I'm well known amongst my friends as the hardcore Chem Bros buff, who has all their albums, most of their singles, some bootlegs (tut tut i know) been to a few gigs etc etc. I was asked the other day why I like them so much, and where I think they stand in the current context of popular music. I thought this would make for an interesting thread for the forum here, as I'm sure it's a topic many people have pondered over themselves. My answer is this:



Amazingly , I got into them through playing videogames.

I first heard their music back in 1996, when playing WipEout for the PlayStation 1, as they contributed a couple of songs to the game's soundtrack and actually really didn't like it (I was only 12!). Then in 1998, when they provided the soundtrack to the opening FMV sequence to Gran Turismo (Everything Must Go remix) it absolutely astounded me, both in terms of the technical, production side of things and the melody and beats. I bought Surrender then a year later, and I was hooked. The Sunshine Underground came to be the soundtrack of that year for me.

That album was like a comfort blanket :-D Everywhere I went it was usually with me on my discman or in my bag. When Come With Us came out, I was hooked even more, and I loved this new, more psychedelic and melodic approach the guys had adopted in making music.



I saw the guys for the first time at Witnness 2002, then at Oxegen 2004, and the Point, Dubin ,Ireland (where I'm from) and it was an experience quite unlike anything I've ever had

before. Here were about 3000 people in a muddy field, in front of a massive soundsystem, being guided through a profound musical journey

by two wizards on stage. What astonished me was music made with machines could sound more human than "traditional instruments", so called by the music snobs. The sense of humanity, love and good feeling at the gig, where the people's only agenda was to lose themselves, escape the mundane and celebrate the power of music, was quite amazing. It must be quite a spectacle from up on stage!



Push The Button was a very personal album, as it soundtracked a difficult time in my life (being dumped by a long time gf, being diagnosed with depression.) Surface to air is definitely my personal favourite of all the Chem's songs, and the title sums up the Chemical Brothers' music ; nuanced, poignant, uplifting, and designed with the alteration of the listener's emotional state in mind. IMHO, it marks an important milestone in the chronology of the band, as I felt it was the album that marked their departure from any music 'scene' and out into their own domain of being a singular music force.



I was delighted to hear Ed posting on this forum that the boys are working on a new album. I also hope one (or both) of the guys get to read this. I have to say, the current state of popular music really doesn't excite me; it's been hijacked by rock-lite pretty boys and pop tarts (see what I did there! ;-) ) The sooner the new Chemical Brothers album is out, the better.

By the way, does anyone know what song this is? I love it!



http://video.google....emical+brothers



Thanks for reading



over and out



Pushpop

Well written.

Here's my two cents,

Tom and Ed seem to be inspired by life and fascinated by people in general thats my logic behind all these collaborations with artists from wide music genre. Their songs are emotion driven yet easily danceable. Commercial yet underground. From techno to accidental pop, Chems are like cherry on top of dance music ice-cream.

Tom and Ed are defineatley the best chemists to get our perscription drugs from.

btw, nice to type to you pushpop. :)

Hello there and Welcome! Altough you already have some posts i don't think i've seen u before!



Wauw , what a great post !! I'm sure all of us can relate to you're post in a way. I definatly can - The part about Push the button being very personal , sounds like me man. I kind of had a similar situation as you and PTB and Bloc Party's Silent alarm kind of saved me.



Quote : "What astonished me was music made with machines could sound more human than "traditional instruments", so called by the music snobs. The sense of humanity, love and good feeling at the gig, where the people's only agenda was to lose themselves, escape the mundane and celebrate the power of music, was quite amazing."



I couldn't have said it better !! That's why i hate it when people say " it's electronic , it has no feelings " I feel more when i listen to Chems than when i listen to anything with a guitar and singer and all the tradditional stuff.



And yeah , Ed does post on the board and he reads here very very often , so changes are that he actually might read this! I know how important it is that the actual persons who MAKE that music know how it makes you feel - i got the change to tell Ed in person on NYE and it was a special moment : Telling the man who , togehter with Tom , changed my life with their music what their music did for me - that was def the best "music moment" i had in my life until now.



Stick around Pushpop! You would like it here! We are all very likeminded!



Ps : The song you mean is the new intro that they used for their PTB tour - i dunno exactly when they started using this but it's somehwere end of the year. It goes into HBHG. I dunno if it's an actual song , maybe somebody knows...?

firstly the google vid is possibly ebw 8,or another new tune from the forthcoming album. amazing tune!



I first got into the chems around '96,again i was into loops of fury on wipeout sondtrack,but was aware of them before that. got into dig your own hole in a massive way throughout '96,saw them for the first time then in the point,carl cox supporting. surrender totally did it for me too, hey boy hey girl(obviously!!),how does it feel,loved the whole french house feel to the album. saw them yet again in '99 on the surrender tour,sasha supported and it was a full up rave,great gig. still in my mid-teens and loving them,i missed the witnness '02 gig,so therefor didn't see the come with us tour,loved the album,soundtracked a summer for me.



it was around the singles release i started majorly collecting their back catologue,and many years,and lots and lots of money later i know have nearly everything ever produced by the guys as the dust,and chemical brothers. saw them play a dj set in turnmills around that time,totally blew me away. also traveled to wolverhampton to see them as a pre push the button tour. which then saw me follow them through 2 dublin gigs,one london gig,and one belfast gig. all of which blew my mind as usual,although tom and ed recognising us at the gigs really blew my mind!



so that brings my chemical journey up to date i guess,heading to see them dj in barcelona,if they play new years eve in turnmills ill so be there!!



so tom,ed,this year see's ten years of me loving your music......man i feel old..... :?

And why the Chems are also important for me ; i met about half the board now ( of the die hard posters i mean ) and everybody i met was super super great - i really have some new friends because of this board. Man , i even went on a sickass USA roadtrip because of the board!

pushpop, it's really good to see you here again. Even though you haven't posted much I remember the discussions about the news articles (not good ones) that were being written about the Chems a year or so ago. You defended the Chems, submitted your thoughts eloquently and thoughtfully - nice to see you back in action!



As for why I like the Chemical Brothers, I could go on and on. I think it boils down to me being in a certain state of mind, a really dark period in my life where I'd fallen out of love with music and myself, and had doubts about my ability to be a good mom and good wife. I heard a couple of Chemical Brothers songs on the radio when I was driving about one day, and for some reason larger than myself, I was compelled to bring this music into my life. I've always said the Chemical Brothers found me, and I still believe that.



Once my ears were opened, it was like a light at the end of the tunnel, like a door was being opened, like I was being pulled out of this dark place. The music reminded me of how things were, made me realize how things are, and brought me hope of how things could be. Honest to god (without sounding overly obsessive or *gasp* melodramatic - too late!! haha) it is not too far off the mark for me to say that the music was instrumental in getting the old "me" back. Better than traditional therapy, better than drugs, better than any self help book - the music was some of the best encouragement and I became a sort of evangelist where I could share it and allow it to permeate many aspects of my life. I just feel very close to the music, something I hadn't felt in a long time before that crossroads in my life when the Chems came into play... and whatever closeness I've felt to many kinds of music and many bands is certainly not to the same degree as the closeness I have now... The Chemical Brothers taught me to listen to music in a new way, helped me love music again. It changed my life, and in many ways, saved my life too.



At the end of the road all you have are the memories and the music, for me, plays a massive role in that. It makes me feel like being a part of something bigger. I am forever grateful for having the music in my life and all the more grateful to be able to share it with those close to me, grateful for the people I've met, things I've experienced and memories along the way.



Sigh.



I've gone off the melodramatic deep end I'm afraid!! X-D

Wow. That post sure got a positive reaction! Yeah I tend to come and go quite infrequently, college / work obligations dictate that ! It's nice to see that so many people seem to have the same sort of reaction as I did to their music.

pushpop,if surface to air is one of your fav tracks(it deffo is mine) then check out some stuff by ulrich schnauss,you find his my space www.myspace.com/ulrichschnauss or www.ulrich-schnauss.com and of course the incredible boards of canada www.boardsofcanada.com and www.myspace.com/boardsofcanada



ulrich schnauss's stuff is incredible and got me through a tough patch,and im also lucky enough to be able to call him a mate.

I'm still not fully sure what it it about the Chems music that I love so much.



For me there's no other artist who gives me so many feelings - a chill down the spine, a sense of elation, a smile to the face (like Orange Wedge for example) or just leave me speechless!! Their live show is fucking mindblowing, I still remember the first show I went to, after it finished my mate next to me said "That was awesome" - I just nodded, didn't know what to say!! X-D



Their music has also carried me through a few hard times as well, maybe not as serious as depression (although I have experienced it a couple of times - its no fun), but like when I come home from a crap day at work and feeling like shit - just stick DYOH on and by the end all the bad stuff has just gone.



And of course, the awesome people I have met from this board!! This time last year I would never have expected to have such great experiences, going to London for NYE and travelling out to California. My workmates think I'm a lunatic but thats fine by me!! 8)

I love Chemical Brothers music, except I not liking Surrender and I also not liking Push The Button, which are suck! I like rest though.

Hello everybody, I've just joined.



I've followed this forum for quite some time but never plucked up the courage to join and post (This is the first Internet forum I've ever joined!). But I felt I had to after reading what you guys had to say on this topic.



My Chems experience is pretty similar to pushpop's - we both seem to have discovered the Chems around the same time although my introduction wasn't through videogames but my mate's Oasis-mad brother who showed us what great songs Setting Sun and Let Forever Be are.



Both my mate and I bought Surrender in 1999 and were hooked. Unfortunately, both of us were too young to go to the Point gig for the Surrender tour. I was 17 when Witnness 2002 rolled around and right up the front for the Chems.



I thought I liked the Chems before that but watching Tom and Ed on that stage brought it to another level. I'd never been so thrilled before. I still remember the huge rush I got from standing in front of the stage having my ears carpet bombed by amazing beats and my eyes blitzed by those visuals. Wow.



I've gone to every Irish gig since (except Belfast - I even had tickets but college stuff got in the way }:-@ ). As I listened to the Chems more and more, the emotion behind their music really got me. At the Point on Paddy's Eve, when Surface to Air started, I looked around at my mates, every one of them staring at the stage and then at each other, big goofy grins from one ear to the other on them all - we all knew what the other was thinking. Everyone walked out that night on a high they wouldn't come down off for quite some time.



For me, the Chems' music marks certain points in my life - the hallmark of truly great music. I remember when I was doing my Leaving Cert (the Irish end-of-school exams) listening to The Test every morning before I left the house to get me going. Now when I hear that tune, I'm reminded of school and the friends I had, some of whom I haven't seen since.



Or I'm reminded of the house party I had last summer. We were outside at 6 in the morning and One Too Many Mornings came up on itunes and filtered out the window into the ears of those of us lying on the grass watching the sun come up. That's something you don't forget in a hurry.



I know it's not as serious as the stuff some of you have gone through but, for me, it really counts.



It's also really cool that Ed takes time to read this forum to see what you guys think. At the moment every band seems to have a myspace account to "connect" with an audience but, call me a cynic, I think a lot of it's just a marketing ploy. For Ed to take time and post himself speaks volumes for how the Brothers value the fans.



I'll stop babbling now. Just had to get it off my chest. Good topic pushpop and hello to you all! Don't know how often I'll be posting, really busy at the moment!



Looking forward to EBW8, chemical six and another tour. Keep it up Tom and Ed!

BBound welcome! Great first post too. :) I'm glad you got the courage to join and post. 8)



All I can say is that for me the Chemical Brother's music seems to be completely down to earth, but also way out in the stars at the same time. It's like my fifth element. :-D



Great thread idea pushpop!

BBound, I dig what you had to say, these bits and pieces of memories you brought up. Anyone can relate... You say it's not like some of the "serious" stuff but to me I think it's serious if music has affected you so profoundly, that's pretty damn cool actually. In the end it doesn't matter how we got here - what matters is that we're here now. Welcome aboard, BBound. :)



And pushpop, thank you for a sort of resurrecting of the Chems during this between-albums lull. It's just want this place needed to remind us of why we're here (except for my husband toomuch'stash, he's here for the drugs).

why do i like the chemical brothers?





because they're so fucking different.....so totally unique.......they're loud, they're soothing, and psychedelic, at all the right moments



i was on the wrong track with music 4-5 years ago listening to pop rock, R&B, rap crap, and basically whatever was popular (i know my musical taste was really pathetic).........then one late saturday night, music gave me a big slap in the face. It was about 2 in the morning on saturday night/sunday morning on MTV2, i saw the star guitar music video and fell completly in love. I became addicted to the song (still am) and would later relize as i bought more of their albums i got the same feeling with many of their other tracks.



I use to think electronic music was a joke, but i was so wrongggggggggggggggggggggggggg. Through electronic (the chemical brothers) music, I learned that music is (IMO) is better without lyrics or little of. Its all about the sound, the energy, the movement! The Chemical Brothers are really so fucking clever with their music its rediculous.

Just think if Beethoven got to listen to "surface to air", "TPPR", "Sunshine Underground", or "Star Guitar" X-D he just might be one of Tom and Ed's biggest fans.

i would like to add in this space as i am a total chem fan, always. i loved exit planet dust album when that first came out i have been into them badly since. been to lots of gigs and they never fail to amaze me. the chemical bros name is so appropriate for them as they r made for chemical consumption, just check under the influence out that will show u what i mean. Been brought up in the same town as the prodigy come from and depeche mode so its no wonder that when the chems hit our record stores i was first in the que. they produce amazing albums one after another and the old ones r still the best. when i first saw chems many years ago now at glastonbury they blew me away and the visuals they apply to tracks is intense too. brixton last year was amazing i love that venue sooo much and seeing them there was the best. I loved the gig more for the visual display they put on there was buterflies and ladies running on the ceiling and lots to see and dance too. i want to c them now, i wish they would do a gig this year.

i like the chemical brothers because their music, live shows and dj sets are really, really, really good.



:D

WipeoutXL owns.

I like the chemical brothers cause.. well, first of all i love their music like, but they also opened a musical gateway for me and through the chemical brothers i learnt to love electronica music, not only that but other kinds of music. I was a narrowminded grunge kid before that.



Wipeout2097 was when i heard loops of fury then heard HBHG when it was out and stuff.. then Get Yourself High kicked it off for me and i started looking into chems more.



I took that video, hah. They opened with it at the ulster hall.. Its not a studio track or anything, i called it the Atom Dance cause, the little balls look like we atoms and its got a cool dance melody. I had to name it something :P

Hi everyone. I Just signed up and though i'd share this with you.



I originally went to see New Order perform in California back in 2005. I had no clue who the chemical brothers were and I regret NOT knowing because they are now one of my favorites EVER! Anyway,

I learned of the Chemical Brothers because they helped New Order with one of their singles but never got around to look them up.



I guess I had my mind set on seeing New Order that evening because all i was thinking was New Order. I can only recall their lights and special effects were top notch. One of their last songs they played was "Star Guitar" with samples of Temptation. It took me a bit to figure out it was not New Order but still the Chemical Brothers. Brcause I thought it was New Order I actually listended to the song. After listening to that song, I realized I should have opened up to The Chems propir of that. The lights, sounds, ambiance was F--king AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!



Ok so almost a year later, I finallly got around to do some research and found the song i was looking for. During my search I discovered a new meaning of music. I have bought everything I could from the The Chems.

My search for 1 song turned into so many!! Their music, beats and sounds moves the soul! Listening to anything from The Chems just want to make me crank up the volume and blow my eardrums out! I can only imagine "rolling" with The Chems :D



The Chems ROCK!

^^ Niiiiiice. Rock on! 8)



And welcome aboard!