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The Chemical Brothers: Singles 93-03

Design/art direction: Blue Source/The Chemical Brothers

Starring: Tom Rolands, Ed Simons, Norman Cook, Noel Gallagher

The videos: Despite its title, this DVD is far more than a music video retrospective of The Chemical Brothers, one of  Britain's most heralded dance music duos and early pioneers of 'big beat'. Imaginative clips by a mixture of directorial talent add a further dimension to some great numbers, turning them into veritable soundtracks. Additionally, there are six live numbers from music festivals around the world, from Glastonbury to Fuji, where we see that visuals always accompany the work of these knob-twiddlers, in the form of giant video screens and extravagant lasers.

As Tom Rolands and Ed Simons have invited musicians from other bands to join them for some of their singles, there is the odd celebrity cameo in the videos.

The 1995 collaboration with Tim Burgess of The Charlatans portrays the singer resident in a house of horror, while the boys getting tangled up in an exaggerated spaghetti explosion of wiring from their equipment.

Strangely, two singles with Oasis guitarist  Noel Gallagher, do not feature the sneering Mancunian. Both Setting Sun (1996) and Let Forever Be (1999) feature the most psychadelic of all supporting visuals. The former, directed by Dom & Nic, superbly renders a goosebump-inducing account of a very bad hallucinogenic journey. For the latter, director Michel Gondry goes for clever optical illusion, using a female character going through a normal working day, in which the viewer is constantly amused to find  what first appear to be split-screen images are often 'real' but unexpected multiple images shot in one take. Even when you're convinced you're looking at the protagonist standing in an infinity mirror reflection, this turns out to be a line of identically clad girls, who suddenly lapse into a dance that appears as a domino-effect routine. Other times, when a big guest musician collaborates, his appearance is forsaken for an elaborate accompanying storyline. Take Out Of Control (1999), directed by Wiz, for example, in which Bernard Sumner of New Order sings and plays guitar, in which we see a sultry South American Tank Girl-like rebel take on riot forces. The video turns into an advert for a cola before flicking into night-vision riot shots. At various times graffiti on street walls read in French, Spanish and English. Electrobank (1997), directed by Spike Jonze (Adaptation) follows the ups and downs of a gymnast in competition - quite surprising visuals for a grungy break-beat instrumental, which works really well as there is a lot of tension in the track.

The extras: The boys explain how why they chose certain directors for their music videos. A few directors, in return, talk about their recollections of working with The Chemicals. Dom & Nic  memorably tell theirs under the influence of helium. Interviews with several collaborators, peers and commentators tell interesting and humorous anecdotes - Richard Ashcroft, for example, recounts a studio argument between Rolands and Simons over a packet of Digestive biscuits. And Norman Cook gives the lads big face. The Private Reels is an edited camcorder memoir of tour highlights.

The verdict: The music videos are some of the most entrancing and surreal in pop. Tongue-in-cheek interviews are informative but occasionally over-intellectualised. The videos often best speak for themselves.



The Chemical Brothers: Singles 93-03