Dead Elvis is the debut album by British electronic music band Death in Vegas, released on March 10, 1997. The album holds particular significance as the only Death in Vegas release to feature original member Steve Hellier, who co-founded the band with Richard Fearless in 1994.
Death in Vegas originally intended to call themselves Dead Elvis, but discovered an existing Irish record label with the same name. Rather than abandon the concept entirely, they repurposed Dead Elvis as their debut album title, establishing a creative solution to a naming conflict that would define their first major work.
Musically, Dead Elvis showcased Death in Vegas' early approach to genre-blending electronic music. The album featured a diverse mix of styles, incorporating elements of techno, breakbeat, ambient, and even reggae influences across its 11 tracks (12 on some versions with the bonus track Twist and Crawl). Notable tracks included Dirt, which became a minor hit on MTV's 120 Minutes and featured samples from Woodstock Festival announcements and Country Joe & the Fish, and GBH, which was later featured on the soundtrack for the 1998 film Homegrown.
The album demonstrated the duo's talent for creative sampling, with tracks like Rocco incorporating Claire Trevor's vocals from the film Key Largo, and All That Glitters sampling The Dells. This approach to found sounds and film samples would become a signature element of Death in Vegas' work throughout their career.
Critical reception was mixed but generally positive, with Rolling Stone describing it as an inventively inclusive mix of genres while maintaining originality. The album achieved commercial success, eventually earning silver certification from the British Phonographic Industry for 60,000 units sold in the UK as of July 2013.
Dead Elvis established Death in Vegas as innovative pioneers in the UK electronic scene, setting the foundation for their later, more rock-influenced work while showcasing their early mastery of electronic production and sampling techniques.
