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Freeland are described in their
press release as "two nutty Chileans, a bald wizard
drummer, a soul diva and a DJ." That DJ, of course,
is Adam Freeland, highly respected as a breakbeat
DJ and mixer of the blockbusting Tectonics compilation
when Big Beat was the style of the moment.
Freeland's band is a different
kettle of fish however, with much more to say and a
direct, no-nonsense way of saying it. The opener and
single We Want Your Soul is a case in point: a
sinister, robotic female voice intoning, "Your pills,
your grass, your tits, your ass, your laughs, your
balls, we want it all," over a monster beat. Then
there's the Bill Hicks sample: "Go back to bed
America, your country is in control again." Surprisingly this went down well when the band toured
the States!
The paranoia and anger continues in the
granite structure of the Frank Herbert inspired Mind
Killer. After this Burn The Clock gives a mild
respite, although the guitar lines hint at trouble
beneath the surface. The stop-start beats of Heel 'n'
Toe feature Juice and Toastie of New Flesh, with an
uplifting vocal of "punk, rock, reggae, roll."
Stravinsky underpins the Physical World with
a haunting string sample from the Rite Of Spring, and
then comes Alison David's big moment in the modern
soul of Supernatural Thing. This woman has a fantastic
voice! When she sings about interplanetary and
extraordinary goings-on you feel like the subject of
the song. For the closing trio Freeland resorts to
more instrumental tracks with his breakbeat
sensibilities coming through.
With a live show that's receiving
rave write-ups, Adam Freeland has found his vehicle for
a personal message, dealing with anti-consumerism,
fear and a conditioned, robotic society. It's the
album we've been wanting to hear from The Chemical
Brothers, who Freeland comfortably surpasses as one of
the most distinctive and vital UK dance artists
around. More power to his elbow!
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