticisms of his favorite sport, wrote "baseball is dull only to those with dull minds".While that point is certainly debatable when it comes to the national pastime (this guy wrote before the days of three-hour games), it applies equally well to the work of Autechre.This English duo (Sean Booth and Rob Brown, if you want to get all specific) has spent the past decade or so composing some of the most original and experimental electronic music ever made (oh, screw it, this is some of the most original and experimental MUSIC ever made, period), winning a small army of enthusiastic converts while alienating others who apparently can't figure out how an hour of glitches and bleeps constitutes music.That said, there aren't a lot of artists out there who can consistently come out with something at least interesting, and whatever one thinks of them, Autechre do manage to challenge perceptions and screw up minds with each successive release.In spite of some accusations, whatever else Autechre may be, they're not dull.

Anyway, this all leads us to Untilted, the eighth album in the Autechre canon and one that should please all those looking for their customary blend of bizarrely arranged bleeps, sweeps, and creeps.Despite occasionally bringing in sounds somewhat similar to the dronings on an MRI machine, Untilted is a surpisingly musical release, occasionally managing to sound catchy even amidst a flurry of determinedly abstract time signatures and song structures.At the same time, Untitled is still an Autechre release, and as such the focus remains on feeding your brain first and foremost.As you'd expect from the group that brought us Tri Repetae ++ and Confield, intellectually severe, high-speed musical calculus is the order of the day.

I personally found this album to be somewhat more instantly gratifying than its predecessor Draft 7.30, but that doesn't mean there aren't voluminous reams of complexity for you to decipher.Tracks open with a frenzy of spastic beats and pummelling percussion before gradually evolving into slower, more atmospheric pieces without sacrificing Autechre's trademark mathematical precision.Dense, rapid-fire sensory overload steadily gives way to hypnotic drones that are only somewhat interrupted by the jagged sounds that skid over them.Booming backbeats, out-of-time glitches, and even some subtle melodic underpinnings are interspersed into bizarre, ever-shifting sonic landscapes.New and fascinating uses for the drum machine are repeatedly discovered, with slice-and-dice programming (especially on the brilliant Augmatic Disport) that almost redeems the machine's use on countless boy-band atrocities.And the epic, 15-minute closer Sublimit cycles through every trick in Autechre's book, easily ranking among the most convincing displays of their demented genius as it staggers and stutters through a dizzying array of beats and textures.

In the end, Untilted is a quintessential Autechre album: strange, abstract, unique, and sure to be divisive.However, as a fan of Sean and Rob's work, I for one wouldn't have it any other way.While the forthcoming Meshuggah full-length will probably ending up grabbing my coveted album of the year designation, for now Untilted holds the top spot.

Misunderstood composition
Autechre have been given a bad rap in recent months for this album. It hasn't been panned so much as simply disregarded as 'another autechre album'. Its a disappointing evaluation, given the quality of the song craftsmanship on this album - seriously. Gone are the sped up beats that mangle the song out of control (found on Confield (think of cFern, Sim Gishel and the way too intense end to Lentic Catachresis) and the unfortunate end to the otherwise sublime Cap.IV off Gantz Graf). Instead the songs are, generally speaking, patient even as they are intense.

A good way to tell if someone's been listening carefully to the album is if they review and suggest there was 10 seconds of silence before the first beat - there wasn't! It was quiet - if you never heard it, then I think your headphones are too low (this of course is an old trick to get people to set their volume accordingly - like adjusting the contrast on your monitor). Then the beat comes in - its fast, in control and never boring. the song changes momentum a few times and works its way through the idea. Ipacial Section operates in a similar tone - hard beat - work through the idea, get somewhere interesting. The same I suppose can be said for a number of tracks on the album, such as the haunting Pro Radii or the enchanting Augmatic Distort - the latter starting off incredibly heavy and fast but ending on a worderful even keeled note. The melody of that song in the interim is well worth the wait - like pen expers of confield, its a song structure trying desperately to break through (or at least put order to) the noise around it - clever.

The second half of the album is a bit weaker, but the sound production in The Trees is phenomenal - truly making the brain dance. Sublimit is a hot, and fun closer.

To those who say that autechre are just doing more of the same - I don't get it, is the music about the novelty or the unfolding of the ideas? If you're just hunting for sounds - I suppose yeah, as they do use several familiar instruments. But noone ever disses a rock band for keeping their kit. This time it seems like AE had fun with their instrumnets and came out with a consistent, measured and engaging album. Finally - play it loud on headphones - its rewarding.

My brain exploded on April 19th 2005
What can I say? I must have gone through this album 15 times since I bought it (on the day of it's release), and I still can't put my finger on the reason why I haven't yet thrown it out the window.

First off, this album is no more listenable than a thousand marbles falling down a set of steel stairs, yet, I keep can't stopputting it on, because for some reason, it is highly rewarding. Melody is nearly absent, for the exeception of fermium, and maybe a few short parts of other songs, but here, melody is not what one must look for.

I think that the major point made by this album, even if this may sound like a very bad point, is the incredible talent that brown and booth are gifted with. The main recurring thought that I had while listening to this album is just how amazingly sharp and precise every single blip and bam is.

Booth, I think it was, said in an interview that Untilted was the album that took them the least time to create, yet it sounds like they spent 15 years working on it.

I will attend their concert in Montreal tonight and I hope that it will help decipher Untilted for me. I know I like it, but I want to know why. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Following one of the most licensed CDs in history, 18 delivers more of the gospel samples and spiritual exploration that made Play Moby's breakthroughalbum. But keep your expectations in check. On 18 there is barely a body-rocker in the bunch. This is often a somber, melancholy disc, blanketed in thewashed-over cinematic orchestral melodies Moby's been fond of since his classic self-titled debut. It requires several listenings before the gems shine through theambient fog--and most depart from Play entirely. On the deceptively minimalist opening track, Moby delivers a powerful message through his thin littlevoice. "We are all made of stars," he sings, and indeed he's believable. MC Lyte punches out an infectious rap over old-school beat-box rhythms on "Jamfor the Ladies," offering one of the disc's few roof-raisers. "At Least We Tried" is a tear-jerking swan song of the highest order, and, finally, "The Rafters"resurrects early-‘90s house piano, which will make any of Moby's career-long fans pine for his earliest club hits. The diminutive DJ needn't have produced PlayPt. Two to keep his new fans engaged. Fortunately, his greatest talent for cooking up interesting sounds is still audible; you just need the patience to findit. --Beth Massa ... Read more

Reviews (248)

Play Pt. 2? Not really...
For his follow-up to the tremendously successful "Play," Moby gives us "18" new tunes -- some familiar-sounding, others not so much. ...Songs like "In this World," "One of These Mornings," or "I'm Not Worried At All" follow what might be called the Play formula: take an old archived soul/blues/gospel sample and put it over beats, violins, and whatever else sounds good. Other tunes on 18 follow a similar formula, but are more extensive in their sampling: "Sunday," for instance, is ultimately more of a traditional song as opposed to one where Moby has the same lyrics loop indefinitely. (Although the refrain does repeat itself dozens of times, of course.)

Then there's the anomolies. "We Are All Made of Stars" would not have fit on Play at all. "The Great Escape" sounds like This Mortal Coil (it would've fit perfectly on "Blood," TMC's third and final album). "Extreme Ways" also differs from Play's tone. "Harbour," with Sinead O'Connor, would have seemed out of place on Play. "Jam For the Ladies" has an old-school hip-hop feel to it. Granted, there are styles in Play that aren't in 18--no dance hall-style techno, for instance, but there's more new styles than abandoned styles in evidence on 18.

The songs I mentioned are enough to make 18 more than just Play Pt. 2. It's true, however, that anyone familiar with Play will feel at home listening to 18. But that has as much to do with Moby's orchestral aesthetic as his choice of songs. He tends to use his synth violins, for example, in ostensibly the same way (= the same voicings) in lots of songs--both on Play and on 18. I call this simply "the Moby sound." There's nothing intrinsically wrong with having an identifiable style, so I don't fault him on that count.

Is 18 groundbreaking? Hardly. But if you liked Play, will you like 18? Definitely.

Does the name Pavlov ring a bell?
To me, Moby's 18 is the sound of a man trying to get more licensing contracts. He made a superb album with Play, and he managed to license every song on the album for use in movies, commercials, etc. And more power to him. It was a great album. Moby's always been changing in his sound, but it was no surprise to hear that once he was able to sell out big time, he stuck with the same sound he was using. Not that that's such a horrible thing. But some of these songs could pass for carbon copies of Play songs. We get similar-sounding field recordings of southerners singing "Lordy, don't leave me all by myself." More than reminiscent of "Oh Lordy, my trouble so hard" from "Natural Blues." "Bodyrock" gets done over as "Jam For the Ladies." "Extreme Ways" sounds like "South Side." It goes on. But it's not entirely the same. Moby seems to be going new age on us all, writing songs for Sinead O'Conner to sing over Enya-like sounds. Oy. The album seems like excercise. Boring. "The Rafters" is the only song that I really like, and even that one suffers from a seemingly patented Moby swelling synth-string treatment that was originally used so well in "Porcelain," but now seems to pop up in every single one of his songs.

Oh, and let's not forget that as of right now, I know of at least three of the songs from the album are licensed, with more to come for sure. To teach a dog a new trick, you give him a treat. Well, Moby is sure desrving of his treat this time. He did his trick just as you hoped.

Moby Does It Again
The follow-up CD to the 1999 smash-hit Play well lived up to its expectations. While not quite as good as its predecessor, I don't think anybody will be disappointed.

Moby continues to re-define techo in this new album, reminding us all of how far he's come since his raw, electronic beat days. Like Play before it, 18 is full of spiritual, emotional songs--although often he uses this emotional power to create somewhat depressing (but still very beautiful) music, as can be seen is such tracks as "Sleep Alone", "18" and "At Least We Tried".

In contrast to Play, there are more slow and melodic songs and less hip-hip and R&B songs. Strangely, although I ordinarily don't care for hip-hop or R&B, I was sad to see both go.

Overall, though, this album is a must-buy, and I stand fully behind my 5-star rating. As with Play, all of the songs are unique and special on their own, but come together to create a spiritual journey into a wide spectrum of emotions when the album is played in its entirety.

Superior yet still uneven followup to 'Play'
I usually don't write reviews for C.D.s, but I felt compelled to add my opinion on "18" because I feel this album has been misrepresented by many other reviewers.

The main thing that helps in listening to this album is to forget everything else about Moby (mainly "Play," which this album resembles in only the slightest way). It also helps to forget We Are All Made of Stars once the track is done playing, since the other songs don't follow its lead (even though that single was, ironically, the reason I bought this album in the first place).

If you just judge the songs for what they are, not expecting a lot of radio-friendly singles (like We Are All Made of Stars, not that I consider it mindless pop but it is something which is commercially equipped) or "Play, Volume 2" you realize that they are quite good. The barrier to the enjoyment (or popularity) of this album is the expectations that exist because of the success of "Play" and the sometimes quite unconventional nature of the songs. It's a good album, just not good in the way you're likely to expect it to be.

"18" hits higher and more frequent highs than "Play," in my opinion. Unfortunately it also has a lower low (Harbour). But it averages out as a better album. We Are All Made of Stars is the best vocal techno song I've heard in English (Japanese electronic artist tend to be very good at this format, which seems to elude Western musicians). Extreme Ways is an excellent "angry rocker," only with the "rock" part replaced with electronica. I say that because, with a different instrumental arrangement, these lyrics would be worthy of Dylan or Petty. But the instrumentals that do back the song are some of Moby's finest work, a layered electronic masterpiece. In This World is far superior to Natural Blues, which it is naturally compared to. Great Escape is both a great song and testament to Moby's versatility as a songwriter (it's composed for Classical strings, and is a moving love song like nothing he's written before). Jam for the Ladies is an enjoyable departure from Moby's usual style (if there *is* anything that can be called his usual style, this isn't it) Then the instrumantal tracks Fireworks and 18 prove that his focus on vocal songs hasn't caused his talent for composing instrumentals to wane. On the down side, I don't know what these other reviewers have on track 15 of their copies of "18." I find Harbour to be not only the obvious weak point of this album, but the most unlistenable song Moby has ever issued under his name. The lyrics are uninspired, the vocals are poorly delivered, and there's nothing about the instrumental backing to make the track interesting at all. But it is only a momentary lapse of dignity for Moby.

The biggest weakness of "18" is the weakness of all Moby's albums: it fails to hold together as a unified work. The songs are good (although some are a bit weak, and the album would have benefited from the removal of Harbour and 1 or 2 of the gospel songs, to shorten it to the approximate length of "Play"), but together they seem like just a collection of songs, a singles collection or "best of" compilation, rather than parts of a whole. Then don't flow and there is nothing which unifies them (although a couple songs are linked to each other). It seems like Moby just browsed a database he had his 150 unreleased songs on, picked 18 he thought were objectively the best, with no regard to their style or tone, then kept them in the order they had been filed on the database, rather than arranging them in a way that allowed the moods of the songs to compliment each other. The result is "18," a good collection of songs, but with almost no feeling of unity.

Basically "18" shows that, despite all his other successes evident on the record, Moby has failed to make the full transition from a single artist to an album artist. It is a good album to own, but it has a number of idiosyncracies that prevent its widespread enjoyment, and some that prevent me from being able to give it 5 stars. I hope Moby's next (non-Voodoo Child) album maintains these strengths (as well as new innovations) *and* is also able to exist as a unified whole, like all the truly great albums do.

When he's good, he's very good. When he is ho-hum, he's
Moby has stated that he has written over 3,000 songs but that they won't be released because most of them aren't that good. I believe it. His good stuff is great - original, sincere, ear-popping music that makes you realize that there are musicians doing creative music. His other stuff is boring - anyone with a synthesizer and a beat machine can grind out this stuff. It is amazing that Moby can't tell the difference because he will include simplistic synth chords shifting slowly and then give these pieces grandiose names as if he thinks they are profound when they are nothing but noodling on the keyboard that anyone can do. This is a good album but be ready to junk a few songs before you upload it to your ipod. ... Read more

Album Description

Enhanced bonus disc includes videos of "Set it Off - Toby Neuman Remix" and "Set it Off - Peaches Super 8 Video". ... Read more

Reviews (12)

X-Rated Techno with a Punk Edge
I came across this in a indie record store under employee recommendations. The CD itself I was attracted to cause of the hot pink color which was loud in itself. The CD also had on the packaging a quote from a review from a popular music magazine mentioning 3 well known artists, Trent Reznor, Courtney Love, and Foxy Brown claiming they should be "afraid, very afraid!"....well this exlamation justified my curiosity upon purcasing.
All I have to say regarding this CD is it is fun, tounge in cheek , and yes... edgy. If one is into techno, Industrial, and dance music with a punk edge then I would recommend. On track "Lovertits" she sounds similar to Gwen Stefani behind a Euro-techno dance pop beat. The tracks that I found most memorable are "Rock Show" which displays a Joan Jettish rock rebel grrrl growl behind synth beats. The next is "Diddle My Skittle" which has a great synth intro that kind of reminded me vaguely of NIN but it stands on it's own. The beats on some of the beginning of the songs are kind of similar, but not monotonous. Sleaze talk aside, I found it provocative and fun. The songs tend to grow on you. Just use with caution if you are one to sing aloud in a crowd!!! :)
This edition of the Cd also has a bonus disc with a great remake of the Berlin song Sex (I'm a...) which is one of the true gems on this 2 CD set. You will also find two very different and unusually strange videos for the song "Set it Off."
Now that I have listend to this CD, I am now even more curious on seeing her live which should be just as interesting as the inside picture cover, but that is another story and another review! Thanks!

...Girl Power Techno with a Punk Edge
I came across this in a indie record store under employee recommendations, and it really wasn't the recommendation that caught my attention, but the cover shot of the hot pink pants...Peaches?!?
All I have to say regarding this CD is it is fun, tounge in cheek... If one is into techno, Industrial, and dance music with a punk edge then I would recommend. On track "Lovertits" she sounds similar to Gwen Stefani behind a Euro-techno dance pop beat. The tracks that I found most memorable are "Rock Show" that displays a harder punk sound behind synth beats. The next is "Diddle My Skittle" which has a great into that kind of reminded me vaguely of NIN. although it can stand on it's own. Some of the beats on some of the songs are kind of similar, but not monotonous.
Sleaze talk aside, I found it provocative, fun and "I like the beats and you can dance to it!!!" That and the songs tend to grow on you.
Could this be the new pop star of the up and coming? I wouldn't be surprised. Parents should beware...and you too!! Peaches may be the one to come kick the mainstream...

where are led zeppelin, deep purple and black sabbath?
when this lady is an anti pop star ? the songs she plays, surely has nothing to do with the classic masterpiece rock n roll elements...she certainly plays rock songs, but it is definitely not a rock n roll or Heavyrock masterpiece genre!

Some veterans legendary heavy rock bands from the past such as Black sabbath, Uriah Heep, King crimson, Led Zeppelin or deep purple should teach her how to play Rock n roll very well!

Love it!
I don't usually like this type of music But I love this CD.
I first heard "F**K the pain away" on the movie "Lost In Translation" By Sofia Coppola and starring Bill Murray I had to order it. It has an excellent beat.
Even though the lyrics are dirty it makes me warm and fuzzy all over!
A must have for your music collection!!!

Garbage for this Genre
Hype and ego probably introduced you Peaches. There are several artists of this genre that actually have some talent. Don't waste your money on this crap. This woman is talent-free and a dog to boot. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The novelty was stripmined from ethnobeat pop long ago, and this skin-deep confection is surprising only in its lack of edge and invention. On the plus side, the melodies are textured and lush, the beats entrancing, and a parade of gifted singers--Kristy Thirsk, Jacqui Hunt, and Sarah McLachlan included--bill and coo impressively. Lead single "Euphoria (Firefly)" has spark and spirit, while "Enchanted" and "Duende" are strong vehicles for Thirsk and Camille Henderson respectively. --Jeff Bateman ... Read more

Reviews (158)

Karma is a Delerium Classic
Karma is a wide leap from the earlier albums from Delerium, such as Stone Tower, but it is excellent. I love the fact that Rhys and Bill decided to bring in phenomenal female singers such as Kristy Thirsk, Jacqui Hunt, Sarah McLachlan, and Camille Henderson. The enchanting rhythms and sounds create a beautiful sound scape for your mind to dive into. My favorite track on this album is Duende. I love the mid-eastern feel of it. Enchanted is another great one, Thirsk's voices is amazing, and the lyrics have a lot of meaning. The album comes together as a whole when you listen to it all the way through, as with most of the Delerium albums. Karma will enchant and move you to higher places.

I cannot wait for the next Delerium album to follow up this one. But for now, this along with other Delerium albums such as Semantic Spaces and Spiritual Archives are staying in my CD player.

Spellbinding vocals over surrealistic soundscapes
Wow! Wow! I can't hear this CD enough!

I started listening to Delerium through the side-door: I'm no fan of Front Line Assembly or much of Leeb and Fulber's other work produced under various names, including Delerium.

Then a friend leant me the awe-inspiring Semantic Spaces. Shortly, I got ahold of Karma. And it's been stuck in my Rio player for six months now, and I've no plans to remove it any time soon.

It's hard to write about something that sounds so beautiful: words don't do it justice. But imagine ethnic beats, electronic sophistication, angelic lamentations, and ethereal landscapes, and you might get an idea of what this album sounds like. If you're at all a fan of Semantic Spaces, or Enigma's early work, you'll definitely enjoy Karma.

Can't Get Enough Of This Disc
I just bought this CD yesterday and wow, there is nothing like this group in existance. Their music is so lush and haunting. I had used to think Enigma was the height of otherworldly music but Delirium outdoes them everytime. My favorites have to be Enchanted and Silence (featuring the lovely Sarah Mclachlan) A must for anyone who love ambient music.

Leeb, Fulber, you guys have changed man
If you are truely familiar with Delerium you know that it is the oldest and now (thanks to albums like this) the most profitable side project of "Front Line Assembly". That's not because this is their best album, it's because this is the type of music mainstream America wants. If your familiar with earlier Delerium then it's evident that this is not their true style. It sounds like an experiment done by Leeb and Fulber to milk the common American cd buyer of every penny so they can make improvements and upgades on their 2 million dollar homes. Having said that I'd like to reassure you that this review is not going to be all negative. There's nothing wrong with making money and capitolism is how our favorite groups become successful. Hey, I gave this album 4 stars. It's a good album for what it is. It's for a very specific mood. To me it's for getting girls in that 'specific' mood. Women seem to like this album more than us guys. Although us guys have a taste in softer music too even though we may try to hide it behind our heavy metal, beer drinking and love of boxing.

So Leeb and Fulber have a good idea here. As always they have a vision for creating a style of music unique for any type of mood. Using female vocalists such as Kristy Thirsk creates a sort of sensual feel to this cd. The entire album is solid, with no song sticking out as a best or worst. Like I said it's a cd designed for that 70+ minute mood that we all sometimes feel. It's not at all like early Delerium and certainly different from most Front Line Assembly. If you're a big fan of heavier FLA this album might dissappoint you. If you expect Delerium to sound like they did on "Faces Forms and Illusions" then this album is bound to raise a few eyebrows. But I gave this album a try and liked it. I guess I believe that all music has it's place and purpose.

My first delerium, my favorite delerium
This was my first delerium cd, and it served as an excellent introduction to new-era delerium. I like all the other cds of the duo, but this is still my favourite. it is probably the most tribal album of theirs, and it is vocal without being a cheap poppish attempt to make money. It has quite a variatey of styles, ranging from ethereal trance/new age (twilight) to ambient/dance pop (but not forced) songs like euphoria (firefly) and silence. the details are below.

1:enchanted- I LOVE kristy thirsks voice! it is so sexy, when she comes in with her oohs and aahs. this song is tribal, ambient, poppish, and a little ethereal. So angelic.

2:deunde- When I first got this album this was my favorite song. it has a great powerful beat, some sampled chants, and a great vocal job by camille. It almost makes you feel like you are in the aboriginal outback, but it is still pop influenced.

3:twilight- an ethereal tranceey instrumental track with some chants. very pretty and inspiring.

4:silence- outstanding song. it has monks in the bigenning but after about 1:30 sarah mclachlan comes in, and starts singing. piano is interlaced through parts of the chorus and there is a nice piano solo at the end.

5:forgotten worlds- very otherworldly, you can see why they put the title there. the song takes you to a long forgotten temple and awakens it and brings you inside. it only starts out dark, then it begins to glow. Chanting in this one too.

6:lamenation- definitley tribal, especially during the first three minutes or so. then it gets really pretty. too bad it has such a long introduction. a little weak, could have been on semantic spaces.

7:euphoria (firefly)- two slightly slow instrumental somgs make way for a dancey pop song. this was the first single from the album. it is catchy and danceable. if you heared and liked other poppish songs like silence or deunde you'd probably like this.

8:remembrance- one of my friends claims to have heared this on the radio, but I never knew it was a single. (or is it?) this starts out with some woodwinds, but about 1:00 in this song comes to life with chanting monks and then gets spacey and synthesized after about three minutes, and then the chanting comes laced in with the spacey sounds. very interesting.

9:wisdom- a short song, but still welcome. yay, more thirsk! This song is a little like enchanted, but less tribal sounding.

10:window to your soul- this is not at all even hinted with pop. it is a piece of mood music, very relaxing, and inspiring. and even though it's around 10 minutes, it dosent drag on. it keeps you listening. it starts out dark, but dont skip it, after about two minutes you will be on your way to a very peaceful place. this song has chimes, synthesizers (of course) and chanting. REALLY pretty.

11:til the end of time- this is probably the weakest song on the cd. it is a lot like wisdom, but slower. vocals, too.

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You need this in your collection! there is a little something for everybody, but you will probably end up liking it all. :) ... Read more

Album Details

Freestyle, house music's close cousin, exploded in popularity during the early 1980's. With artists like Stevie B, Trinere & TKA cranking out memorable jams like 'Party Your Body', 'I'll Be all You Ever Need' & 'Maria', fans went absolutley wild. This 1997 SPG label four-disc set captures the essence of the freestyle genre, featuring the hits from the artists mentioned above, plus songs by Nice & Wild, Pebbles, X-Posed, Debbie Deb & much, much more. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Freestyle fans this cd is for you
Freestyle was a sound different from the mainstream.It was a latin hip-hop sound in which at times seem like sugar to the ears.But it was the sound that with help shape the eurodance sound of the mid to late 90's.Freestyle was the teen pop of many latino and non latino kids in the city.Withs its theme in love and heartbreak over latin flavored hip-hop.It was a moment in time and a sound of the late 80's teenager. Even know it never got as big as new jack swing it did leave its mark on dance pop.If you listen to the eurodance artists like amber,the real mccoys and labouche you will hear the keyboard licks of freestyle.As an Dj i'm always asked what music did i start playing first when i started djing 16 years ago.Freestyle was the first music i spun back in the day.All the songs on this cd was what i spun and they were popular.For me this cd really gives you the flavor of freestlye when it started going mainstream.Also when the sound started to die out.So pick it up and party your body

where's Coryne Eyse?
This Album could be so much better if u added the song"A little bit of luv" By Coryne Elyse realesed in 1991 on OnnaRoll records!The song is on Metroplolitan presents the best of Onnaroll Vol. 1

An Essential For Freestyle Fans
If you're anything like me and love freestyle but want diversity in the voices you hear - this is the CD set for you! You get all the classic freestyle hits from tons of artists without buying tons of individual CD's. You get some of the best freestyle songs ever made and for around [price]. If you find better -- let me know!

freestyle greatest collecton.#4 cds.
I came from my country in 1985. And I didn`t speak or understand english . I started to listen the radio in english,at that time the music that was playig, it was freestyle.Like I say I didn`t understand english,but all the beat`s,the music,the voices of the singer`s,made me love it till know & forever I used to like disco music,like the BEE GEES,DONNA SUMERS,GLORIA GAYNNOR,THE COMODORES,K.C &THE SUNSHINE BAND.They were good, but like the decade of freestyle,it`s never going to be.I just hope,we the people who like freestyle we never let`it died

A must-buy 4 freestyle fans
This cd set is the best deal around. For under 30 bucks you get 4 cd's with all old school freestyle classics. If you're a freestyle fan you have to get this cd. ... Read more

Album Description

More than an anthology, Underworld’s 1992-2002 'Best of' album includes unreleased tracks as well as some mixes available for the first time on CD.16 re-mastered tracks from the original. Over two and a half hours of music.

Underworld 1992-2002 is not the full story.Underworld's back catalogue is too vast and rich for that, but it's a gripping one all the same, marking each step along the twisting road from (to paraphrase the Clash) Romford to the world. If Underworld's music has ever chimed with a moment in your life, these are good memories. The best. ... Read more

Reviews (17)

Fans Should Venture Into This Underworld
Unless you have been following the English band's entire career since its formation in the early-90s, and through its radical transformation from rock to ambient trip-hop to intelligent dance music, and hence have every single they've ever made, '1992-2002''s variety of the band's stylistic trends should provide an enjoyable retrospective glance at Underworld's classics.
The highlights on Disc 1 are definitely the trippy 1994 hits 'Mmm Skyscraper I Love You' (with otherworldly lyrics - '..and I see Elvis, and I hear God on the phone...'- and a muted, eerily perpetual beat); 'Dirty Epic' (the complexity of this dub track rivals the best of Orbital and q-ziq); and 'Dark & Long' (close your eyes, pretend the world just exploded and you're floating through space - the impact of this long and amazing track).
Those songs led to the opening track of Disc 2: the incredibly dark and energetic 'Cowgirl' astounds with its ever-increasing layers of rhythm and melody. 1994 track 'Born Slippy' is a modern dance classic, the monotonous lyrics have become the symbol of Danny Boyle's druggie hit 'Trainspotting'. The film's extended soundtrack belongs to Underworld's composition, which masterfully represents the addled mind of an addict. 'Push Upstairs', from Beacoup Fish, is a classy dance track, visualized very well in an amazing video everyone should check out - it dilutes the song's pretentiousness with fuzzy gorgeous landscape images; by itself 'Push Upstairs' wears itself out after three minutes. 'Moaner', on the other hand, benefits from its regularity - it starts off with an instrumental accelerating beat that doesn't let up until the last second, and then starts from the beginning with the supplement of emotionally charged lyrics. 'Moaner' would be a craze at any club.
The rest of the tracks do not particularly stand out, but they do emphasize the quality of Underworld's highlights. Complex and stunningly vivid, '1992-2002' is Underworld's reminder that they are one of the most complex and gifted trios in contemporary dance music.

Must own collection
This is not only a greatest hits collection, it's a collection of Underworld music that is making it's debut on CD. The stand out disc of the 2 is disc one which contains remastered classics from Underworld. The standout tracks are Rez (first time on CD), Bigmouth and Dirty which are both previously unreleased tracks. It's great to hear the early techno tracks from this group that in my opinion, revolutionized what people thought dance music should sound like. Disc 2 features two Underworld classics, an original cut of Cowgirl (you may remember this one from the movie Hackers) and Pearls Girl, my personal favorite Underworld track that is very difficult to find. Underworld creates techno and dance music the way it should be, each track is a long and ever evolving journey into the subconscious. If you've never given the group a chance, this is the place to start. Good techno like this is tough to find, if you dig this CD I must also recommend the Chemical Brothers greatest hits and mr.deviant's "Techno Obsession". Both of those CDs belong right up there with this one by Underworld.

An excellent collection
Two discs of pure techno heaven. However, some prodigy fans will hate this because most of the tracks are repetitive, but isn't most music repetitive?
Oh and as requested, I want to recommend another instrumental CD, a killer instrumental CD, by Mr.Deviant called "Techno Obsession". It's a killer mix of power rock and hard dance music. Check it out if you don't fear any conspiracies.

THE Underworld collection
This is an excellent retrospect on the band Underworld. It's a million times better than the Chemical Brothers dissapointing hits collection. Disc 2 of this collection contains all the hits that fans from "Born Slippy" on will recognize and enjoy having on one disc, but the stellar disc here is disc one. Disc one contains some very rare tracks including some I have heard on old rave compilations that were presented in edited form, here you get the uncut versions. Tracks like "Bigmouth" and "Dirty" will bring back some old school rave memories for sure. Disc one is Underworld in their experimental stage, before they found their winning songwriting formula found on the "Beaucoup Fish" CD.
This set is worth every penny, and I agree with another reviewer here that mr.deviant's "Techno Obsession" is a killer hard dance CD worth picking up too : )

Disc 1 Provides New Content ; Disc 2 Fails to Do So
I wish Underworld had simply released only the 1st disc, and charged less for the set. Disc 1 is great, as it offers several rare tracks; Big Mouth, Dirty, mmm Skyscraper I Love You, & Spikee. These songs are all great, and make the CD worth purchasing... or at least purchasing used. Disc 2, however, is less exciting. It contains 9 tracks, 4 of which are either identical or slightly modified copies of songs from Beaucoup Fish. CD 2 is basically filled with slight variations on songs that are already in any Underworld fan's collection. I wish that instead of re-releasing a bunch of songs that people already have, Underworld had released more rare material. If anything, I think that the original songs are better than the remixes. In general, the originals tend to have longer and more complex lyrics. ... Read more

Amazon.com

An oasis of calm amidst the turbo-fueled clubbing tornado that is Ibiza, Café Del Mar is the White Isle's original home of red-eye chill-out vibes and weepy sunset soundtracks. The series of compilations bearing the bar's name, meanwhile, have long patented that authentic sound of Balearic bliss (even claiming Madonna as a huge fan), and this seventh volume maintains the high standards. Founding DJ Jose Padilla may have long moved on, but his successor, DJ Bruno, is clearly well aware of the old adage about not fixing what ain't broke. There's the usual mix of names well known (Moby, Bedrock, Nightmares On Wax) and head-scratchingly obscure (Uko, Lux, Aromabar), but the sound of beautiful music for loved-up and lazy beach bums stays the same. Frankly, this sounds as good at home as it does on the early-morning terraces of San Antonio. --Calvin Bush ... Read more

Reviews (28)

Drifting and Dreaming
Of all the Cafe Del Mar CDs I have (3,5,6,7 and 8), I enjoy listening to this one the most. Jose Padilla has moved on, but Bruno clearly understands the definition of "chillout".
Lux's opener, Northern Lights, sets the pace, and is followed by a remix Afterlife's Breather 2000. Incidentally, Steve Miller has a hand in both groups, and both reappear on Volume 8. Apart from Northern Lights, Deep & Wide's Easy Rider, and Beautiful Strange by Bedrock are worth mentioning. Among the best tracks is Moby's Whispering Wind, which was later included on the Play b sides. I do not know why it wasn't on Play, because in my opinion, it is better that anything on Play. Nightmares On Wax have done an amazing remix of a song by Bush, Letting The Cables Sleep. Bush are a rock band, similar to Blur and Oasis, but this track fits seamlessly onto the album.
This disc is good after a long day, during an easy day, at any time during the day. You can listen to it, or play it in the background. It's not good if you need some solid music to get your teeth into, but otherwise, it's great.

unique downtempo grooves
A year after buying Vol. 7 and Vol. 8, I still find myself spinning these grooves up. Timeless downtempo joy.

Nikolai Safavian Says Get This
This tops the Del Mar collection. It is also among the best played in clubs in Bukara and Baku. Every person has music moments that need this.

I'm definetly hooked
This is the first volume of this series that I got. All I can say is, superb!
The quality of the music in this CD is absolutely amazing. If you're looking for something calm yet trendy and cool you will definetly like this.
I'll be adding more volumes to my list very soon.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU
I'm so grateful for such beautiful music. Put this on, the whole world opens up. It is so gorgeous it makes you glad to be alive. That ain't no jive! You need this CD in your car, at the bar, even in war. It extends your vision SO FAR! That beat, so great--don't hesitate! Hear it--with God you've got a date. For this CD there's not enough stars to rate. Thank you all world class musicians for CHILL OUT DOWNTEMPO--It's heaven sent for us below! ... Read more

Album Description

Since the release of "Shango" in 2000, Juno Reactor has been involved in many projects including the production of several tracks for "Matrix: Reloaded" and "Matrix: Revolutions", as well as a greatest hits comp, "Odyssey 1992-2002". "Labyrinth" has nine tracks, two of which are songs from the Matrix movies. It'll rule the dance floor with its trance style elements and hard hitting beats. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Not Astonishing, but Very Solid.
Erlend Oye's take on DJ-ing, like Miss Kittin's, is either something you're going to enjoy immediately or find annoying - so it's a good idea to check out the clips provided above. Personally, I like his voice and was sold on the collection by the time I finished listening to "Sheltered Life/Fine Day" (track 2.) Although I think some of the praise for this CD may be a tad gushing (i.e. Pitchfork), I can understand why some are so enthusiastic about it. The tracks themselves are very good and Oye deserves credit for taking a chance and overdubbing his own vocals over many of them. In terms of track selection, it is pretty strong across-the-board, with stand-outs being the previously mentioned "Sheltered Life/Fine Day," "Rubicon," "Poor Leno" and "Dexter."

The only track I actively dislike is "2D2F" a rap ditty in the vein of "Hey Mami" by Fannypack (on Ladytron's "Softcore Jukebox,") except not even a tenth as good. Beyond that, it simply doesn't make any sense, regardless of how good the track is, to put it on this particular album (similar to throwing in a Public Enemy or Mos Def track on a Kruder and Dorfmeister mix - both PE and Mos Def are great - but not in that context.) Anyway, I've programmed it out and haven't missed it.

About the vocals: at no point in the CD have I found them annoying or grating. The lyrics he chooses are sometimes inspired (most notably "There is a Light that Never Goes Out" by the Smiths, as mentioned by others) and at worst tolerable ("Venus.") Overall, I find his voice soothing - it doesn't overpower the music and there isn't a hint of pretentiousness, as some may find with Miss Kittin's Radio Caroline.

I would recommend reading reviews at both AMG and Pitchfork before making your decision, as neither review really nails it (AMG is too low/Pitchfork too high) but between the two of them you get a very accurate idea of what to expect. If you simply cannot abide the vocals but are still interested in trying something in the DJ Kicks series, I would suggest Kruder and Dorfmeister's contribution. For those wanting a more recent release, Fila Brazillia's "Another Fine Mess" is fantastic, though many of the mainstream reviewers seem to have missed it.

Not Astonishing but Very Solid.
Erlend Oye's take on DJ-ing, like Miss Kittin's, is either something you're going to enjoy immediately or find annoying - so it's a good idea to check out the clips provided above. Personally, I like his voice and was sold on the collection by the time I finished listening to "Sheltered Life/Fine Night" (track 2.) Although I think some of the praise for this CD may be a tad gushing (i.e. Pitchfork), I can understand why some are so enthusiastic about it. The tracks themselves are very good and Oye deserves credit for taking a chance and overdubbing his own vocals over many of them.

About the vocals: at no point in the CD have I found them annoying or grating. The lyrics he chooses are sometimes inspired (most notably "There is a Light that Never Goes Out" by the Smiths, as mentioned by others) and at worst tolerable. I find his voice soothing - it doesn't overpower the music and there isn't a hint of pretentiousness, as some may find with Miss Kittin's Radio Caroline.

(...)

I agree...
I agree with another reviewer that this is just average and that DJ Kicks should have left his stuff off the disc and let the tracks stand on their own. This is good, but not a house of fire.
If you're looking for more of a hard edge sound without vocals than I recommend mr.deviant's "Techno Obsession" over this CD.

Erlend Oye has more to come...
The sounds of Erlend Oye are not what I expected coming from a DJ Kicks cd but none the less, I fairly enjoyed it. I am contantly hearing Phoenix's "If I Ever Feel Better" track in my head & love the remix of "Poor Leno". Although I am not familiar with his works with Kings of Convenience (& enjoyed his work with Royksopp), I can say that he is a promising new musician. He did an honest day's work with the vocals, no doubt. It's a rarety to find male custom vocals on their own mix cd's & gains more of my props for doing such a good job. His voice reminds me of the Daft Punk & Dirty Vegas vocals; just to give you an idea. This cd is a galactical adventure of electro 80's sounds (a fad that died too quickly in my part of town) & some danceable techno beats. It didn't blow my mind, but I will be playing it for another little while in my cd player, since tracks like "Jackmate - Airraid", "Jurgen Paape - So Weit Wie Noch Nie" & "Cornelius - Drop (Kings of Convenience Remix)" are nice to hear while I'm riding the bus, watching the scenery go by...
I'm sure we'll be hearing more of this artist in the near future...

average
I've read a few reviews of this album which sing its praise. It is just ok to me. I really like Erlend's work w/ Kings of Convenience & Royksopp, so I was anxious to hear this. I think the album was good through track 6, and then it bacame a turn off for me. I wasn't at all impressed with his adding of vocals over tracks like "If I Ever Feel Better" and "Lullaby"...to me, those tracks are pretty much classics that need no tampering. This could have been a great album...and not that it's bad...I just wish he would have left some of his own stuff off and let the tracks stand on their own. ... Read more