Format CD
12" vinyl Label Freestyle Dust | Recorded 1997 | |
Released 24 March 1997 (1997-03-24) Genre Big beat
Alternative rock Length 5:14 (album version)
5:00 (single version) | ||
"Block Rockin' Beats" is a song by British big beat duo The Chemical Brothers. It was released as the second single from their second album, Dig Your Own Hole, in March 1997. The single topped the UK Singles Chart, and peaked at number forty on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart in the United States. It also received a Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance
Contents
There are two different edits of "Block Rockin' Beats" available; one is the version found on Dig Your Own Hole, which has an intro, and the other version begins with the bassline. The B-side "Morning Lemon" is also available on the second disc of the limited edition Singles 93–03.
It was used in the 2003 Ongoing History of New Music episode "Alt-Rock's Greatest Instrumentals". Also it is a soundtrack in Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle. Upon its inclusion on Now 36, released on the same day as the single, it became only one in a few songs to be included on a Now album before it had reached the UK Singles Chart, with its booklet lineup correctly anticipating it as a number one single.
Samples
The drums are sampled from "Changes" by Bernard Purdie. The vocals, "Back with another one of those block rockin' beats" is a sample from American rapper Schoolly D's 1989 song "Gucci Again".
One reviewer opines that the track uses (without compensation) the bassline from the track "Coup" by 23 Skidoo. The opening bass riff resembles the guitar intro from the Pink Floyd song "Let There Be More Light", while the bass sound has been sampled from The Crusaders’ song "The Well’s Gone Dry".
"Morning Lemon" opens with a vocal sample of a man singing "morning lemon", and ends with a sample of Ice Cube saying "take that, motherfuckers!" (from his song "What They Hittin' Foe?").
Track listing
All tracks written by The Chemical Brothers.