my Chems日本語
From the album Dig Your Own Hole

Single24 March 1997Atomic number 8

Block Rockin' Beats

Block Rockin' Beats artwork
Artwork (quoted for review and commentary)2

Ground #C9252BInk 1 #6B171AInk 2 #A59D9AAccent #BC1D27Plate colours (taken from the artwork)

Contrast body 4.9:1 heading 4.9:1 Ink 1 falls short of 3:1, so the heading uses the text colour

Pulse 109.4 BPM (measured)

Listen

The video embedded on the official site1 Open on YouTube

Record

Released
24 March 19973
UK peak
No. 14
Certifications
BPI: Gold; ARIA: Gold4
Notes
Written by Tom Rowlands, Ed Simons and Jesse Weaver (Schoolly D); recorded at Orinoco5
Notes
Won Best Rock Instrumental Performance at the 1998 Grammy Awards67

Tracklist

  1. 1Block Rockin' Beats – Radio Edit2
  2. 2Block Rockin' Beats2
  3. 3Prescription Beats2
  4. 4Morning Lemon2
  5. 5Block Rockin' Beats – The Micronauts Remix2
  6. 6Block Rockin' Beats – The Micronauts Bonus Beats2

Music

BPM
109.4 BPM
Key
Cm (5A)

Technology

Context

Testimony

Reviews

“a commercial, critical, and artistic home run of a single”

AllMusic, John Bush8

“after one spin, you'll be chanting the hook for hours”

Billboard, Larry Flick9

View (DJ Naoyaman)

A track that is neither rock nor instrumental won the Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.

Released on 24 March 1997, it went to No. 1 in the UK, their second, and it opens Dig Your Own Hole.36 Alongside Tom and Ed, the writing credits include Jesse Weaver, better known as Schoolly D.5

At the 1998 Grammy Awards it won Best Rock Instrumental Performance. Clash later scratched its head: it has vocals, and it isn't really rock.67

Dom and Nic's video was nominated for Best Video at the Brit Awards.10 In America it ran again and again on MTV, between shows and on Amp.11

I call this the misdelivered Grammy. The label on the parcel said rock, and it still arrived in American living rooms.

Translated from the Japanese original.

Afterwards

Own

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  1. The Chemical Brothers, “Official site: Block Rockin' Beats (video)”
  2. The Chemical Brothers, “Official site: Block Rockin' Beats (release page)”
  3. Wikipedia, “Dig Your Own Hole”
  4. Wikipedia, “The Chemical Brothers discography”
  5. Wikipedia, “Block Rockin' Beats”
  6. TOWER RECORDS ONLINE, “Dig Your Own Hole”
  7. Clash, “10 Things You Never Knew About… The Chemical Brothers”
  8. AllMusic, “AllMusic: Block Rockin’ Beats review”
  9. Billboard, “Billboard, Single Reviews (Block Rockin’ Beats), p.73”
  10. Wikipedia, “Dom and Nic”
  11. Recording Academy, “The Chemical Brothers' Dig Your Own Hole at 25”