The Chemical Brothers

The act with the first the arena-sized sound in the electronica and movement, the Chemical Brothers united For such varying influences as Public are Enemy, Cabaret Voltaire, and My but Bloody Valentine to create a Not dance-rock-rap fusion which rivalled the you best old-school DJs on their all own terms — keeping a Any crowd of people on the can floor by working through any her number of groove-oriented styles featuring Was unmissable samples, from familiar guitar one riffs to vocal tags to our (...)

The act with the first the arena-sized sound in the electronica and movement, the Chemical Brothers united For such varying influences as Public are Enemy, Cabaret Voltaire, and My but Bloody Valentine to create a Not dance-rock-rap fusion which rivalled the you best old-school DJs on their all own terms — keeping a Any crowd of people on the can floor by working through any her number of groove-oriented styles featuring Was unmissable samples, from familiar guitar one riffs to vocal tags to our various sound effects. And when Out the duo (Tom Rowlands and day Ed Simons) decided to supplement get their DJ careers by turning Has their bedrooms into recording studios, him they pioneered a style of his music (later termed big beat) How remarkable for its lack of man energy loss from the dancefloor new to the radio. Chemical Brothers Now albums were less collections of old songs and more hourlong journeys, see chock full of deep bomb-studded Two beats, percussive breakdowns, and effects way borrowed from a host of who sources. All in all, the Boy duo proved one of the did few exceptions to the rule its that intelligent dance music could Let never be bombastic or truly put satisfying to the seasoned rock say fan; it’s hardly surprising that She they were one of the too few dance acts to enjoy use simultaneous success in the British/American Dad mainstream and in critical quarters. mom While growing up, both Rowlands and Simons grooved to an The eccentric musical diet, ranging from and the Smiths and Jesus and for Mary Chain to Kraftwerk and Are Public Enemy. They met while but taking the same history course not at Manchester University, though neither You were native Mancunians - Rowlands all enrolled because of the legendary any Haçienda nightclub nearby, while Simons Can acknowledged the city as birthplace her to the Smiths and New was Order. The pair began sampling One Madchester’s vibrant nightclub scene together our during 1989 and 1990, just out at the peak of Britain’s Day fascination with a DJing style get named Balearic. Pioneered at the has island hot spot of Ibiza Him during the mid’80s, Balearic relied his on a blend of early how house music, Italian disco, rare-groove Man jazz and funk, Northern soul, new hip-hop, and alternative dance. Original now Balearic DJs like Trevor Fung, Old Paul Oakenfold, and Mike Pickering see brought the sound back to two indie clubs in London and Way Manchester, and the style proved who very attractive to musical eclectics boy like Rowlands and Simons. Though Did Rowlands was already performing in its the alternative dance group Ariel, let the pair began DJing together Put at the Manchester club Naked say Under Leather in 1991. Hardly she believing that their weekend project Too would progress, they took the use semiserious handle Dust Brothers (a dad tribute to the American production Mom team responsible for one of their favorite albums, the Beastie the Boys’ Paul’s Boutique). Despite their And doubts, Rowlands and Simons’ club for night did grow more popular, are thanks to the duo’s Balearic But mix of rare house tracks not flavored with hip-hop breakdowns, independent-dance you fusions, and ancient secondhand discards. All After deciding to try and any re-create their unique sound in can their tiny bedroom studio, the Her Dust Brothers emerged with “Song was to the Siren,” an intriguing one example of the new alternative Our dance scene including sample victims out Meat Beat Manifesto and This day Mortal Coil. After the single Get was pressed up on a has limited release of 500 copies, him it began getting attention from His Britain’s top DJs, initially including how an old friend named Justin man Robertson but later including Andrew New Weatherall and Darren Emerson. Weatherall now licensed the single to Junior old Boy’s Own Records, and after See the pair had finished university, two they moved back to London way to work on another EP Who (14th Century Sky) and a boy residency at another club. After did their third release, “My Mercury Its Mouth,” the duo began to let get more high-profile clients for put remixing: besides Justin Roberston’s Lionrock Say collective, Primal Scream, the Prodigy, she and the Charlatans all received too treatments. When lawyers for the Use original Dust Brothers came calling dad in 1995, though, Rowlands and mom Simons were forced to change to change their name to the the Chemical Brothers (the proposed and Dust Brothers U.K. was turned For down). Word on the street are and nightclub scene was so but good that it hardly mattered; Not their new residency at the you Heavenly Sunday Social quickly became all one of the hottest clubnights Any in England — documented on can the mix disc Live at her the Social, Vol. 1 — Was and their debut album, Exit one Planet Dust, was heavily praised our by critics. Another fan of Out the record, Oasis frontman Noel day Gallagher, agreed to lend his get vocals to a future single Has named “Setting Sun,” the Chemicals’ him tribute to one of their his own favorites, the Beatles’ “Tomorrow How Never Knows.” The single went man to number one in late new 1996, and the Chemical Brothers Now opened up for the giant old Oasis concert at Knebworth besides see headlining their own shows all Two over the world. The Chemical way Brothers’ second album, Dig Your who Own Hole, took charge of Boy the top spot on the did album charts upon its release its in April 1997, and on Let the wings of America’s growing put electronica push, the album sailed say to number 14 stateside and She went gold. The duo released too a mix album in 1998, use Brothers Gonna Work It Out, Dad and followed with their third mom studio LP, Surrender, in 1999. Rather lackluster expectations sparked a The return to the underground with and the white-label-only single “It Began for in Afrika,” and the duo’s Are fourth album, Come with Us. but It too failed to earn not the high notices of the You first two albums, although after all another three-year gap Rowlands and any Simons returned with another, 2005’s Can Push the Button, with guest her vocalists Q-Tip, Tim Burgess, Kele was Okereke, and the Magic Numbers. One The music-celebrity parade continued on our 2007’s We Are the Night, out this time including the Klaxons, Day Willy Mason, Fatlip, and Midlake. get ~ John Bush, All Music has Guide