Ego War

Audio Bullys | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 16, 2003)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Astralwerks
• ASIN: B00008GER6
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #178,569 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Snake

2. 100 Million

3. Way Too Long

4. Real Life

5. We Don't Care

6. Face In A Cloud

7. The Things

8. Veteran

9. The Snow

10. I Go To Your House

11. Hit The Ceiling

12. Ego War (plus hidden track)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Trumpeted by the dance-music press as one of 2003's "next big things," London's Audio Bullys have been causing something of a stir with their fuzzy soundsystem beats, loud basslines, and cockney vocals. Debut single "We Don't Care" was a menacing musical manifesto; a loud, laddish, bass-heavy mash-up of house, dub, hip-hop, and bassline garage that seemed to stick two-fingers up at perceived musical boundaries. Clearly, these guys mean business. The duo's much-heralded debut long player, Ego War, expands this manifesto further, taking in elements of ska, punk, and electro. It's pretty good, too, mixing genuinely abrasive floor-fillers--"Real Life," "The Snow" (a disco-punk-house mash-up of epic proportions), with more contemplative numbers (such as the wistful "Veteran" or "100 Million"). Sometimes they come on like the Specials jamming with Basement Jaxx with the Streets' Mike Skinner on vocals, at other times like "Magnificent Seven"-era Clash with Rob "Stereo MC's" Birch on vocals; only dirtier. It's not a complete triumph--occasionally Franks' vocals can grate, and there's a certain sameness towards the end--but it's certainly one of the most entertaining dance albums of 2003. --Matt Anniss

Product Description

Audio Bullys deliver a sound so up-front and fresh, the press have christened it with its own genre, Hooligan-house. Audio Bullys are two Londoners, Simon Franks & Tom Dinsdale. Ego War is their debut on Astralwerks and it's a two-fisted grab of ska and punk, acid-rock and UK garage, underground house, hip-hop and funk. Astralwerks. 2003.

See all Editorial Reviews

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fresh, Fresher, Audio Bullys., August 14, 2003

By 

jazz_of_prodigyzone (Sofia, Bulgaria) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ego War (Audio CD)

Audio Bullys give out a mighty loud shot with Ego War.
For all those interested in Original Music, this is a must buy.
It's punky, it kicks hard, it's humourous and it's catchy!

A couple of impressive facts to mention - Audio Bullys give you an
unbelievable variety of hard powerful bass lines and drum patterns.
Ego War is full of funny, simplistic and extremely catchy dance melodies.
It is very energetic. It has some nasty character and punches hard.

Audio Bullies are not only self-proclaimed hooligans, they are real Sound Abusers.
Pump up the Volume!
Punish your neighbours before they punish you! ;)

Favourite tracks: We Don't Care, Face In a Cloud, Veteran.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The big beats are back: mashed-up punk and house, December 29, 2004

By 

Matthew Lee "rank-and-file music reviewer" (United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ego War (Audio CD)

Best dancefloor record of the past few years, yes, outgunning recent releases by Basement Jaxx and Prodigy, is "Ego War." Let me explain. What the Audio Bullys [Tom Dinsdale & Simon Franks] do here is make it real dirty -- their polished blend of punk sensibility, cigarette-heavy vocals [courtesy of Simon], and dancefloor-ready loops and jams is made for Adidas- and Spiewak-wearing scenesters who want to get their "mash" on. Picking up on the recent British trend of soundclash, mixing up pop and rock records with dirty dance beats and white label remixes, the Bullys breathe in some fresh air to the British dance scene.

Their sound production is well-developed and clearly influenced by acts like Stereo MCs, Prodigy, Lo Fidelity Allstars, Midfield General and nearly anything on Skint Records. Their love of big boisterous beats and tieing them to dodgy lyrics and loops echoes through the entire CD.

The best tracks on this record are the party anthems, easily foreseeable as spins from a Fatboy Slim wannabe. "I Go to Your House" is a finger-popping shoulder-shrugger complete with smoky repetitive vocals and an almost rapped lyrical delivery. "The Snow" pushes the buttons further, kicking it into a grab-your-mates-and-the-draw kind of way, with uplifting keyboards and pumping bass. It gets dirtier on "Hit the Ceiling" where the bass throbs deeper and the commanding protagonist wails "i'm in love with you and i just can't commit myself." But, by far the dirtiest track is the leadoff single, "We Don't Care," which layers headbanging shouts of "we don't care" over electronic squeals and pounding bass.

Just about every song is good and worthwhile for the next club night, but ultimately the CD loses a star due to percussive repetitiveness and the missed opportunity to add a brilliant duet or two with vocals from someone like Liam Gallagher or Skunk Anansie. What's going for it are the interesting lyrics though - very hard to come by on any dance record. If you're looking to scouse up your collection (that means to "dirty" it up), pick up Audio Bullys.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally!, August 8, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Ego War (Audio CD)

A fresh sound. Just what I'd been looking for! The perfect blend of street and club music. Very upbeat and fun which is perfect for the summertime. My favorite tracks are Hit The Ceiling and We Don't Care. Can't wait to see them live!