Decksandrumsandrockandroll

RELEASE
January 26, 1998
LABEL
Dreamworks SKG
GENRES
Electronica, Funky Breaks, Trip-Hop, Electronica, Club/Dance, Big Beat

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 there's anything wrong with that -- at its best, big beat is as invigorating as any other music -- but Propellerheads don't 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 Majesty's Secret Service" and "History Repeating"), it sounds like a tactical move, since they know they can't 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 doesn't reveal anything new, because the duo knows how to craft a hard-hitting, infectious rhythm track. And while that doesn't make them the next Chemical Brothers, it does make them the best in this style since the Chemicals.
Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi

Track Listing

  1. Take California
  2. Velvet Pants
  3. Better?
  4. 360 Degrees (Oh Yeah)
  5. History Repeating
  6. Winning Style
  7. Bang On!
  8. A Number of Microphones on Her Majesty's Secret Service
  9. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
  10. Bigger?
  11. Cominagetcha
  12. Spybreak!
  13. You Want It Back