Now Techno Has Some Faces to Rave About

For a decade or more, dance enthusiasts have been predicting a techno revolution, when guitar, bass and drums are finally overthrown by machine-made music.

If you subscribe to that theory, then the rise of Prodigy and the Chemical Brothers must seem like the seventh sign of the Apocalypse. The mostly deejay-driven outfits have infiltrated the high-profile world of MTV, getting masses of airplay and paving the way for a slew of beat-conscious studio nerds in their wake. And rock veterans such as David Bowie and U2 are now co-opting ideas from the electronic dance world.

Though electronic music is nothing new, audiences have had problems connecting with the more enigmatic dance side of the genre, which often lacks charismatic performers. The Chemical Brothers tackled the problem by teaming up with Oasis’ Noel Gallagher and offering a video with such visual overload that the deejays themselves barely need to appear. Prodigy smashed techno’s facelessness by inducting a frontman who’s so obnoxious that he’s unforgettable.

This month’s Sound & Vision, where we rate current videos on a scale of 0-100, also features industrial-based Nine Inch Nails and other electronic artists that pull inspiration from rock, the blues, world music and hip-hop. Sounds more like evolution than revolution.

The Chemical Brothers, “Setting Sun.” The Chemical Brothers’ high-velocity hit is played so often on MTV that it seems as inescapable as Pearl Jam’s “Jeremy” was a few years ago. But this video offers such sensory overload that no matter how many times you see it, it still looks fresh. Directed by the team of Dom & Nick, it simulates an out-of-body, hallucinatory trip springing from the head of a passed-out raver. The experience whisks her from the danceparty (where stolid policemen miraculously break-dance) above winding London streets to her flat, where such commonplace motions as gazing into the mirror become fascinating undertakings. Even as she watches TV, the seemingly incongruous scenes of riots and mayhemjell perfectly with the chaotic format. 93

Nine Inch Nails, “The Perfect Drug.” The song is from the soundtrack of David Lynch’s upcoming “Lost Highway,” and Trent Reznor is the central spooky figure in this striking video. Filled with varying shades of blues and grays, it offers chilling Victorian imagery, complete with skull and raven visuals. The only bright coloring comes when a sinister-looking Reznor pours some very yellow absinthe into a glass (mirroring a scene from Coppola’s “Dracula”). The imagery is so in sync with the song’s manic break beats and desperate, melancholy moments that it feels as if the song was actually created to fit the video’s moods. It assures Reznor’s spot as the master of creep-show cabaret. 90

U2, “Discotheque.” U2’s new video takes place in a chintzy dance-club setting, complete with a glittery disco ball, strobe lights and sleazy, polyester-clad swingers. You can almost smell the bad cologne. U2’s contagious and bass-heavy dance tune thumps in the background, while the band itself performs in Village People get-ups. Bono looks particularly convincing as a hip-thrusting policeman, and the Edge is a mustachioed leather daddy. U2 deserves mega-respect for not only taking musical risks, but also for making fun of itself along the way: “Discotheque” is likely to be a fave on the very dance floors it’s parodying. 87

Prodigy, “Firestarter.” This video, another nonstop presence on MTV, may not be a stunning example of visual wizardry, but the sheer impact of its bombastic, high-energy appeal is hard to escape. Prodigy’s high-strung centerpiece, Keith Flint, runs maniacally through a scuzzy subway tunnel, his eyes bulging and his Mohawk double-finned. He spits the repetitive lyric “I’m the firestarter” at the camera, exposing a pierced tongue and exuding a generally bad attitude. His John Lydon-esque persona puts the finishing touch on a hard-hitting song and video that should appeal to both rockers and ravers. 81

Tricky, “Christiansands.” The master of the sublime groove sits across from his singing partner, Martina Topley Bird, in what seems to be a doctor’s barren, stark waiting room. As the two exchange guarded glances, the tension between them builds, and Tricky ends up literally climbing the walls. It conveys an uncomfortable social moment perfectly, but also gets so intense that the video becomes as claustrophobic as the situation it’s depicting. 65

David Bowie, “Little Wonder.” Bowie’s music is moving ahead stylistically, but this video is so overstated in its sci-fi appeal that it smothers the song’s own booming, gut-level charm. The thin white duke plays to the camera, striking arty poses, while a character that looks like an animalistic version of Ziggy Stardust skitters around a big city like a nervous coyote, finding eyeballs in cups of coffee and alien baby heads rolling around on a subway floor. This video is too over-the-top even for the dramatic likes of Bowie. 50

The Orb, “Toxygene.” It takes place in an asylum, where lab-coated scientists perform experiments on unwilling human guinea pigs. The tests involve pummeling the strapped-down subjects with the Orb’s bass-laden music, causing them to literally lose their marbles. Though humorous and wacky, it’s ultimately too convoluted to really hit on any visual or visceral level. 42