Emotional Technology
Encyclopedia
Emotional Technology is the fourth album
by electronica
artist BT. Transitioning towards a poppier sound, the album features some of BT's well-known hits, including "Somnambulist
", "The Force of Gravity" and "Superfabulous". "Somnambulist", also known as "Simply Being Loved", holds the Guinness World Record for most vocal edits in a single track, with 6,178 in the album version. The album features vocal performances by JC Chasez, Rose McGowan
, and Transeau himself, among others.
, BT was gaining considerable attention in the music community for his combination of trance
and hip hop
music, as well as his production techniques; most notably, his signature stutter edits. Two years prior to the album, Transeau had produced the hit single "Pop
" for pop group *NSYNC, which went on to become an international hit.
Emotional Technology begins in a place close to Movement in Still Life; indeed, the album's intro consists of a backwards sample of "Satellite", the closing track of Movement, followed by reversed samples of "Somnambulist" and "Dark Heart Dawning" from this album. Shortly after "Somnambulist", the album moves from its pop-oriented sound into a more experimental direction, containing learned, introspective lyrics and song structures and samples not normally found in trance music at the time (the extended breakdown section of "P A R I S" features a galloping horse and a choir, while "Communicate"'s chorus drops the beat entirely.) Emotional Technology also found Transeau writing several epic rock songs in the vein of "Satellite", aligning the album more with the US
pressing of Movement in Still Life, which created several rock and electropop songs to capitalize on the American market. Several of these songs would later be replaced on the Special Collector's Edition release.
The album received mixed reactions from both fans and critics alike. People who liked the album praised BT for the highly personal and experimental nature of the album, calling it groundbreaking and a true progression of not only Transeau as an artist and musician, but electronic music as well. Others disregarded it as "pop at its worst", feeling that the music was bland and that the vocals were worse. They were also turned off by the less dance floor-friendly vibe of this album compared to his other releases. Ironically, Somnambulist (Simply Being Loved)
, "The Force of Gravity", and the two songs' various remixes were well received in clubs, alongside "Knowledge of Self".
' classic, "Break On Through (To the Other Side)". Toksin has since released remixes of "Superfabulous" and "The Great Escape" on his website. He has also remixed "Shame" in his live shows.
|width=50%|
|}
". However, the Technology EP
serves as a non-formal single release for "Superfabulous", "The Force of Gravity" and "The Great Escape". "Communicate" is considered by some to be a single as 2 known remixes have been approved by Transeau for public listening.
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
by electronica
Electronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
artist BT. Transitioning towards a poppier sound, the album features some of BT's well-known hits, including "Somnambulist
Somnambulist (Simply Being Loved)
"Somnambulist " is a song by Brian Transeau, better known as BT, that was released as a single on March 20, 2003. The track quickly became the most successful track from the album Emotional Technology, and one of Transeau's biggest commercial hits. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard...
", "The Force of Gravity" and "Superfabulous". "Somnambulist", also known as "Simply Being Loved", holds the Guinness World Record for most vocal edits in a single track, with 6,178 in the album version. The album features vocal performances by JC Chasez, Rose McGowan
Rose McGowan
Rose Arianna McGowan is an actress and singer. She is known for her role as Paige Matthews in The WB Television Network supernatural drama series Charmed. She played Ann-Margret alongside Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Elvis Presley in the CBS mini-series Elvis...
, and Transeau himself, among others.
Overview and reaction
Between the release of Emotional Technology and its predecessor Movement in Still LifeMovement in Still Life
Movement in Still Life is the third album by electronica artist BT. Released, in the United Kingdom in 1999, with a modified version for the United States in 2000...
, BT was gaining considerable attention in the music community for his combination of trance
Trance music
Trance is a genre of electronic dance music that developed in the 1990s.:251 It is generally characterized by a tempo of between 125 and 150 bpm,:252 repeating melodic synthesizer phrases, and a musical form that builds up and breaks down throughout a track...
and hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
music, as well as his production techniques; most notably, his signature stutter edits. Two years prior to the album, Transeau had produced the hit single "Pop
Pop (song)
"Pop" is the first single by *NSYNC from their third studio album, Celebrity. It was written by Wade Robson and Justin Timberlake and produced by BT using his famous "stutter edit" sound. The song's subject focuses on contemporary criticism of boy bands and pop music, and assures the public of...
" for pop group *NSYNC, which went on to become an international hit.
Emotional Technology begins in a place close to Movement in Still Life; indeed, the album's intro consists of a backwards sample of "Satellite", the closing track of Movement, followed by reversed samples of "Somnambulist" and "Dark Heart Dawning" from this album. Shortly after "Somnambulist", the album moves from its pop-oriented sound into a more experimental direction, containing learned, introspective lyrics and song structures and samples not normally found in trance music at the time (the extended breakdown section of "P A R I S" features a galloping horse and a choir, while "Communicate"'s chorus drops the beat entirely.) Emotional Technology also found Transeau writing several epic rock songs in the vein of "Satellite", aligning the album more with the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
pressing of Movement in Still Life, which created several rock and electropop songs to capitalize on the American market. Several of these songs would later be replaced on the Special Collector's Edition release.
The album received mixed reactions from both fans and critics alike. People who liked the album praised BT for the highly personal and experimental nature of the album, calling it groundbreaking and a true progression of not only Transeau as an artist and musician, but electronic music as well. Others disregarded it as "pop at its worst", feeling that the music was bland and that the vocals were worse. They were also turned off by the less dance floor-friendly vibe of this album compared to his other releases. Ironically, Somnambulist (Simply Being Loved)
Somnambulist (Simply Being Loved)
"Somnambulist " is a song by Brian Transeau, better known as BT, that was released as a single on March 20, 2003. The track quickly became the most successful track from the album Emotional Technology, and one of Transeau's biggest commercial hits. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard...
, "The Force of Gravity", and the two songs' various remixes were well received in clubs, alongside "Knowledge of Self".
Remix Contest
Prior to the album's release, BT and BPM Magazine held a remix contest for the album. Inside an issue of BPM Magazine would be an EP containing the individual parts for "Somnambulist", "Communicate", "The Great Escape" and "Superfabulous", as well as a new, unreleased track titled "Kimosabe". The 4 winners were announced in early 2004 and they won signed copies of Emotional Technology among other prizes. Two notable winners were Toksin for his remix of "Communicate" and Burufunk for their remix of "The Great Escape". Burufunk had previously remixed "Somnambulist" for when the song was released as a single in May 2003. They later worked with BT on his remix of The DoorsThe Doors
The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...
' classic, "Break On Through (To the Other Side)". Toksin has since released remixes of "Superfabulous" and "The Great Escape" on his website. He has also remixed "Shame" in his live shows.
CD pressing
- "The Meeting of a Hundred Yang" – 0:44
- "Knowledge of Self" – 6:41 (BT/GuruGuru (rapper)Keith Edward Elam , better known by his stage name Guru, was an American emcee and member of the hip-hop duo Gang Starr, along with DJ Premier. He was born in Roxbury, Massachusetts...
) - "Superfabulous" – 4:40 (BT/Rose McGowanRose McGowanRose Arianna McGowan is an actress and singer. She is known for her role as Paige Matthews in The WB Television Network supernatural drama series Charmed. She played Ann-Margret alongside Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Elvis Presley in the CBS mini-series Elvis...
) - "Somnambulist (Simply Being Loved)Somnambulist (Simply Being Loved)"Somnambulist " is a song by Brian Transeau, better known as BT, that was released as a single on March 20, 2003. The track quickly became the most successful track from the album Emotional Technology, and one of Transeau's biggest commercial hits. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard...
" – 4:20 - "The Force of Gravity" – 8:19 (BT/JC Chasez)
- "Dark Heart Dawning" – 7:08
- "The Great Escape" – 6:58 (BT/Caroline LavelleCaroline LavelleCaroline Lavelle is a British 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...
) - "P A R I S" – 7:51 (BT/Jody WisternoffJody WisternoffJody Wisternoff is best known as one half of the Bristol progressive house duo Way Out West and as a producer of dance music spanning early 90s hardcore to electro house....
) - "Circles" – 4:43
- "The Last Moment of Clarity" – 7:21
- "Communicate" – 5:48 (BT/Jan JohnstonJan JohnstonJan Johnston is an English professional singer, best known for collaborating with some of the world's top trance music DJs.-Career:...
) - "Animals" – 7:24
- "The Only Constant Is Change" – 6:16
Japanese bonus disc
- "Kimosabe" – 6:55
- "Tao of the Machine" – 5:04
- "Love in the Time of Thieves" – 6:21
- "The Revolution" - 4:19
- "Somnambulist (Junkie XLJunkie XLTom Holkenborg , better known as Junkie XL or JXL, is a Dutch musician. He uses the name JXL in cases where the term "Junkie" might cause offense. XL is for "Xpanding Limits"....
Vocal Mix)" – 8:56 - "Somnambulist (Sander Kleinenberg Convertible Mix)" – 10:03
- "Somnambulist (Burufunk Remix)" – 7:30
- "The Great Escape (Attention Deficit Mix)" – 10:37
- "The Force of Gravity (Dylan Rhymes Push-up Mix)" – 8:37
- "The Force of Gravity (TiëstoTiëstoTijs Michiel Verwest, , known as Tiësto , is a Dutch musician, DJ and record producer of electronic dance music. Although he has used many aliases in the past, he is best known for his work as DJ Tiësto...
Remix)" – 7:48
|width=50%|
Disc 1
- "The Meeting of a Hundred Yang" – 0:44
- "Knowledge of Self" – 6:40
- "Somnambulist (Simply Being Loved)" – 4:21
- "The Force of Gravity" – 8:19
- "Dark Heart Dawning" – 7:08
- "The Great Escape" – 6:58
- "P A R I S" – 7:48
- "Kimosabe" – 5:34
- "The Revolution" – 4:14
- "The Last Moment of Clarity" – 7:11
- "Communicate" – 5:57
- "The Only Constant Is Change" – 6:04
Disc 2
- "Somnambulist (Mark Norman Remix)" – 7:49
- "Love in the Time of Thieves" – 6:18
- "The Force of Gravity (Tiësto Remix)" – 8:18
- "Somnambulist (Junkie XL Vocal Mix)" – 8:54
- "Superfabulous (Tokin's Rawshaker Mix)" – 7:59
- "The Force of Gravity (Dylan Rhymes Push Up Mix)" – 8:38
- "Kimosabe (Hyper Remix)" – 7:19
- "Communicate (Tokin's Narcan Remix)" – 6:50
- "Somnambulist (Sander Kleinenberg's Convertible Mix)" – 10:02
|}
Singles
The album had only one "official" single, which was "Somnambulist (Simply Being Loved)Somnambulist (Simply Being Loved)
"Somnambulist " is a song by Brian Transeau, better known as BT, that was released as a single on March 20, 2003. The track quickly became the most successful track from the album Emotional Technology, and one of Transeau's biggest commercial hits. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard...
". However, the Technology EP
The Technology EP
The Technology EP is a 2004 EP release from BT. The EP consists of 6 remixes of songs from his 2003 album Emotional Technology. It serves as a semi-official release of "Superfabulous", "The Force of Gravity" and "The Great Escape" as singles....
serves as a non-formal single release for "Superfabulous", "The Force of Gravity" and "The Great Escape". "Communicate" is considered by some to be a single as 2 known remixes have been approved by Transeau for public listening.
Personnel
- GuruGuru (rapper)Keith Edward Elam , better known by his stage name Guru, was an American emcee and member of the hip-hop duo Gang Starr, along with DJ Premier. He was born in Roxbury, Massachusetts...
: Rhymes on "Knowledge of Self" - DJ SwampDJ SwampRonald K. Keys Jr. aka DJ Swamp is an American hip hop DJ/turntablist and hip hop producer. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. In 1996, he took the title of US DMC Champion, his first year entering the tournament. Swamp toured with Beck for four years and later broke away into a solo career with...
: "cuts and scratches" on "Knowledge of Self" - RascoRascoKeida Brewer , known professionally as Rasco , is a rapper from San Francisco, California, United States, whose early recordings were released on Stones Throw Records...
: Rhymes on "Knowledge of Self", "Circles" and "The Revolution" - Rose McGowanRose McGowanRose Arianna McGowan is an actress and singer. She is known for her role as Paige Matthews in The WB Television Network supernatural drama series Charmed. She played Ann-Margret alongside Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Elvis Presley in the CBS mini-series Elvis...
: vocals on "Superfabulous" - Scott McCloud vocals on "Superfabulous"
- BrainBryan MantiaBryan "Brain" Mantia is a contemporary rock drummer. He has played with bands like Primus, Guns N' Roses, Praxis and Godflesh, and with other popular performers such as Tom Waits, Bill Laswell, Bootsy Collins and Buckethead...
: live drums on "Superfabulous", "Dark Heart Dawning", "Circles", "Animals", "The Only Constant Is Change" and "Kimosabe" - Tommy StinsonTommy StinsonThomas "Tommy" Eugene Stinson is an American musician best known for his work as the bassist for The Replacements and Guns N' Roses as well as the post-Replacements groups Bash & Pop, where he performed guitar duties, and Perfect...
: BassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
on "Superfabulous", "Circles", "Animals", "The Only Constant Is Change" and "Kimosabe" - Richard FortusRichard FortusRichard Fortus is a professional guitarist who is most famous for being rhythm guitarist in Guns N' Roses.Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, Fortus cut his teeth throughout the Midwest with his band, The Eyes. The four-piece alternative band independently released "Freedom in a Cage", which was...
: GuitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s on "Superfabulous", "Circles", "Animals", "The Only Constant Is Change" and "Kimosabe"; celloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
on "The Great Escape" - JC Chasez: Background vocals on "Somnambulist"; vocals on "The Force of Gravity"
- Doug Wimbus: Pedal steel guitarPedal steel guitarThe pedal steel guitar is a type of electric guitar that uses a metal bar to "fret" or shorten the length of the strings, rather than fingers on strings as with a conventional guitar. Unlike other types of steel guitar, it also uses pedals and knee levers to affect the pitch, hence the name "pedal"...
on "Dark Heart Dawning" - Alan Vavarin: Percussion on "Dark Heart Dawning"
- Kurt Wortman: Percussion on "Dark Heart Dawning"
- Donna Taylor: Background vocals on "Dark Heart Dawning"
- Jackie Smiley: Background vocals on "Dark Heart Dawning"
- Valerie Pinkston: Background vocals on "Dark Heart Dawning"
- Caroline LavelleCaroline LavelleCaroline Lavelle is a British 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...
: Vocals and cello on "The Great Escape" - Hutchy: Rhymes on "P A R I S"
- Jody WisternoffJody WisternoffJody Wisternoff is best known as one half of the Bristol progressive house duo Way Out West and as a producer of dance music spanning early 90s hardcore to electro house....
: Additional production on "P A R I S" - Karina Ware: Vocals on "The Last Moment of Clarity"
- Jan JohnstonJan JohnstonJan Johnston is an English professional singer, best known for collaborating with some of the world's top trance music DJs.-Career:...
: Vocals on "Communicate" - WildchildLootpackLootpack were an American hip hop group signed to Stones Throw Records with members Madlib, Wildchild, and DJ Romes. They made their first appearance on the 1993 debut album by Tha Alkaholiks, 21 & Over....
: Vocals on "Kimosabe" - The RootsThe RootsThe Roots is an American hip hop/neo soul band formed in 1987 by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are famed for beginning with a jazzy, eclectic approach to hip hop which still includes live instrumentals...
: performance on "Tao of the Machine" - TamraTamraTamra is an Israeli Arab city in the North District of Israel located in the Lower Galilee north of the city of Shefa-'Amr and approximately east of Akko . The name Tamra means date palm in Arabic...
: Vocals on "Love in the Time of Thieves" - BT: All other vocals, instruments and programming