M. Hilton | Indianapolis, IN United States | 10/16/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I'm not a huge fan of drum 'n' bass. A lot of it sounds the same to me, unless it's D&B's evil twin, drill 'n' bass. Drill 'n' bass demigod Aphex Twin, however, cites his friend Luke Vibert (AKA Plug, AKA Wagon Christ) as a major influence. So when I found a copy of this album used, I gave it a try. Yeah, it has a lot of the trappings of typical D&B (breezy suspended-chord synth pads, marijuana references, "Amen" break run into the ground all the way to China). But Luke's personal brand of Austin Powers-style silliness shines through and makes what could have been an endurance test into a delight - nay, a classic. No collection of '90's intelligent techno should be without this album."
A classic of drum n' bass.....
J. Michael Showalter | Nashville, TN United States | 09/26/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"It's funny how much consensus their typically is in the drum n' bass community regarding what are/are not classic albums. Although normally subsumed into the second rank of performers by many (i.e. behind Aphex Twin, Squarepusher, Amon Tobin, etc.) Luke Vibert (Plug, Wagon Christ) on this book puts together an album of uncommon ability that has managed to stay both current and, well, brilliant over a couple of years.....This is not dance music. If you generally have liked the d n'b / jungle/house stuff that can almost be danced to (Goldie and Roni Size come to mind) this is going to be a disappointment: it's a heady, minimalist album that relies on the listener pretty much just sitting and focusing. It's a brilliant album, though. If someone likes Photek's old stuff or Amon Tobin or even some of the other more jazzy Ninja Tune stuff (Cinematic Orchestra) this probably is a worthwhile buy....."
Take a journey with the man, the man among many men......
S. Fry | my hizzy | 07/24/1998
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The other day while I was driving, I was listening to Plug's "Drum and Bass for Papa" and I found myself cracking up. I thought, "You know, this guy's really funny, he's so.....agro-like." It's like, what exactly is he trying to convey with his music? What is Plug doing? And why? Some of the songs are so amazing, like , it's like drinking Jolt, running, swimming, playing badminton, loosing a game of chess, and solving a word problem. Next to his good friend Aphex Twin, (special note: I'm not actually comparing him to Aphex) this guy has to be one of the most crazed psychofunked musicmaking soul-brothers out there. Directions: Listen to his music once daily for emotional balance and eat Doritos simultaneously. Please clean ears before listening. Thank you."
Refreshingly tasty
Craig | Sydney Australia | 10/28/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"It seems that increasingly in the world of drum & bass, actual drum pattern programming skills have given way to a sort of "my bassline is fatter than yours, so F.U" type mentality. Now, although we all love the big rollers and dance floor heavy hitters, it can get a bit tired when the same drum loop is used essentially without change through the whole track. Enter PLUG, aka luke vibert. This album is our saviour, turning that paradigm on its head and giving it the finger.
The album is like a refreshing breeze. Most of it is a joy to listen to, invoking memories of earlier 90's jungle goodness while at the same time managing to sound modern and original, even if the album is 5 years old. The emphasis of this album is firmly placed on the beats, which skitter around all over the place, constantly changing and evolving, never getting tired. While the emphasis is on the beats, the other elements of the music have definitly not been neglected, and provide a very rich and entertaining listen.Comparisons have been made to squarepusher, which I find a bit far fetched, although it is possible to see where these come from. The programming on this cD is excellent, but not quite up to the standard of squarepusher. This is a hard comparison to make however, as the two styles are completely different, save a few hazy similarities. Most of squarepusher's work is a lot more grinding and 'in your face' than this album. Perhaps the squarepusher effort most closely resembling this cD would be Music is Rotted.., but even this is a very loose comparison. You should give this album a listen."