Chemical Brother Cuffs Coffee Table Critics

Ed Simons from the Chemical Brothers rounded on negative British music journalists this week, telling Skrufff 'it's an irksome thing to read journalists denigrating our credentials as dance musicians.'

"Without naming names, one magazine has this continuing idea that we somehow make dance music for people that aren't into dance music, that we're like these indie kids making pretend dance music that's not real; I find that attitude really offensive," he complained.

"The other thing I read that annoys me is this idea that as established dance musicians we somehow don't have a right to continue making music," Ed continued.

"I read a quote from one music journalist the other day saying 'we'd have to go coffee table' and that's just beyond ludicrous. The new music we're making is hard and twisted and some of it's melodic but ever since our first EP we've always been interested in making music that's soothing and beautiful and ethereal alongside fucked up hard dance music," he said.

"The idea that we're toning down and wanting to reach older coffee table markets is just so wrong-headed."

Ed also revealed he's changed his mind about electroclash, which itself has been constantly dismissed by many of the same ultra-cynical critics.

"When electroclash started I initially thought this is something that's not for me but I've been on a couple of dance floors recently and thought 'actually this music really works, it's really good fun, it's exciting, it's druggy and it's doing it'," he revealed.

"I'd much prefer to hear Ivan Smagghe DJing for three hours in a sweaty room than some third rate guitar band."

The Chemical Brothers play live at Creamfields on August 28 (at Speke Airfield, Liverpool) and are also set to release new vinyl only releases imminently under their regular underground pseudonym Electronic Battle Weapon 6.
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