Customer Reviews

Let's Get Killed

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Bought this years ago and enjoyed it then, and still occaionally do now. If you don't know, he did the soundtrack for OCEAN'S 11 and included a few of his own tracks(from this cd) in the movie remake. So if you enjoyed the sound found in that movie(hip, cool, sophisticated, jazzy, retro, funky, etc), seriously consider backtracking and getting this release. Especially since the OCEAN'S 11 soundtrack has edited versions of his tracks and contain dialogue from the movie(which may irritate some if you just want the songs). Standouts on this cd for me include:

*My Mate Paul--the coolest/hippest sounding track maybe. Should find its way in some spy movie soundtrack.
*Rodney Yates--ultra smooth tux-wearing, cocktail drinking song. Clooney's theme in O's11 as he walks out of prison in the opening credits.
*Radio 7--007 theme-inspired track. Ultra cool at first, slightly repetive later though.
*Freaknik--the big beat, breakbeat, 4-on-the-floor, breaker's extravaganza. funky as hell. the title implies it.
*Don't Die Just Yet--what I call a 'slow burn' song. it starts out slow and uneventful, but stick with it and when the strings kick in you'll be rewarded with a very moody and memorable track.

Also, Gritty Shaker was in O's11, Slashers Revenge has a haunting sound to it, Let's Get Killed is really long, and Caddell Returns is just...there. The rest are just samples/or intros, not actual tracks. Overall, if you enjoy this type of music and are not afraid to pick up a 5-year old release, i strongly recommend you do.

I got hold of "Let's Get Killed" in 1997 and it has been one of my favourites ever since. David Holmes must be one of the most talented music makers out there! The previous reviews down this list really sums up the content of the record. Anyway, for any of you David Holmers out there, don't miss out on David Holmes' supreme mix-cd of tunes from his own collection of the funkiest music ever created: "Essential Mix 98/01 (David Holmes)" which is a double album of rare tracks ranging from the soul-music of Marlena Shawe to a real wild David Holmes production ("Little Short One part I") via the likes of crazy, maniac, mind-blowing 70's psychedlia! It's magic! The album was released between "Let's Get Killed" and the "Out of Sight-"album, and shows that Mister Holmes's interest in music is BEYOND any of his living competitors. Burn, Hollywood, Burn! Next to DJ Shadow and Keb Darge, you will find David Holmes at the wheels of steels!

I found this CD rather acidentally, however, this record changed my music life. I will not waste your time saying all what was said bellow but the motto of this song for me is: A nightlife in NYC with all it brings. Buy it and give it a few chances, the mystery shall be revealed pretty soon, enjoy!!!

Yes... this IS the best thing David Holmes has ever released. It is a musical journey made up of break beats, random conversations, and sound bites that you might hear if you were to drive through a downtown area with your car window open! :)

This CD has gone down as a classic... just buy it!

This is a curiously essential album indeed. It is all of the following simultaneously: artistic, entertaining, haunting, ironic, lively, and mentally demanding. There's an almost fatalistic melancholy about this album that is as compelling as it is disconcerting. An eclectic mix of electronics, voices, effects, and "real" instruments, this CD is as much collage as it is music. It is innovative on several planes and I sincerely believe that a CD this outstanding doesn't come along very often. Highlights include the whimsical "Gritty Shaker," the curious "Radio 7," the chilling "Caddell Returns," and the moving "Don't Die Just Yet." Let's not take those as the only worthwhile tracks though -- they're all brilliant in their own right. And while I can (at times) do without some of the sampled "filler" padding the beginnings of some tracks, more often than not, they add more than they detract. (As I said, "artistic"...)

Faults? (1) Two of the most memorable tracks ("Radio 7" and "Don't Die Just Yet") are ostensibly covers of songs by Monty Norman and Serge Gainsbourg (respectively). This is a minor criticism though, as Holmes' renditions of these tunes are stunning in their own right. (2) The aforementioned issue with the sampled "filler." As stated though, this is minor. However, (2b) there are some (as yet unsubstantiated) rumors circulating that Holmes did not personally record all of the sampled voices used. I'm startled at this because I can't imagine where else he would've gotten them. All things considered though, I *highly* recommend this album to any and all.

soundtrack to an invisible documentary really. Stuff goes from cinema to lounge to drum n' bass to hip hop to dirty funk in the space of one disc. It just moves and grooves really. Its a diverse mix, but not as in the cd itself, just what he samples and lays down ontop of the computer and original music. Highly recommended.

Sampling snippets from monologues from NYC's left-of-center and sometimes unsavory characters as lead-ins to smooth and slinky beats, David Holmes has created album that listens like a movie. Listening any track, you can feel yourself pounding the pavement of Manhattan late at night. Most tracks are downtempo dub but still possess a pervasive menace throughtout.

This album changes moods and creates wonderfully trancey-techno soundscapes through almost every song. I was listening to Lets Get Killed while driving through the "bad" section of town.... a few highlites: "my mate paul" is a busy, trippy, out-all-night-with-freinds opus that leads into the title track, which could be the perfect soundtrack for any dangerous situation, running down dimly lit alleys in the no-man's hour of the morning... a fabulously frightening horror movie killer-hiding-in-the-bushes theme that could've easily replaced any sequence in "Scream"... ahh, relief comes in the form of "gritty shaker", a groovy ditty featuring a street-smart and clever astrologist... some man-on-the-street rapping on "head rush"... a reworking of the 007 theme song on "radio 7"... "slasher's revenge" adds instruments to kick-ass purcussion... "freaknik" inspires rave-like dancing... "caddell returns" is phase-changey and tripping like every drug the guy talking in the beginning of the song would be on... "don't die just yet" is a serious funky motha to bring the album to a close. so if you're looking for some realistic sountracks to your own nights, Lets Get Killed is it.

This album was David Holmes second release and build on his previous album ("This Films Crap, Let's Slash the Seats"), with the emphasis on building immersive film scores/soundtracks, referencing Funky downtempo broken Beat's ("Let's get Killed") , Contemporary 70's Guitar melodramatic fusion ("My Mate Paul"), lively instrumental soul ("Gritty Shaker"), or even a reinterpretation of what the James Bond theme would sound like under the musical direction of David (Radio 7). There's even an expertly implemented stab at funky dance track ("Freaknik"), but as brilliantly devised as all this tracks are.....the one truly defining moment is arguably David's finest moment, the encapsulation of New York city night time life....The string, guitar, violin orchestrated arrangements of ("Don't Die Just Yet"), a 6 minute epic that showcases David impeccable ear for composition & creation of music, that is defiantly at odds with current trends in music, but remains a blissfully realised piece of music.

David Holmes is fast becoming my source for bleeding edge experimental grooves. This CD in particular is a favorite of mine. The tracks each open with a sound byte of NYC, which then either continues throughout the song or morphs into a beat. Each song has it's own distinct flavor, although they all have a smirking confidence about them which perfectly personifies the City. While Holmes gains influence from all different genres, tracks like "Let's get killed," "radio 7," and "freaknik" propel this album into a realm all it's own.