at a glance...

Hometown: London, England
Formed: 1993

Personnel:
Richard Fearless -programming
Steve Hellier -programming
Anthony Anderson -guitar
Nick 'Avin It -bass
Seamus Beagan -Fender Rhodes, Hammond
Mat Flint -bass
Andy Visser -flute, hamonica, saxophone
Tim Weller -drums

Bands In The Family:
The Chemical Brothers, Iggy Pop, Primal Scream, The Jesus And Mary Chain, Dot Allison, Ranking Roger, Monkey Mafia, Andrew Weatherall/Two Lone Swordsmen

Notes:
Richard Fearless started out as the resident DJ at the famous Heavenly Social club in London, the same place where The Chemical Brothers built their following. On the side, Fearless sought to make something slightly different than the music he was spinning and looked to Steve Hellier, an engineer at the BBC, to collaborate on new ideas. Bringing in a full band, while still relying on vinyl for various samples and sounds, Fearless and Hellier began to make singles with a rock feel and dark mood that were embraced by club-goers. The singles soon became an album, and Dead Elvis, a multi-textured mix of trip-hop, rock, and reggae, was released in 1997. The press raved about the album, but video outlets in Europe banned the video for the breakthrough single "Dirt" on account of its lewd yet highly stylized images. Following a world tour with The Chemical Brothers, Fearless began to make inroads into the film and graphic art worlds, while taking on production of Dot Allison's first few recorded tracks. Hellier departed in 1998, making way for Tim Holmes to join Fearless and several guest collaborators in the making of 1999's The Contino Sessions. The title of the record refers to Fearless' private studio, The Contino Rooms. Despite a relatively underground following, The Contino Sessions debuted in the top twenty in the UK album charts.

Links:
Interview with Richard Fearless

It is hard to find DJ/electronic music that doesn't make you either dance (big beat, drum 'n' bass, house, etc.) or sway (trip-hop, ambient, et al). Enter Richard Fearless. With his partner in crime, Steve Hellier, the pair put together an album that goes beyond the genre borders of electronic music and DJ culture. Dead Elvis seamlessly (and brilliantly) mixes dub reggae, trip-hop, ambient, and aggressive beats into a soundtrack with no film other than the one in your head.

Imagine Dead Elvis in three acts. Opening with the funky jingle, "All That Glitters," you imagine a jazzy trip-hop confection will play out. And then "GBH" comes in and raises the volume a bit, including a rap from Selah, and your impression shifts. Then the hardcore reggae of "Twist & Crawl," an old English Beat song, blasts through, only to be blown to bits by the second act's "Dirt." A heavy guitar riff that wouldn't be out of place on a Rage Against The Machine album does battle with a sample of the Woodstock soundtrack, commanding movement to the sampled cheers. "Dirt" morphs into "Rocco," which unfolds into "Rekkit."

Then things get eerie. The shimmering "I Spy" emerges in the third act as the music turns atmospheric, yet unsettling. Suddenly, you almost feel déja vu. The barren "Amber" leans into "Rematerialised," featuring an odd combo of soothing violins and ragga beats. "68 Balcony" disturbingly recalls beats from "Dirt" but quietly stalks along with a spooky keyboard. In the denouement, "Sly," a raspy tape loop is all you hear, and then nothing.

It's very easy to dismiss Dead Elvis as the mishmash that it sounds like, but everything about this album has been carefully planned. Notes change unnoticeably, bleeding from one song into another and the fact that Fearless and Hellier tackle so many genres with authority only makes it all the more cunning. It's an album that makes your brain work overtime wondering what's coming next, a Blair Witch set loose on your psyche. You'll be asking questions long after the CD stops spinning and that's exactly what Fearless wants.

If you like Death In Vegas, check out:
Death In Vegas The Contino Sessions
Dot Allison Afterglow
Lo Fidelity Allstars How To Operate With A Blown Mind
Primal Scream Vanishing Point

-- Pierre Stefanos