Propellerheads | ||
| Allmusic Biography : Proponents of the much-maligned big-beat style of dance music (i.e. the Chemical Brothers), the Propellerheads -- keyboardist/bassist/DJ Alex Gifford and drummer/DJ Will White -- sprang out of Bath, England in 1996 to achieve almost overnight success in the U.K. with their brand of unabashed party techno, which combines strains of hip-hop, acid house, jazz-funk, and spy-film soundtracks. Gifford began his career as a studio musician, playing keyboards for Van Morrison and saxophone for the Stranglers, among others, before joining dance collective the Grid. After a stint on the staff of Peter Gabriels Real World Studios, where he helped write and produce the well-received Arcane compilation, Gifford decided to start recording his own music, and sought out local drummer White. In 1996, the duo released its first EP, Dive, on Wall of Sound; almost immediately, the title track was licensed by Adidas for use in a television commercial. The follow-up, Take California, appeared later that year, and the title track became a significant underground big-beat success. The 1997 Spybreak! EP was another hit, demonstrating the duos love for spy-film soundtracks; later in the year, the group hit the British Top Five with a remake of the Bond theme "On Her Majestys Secret Service," recorded for the compilation Shaken and Stirred: The David Arnold 007 Project. Remixes for acts like Luscious Jackson, Soul Coughing, and 808 State followed, and Propellerheads signed to DreamWorks. The band made its U.S. debut in 1997 with a self-titled CD5, which contained the new single "Bang On!," as well as several old and new tracks. In early 1998, the Propellerheads released their full-length debut, Decksandrumsandrockandroll, to generally positive reviews. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 4 Title: Dive EP Released: 1996 Tracks: 5 Duration: 31:12 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Dive! (Its Shorter) (03:51) 2 Dive! (07:05) 3 Rons Theory (06:38) 4 Lethal Cut (07:26) 5 Go Faster (06:10) |
 | Album: 2 of 4 Title: Propellerheads Released: 1997 Tracks: 5 Duration: 27:13 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Bang On! (05:45) 2 Spybreak! (Long One) (06:57) 3 Clang (05:21) 4 Props Got Mo’ Skills (02:38) 5 Bring Us Together (06:31) |
 | Album: 3 of 4 Title: Decksandrumsandrockandroll Released: 1998-01-20 Tracks: 13 Duration: 1:08:19 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Take California (07:21) 2 Echo and Bounce (05:26) 3 Velvet Pants (05:47) 4 Better? (02:03) 5 Oh Yeah? (05:26) 6 History Repeating (04:03) 7 Winning Style (05:58) 8 Bang On! (05:45) 9 A Number of Microphones (00:45) 10 On Her Majestys Secret Service (09:20) 11 Bigger? (02:20) 12 Cominagetcha (07:02) 13 Spybreak! (06:59) |
| Decksandrumsandrockandroll : Allmusic album Review : Really, the title says it all -- Decksanddrumsandrockandroll is about as close to rock & roll as big-beat techno is going to get. Taking their cue from the Chemical Brothers, the Bath-based duo Propellerheads offer a set of pummeling, ultra-loud beats that may dabble in funk, house, hip-hop, soul, and rap, but which all come out sounding as aggressive as rock. Not that theres anything wrong with that -- at its best, big beat is as invigorating as any other music -- but Propellerheads dont have the finesse, innovation, or style of the Chemical Brothers, the leading proponents of big beat. When they shake the beat up, whether on the wah-wah-drenched "Velvet Pants" or the pair of John Barry/James Bond tributes (a reworking of their cover of "On Her Majestys Secret Service" and "History Repeating"), it sounds like a tactical move, since they know they cant spend the entire album on thundering dance cuts like "Bang On!" and "Take California." That said, Decksanddrumsandrockandroll remains a strong big beat album, even if it ultimately doesnt reveal anything new, because the duo knows how to craft a hard-hitting, infectious rhythm track. And while that doesnt make them the next Chemical Brothers, it does make them the best in this style since the Chemicals. | ||
 | Album: 4 of 4 Title: Extended Play E.P. Released: 1998-05-11 Tracks: 4 Duration: 22:34 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Crash! (06:56) 2 Props Vote of Gratitude (05:07) 3 You Want It Back (06:01) 4 360° (Oh Yeah?) (04:27) |