CLOSE ENCOUNTERS WITH THE SUPER STAR DJs: THE CHEMICAL BROTHERS!!!

November 28, 2010

(the article below is my musical journey to the music of the Chemical Brothers. This article also lead me to meet them! Enjoy!)

I am excited to see, hear and feel The Chemical Brothers because they are (and still) a big part of my life. Never thought an adolescent who loved new wave and rock music would be converted and fell in love with electronica/ big beat music since dancing to Herbie Hancock's “Rockit” when I was 4.

I was immediately hooked when I first heard “Rock Blocking Beats” on the radio way back 1997, the year that rock music almost died because of the eletronica invasion. The song has guitar and rock beat elements and was danceable. I told myself this genre will hit big! I immediately bought a “Dig Your Own Hole” cassette tape the week it was released from the local record bar. And Bang! Rockstars (Noel Gallegher) and Djs do work! The album became the soundtrack of my senior year. I got my high school friends and neighbors hooked to Chemical Brothers' music as well. The Grammy Award winning “Dig Your Own Hole” accompanied me on the nights when I review for my examinations. “Rock Blocking Beats” and “Setting Sun” were our jump start music in my friend's car before going to local dance clubs. “Rock Blocking Beats” was also our national anthem for all house parties.

In college, I purchased CD copies of “Dig Your Own Hole and “Surrender” albums with my part time job money while working in a coffee shop near the dormitory. Besides the skeletal “Hey Boy, Hey Girl”, plus the massive “Out of Control (with New Order's Bernard Sumner and Primal Scream's Bobby Gillespie), with the crazy video and drums of “Let Forever Be (with Noel Gallegher)” and infectious “Music Response”, the Chemical Brothers did their homework reviewing shoegaze with “Asleep from a Day (vocals of Hope Sandoval from Mazzy Star)” In my CD hunting days, I was able to find the totally rad DJ remix album “Brothers Gonna Work It Out” in a record store sale and immediately bought it.

After that, I worked at Tower Records and I was able to order their first album “Exit Planet Dust” and “Come With Us”. I never imagined that “Exit Planet Dust” was as good as “Dig your Own Hole.” “Leave Home” was standard bearer song from “Exit Planet Dust” and “Chemical Beats” is its climax. “Star Guitar” from “Come With Us” is like a drug that keeps you asking for more with the hypnotic lyrics: “You should feel what I feel, you should take what I take.” Genius! “Hoops” is the song what we use to have our car speakers do some boom bass. “My Elastic Eye” somewhat got samples from the movie theme of “The Exorcist” or Mike Oldfield's “Tubular Bells” and it gives me the chills. “The Golden Path (Flaming Lips collaboration)” (plus the kicking “Get Yourself High”) made me purchase The Best of The Chemical Brothers: “Singles 93-03” even if I already got all their LPs then. I also purchased their DVD collection of music videos for “Singles 93-03”.

Then here comes “Push The Button” album. “Galvanize (featuring Q-tip of A Tribe Called Quest)” really pushed the envelope for electronica & hiphop. A reunion with Tim Burgess to sing “The Boxer” was a knock-out! Then I was happy when “We Are the Night” album came out. I purchased it and dance the salmons away! “Do It Again” was contagious! I didn't think twice to purchase “Brotherhood” for the love of The Chemical Brothers. I also bought soundtracks of “The Jackal” (The Chemical Brothers Remix of Toothache by The Charlatans UK )and “Tomb Raider” (“Galaxy Bounce”) because of the Chemical Brothers. I also have Primal Scream's “XTRMNTR” album in which The Chemical Brothers got a fantastic remix of “Swastica Eyes.”

I bought a cheap DJ headphone from an IT expo sale here as a jump start anticipation for the event and used it in my mp3 player, listening to the “Electronic Battle Weapon” mixes while writing this. Whoa! I really got flashbacks of my high school days! I was happy that The Chemical Brothers were there with me growing up and they are still guiding me in my everyday grooves. I do apologize for writing this long, for their music is indeed a very big part of my life. I eat, breath and live the Chemical Brothers!