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''Far from the Maddening Crowds'' is the debut studio album by British
electronic music
Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroa ...
artist
Chicane
A chicane () is a serpentine curve in a road, added by design rather than dictated by geography. Chicanes add extra turns and are used both in motor racing and on roads and streets to slow traffic for safety. For example, one form of chicane is ...
, released on 20 October 1997 through Xtravaganza Recordings. It is highly regarded as a seminal release in the
trance music
Trance is a genre of electronic dance music that emerged from the British new-age music scene and the early 1990s German techno and hardcore scenes.
Trance music is characterized by a tempo generally lying between 135–150 beats per minut ...
community, and was highly sought after, having been shelved for licensing issues, until its re-release on 18 October 2007.
The album includes Chicane's debut single, "
Offshore", as well as other singles "
Sunstroke
Heat stroke or heatstroke, also known as sun stroke, is a severe heat illness that results in a body temperature greater than , along with red skin, headache, dizziness, and confusion. Sweating is generally present in exertional heatstroke, b ...
", "Lost You Somewhere" and "Red Skies". The album charted in the UK on release, peaking at number 49.
Background
Chicane was originally formed as an electronic music duo under the name Disco Citizens, comprising Nick Bracegirdle and Leo Elstob.
The duo released their debut single, "Right Here, Right Now", in 1995 through
Deconstruction Records
Deconstruction Records is a British record label founded in 1987 by Pete Hadfield and Keith Blackhurst, together with Mike Pickering of M People. According to ''DJ Magazine'' it is "best remembered for marrying underground credibility and dive ...
to success, with the song reaching number 40 in the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
. Chicane was intended as a side project of the act, however they only saw one release as a duo, the ''
Offshore'' EP through Cyanide Records. After "Offshore"'s release as a single in 1996, the song quickly garnered success, debuting at number 1 on the
UK Dance Singles Chart
The UK Dance Singles Chart and the UK Dance Albums Chart are music charts compiled in the United Kingdom by the Official Charts Company from sales of songs in the dance music genre (e.g. house, trance, drum and bass, garage, synthpop) in record ...
. After this Elstob left the duo, and Chicane (and Disco Citizens) became the solo moniker of Nick Bracegirdle. He soon signed to Alex Gold's record label, Xtravaganza Recordings, who showed interest in releasing a full album by Chicane.
Release
"
Offshore", the earliest song produced and released, is also among the best-known of Chicane's tracks; aside from single sales and being a major
dance club
Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoire ...
hit, resulting on its inclusion on what has been said to be over 130
compilation albums.
It has also been featured in the UK on TV programs ranging from travel reviews to the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
's ''
Gardener's World'' and ''
Grandstand''.
The album was released on 20 October 1997 through Xtravaganza recordings, with singles "Offshore", "
Sunstroke
Heat stroke or heatstroke, also known as sun stroke, is a severe heat illness that results in a body temperature greater than , along with red skin, headache, dizziness, and confusion. Sweating is generally present in exertional heatstroke, b ...
" on 2 June 1997, and "Lost You Somewhere" on 8 December 1997. A vocal edit of "Offshore", titled "
Offshore '97", was mixed by
Anthony Pappa
Anthony Pappa (born 15 November 1973) is an Australian DJ and electronic music producer from Melbourne.
Early life
Pappa was born in Italy but was raised in Melbourne, Australia where he attended Marcellin College. At the age of four he got his ...
and credited as a collaboration with Power Circle. It was released as a single on 1 September 1997 and was featured on the album. A
Benelux
The Benelux Union ( nl, Benelux Unie; french: Union Benelux; lb, Benelux-Unioun), also known as simply Benelux, is a politico- economic union and formal international intergovernmental cooperation of three neighboring states in western Europe: ...
single release of "Red Skies" was also issued in 1998. After its release, the album appeared on the
UK Albums Chart
The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts ...
for one week, reaching number 49.
In 2007, after its re-release, the album appeared on the
UK Dance Albums Chart
The UK Dance Singles Chart and the UK Dance Albums Chart are music charts compiled in the United Kingdom by the Official Charts Company from sales of songs in the dance music genre (e.g. house, trance, drum and bass, UK garage, garage, synthpop) i ...
for one week, peaking at number 36.
On 8 September 2023, over 25 years since its original release, the album was certified silver in the UK by
BPI, selling over 60,000 copies.
Critical reception
''Far from the Maddening Crowds'' received positive reviews from critics upon and after its release. Stephen Thomas Erlewine from
Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
reviewed the album in 1997, and praised its variety, writing that "Chicane has mastered not only house-styled thumpers, but also spacious, near-ambient soundscapes". He summarised the review describing the album as "cinematic" and "a successful debut", rating it four stars out of five.
Will Alexander from Trance Critic reviewed the album in 2007, summarising it with "Far from the Maddening Crowds is still as relevant and inspiring as the day it was created", and rated it five stars out of five.
Track listing
Personnel
Adapted from liner notes
*
Nick Bracegirdle – songwriting, production
*Leo Elstob – songwriting on "Offshore" and "Offshore '97", production on "Offshore"
*
Caroline Lavelle
Caroline Lavelle is an English singer-songwriter and cellist who has created three solo albums and contributed vocals, music, and production help to many other artists and bands.
Career
Lavelle studied at the Royal College of Music in London. ...
– songwriting and vocals on "Lost You Somewhere"
*
Salt Tank – songwriting and production on "Leaving Town"
*Luce Drayton – vocals on "Sunstroke"
*Richie Sullivan – songwriting on "Offshore '97"
*Graham Dear – songwriting on "Offshore '97"
*Louise Burton – songwriting on "Offshore '97"
*
Anthony Pappa
Anthony Pappa (born 15 November 1973) is an Australian DJ and electronic music producer from Melbourne.
Early life
Pappa was born in Italy but was raised in Melbourne, Australia where he attended Marcellin College. At the age of four he got his ...
– mixing on "Offshore '97"
*Walter Coelho – mastering
*Alex Gold – executive producer
Charts
Certifications
References
{{Authority control
1997 debut albums
Chicane (musician) albums