Welcome to the latest edition of Way Back Wednesday, where we hip you to artists that had their come-ups way back in the day (or at least, before these here aughts). This week, I'm taking up Tim's regularly scheduled post to wax on an early electronic music favorite.Though Exit Planet Dust came first in 1995, my own introduction to The Chemical Brothers was their sophomore LP, 1997's Dig Your Own Hole. Back then, I'd started discovering synthesized sounds coming out of the UK and amid the classic rock, hip hop and alternative music that was my bread and butter at the time, I'd added trip-hop and other nontraditional dance music to my mix, embracing acts like The Prodigy, Republica, Folk Implosion, Portishead, Sneaker Pimps and Massive Attack. The Chemical Brothers won me over via "Setting Sun" with its Noel Gallagher appearance and definitive Beatles-"Tomorrow Never Knows" appeal, then sealed the deal with the expansive, hope-building "Where Do I Begin?" featuring folktronic songstress Beth Orton. While the former is what you play to kick the night off, the latter is made for night's end, when the sun is breaking over the horizon, and you're on the verge of surrendering to sleep. Both tracks are electronic music at its best — big beat psychedelia that comes on strong and shows its colors, like a setting sun.
Background: Ed Simons and Tom Rowlands were childhood classmates in London in the '70s, though the two Chemical Brothers primaries grew up separately after Rowlands' family re-located. They maintained similar musical taste, however, and re-convened in Manchester while studying at the university and immersing themselves in the music scene. They started DJing together at a pub in 1992 as The 237 Turbo Nutters, then as The Dust Brothers, playing hip hop, techno, house and groove-oriented sounds.
When they ran out of suitable instrumental hip hop tracks to tap, they started producing their own using a computer, sampler, Hitachi hi-fi system, and keyboard, and recorded their first track, "Song to the Siren," which sampled This Mortal Coil and eventually appeared on their debut LP. Remixes by notable artists and singles followed, then a residency at influential Heavenly Sunday Social Club, regularly frequented by the likes of Noel Gallagher and Paul Weller. In March of 1995, they embarked on their first international tour as The Dust Brothers, making stops in the U.S. and playing with Orbital and Underworld. In June of 1995, the duo released their fourth single but first as The Chemical Brothers: "Leave Home." It became their first charter, peaking at No. 17 in the UK. First full-length Exit Planet Dust (the title inspired by their name change) finally dropped in July of 1995, debuting at No. 9 and certified gold by 1996. The album got them signed to Virgin Records, where they continued remixing big name artists and releasing EPs and their first "mix album," Live at the Social Volume 1. Fresh singles off their forthcoming sophomore album followed; "Setting Sun" came in October of 1996, debuted at No. 1 in the UK — their first chart-topper and first song to make it to the Billboard 100 — and "Block Rockin' Beats" went straight to No. 1, too, later winning them a Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. Dig Your Own Hole was finally released in April of 1997.
Another other Chem Bros. album that made a big impression on me dropped in 1998 — a second mix album, the soulful vintage-vibing Brothers Gonna Work It Out, which includes some of their own tracks and remixes along with cuts by artists that have influenced their sound — Renegade Soundwave, Meat Beat Manifesto, Carlos "After Dark" Berrios, and Kenny 'Dope' Gonzales among them. By the time 1999 third album Surrender was unleashed, the Chemical Brothers were bonafide stars and rolled into the '00s with plenty of bank and credibility to last them through the next 15 years whether they remained relevant or not.
But they have, and even though Surrender didn't really do it for me (aside from a few fantastic select tracks), I've noticed I tend to dig on every other album since that one; Come With Us (2002), great, love it; Push the Button (2005), nah, not much at all; We Are the Night (2007), yessirree; Further (2010), meh. I haven't really sunk my aural teeth into this year's Born in the Echoes, but the Bros.' eighth album is what initially prompted this post, so I suppose, if past indicators are true, I should like it. Plus Cate Le Bon and St. Vincent are involved, which can only mean good things. So... guess I'll be checking that out next
More Random Chemical Brothers Facts:
—The 237 Turbo Nutters was named after the number of their house on Dickenson Road in Manchester and referenced their Blackburn rave days, though they quickly adopted 'The Dust Brothers' after the US production duo who worked with Beastie Boys.
—Despite its eerie resemblance to "Tomorrow Never Knows,""Setting Sun" does not contain a sample from that particular Beatles ode. In fact, in 1995, when the Fab Four's lawyers wrote to The Chemical Brothers claiming that it did, Virgin Records hired a musicologist to prove conclusively that the entirety of the song was, indeed, the Brothers' own.
—Noel Gallagher actually approached the duo when they were still the Dust Brothers to have them remix a Balearic-inspired track he'd written. It never happened, but this early association was likely the reason he was so amenable to recording "Setting Sun" even though at the time, he was busy promoting the release of Oasis'(What's the Story) Morning Glory?.
— In November 1995 at the Astoria Theatre in London, the Brothers — who usually (and ironically) encored with a fusion of their own "Chemical Beats" and The Beatles'"Tomorrow Never Knows"— were joined by Keith Flint from The Prodigy. He apparently jumped up on stage to dance along sporting a tee-shirt that said "Occupation: mad bastard." Then some fans joined him and a power cable was kicked loose, bringing the show to a temporary end. Later, the Bros. confessed that they weren't too worried about it "because he's Keith from The Prodigy, and he can do whatever the fucking hell he likes."
—The Chemical Brothers have seven number one albums in the UK (including this year's Born in the Echoes) and 13 top 20 singles. Here's some highlights:
"Setting Sun"
"Where Do I Begin?"
"Block Rockin' Beats"
"The Private Psychedelic Reel"
"Hey Boy Hey Girl"
"Asleep from the Day"
Brothers Gonna Work It Out (entire album)