Put yourself in the place of a really drunk person. What are you going to want to listen to? I can bet you that you wouldn’t choose any of the tracks on this compilation, apparently for ‘post-club grooving’. Jesus. Since when did style matter at three o’clock in the morning, discussing at great length the in and outs of the night, at your mates? It is the time of Nirvana, Sonic Youth, Springsteen, the Smiths, The Vines. People go for the jugular. They go for the anthem. These are the songs that make alcohol feel great. The first song on this compilation by Aphex Twin sounds like the backing track they’d use on a patronising moral study documentary of the drink’s effect.
A compilation, however much you want to ‘chill’ (In the great words of Johnny Lydon: "I don’t chill, why the fuck would anyone ever wanna chill?"), is pointless if it makes you fall into chemical dreams by halfway through track 2. And so on all levels, The Orb just come across as being shit at mixing tracks together. There are some great moments, and the two genuinely soulful moments are both oldies - The Chi-Lites' ‘Have You Seen Her’ and Julee Cruise's ‘Falling’, but this record has neither pace, depth or any kind of real versatility. It’s all electronic, but with all the important notes still jammed in the computer.
A bit like Giles Peterson's programme without the kookiness or the fidgety contrariness.
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4Ben Chandler's Score