Fans of Big Beat artists like The Chemical Brothers, Prodigy, and The Crystal Method may want to check out this EP, released in 2000, from British DJ Dr. Chug, a.k.a. Overseer. Though the eclectic, genre-blending style of Fatboy Slim is not present, the four songs here are similarly party-friendly and relatively easy-to-digest.
If “Supermoves” sounds familiar, that’s because it was used both in Guy Ritchie’s flick “Snatch” and Oliver Stone’s “Any Given Sunday” as well as several video games and TV shows. Not hard to figure out why so many companies wanted to use it. The track will simply shred your eardrums, bringing to mind whirling helicopter blades, an out-of-control locomotive hurtling down the tracks, and shrieking fire alarms. Perfect for giving filmgoers and Playstation geeks an adrenaline rush. “Insectocutor Dub” is more hard-edged techno that moves damn close to the speed of light and sounds like a gigantic bumblebee being chased by evildoers in a James Bond-type spy thriller. I guess you’ll have to hear it to get some idea of what I mean.
“Stompbox,” featured here in both regular and extended versions, is closer to the headbanging style of Ministry and Andrew W.K., mixing noisy guitar riffs with crunchy drumbeats. B-boy boasting is also featured, though very nearly unintelligible - the only line I could safely decipher was “I’m the ill destructor!” - and delivered in a boisterous whine reminiscent of Ad Rock from the Beastie Boys. (It’s actually a Zak Speakerfreak on the mic.) “Chump Rock” is an example of what a pre-teen Michael Jackson might have done had he gotten into industrial/hip-hop/rave music, with the lines “We’re gonna crash the decks, crank the beats, blow the tones, bring the beats, break your necks!” rapped at a whiplash pace as the dancefloor crowd shucks and jives. Fans of Moby’s groovy hit “Bodyrock” may find this track to their liking.
The biggest problem with these songs is that you’ve heard ‘em all before. Or rather, they sound like stuff by other artists who covered the same ground a few years back. “Insectocutor Dub” could have been taken from the Propellerheads’s 1998 debut “Decksanddrumsandrockandroll” while “Stompbox” would fit smoothly into Apollo Four-Forty’s “Gettin’ High On Your Own Supply” from 1999. If such a thing as a generic Big Beat sound exists, then Overseer has found it. That’s not necessarily a bad thing; AC/DC and Aerosmith have been churning out old-fashioned rock n’ roll for over twenty years and the fans are still eating it up. And Overseer is a genuinely skilled DJ, making sure the tunes are tight and packed with an interesting array of sounds and tempos. If you want more energetic electronica with a hip-hop flavor, then scour the bins at your local record shop for this EP. Just don’t expect anything wildly fresh and innovative.
NOTE: A full album by Overseer called “Wreckage” is due out in March of 2003. Maybe he’ll have something a little different in store for us...?
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