The Chemical Brothers Studio Will Make You Drool

the-chemical-brothers-studio

The Chemical Brothers, Ed Simons and Tom Rowlands in the photo above, have a new album on the way, Born in the Echoes.

They are featured in a new interview at The Guardian, in which they share their thoughts on 20+ years of partnership, the new album and what it’s like to work in their drool-worthy studio.

They also suggest that the heart of their sound is the little noises’ that they make with all that gear:

“You know those little noises you’ve got that you can’t really hear? They’re really good. You should do records that just have those.”

The heart of the Chemical Brothers resides in those little noises.

“That’s what all the months in the studio are: trying to find those little bits when you’re overwhelmed by what’s coming out of the speakers,” says Rowlands. “It’s still chasing that feeling. It’s so easy to make a massive-sounding tune. It’s like shooting fish in a barrel. We try to hit something that’s slightly wrong but still feels good: a strange but necessary record.”

Here’s a preview of Born in the Echoes, Sometimes I Feel So Deserted:

Born in the Echoes is out 7/17/2015.

Born in the Echoes Tracklist:

1 Sometimes I Feel So Deserted
2 Go (ft. Q-Tip)
3 Under Neon Lights (ft. St. Vincent)
4 EML Ritual (ft. Ali Love)
5 I’ll See You There
6 Just Bang
7 Reflexion
8 Taste Of Honey
9 Born In The Echoes (ft. Cate Le Bon)
10 Radiate
11 Wide Open (ft. Beck)

48 thoughts on “The Chemical Brothers Studio Will Make You Drool”

  2. Their studio may cause drooling, but their music certainly doesn’t. There isn’t a single track that they’ve produced from Surrender onwards that’s worthwhile. The moment they left big beat, was the moment they lost any edge that they had.

      1. A common rebuttal. Forgetting that some people (the sensible ones that, you know, like to define their own taste in music) take no notice of hyperbolic statements such as “critically acclaimed” or “award winning”. But if you really think that some arbitrary review scores by “renowned journalists” are enough to convince you an album is good, then that’s your choice.

        I prefer to use my ears. And my ears tell me Chems produce well, but undercompose.

        1. And that’s fine. But worthwhile? Edge? Not making anything good since the big beat era? These are opinions (unpopular ones), but you phrase it like an objective truth. Them’s fighting’ words.

          I prefer to use my ears too, and I love everything they’ve done with virtually equal admiration. But since I stated it as an opinion, no one is going to pick a fight with me.

      2. The idea that it is necessary to explicitly state when something is your opinion is amateur because often it weakens your statement. The opinion part is inferred contextually. The fact that you disagree is understandable because the content is debatable. – Persuasive writing 101

    4. this is one of the most stupid thing I ever read in my internet career. I Started in 1996 but honestly this sentence is the most stupid think I ever read. I will not lost time to speak one single words about the boss, the greatest artists and musician and pioneer of the last decades, fact and numbers talk by themself. to you, I just wanna tell you that you deserve lil pump, Ariana grande, chainsmokers, Steve aoki, and all the garbage the iPhone of your daughter is filled up. SONAR 2021

  3. Eh, they’re not my cup of tea. To each his own.

    I suppose the equipment is nice, but you don’t need expensive equipment to make good music.

        1. And finally – you can make bad music that nobody likes….. and end up spending your days as a bitter Internet commenter.

  8. Awesome studio. I haven’t heard much of the new album, but I like Under Neon Lights. You’re not going to get a ton of substance from these guys, they’re all about dance floor bangers and they’ve produced plenty of those over the years. I enjoy them for what they are.

  11. I love Chemical Bros, but that barrell must be really tiny and far away. I can count the “massive” tracks they’ve produced with the fingers of my left hand. On the other hand, they’ve produced tons of experimental and innovative music which hasn’t followed the mainstream at all. And their live performance is pretty amazing.

  13. Long time ago, a beautiful girl which I just met, give me a present. That was the Chemical Brothers album and a joint. Now that girl is my wife and the rest is history 🙂

  14. Never been into dance but I respect the big guns who do so well like these guys, fat boy slim, etc. they have the skills to make something so universal, and I think taking them down is just a bit of jealousy. No one makes perfect hits forever, I think ppl get really tired of it and want to be more true to their creative selves.

    If we all loved no made the same music forever, what a horrible world that would be. Viva la evolution!

    1. So criticizing Justin Beibers music is just jealousy, since hes rich and successful from it, right?

      right? thats your logic

      1. It’s not jealousy, probably. It’s just the usual weird compulsion to register dislike with strangers. Otherwise, the horrible universe that contains an album you don’t care about will exist without your frown!

        You don’t actually NEED to criticize Justin Bieber, the Chemical Brothers, or Some Ice Cream Flavor You Don’t Like. You don’t even have to react or acknowledge it. No one asked you. It’s not for you.

        I’m old. Do I care about the latest Marvel movie? No. And that’s why I’m not on a Marvel message board arguing with a bunch of kids, trying to convince strangers my apathy is cooler than their passion.

        “Hey, everybody, I’m a faceless stranger. I’ve popped up from the void. Two things. One: I exist. Two: I don’t care about this article I’m commenting on. Thanks, bye.”

        1. Thank You! I often find this site funny in that posters really believe their opinion, on some matter that has no objective truth (liking an album or not), matters. I stopped feeling some need to tell everyone my opinions long ago, particularly negative ones. It’s almost as bad as debating filter slopes. 😉

          2. I’m convinced that when people chime in to make people see them yawn, they’re acting out a perfectly natural ego reflex. But things that are automatic and/or easy are not heroic.

        2. 5 comments deep. you sound like your mad that some people dont like chem bros. and very willing to let others know about it. if its not aligned with your opinion, its wrong/fightin words.

          btw its the internet, and a forum, so its all opinion… its where opinions are sorta… shared.

          make that 6 deep, you upchucked another while i was typing

        3. > I’m old. Do I care about the latest Marvel movie? No. And that’s why I’m not on a Marvel message board arguing with a bunch of kids, trying to convince strangers my apathy is cooler than their passion.
          “Hey, everybody, I’m a faceless stranger. I’ve popped up from the void. Two things. One: I exist. Two: I don’t care about this article I’m commenting on. Thanks, bye.”

          Well put. It neatly defines why I feel no need for a beefy smartphone. I’m as connected as I care to be, thanks. Just getting online is like walking into a cloud of gnats. The illusion of broad social connectivity is mostly a sales gimmick. You have to focus to get real gains.

          To that point, I hear a lot of tech-sweat in music like this, but very little passion. I feel so deserted when a piece is just a series of loops punctuated by drop-ins. Same with obvious filter sweeps, which to me, have become like the misused James Brown hits that helped to sink sampling. I kept waiting for the rest of the band to kick in, but there was apparently a skip in the vinyl, because the minimal beat just went on and on until the needle hit the label. Sometimes, “minimalism” is a cover word for “We’re dry on new ideas and can’t step outside our comfort zone.”

          Hey you, its un-American not to be wild for Marvel movies, but I will gladly help you track down and beat with sticks the producers of those “Smurfs” flicks. Quick, kill it with fire. Also, I am faceless and only cared enough to use my ‘free speech’ to smart off. USA! USA! Happy 4th!

        4. your reply is completely irrelevant nonsense, but im sure you feel very right and just in your soapboxing

          just because you dont want to hear my opinion or someone elses opinion, or their criticism, see – i dont give a flying fuck, i will give it to you anyways. protip: the world doesnt revolve around you and what you want

          so carry on, you valiant crusader

  18. Looks like a tremendous waste of money to me. But if it makes them happy to believe they are still relevant, who am I to judge?

  19. Not drooling. Started in the 70s w/ analog and tape. Stuck with hardware for a very long time, still have some. I don’t miss my hardware studio. Can’t get with the hardware fetish. Seems like naive children.

  21. Yet more childish repetition from the unworthy. Truly, truly awful. When it comes down to comparisons, this is the kind of drivel that keeps most of the bars in Mediterranean Europe languishing in a purgatory, firmly anchored decades behind the UK. After years and years of churning out forgettable nonsense, yet again they are misguidedly proud to revel in this utterly predictable and pallid wasteland. Somebody should remind these nobodies that Multi-millionaires lose any empathy with the people who forked out to elevate them onto the pedestals they now occupy. Reason enough for each of them to buy a yacht and stop wasting their time on antiquated, juvenile stupidity. I wasted 7 minutes of my life on this shocking, monstrous annoyance in its dreadful entirety, never again… Never again..

  22. Looking forward to hearing this, especially the cate le bon track. I thought further was a cracking record. Great live too.

  23. i like to see real peoples opinions, and the chemical brothers are old hat ,love their studio although i still think i could beat any track they made with that equipment.

  24. I was a huge fan when they were on Junior Boys Own under the stolen moniker “Dust Brothers”.
    After that, they went a direction – more traveled.
    But still… it would be fun to spend four days in that room.
    Just slide the food under the door.

  25. Aphex twin once told me that he was recording at his house, and left the tape running and ed sang a song and farted at the end, aphex then used that as his primary sub kick on most of his hits, including budgeridoo

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