Emotional Technology

Emotional Technology
Studio album by BT
Released August 5, 2003
Genre
Length 78:13 (CD)
62:50 (vinyl)
71:11 (Spec. Collector's Ed., CD1)
Label Nettwerk
Producer BT
BT chronology
Movement in Still Life
(1999)		 Emotional Technology
(2003)		 This Binary Universe
(2006)
Singles from Emotional Technology
  1. "Somnambulist (Simply Being Loved)"
    Released: March 20, 2003
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic61/100[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Entertainment WeeklyC+[3]
Beat Factor8/10[4]
Rolling Stone[5]
Slant Magazine[6]
About.com[7]
CounterCulture.com[8]
URB[9]
Music Emissions[10]

Emotional Technology is the fourth studio album by electronica artist BT. Transitioning towards a more pop music oriented sound, the album features some of BT's more commercially successful releases, including "Somnambulist (Simply Being Loved)", "The Force of Gravity" and "Superfabulous". "Somnambulist (Simply Being Loved)" holds the Guinness World Record for most vocal edits in a single track, with 6,178 in the album version.[11] The album features vocal performances by JC Chasez, Rose McGowan, and Transeau himself, among others.

Background

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 Emotional Technology. Shortly after "Somnambulist", the album moves from its pop-oriented sound into a more experimental direction, containing 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". Several of these songs would later be replaced on the Special Collector's Edition release.

Reception

Emotional Technology received mixed reviews from critics. At Metacritic, the album received an average score of 61 out of 100, based on 7 reviews. The album charted at 138 on the Billboard 200, making it BT's highest charting album to date.

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 four 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 Doors' 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.

Singles

The album had only one official single, which was "Somnambulist (Simply Being Loved)". However, the Technology EP serves as a non-formal single release for "Superfabulous", "The Force of Gravity" and "The Great Escape".

Track listing

All songs were written by BT, unless noted.

CD
No.TitleLength
1."The Meeting of a Hundred Yang"0:44
2."Knowledge of Self" (featuring Guru)6:41
3."Superfabulous" (featuring Rose McGowan)4:40
4."Somnambulist (Simply Being Loved)" (featuring JC Chasez)4:20
5."Force of Gravity" (featuring JC Chasez)8:19
6."Dark Heart Dawning"7:08
7."The Great Escape" (featuring Caroline Lavelle)6:58
8."P A R I S" (featuring Jody Wisternoff)7:51
9."Circles"4:43
10."Last Moment of Clarity" (featuring Karina Ware)7:21
11."Communicate" (featuring Jan Johnston)5:48
12."Animals"7:24
13."The Only Constant Is Change"6:16
Total length:78:13

Vinyl

Special Collector's Edition

Personnel

  • Guru – raps on "Knowledge of Self"
  • DJ Swamp – "cuts and scratches" on "Knowledge of Self"
  • Rasco – raps on "Knowledge of Self", "Circles" and "The Revolution"
  • Rose McGowan – vocals on "Superfabulous"
  • Scott McCloud – vocals on "Superfabulous"
  • Brain – live drums on "Superfabulous", "Dark Heart Dawning", "Circles", "Animals", "The Only Constant Is Change" and "Kimosabe"
  • Tommy Stinson – bass on "Superfabulous", "Circles", "Animals", "The Only Constant Is Change" and "Kimosabe"
  • Richard Fortus – guitars on "Superfabulous", "Circles", "Animals", "The Only Constant Is Change" and "Kimosabe"; cello on "The Great Escape"
  • JC Chasez – background vocals on "Somnambulist"; vocals on "The Force of Gravity"
  • Doug Wimbus – pedal steel guitar 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 Lavelle – vocals and cello on "The Great Escape"
  • Hutchy – raps on "P A R I S"
  • Jody Wisternoff – additional production on "P A R I S"
  • Karina Ware – vocals on "The Last Moment of Clarity"
  • Jan Johnston – vocals on "Communicate"
  • Wildchild – vocals on "Kimosabe"
  • The Roots – performance on "Tao of the Machine"
  • Tamra Keenan – vocals on "Love in the Time of Thieves"
  • Kevin Beber – co writer on "Love in the Time of Thieves"
  • BT – all other vocals, instruments and programming

Charts

Chart (2013) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[12] 138
US Top Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard)[13] 1
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[14] 3
US Top Album Sales (Billboard)[15] 138

References

  1. ↑ "Metacritic – Emotional Technology".
  2. ↑ https://www.allmusic.com/album/r650767/review
  3. ↑ He's too reserved as a solo performer to keep things interesting. [5 Sep 2003, p.77]
  4. ↑ "BT – Emotional Technology".
  5. ↑ Lash, Jolie (August 4, 2003). "BT – Emotional Technology". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2003-09-07.
  6. ↑ Cinquemani, Sal (August 30, 2003). "BT – Emotional Technology". Slant Magazine.
  7. ↑ Brassil, John. "BT - Emotional Technology". About.com.
  8. ↑ Shaeffer, Rowan. "BT: Emotional Technology".
  9. ↑ At seventy-eight minutes, Emotional Technology gets a bit long in the tooth, but you get the feeling that the myriad streams of sound that pass between (and through) his ears have finally nestled together in a grandiose manner he envisioned. [Sep 2003, p.99]
  10. ↑ "BT - EMOTIONAL TECHNOLOGY".
  11. ↑ "Most Vocal Edits on a Single Recording".
  12. ↑ "BT Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  13. ↑ "BT Chart History (Top Dance/Electronic Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
  14. ↑ "BT Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
  15. ↑ "BT Chart history". Billboard charts. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
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