Customer Reviews

Machine Says Yes

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

 

 

By all rights this album should make FC Kahuna superstars, as there's always need for a crossover dance band, someone able to meld widescreen ideas to huge block rockin' beats. Much like their predecessors Daft Punk, the Chemical Brothers, and Underworld, Kahuna's Dan Ormondroyd and Jon Nowell offer ample amounts of energy, packing Machines Say Yes with buzzing, fuzzy basslines, a shelf load of techno bleeps, and grinding, glittering funk to irresistible effect.

That formula alone carries streamlined tracks Nothing is Wrong, Microcuts, and Machine Says Yes, the latter aided by Gus Gus vocal gal Hafdis Huld into surefire hit territory. Hayling's the melancholy media darling, where her soft vocals ride on icy blips ping-ponging about. Even better, country collaborator Eileen Rose offers the emotional heart to this album, North Pole Transmission's poetic vocals given a machine serenade; computerized accompaniment that's stunningly heartfelt, and a strong statement to the duo's diversity.

Now add propulsive blast Glitterball, which clearly is a big, huge, dancehall tune chucked with laser blasts and big whooshes for club craziness, and you have one of the electronic albums of the year. Wisely this domestic release sticks the clunker Growler and a pointless bonus track at the end; you'll be satisfied way before you get there.

I buy a lot of CD's, all genres. Dance/trance/electronic usually bores me quickly. I heard "Nothing is Wrong" on XM radio, checked out some other tracks online, fell in love, and bought the CD online instantly. Lots of funky very origional electronic music. Reminds me of Underworld and Moby in its ability to stand out from the crowd in origionality and excellence. I can't stop listening to this CD.

Thanks to my local shop for putting this one in their CD sampler. Halfway through Heyling, and I've dropped the headphones and headed to the register. What a great track. The rest is a funkadelic stretch that you'll want to listen to in its entirety. Great beats, fresh nuances, and all-around fun.

This is one of those albums that grows on you after time. Glitterball kicks ass the first time you hear it, but then as you play it more, Machine says yes and both Hayling mixes really start to shine. The Dunk! mix is particulary interesting and playful. The other songs are pretty good, except Growler has a really annoying sample that ruins it. All in all it is a solid piece of work.

Eschewing the `Big Beat' sound favoured by `Fatboy Slim', and concentrating on producing a genre-spanning effort, that incorporates `Electro/Big Beat/Techno & Electronica', this brother duo (Dan and John Kahuna), consistently surprise the listener with stark electro hummers ("Glitterball"), to elegant female vocal Electronica (Hayling), and "Bleep Freak" recalls moments of Acid house, right through to `Daft-Punk-esque' dancefloor-Disco of "Growler". The Kahuna Brothers haven't taken the lazy option of producing a Dancefloor banger, but instead preferred to take Dance Music into a more Organic & Melodic direction...Possibly an indication of where Dance music, will be heading in the next couple of years???

FC Kahuna (under various guises) are stalwarts of British dance music and this shows all through their debut (under this name at least) album. As the official review says, there are obvious influences from LFO and other classic old-school acid and techno artists. In contemporary terms, they come off as the dirty offspring of Royksopp and Underworld. There are the beats of classic Underworld, without the philosophising vocals, and the beauty of Royksopp's minimalism.

This album could soundtrack the best nights of your life, from thumping dancefloors to the come-down parties. I'm just hoping that the reviews page begins to fill up soon.

FC Kahuna differ in their approach to Techno or Electronica from the popular at this time Trancey rhythms or modern Eurodisco samples. I think they just enjoy the chaos of this magnificent album. Being a HUGE fan of Hafdis Huld, ex singer of Icelandic band Gus Gus, i had to check out this CD after hearing the two songs she had in this album on her web site, "Hayling" is just hypnotic, seductive and plain beautiful, while "Machine Says Yes" is just a great groovy song with no remorse for the sneaky beats it produces. I must say the rest of the album doesn't fail either, there is SO much variety. You start off nice and calm on the first track with Hafdis singing softly, gently, you think you are all nice and safe and then boom you are on the second song "Glitterball" and you are assaulted by phat beats that you forget all the mellowness of "Hayling" and you feel like partying down. I can't get the beat sounds off "Bleep Freak" off my head sometimes. Needless to say the chaos that is the rest of the album is pure funky Electronica fun. If you are fans of Gus Gus, Daft Punk, Basement Jaxx, Way Out West or The Chemical Brothers you'll enjoy this album.

FC Kahuna made a big splash on the breaks scene in the mid-90s, but their debut album, Machine Says Yes, is packed with more house-oriented tracks, with a few slower, more downtempo tracks, such as the opener, "Hayling." "Glitterball" is a house stomper, as is "Bleep Freak" (some of those trademark breaks sneak in towards the end). "North Pole Transmission" sends the beats back to a slower realm, but "Mindset to Cycle" and "Microcuts" funk it back up with extra bleepiness on the side. The remix of "Hayling" is a big mess, though -- but "Fear of Guitars" snatches the album from the jaws of death. An enjoyable listen, definitely.

FC Kahuna Machine Says Yes features a variety of electronica/trance reverberations. Some of it can be very loosely classified as music, and therefore not for everyone. However, the arrangements are interesting and the beats are solid. I was attracted to the album after seeing the commericial for the Hummer H2 where the song Nothing is Wrong was featured as a prety blonde girl cruises the ginormous vehicle through fast paced city streets. I was also intrigued that some of FC Kahuna's music has been featured as a part of the CSI Miami television crime drama. If you like trance, electronica, dance, or techno, you'll probably like FC Kahuna Machine Says Yes.

Like the Hayling track specially. Every thing is cool I wish they are still recording but they don't....I think.