Search - Prodigy :: Dirtchamber Sessions 1

A wild ride for those with eclectic tastes

littleoldme | Fort Collins, CO United States | 12/09/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Probably 90% of everybody out there will hate this mix. If you came to the Prodigy through rock music, be warned that the vast majority of this mix is old school rap and both new and old techno. If you were hoping for a pure dance mix a la "Global Underground", be aware that this mix does contain Jane's Addiction, Sex Pistols, Barry White, Public Enemy, and the Beastie Boys. The point is if you want this mix to be neatly filed in one genre of music, you'll be upset.If, however, you can appreciate and enjoy rap, big beat, early 90's rave, soul, and alternative/punk, this is like a dream. Cutting through 50 tracks in 50 minutes, there's no time to get bored, and all of the tracks are entertaining on their own. The real fun, though, is when Liam Howlett blurs between the songs. My personal favorite part, for example, is when the Prodigy's own "Poison" suddenly veers off into Jane's Addiction's "Been Caught Stealing" and then the bassline from that is looped under Tim Dog and KRS-One's "I Get Wrecked" (!).Basically, if you like a lot of different music, this is a must buy. If you don't, don't even bother."

If I Could, I'd Give It 10 Stars!!!

Charles | USA | 02/21/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"That's right! In my humble opinion, I think Liam Howlett has made one THE best DJ mix albums (along with The Chemical Brothers' Brothers Gonna Work It Out) I've ever heard...and I've heard quite a few. From intro to conclusion, there's always a surprise waiting for you. the way Liam mixes Chemical Bros.' "Chemical Beats" with Ultramagnetic MC's "Kool Keith Housing things" was just awesome, adding Hip-Hop beats to Charlatans UK's "How High" and blending Jane's Addiction with KRS-One...pure genious. The best thing is that you get a lot of this. Babe Ruth's "The Mexican" with B-Boys' Rock da House, Meat Beat Manifesto's "Radio Babylon" with Propellerheads (which is layered with Beastie Boys rapping from "The New Style"), Sex Pistols with Fatboy Slim, JVC Force with Primal Scream, then Public Enemy... the list goes on and on. Basically, there's highlights in all the tracks and make you wonder: "How did he do that". Being a music lover, I love the tracks that he chose maybe 'cause I have quite a few of them in their original form. If you love old school Hip-Hop, Electronica and Rock, then this is definately an album for you. I know theres people who think this sucks because "It's just not Prodigy", but this is just to give you an idea what influences Liam has had to make the music Prodigy makes, so I hope if you do buy this, you'll listen to this with an open mind...enjoy!"

Uber-mix

Sean McDonald | amsterdam | 08/21/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Despite being credited as a Prodigy disc, this CD is most definitely the brainchild of Liam Howlett, the musical intellect behind the band since its inception. By issuing his first continuous-mix CD for a major label at the height of his fame, he opens himself to easy accusations that he's cashing in on the studio cut-and-paste world of DJ comps made popular by many of the acts on Los Angeles's great Moonshine label, among others. But this amalgamation is quite unlike anything else that has been put out by a mainstream artist to date. Dirtchamber isn't a record to be indifferently danced to in an archetypal sense; rather, it's a virtual composition intended to be absorbed and experienced.To avoid being dismissed as a one-trick techno pony, Howlett throws down constantly diverse grooves; for example, "The Mexican" sets Babe Ruth's flamenco guitar against a nice Chemical Brothers underbeat that leads to the B-Boys' "Rock the House." This idea is reinforced through the use of standout old-school cuts such as Word of Mouth's "King Kut" and Grandmaster Flash's "Pump Me Up," which manage to sound unexpectedly fresh within the context of Howlett's musical canvas.Occasional flashes of humor turn up--Howlett juxtaposes the Sex Pistols' "New York" with Fat Boy Slim's "Punk to Funk" (get it?)--as do moments of just plain delicious mixing: Who wouldn't love the combination of the Propellerheads' "SpyBreak" with "It's the New Style," by the Beastie Boys, Prodigy's supposed nemesis? Clearly, Howlett feels that anything with a beat can be united, and by compressing 49 credited samples into a scant 51 minutes, he goes a long way toward proving it. The selections are gratifying yet surprising, and when they're heard in totality, they create a recording that's not unlike a painting by Monet. If you look at it too closely, all you'll see is incoherent spots--but if you examine it as a whole, you're likely to be overwhelmed."