I've listened to everything Chemical that exists, what next?

[Enjoyed]

I've been wanting to start this discussion for a while now, but... y'know... life.

So, I think a lot of us here have basically exhausted all there is to listen to when it comes to Chemical output. That's not to say we're tired of it, only that we've run out of new Chemical music to experience. With that in mind, I thought it would be cool to share some Very-Close-To-Chemical music - in the hopes that folks who are new to the Brothers' work, but looking for more things like it, can delve even deeper into the magical world of electronic music.

I'll kick things off with FC Kahuna.

Having opened for Tom & Ed at the Social for their NYE 2001 DJ set, there is already a kind of link between the two. I feel like their sound shares so many sonic similarities with The Chemical Brothers, and especially throughout their only ( ) album, 'Machine Says Yes'. Whether it's the use of funk guitar, the crisp drum production, or the abstracted approach to presenting house music, FC Kahuna often has me comparing tracks with those of the Chemical Brothers.
See what you think:

I highly recommend the whole album if you haven't heard it. And look forward to hearing some other recommendations for Not-Chemical-But-Chemical music out there in the world.

[Ben_j]

How close is "very-close" ? I don't know if it's close enough, but I always enjoyed Bentley Rhythm Ace. They only have two albums (it's one more than FC Kahuna, mind you), but they're both really nice. They made a pretty joyful, festive Big Beat. Not enough people know about them, and I hope I can convert a few of you to them.

[Wolkenkrabber]

^ I only realised very recently that Bentley Rhythm Ace was the name of an old Ace Tone

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I'm not sure that any of the records that the Chems sampled or featured in their DJ mixes have specifically lead to me "getting into" that artist. I guess for people whose first "dance music" epiphany was the Chems, it may have opened up a new world for them. But for me I was aware of House Music since Love Can't Turn Around in '86, then Theme From S'Express, Ride On Time and the early 90s rave stuff. I guess I was just excited to hear someone doing something a bit different when Exit came out in '95.

One of the things I liked about Exit was that it treated Hip Hop style beats as dance music but didn't feel the need to have rapping over the top (I don't think it was yet called Big Beat in '95). God, there was some bad rapping in early 90s "Hip House" records...

Anyway, although this artist isn't directly related, I remember listening to the Endtroducing album on a listening post in Tower Records and thinking: ah, it's not the same as the Chems but, like the Chems, it's a new take on hip hop - it's about the beats/music, it doesn't need anyone rapping over the top (although there is some sampled talking on the album). The music is the star.

DJ Shadow - Building Steam With A Grain Of Salt

The spoken word sample near the end of this track would of course later be used by Tom Rowlands on "Through Me".

[ThePumisher]

God, there was some bad rapping in early 90s "Hip House" records...

To say it with DJ Shadow:

I'll kick things off with FC Kahuna.

Hayling is still one of my top100 tracks

[Bosco]

You producers out there might have a more keen ear for subtleties, but I honestly have not come across an artist that sounds like the Chemical Brothers. That being said, I can connect a lot of dots from artists they were influenced by.

For the sake of conversation, I'll say 'Song for Shelter' by Fatboy Slim feels structured like a Chemical Brother song, but not executed like Tom and Ed would.

[Joslyn]

Simian Mobile Disco comes to mind. 2 British lads from Manchester moving around an array of synthesizers. It's in their remixes you can actually here the similatities in how they work.

For example Peaches - Downtown and Klaxons - Magick