The Chemical Brothers 31628 225669127 2008-07-14T20:39:11Z Standfest 6920520 {{Cleanup|date=June 2007}} {{Refimprove|date=May 2007}} {{Infobox musical artist <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject Musicians --> | Name = The Chemical Brothers | Img = Chemical Brothers Live.jpg | Img_capt = The Chemical Brothers | Img_size = 200 | Landscape = | Background = group_or_band | Alias = The 237 Turbo Nutters | Origin = [[Manchester]], [[England]] | Genre = [[Big beat]], [[House music|house]], [[trip hop]], [[electronic music]] | Years_active = 1992–present | Label = [[Junior Boy's Own]], [[Astralwerks]], [[Freestyle Dust]] | Associated_acts = | URL = [http://www.thechemicalbrothers.com/ TheChemicalBrothers.com] | Current_members = [[Tom Rowlands]]<br />[[Ed Simons]] | Past_members = }} '''The Chemical Brothers''' are the [[UK]]-based [[Grammy Award]] winning [[electronic music]] duo of '''Tom Rowlands''' and '''Ed Simons''' (occasionally referred to as Chemical Tom and Chemical Ed). Initially they called themselves "The Dust Brothers", after the noted [[United States]] [[Dust Brothers|production duo of the same name]], but their burgeoning popularity and the threat of legal action from the originals led them to change their name in 1995. Along with [[The Prodigy]], [[Fatboy Slim]] and [[The Crystal Method]], as well as other lesser-known acts they were pioneers of the [[big beat]] electronic dance genre, and are known for high-quality live sets. ==History== ===Background=== [[Ed Simons]] was born in [[Herne Hill]], [[South London]], [[England]], on [[9 June]] [[1970]] to a barrister mother and a father who was not around much when Simons was growing up. Simons' two main interests when he was young were [[airplanes]] and musicals. Simons attended two South London public schools, [[Alleyn's School]] and [[Dulwich College]]. During his school years, Ed developed a fondness for [[rare groove]] and [[Hip hop]] music, having frequented a club called The Mud Club from the age of 14. By the time he left school, his two main musical interests were two Manchester bands, [[New Order]] and [[The Smiths]]. After finishing school with 11 [[General Certificate of Education|O ]] levels and 3 A-levels, Ed continued on to study Medieval History at the [[University of Manchester]]. Tom Rowlands, a childhood classmate of Simons', was born on [[11 January]] [[1971]] in [[Kingston upon Thames]], [[London]]. When Rowlands was very young, his family relocated to [[Henley-on-Thames]]. He later attended [[Reading Blue Coat School]] in [[Berkshire]], during which time he became obsessed with [[Scotland]], developing a fondness for the bagpipes in particular. In his early teens, his interest in music broadened to other genres. Initially, some of his favourites included the ''Oh What a Lovely War'' soundtrack, ''[[2-Tone]]'', and the electro sounds of artists such as [[Heaven 17]], [[Kraftwerk]], [[New Order]], and [[Cabaret Voltaire (band)|Cabaret Voltaire]]. He described the first [[Public Enemy (band)|Public Enemy]] album as the record that probably changed his life, and commented that ''Miuzi Weighs a Ton'' was one of the most amazing records he had ever heard.{{Fact|date=October 2007}} Rowlands also started collecting hip hop records by artists like [[Eric B]] and [[Schoolly D]]. Rowlands left school with similar accomplishments to Simons', achieving 9 O levels and 3 A levels. For University, he followed Simons to Manchester primarily to immerse himself in its music scene in general and the [[Fac 51 Hacienda|Haçienda]] in particular.{{Fact|date=October 2007}} ===Typeface=== The typeface used to write the typical "The Chemical Brothers" logo is derived from Sho<ref>[http://www.linotype.com/13385/shoroman-font.html "Sho" typeface font] at [[Linotype]]</ref>, designed by [[Karlgeorg Hoefer]] in 1992. The Chemical Brothers' original logo differs only in a few details from orthodox Sho, e.g. in the letters a and b. [http://www.linotype.com/ Linotype] holds the licence for this typeface. ===Ariel=== Rowlands was also in a band called Ariel prior to meeting up with Simons. Ariel was formed in [[London]] by Rowlands and his friends Brendan and Matt before they all moved up to Manchester. Their first single was "Sea of Beats". Other songs, mostly released on [[12" single|12"]] included "Mustn't Grumble" and their most well-known, "Rollercoaster". Their [[record label]], [[deConstruction]], insisted that they get a female singer and they recruited former Xpansions frontwoman [[Sally Ann Marsh]], and after some disappointing songs like "Let It Slide" (Rowlands would later describe it as "a stinker") the band fell apart. One of the last things Ariel did was the song "T Baby" which was remixed by the pair. {{quotation|''Ariel symbolically ended when deConstruction asked us for a Dust Brothers remix of an Ariel track. That was the final nail in the coffin".''|Ed Simons}} {{quotation|''One of the blokes went a bit mad, but now he's back at college, and the other one drives our van''|Tom Rowlands on Ariel, in 1995}} ===Naked Under Leather=== Rowlands and Simons then started to DJ at a club called "Naked Under Leather", in the back of a pub, in 1992 under the alias of "The 237 Turbo Nutters" (named after the number of their house on Dickenson Road in Manchester and a reference to their Blackburn raving days). The pair would play [[Hip hop music|hip hop]], [[Techno music|techno]] and [[House music|house]].<ref>''Brothers Gonna Work It Out'' (XDUSTCD 101) booklet, page 2.</ref> ===The Dust Brothers=== Rowlands and Simons called themselves The Dust Brothers, after [[Dust Brothers|the US production duo]] famous for their work with the [[Beastie Boys]]. After a while, they began to run out of suitable instrumental hip hop tracks to use, so they started to make their own. Using a [[Hitachi, Ltd.|Hitachi]] hi-fi system, a computer, a sampler and a keyboard, they recorded "Song To The Siren", which sampled [[Dead Can Dance]]. "Song To The Siren" was released on their own record label, called "Diamond Records" (after Ed's nickname). In October 1992, they pressed 500 [[white label|white-label]] copies and took them to various dance record shops around London, but none would play it, saying that it was too slow (The track played at 111 [[beats per minute|BPM]]). They sent a copy to London DJ [[Andrew Weatherall]], who made it a permanent fixture in his DJ sets. Weatherall also signed the band to his [[Junior Boy's Own]] label. In May 1993, Junior Boy's Own released 'Song To The Siren'. The duo completed university with good results, each obtaining upper-second class degrees. Around June 1993, the Dust Brothers did their first remixes. The first was "Packet Of Peace" for Justin Robertson's [[Lionrock]] outfit, followed by tracks for [[Leftfield]], [[Republica]] and [[The Sandals]]. Late in 1993, The Dust Brothers completed work on their ''[[Fourteenth Century Sky]]'' [[EP (format)|EP]], released in January 1994. It contained the ground-breaking "Chemical Beats", which epitomized the duo's genre defining [[big beat]] sound, later taken up by [[Fatboy Slim]] and many more. The EP also contained "One Too Many Mornings", which for the first time showed the less intense, more chilled-out side of The Dust Brothers. Both "One Too Many Mornings" and "Chemical Beats" would later appear on their debut album. ''Fourteenth Century Sky'' was followed later in 1993 by the ''[[My Mercury Mouth EP]]''. "Chemical Beats" was also part of the soundtrack for the first edition of the famous [[Wipeout (game)|Wipeout]] games series, having been featured in ''Wipeout'' for the [[PlayStation]] in 1995. ===The Heavenly Social === In October 1994, The Dust Brothers became resident DJs at the small, but hugely influential Heavenly Sunday Social Club at the Albany pub in London's Great Portland Street. The likes of [[Noel Gallagher]], [[Paul Weller (singer)|Paul Weller]], [[James Dean Bradfield]] and Tim Burgess were regular visitors. The Dust Brothers were subsequently asked to remix tracks by [[Manic Street Preachers]] and [[The Charlatans (British band)|The Charlatans]], plus [[Primal Scream]]'s "Jailbird" and [[The Prodigy]]'s "Voodoo People". These two remixes received [[television]] exposure, being playlisted by [[MTV]] Europe's "The Party Zone" in 1995. Early in 1994, The Dust Brothers were approached in the club one Sunday by Noel Gallagher, from [[Oasis (band)|Oasis]], who at the time were becoming one of the most prominent guitar bands in Britain. Gallagher told the duo that he had a [[Ibiza|Balearic]] inspired track which he had written, which he would like the Dust Brothers to remix. However, over time, Gallagher changed his mind, and in the end the Brothers did not remix it. The track was "[[Wonderwall (song)|Wonderwall]]". ===Out of the Dust and into the Chemical=== In March 1995, The Dust Brothers began their first international tour, which included the United States – where they played with [[Orbital (band)|Orbital]] and [[Underworld (band)|Underworld]] – then a series of European festivals. Also around this time, [[Dust Brothers|the original Dust Brothers]] threatened legal action over the use of their name, and so Rowlands and Simons had to decide on a new name quickly. They decided to then call themselves "The Chemical Brothers" after "Chemical Beats" (Simons' grandmother had suggested they call themselves "The Grit Brothers"). In June 1995, they released their fourth single, the first under their new identity. "Leave Home" was released on Junior Boy's Own, as a preview of the imminent debut album and became the band's first chart hit, peaking at No. 17. ===''Exit Planet Dust''=== In July 1995, The Chemical Brothers released their debut album ''[[Exit Planet Dust]]'' (the title inspired by their name change) on Freestyle Dust/Junior Boy's Own. It entered the UK charts at #9 and featured guest vocalist [[Beth Orton]] on the song "Alive Alone". It eventually went on to sell over a million copies worldwide. Shortly after its release, The Chemical Brothers signed to [[Virgin Records]], to which they took their own offshoot label, [[Freestyle Dust]]. For their next single, in September 1995, they again used a guest vocalist, for the release of "[[Life Is Sweet (song)|Life Is Sweet]]", featuring their friend Tim Burgess, singer with [[The Charlatans (British band)|The Charlatans]]. It reached #25 in the singles charts. The single was also Select Magazine's Single Of The Month for October. The release included a [[Daft Punk]] remix of "Life Is Sweet". In August 1995, the Chemical Brothers DJ'ed for [[Oasis (band)|Oasis]] at a [[Sheffield]] gig. The gig began to backfire when it became apparent that [[Liam Gallagher]] didn't seem to like any of the tracks they were spinning. The closest that they could come to pleasing him was the [[Happy Mondays]]' "Wrote For Luck". Gallagher proceeded to kick the Chemical Brothers off the turntables and procured a friend from [[The Verve]] to continue to DJ. He subsequently favoured obscure [[psychedelic]] material to the displeasure of the crowd. Around this period, [[The Stone Roses]] asked the Chemical Brothers to remix "Begging You", from their ''[[Second Coming]]'' album. After beginning work on a remix which they viewed as having potential, the Stone Roses changed their minds and the project was cancelled. In October 1995, the duo returned to the Heavenly Sunday Social for a second and final run of DJ dates. They then became residents at the Heavenly Social on Saturdays at Turnmills. In November, The Chemical Brothers played the [[Astoria Theatre]] in London. At this time the Chems usually used a fusion of "Chemical Beats" and [[The Beatles]]' "Tomorrow Never Knows" as their encore. During the encore, however, [[Keith Flint]] from [[The Prodigy]] jumped up on stage to dance, wearing a t-shirt sporting the slogan "Occupation: mad bastard". A few from the crowd subsequently joined in. This resulted in a power cable being kicked loose, bringing the show to a temporary close. The Chemical Brothers confessed to not being too bothered; "because he's Keith from the Prodigy, and he can do whatever the fuck he likes" Rowlands said later. Just before Christmas, 1995, they played their biggest gig to date, with The Prodigy, at the [[Brixton Academy]]. In January 1996, ''Exit Planet Dust'' went gold. The Chemical Brothers released their first new material in 6 months on Virgin, the "Loops Of Fury" EP. The four track release was limited to 20,000 copies. It entered the UK charts at #13. NME described the lead track as "splashing waves of synths across hard-hitting beats". The EP also contained a Dave Clarke remix of "Chemical Beats", and two other new tracks "Get Up On It Like This" and "(The Best Part Of) Breaking Up". In February 1996, Select Magazine published a list of the 100 best albums of the 1990s thus far. "Exit Planet Dust" was listed at Number 39. In August 1996, The Chemical Brothers supported Oasis at [[Concerts at Knebworth House|Knebworth]], where 125,000 people attended each of the two shows. ==="Setting Sun"=== During the 1995 [[Glastonbury Festival]], Rowlands and Simons had had another conversation with [[Noel Gallagher]]. Gallagher told them how much he liked ''Exit Planet Dust'', and asked if he could sing on a future track, similar to the way Tim Burgess had worked on "Life Is Sweet". They didn't think much of the offer at the time, given how busy Gallagher would be with the release of Oasis' ''[[(What's the Story) Morning Glory?]]'', plus the complexities of dealing with each others' record companies. However, the duo later worked on a track which they thought would benefit from having a vocal on it. They sent Gallagher a tape of what they had done so far. He worked on it overnight, and left a message with them early the next morning that he was ready to record it. The track was called "Setting Sun" and was finally released in October 1996. It entered the UK charts at the top, giving the duo their first ever Number One single. "Setting Sun" was backed by a longer instrumental version, and also a new track "Buzz Tracks", which was not much more than a DJ tool. The three remaining [[Beatles|Beatles']] lawyers later wrote to the Chemical Brothers, mistakenly claiming that they had sampled [[Tomorrow Never Knows]]. Virgin Records hired a musicologist to prove that they did not sample the classic 1960s [[psychedelic music|psychedelic]] song. In March 1997, the Brothers released the second track from their forthcoming album, to give the world a further taster of what to expect. "Block Rockin' Beats" went straight to #1 in the UK, thanks, this time, to its [[Schoolly D]] vocal sample and re-working of the bassline from [[23 Skidoo]]'s single "Coup". The NME named it Single Of The Week and said "It throbs like your head might if you had just done a length underwater in a swimming pool full of [[Alkyl nitrites|amyl]]." It later won them a [[Grammy Award]] for [[Best Rock Instrumental Performance]]. Things were quite promising for the Brothers in the US at this time, "Setting Sun" was sitting at Number 80 in the Billboard Top 100, after selling around 80,000 copies, an excellent achievement for a European "dance" act. Sales from ''Exit Planet Dust'' were also around 150,000. ===''Dig Your Own Hole''=== On [[April 7]], [[1997]] the Chemical Brothers released their second album, ''[[Dig Your Own Hole]]''. It was recorded at the band's own south London studio, with the title taken from graffiti on the wall outside. The album was well received in most circles. ''Mixmag'' rated it 10/10 and gave it the "Album of the Month" label, calling it "mad enough to be thrilling, slick enough for not even remotely coffee tables". During the summer of 1997, the Brothers toured extensively, particularly in the States. They also became residents at [[Tokyo]]'s Liquid Rooms. In August, the Chemical Brothers achieved rapprochement with the US Dust Brothers, and asked them to remix forthcoming single "Elektrobank". They themselves also became highly sought-after for remixes for other artists. [[Metallica]] asked the Brothers several times to remix "Enter Sandman", but were repeatedly turned down. In September, the next single from ''Dig Your Own Hole'', "Elektrobank" was released. In November, the pair played at [[Dublin|Dublin's]] Point Theatre, with support from [[Carl Cox]]. They also began a US tour in [[Detroit]]. At the end of the year, ''Dig Your Own Hole'''s final track, the nine minute-long "The Private Psychedelic Reel" gave rise to a limited-edition mini-EP of the same name. The [[b-side]] consisted of a live version of "Setting Sun", recorded at the [[Lowlands|Lowlands Festival]], [[Netherlands]] on [[August 24]], [[1997]]. Also in December, following four sold-out US shows, The Chemical Brothers toured the UK, finishing with a sold-out gig at [[London]]'s [[Brixton Academy]]. ===More mixing=== In 1998, they concentrated more on DJ'ing, although some remixes did see the light of day, including "I Think Im In Love" from [[Spiritualized]]. Both a vocal remix and an instrumental remix were included in the single release. Each came in at over seven-and-a-half minutes. Another remix completed by the Brothers was "Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp", from [[Mercury Rev]]. This was another extension in the association between the two bands, since Mercury Rev's Jonathon Donahue contributed to "The Private Psychedelic Reel" on ''Dig Your Own Hole''. In September 1998, a second mix album, ''[[Brothers Gonna Work It Out]]'', was released. It contains some of their own tracks and remixes, as well as songs from artists who have influenced their sound, such as [[Renegade Soundwave]], [[Meat Beat Manifesto]], Carlos "After Dark" Berrios, and [[Kenny 'Dope' Gonzales]]. In May 1999, The Chemical Brothers played three UK dates in [[Manchester]], [[Sheffield]] and [[Brighton]], their first since December 1997. Also that month, they released their first new original material in two years, a track called "Hey Boy, Hey Girl". This was more [[house music|house]] influenced than hip-hop. In interviews at the time, Rowlands and Simons indicated that the track was inspired by nights out at Sheffield club "Gatecrasher". The track was also one of their more commercially accessible tracks and went to number 3 in the UK charts. ===''Surrender''=== The third album ''[[Surrender (The Chemical Brothers album)|Surrender]]'' was released in June 1999. It featured vocals from Noel Gallagher, Mercury Rev's [[Jonathan Donahue]] and [[Mazzy Star|Mazzy Star's]] [[Hope Sandoval]]. As "Hey Boy, Hey Girl" had suggested, the album was more house-oriented than the previous two. On one of the album's stand out tracks, "Out Of Control", [[New Order|New Order's]] [[Bernard Sumner]] supported by [[Primal Scream|Primal Scream's]] [[Bobby Gillespie]] provided vocals. It reached Number 1 in the UK album charts, and was widely praised in the print media. The [[Michel Gondry]]-directed [[music video]] for "Let Forever Be", which utilized ground-breaking video and film effects in its depiction of a young woman's [[nightmare]]s, also received a lot of attention. Later that summer, The Brothers headlined the [[Glastonbury Festival|Glastonbury]] dance tent on the Friday night, followed by a UK tour which ended in December and included [[Homelands]] [[Scotland]] on September 4. In November, "Out Of Control", featuring Sumner and Gillespie on vocals, was released as single. The release also contained the much anticipated [[Sasha (DJ)|Sasha]] [[remix]]. The final single from ''Surrender'', in February 2000, was the five track "Music: Response" EP, containing the title track and two remixes, plus Electronic Battle Weapon 4 named "Freak of the Week", and a track called "Enjoyed", which was essentially a remix of "Out Of Control" by the Brothers themselves. A CD copy of ''Surrender'' was placed in the third ''[[Blue Peter]]'' [[time capsule]], buried in January 2000. ==="It Began in Afrika"=== In June 2000, Tom and Ed played the Pyramid stage at the Glastonbury Festival pulling in the largest audience ever seen in the Festival's history. In August 2000 they played to a large crowd at the main stage at Creamfields festival, [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]]. Highlights of their live set included "Out Of Control" and "Hey Boy, Hey Girl". In December 2000, The Chemical Brothers aired one of their new tracks, "It Began in Afrika" at their [[New York]] DJ gigs, supporting [[U2]]. In 2001, they were quite active with releases and live performances. Early in the year, they began working on a fourth album, provisionally titled "Chemical Four". The first track which fans got a taste of was "It Began In Afrika", as previously played in their DJ set in New York. The track would make its live debut in [[California]] in April 2001, at the [[Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival]], to much acclaim. Another new track also got its public debut at Coachella, "Galaxy Bounce". As has become customary for their releases and experiments, "It Began In Afrika" was first pressed as a promo, as part of the "Electronic Battle Weapon" series. It received much airplay on dance music radio shows in the UK, and became more and more popular in clubs over the course of the summer. It also became one of the "anthems" in [[Ibiza]] as the summer progressed. It was given a full commercial single release in September, reaching #8 in the UK singles chart, even though no promotional video was made for the track. Rowlands and Simons also remixed a track from Fatboy Slim's ''[[Halfway Between The Gutter And The Stars]]'', entitled "Song For Shelter." ===''Come with Us''=== The Chemical Brothers finished work on another album, ''[[Come with Us]]'', in October 2001. It featured collaborations with [[Richard Ashcroft]] ("The Test"), formerly of [[The Verve]], and long-time collaborator [[Beth Orton]] ("The State We're In"). The album was released in January 2002, preceded by a single, "Star Guitar", a melodic, [[Balearic Beat]] number, with a promotional video by [[Michel Gondry]] that featured passing scenery synchronized to the beat viewed through a train window. What would be the second track on the album, "It Began in Afrika", was released [[September 10]], [[2001]] to be circulated around the clubbing scene where it was a popular hit. "Star Guitar" was also released as a [[DVD]] single, the pair's first. The album, ''Come with Us'', was less well received than their previous albums, but nonetheless went straight in at #1 in the UK album charts in the first week of its release, selling 100,000 copies. In April, the title track from the album was released as a single with remixes by [[Fatboy Slim]] as part of a double-A sided release with "The Test". During the summer of 2002, The Chemical Brothers traveled the festival circuit to promote the album. Later in 2002, they released two EPs, one specifically aimed at Japan and the other the US (entitled ''[[AmericanEP]]''). Both contained remixes, live versions and B-sides. One of their other major songs from this album was "Galaxy Bounce", which was popular and featured as the main title music for the [[Xbox]] game ''[[Project Gotham Racing]]''. "Star Guitar" was featured as a song on the [[Playstation Portable|PSP]]'s [[Lumines II]]. Two other songs featured on a fairly popular game on the ''[[PlayStation 2|PS2]]'' a racing game title ''[http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/driving/worldrallyc2e/index.html WRC II: Extreme]'' are "Come with Us (Introduction)" and "Star Guitar (Title Screen)"; both are instrumental. ===Ten years of The Chemical Brothers=== Late 2002 and early 2003, saw Rowlands and Simons back in the studio, working on new material, including "The Golden Path", a collaboration with [[Wayne Coyne]], the lead singer of [[The Flaming Lips]]. This was released in September 2003, at the same time as a "best of" album, entitled ''Singles 93-03'' marking ten years of The Chemical Brothers' releases. ''Singles 93-03'' included most, but not all, of their singles. A second new track, in addition to "The Golden Path", was included on the album, called "Get Yourself High". ''Singles 93-03'' was also released on DVD, whose extra features included selected live performances and interviews with Rowlands, Simons and many of their collaborators from throughout the period. "Get Yourself High", which featured Canadian rapper [[k-os]] on vocals, was released as a single in November 2003. In late 2003 and 2004, The Chemical Brothers continued to work in the studio, on new material and a remix of "Slow" by [[Kylie Minogue]]. After being released on rare white label vinyl, it was subsequently given a commercial release in March on CD (on her next single "Red Blooded Woman") and on exclusive 12" vinyl picture disc (containing two other Kylie remixes). In Summer 2004 they returned to the festival circuit, including appearances at the [[Glastonbury Festival]], [[Tokyo]], [[Scotland]] and [[Ireland]]. They also visited [[South America]] for the first time, arriving at [[Chile]], [[Argentina]] and [[Brazil]]. It was during these sets that they played new material, including "Acid Children", which proved to be one of the most popular new tracks. In September 2004 The Chemical Brothers released the seventh Electronic Battle Weapon. "Electronic Battle Weapon 7" was being released as a one-sided promo-only 12", containing "Acid Children". A marked departure from the Chemical Brothers' previous musical endeavours, it featured a screeching 303 bassline and a distinctive vocal sample; a pitch-altered sample of freddy's revenge proclaiming "You Are All My Children Now!", which is lifted from an old horror film, [[A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge]]. Coupled with the projection of a sinister clown mouthing these same words at their live gigs made for quite an experience. The Electronic Battle Weapon series of promo releases have typically been newly recorded Chemical Brothers tracks, released on promo to allow DJs to test them in a club environment, and to gauge their popularity. ===''Push the Button''=== In 2004, The Chemical Brothers began work on ''[[Push the Button (The Chemical Brothers album)|Push the Button]]'', their fifth studio album, which features collaborations with [[Tim Burgess]], [[Kele Okereke]] and [[Anwar Superstar]], amongst others. The album was released on [[January 24]], [[2005]]. "[[Galvanize (song)|Galvanize]]", which features [[Q-Tip (rapper)|Q-Tip]] on vocals, was the first single to be taken from ''Push the Button'', and premiered exclusively on [[iTunes]]. The single was released on [[January 17]], [[2005]], and entered the UK chart at #3. The second single "Believe" (featuring Kele Okereke from [[Bloc Party]]) failed to crack top 10, but still made it into the top 20, peaking at #18. "The Boxer", featuring Tim Burgess, became the duo's first single to fail to crack the top 40. The album and single "Galvanize" won a Grammy in the [[Grammy Awards of 2006]]. One of the songs in this album, "The Big Jump" appears in the video game ''[[Burnout Revenge]]'', as well as ''[[Project Gotham Racing 3]]''. The track "Surface To Air" features a pulsing chord progression and baseline reminiscent of the intro to [[The Strokes]] song "The Modern Age". ===Tate Tracks=== In September 2006, the Chemical Brothers were revealed as the first musicians to be involved in [http://www.tatetracks.org.uk Tate Tracks]. [[Tate Modern]] invited various groups and songwriters to choose a work that inspired them from the gallery's collection of modern art and then write a track about it. The Chemical Brothers' submission, ''Rock Drill'', was inspired by the [[Jacob Epstein]] sculpture ''Torso in Metal from The Rock Drill'', and can be heard on headphones in front of the work in the gallery. From October 2006, it also became available to hear online at the Tate Tracks website. ===''We Are the Night''=== The Chemicals welcomed June 2006 with an announcement on their official forum stating that the duo had been working on fresh material, specifically an album, codenamed 'Chemical 6'.<ref>[http://forums.thechemicalbrothers.com/viewtopic.php?t=4259 Chemical Brothers New Material] - The Chemical Brothers Official Site</ref>. Simons also announced that the band would be playing select venues in the Summer 2007 season, specifying [[Rome]], and also [[Fabric (club)|Fabric]] in London.{{Fact|date=May 2007}} Simons is also quoted as saying that the duo are 'hoping to put a battle weapon out for the summer,'<ref>{{cite web | last = Simons | first = Ed | title = Post at the official forum | url=http://www.thechemicalbrothers.com/forum/topic.php?id=4259 | accessdate = 2007-07-12}}</ref>, retrieved possibly referring to the 'Electronic Battle Weapon' series, which are somewhat experimental tracks the band occasionally release on [[white label]]. Electronic Battle Weapon 8 & 9 were debuted on [[Pete Tong]]'s [[BBC Radio 1]] show on [[December 8]], [[2006]]. The double sided vinyl was finally released just before The Chemical Brother's much anticipated New Years Eve gig at the famous [[Turnmills]] in [[London]]. The vinyl had a limited edition release worldwide and has been received well by fans, DJs and critics alike.{{Fact|date=May 2007}} Electronic Battle Weapon 8 at about six and a half minutes is very distinct from the 'big acid' style that the earlier battle weapons adhered to. It is characterised by 'thundering dirty drums' with a rising [[synth line]], and to many it is perceived as being one of the most [[wiktionary:Euphoric|euphoric]] tracks that the Chemicals have released. A version of this track features on the ''We Are The Night'' album and is entitled 'Saturate'. Electronic Battle Weapon 9 is typical Chemicals dancefloor track with their trademark [[vocoder]] vocals coupled with sirens and a basic 'tribal' melody.{{Fact|date=May 2007}} At the same [[Turnmills]] gig, the Brothers also played a previously un-released song at midnight to welcome 2007 which went down well with the crowd.{{Fact|date=May 2007}} This track eventually emerged as Burst Generator, found on the album ''We Are The Night''. Many are left wondering if the latest in the Electronic Battle Weapon series were simply one off genius pieces or signal a new direction they could take with the new album, perhaps swaying from their genre defining '[[big beat]]' [[psychedelic]] albums of the past. On [[March 21]], [[2007]], The Chemical Brothers officially announced their forthcoming album on [[MySpace]]. The new album entitled ''[[We Are the Night]]'', was released on [[July 2]], [[2007]] in the [[United Kingdom]] and [[July 17]], [[2007]] in the [[United States]]. The Chemicals cited a delay in the production of artwork for this delay.<ref>[http://www.thechemicalbrothers.com/home/ Album release date announced] - The Chemical Brothers Official Website</ref> EMI subsequently released an online 'old-skool' The Chemical Brothers computer game as an apology.<ref>[http://www.side-line.com/news_comments.php?id=23169_0_2_0_C New album The Chemical Brothers delayed, here's a 'sorry guys'] - EMI Records</ref> The track listing was released to the fans on the official mailing list on April 10th. The new album is heavily collaborated with the likes of [[Klaxons]] (on "All Rights Reversed"), [[Midlake]] (on "The Pills Won't Help You Now"), [[Ali Love]] (on "[[Do It Again (The Chemical Brothers song)|Do It Again]]") and [[Willy Mason]] (on "Battle Scars")<ref>[http://www.side-line.com/news_comments.php?id=22186_0_2_0_C The Chemical Brothers launch details new album]</ref>. On [[April 12]], [[2007]], [[Pete Tong]] again had the privilege of giving the world the very first preview of a Chemicals track. This time it was the first single "Do It Again" off their new album, aired on his [[BBC Radio One]] "[[In New Music We Trust]]" show. {{Fact|date=May 2007}}. The track is widely regarded as dance floor friendly, dominated by pop vocals and a minimalistic production approach.{{Fact|date=May 2007}} The track is regarded as a 'grower' after gaining mixed reviews after the first listen on [[Pete Tong]]'s show, with its simplistic catchy vocals and [[Electro music|electro]] beat. The official release of the single was [[June 4]] (digital download) and [[June 14]] (12", 7" and CD). The album went on general release in the UK on July 2nd. In 2008, The Chemical Brothers' music will also be featured in a [[Ecstasy (2007 film)|movie adaption]] of [[Irvine Welsh|Irvine Welsh's]] best-selling novel [[Ecstasy: Three Tales of Chemical Romance]]. The Chemical Brothers supplied a new track for the Heroes Soundtrack titled "Keep My Composure". === ''Brotherhood'' === In a phone interview with [[Pete Tong]], on [[June 20]] [[2008]], Tom from The Chemical Brothers confirmed that a compilation album of all of the singles and Electronic Battle Weapons will be released later this year. In a fan email on 24 June 2008, it was announced that the [[double album]] collection would be called ''[[Brotherhood (The Chemical Brothers album)|Brotherhood]]'' and would be released on 1 September 2008. Disc one would include 14 singles, including new track 'Keep My Composure'. Disc two will include all ten Electronic Battle Weapons. A tenth "Electronic Battle Weapon" has surfaced and is titled "Midnight Madness". The track will be available as a downloadable single from 4 August 2008. To date, this has been a very anticipated single from the group. == Live == [[Image:Chemcoloursmall.jpg|thumb|right|Chemical Brothers playing to Leicester Square, London]]The Chemical Brothers are credited as being one of the few truly arena-sized electronic acts. Their live acts comprise large screens displaying [[psychedelic]] images, [[strobe lights]] and [[laser]]s that project over the crowd. There has been speculation over how much of their live gigs are pre-recorded, although they insist (on their official website FAQ) that they have a mere outline of track order and the rest is mixed live. This would seem to be confirmed by concert goers who have seen gigs on consecutive nights and have posted notable differences between the sets played (see External links below.) The Brothers have also played at many major festivals, from [[Glastonbury Festival|Glastonbury]] to [[Reading Festival|Reading]] and currently hold the record for most gigs performed in a year at the [[Brixton Academy]]. The brothers have infamously despite their high status in the mainstream, never appeared on [[Top of the Pops]], with the use of music videos to replace the performance, sometimes accompanied by a video apologising for their absence. In 1999 a live US tour video of "Hey Boy, Hey Girl" was shown, even though the song was not in the top 40 at the time, and also released other singles before then at the time. In addition to performing their own music they also hold regular [[Disc Jockey|DJ]] nights where they mix other artist's tracks (in the style of ''Brothers Gonna Work It Out''). As with their recorded albums The Chemical Brothers are well known for their incorporation of guest vocalists into their live performances. Notable appearances in recent gigs have included [[Bernard Sumner]] of [[New Order]], who sang on the original "Out of Control", and [[Tim Burgess]]. The duo also played at the launch event for the [[Wii]] gaming device. On the night of the [[1 September]] [[2007]], The Chemical Brothers played at the main stage of the [[Electric Picnic]] to a crowd of around 20,000. The festival was however marred by the death of a 23 year-old fan. The incident occurred as The Chemical Brothers came to a climax at 2 a.m. early on the Sunday morning. Organiser John Reynolds extended his sympathies and said: "A young man took ill at the festival, was treated at the medical centre, removed to Port Laoise Hospital and was later pronounced dead." Police said they were not treating the death as suspicious.[http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0902/picnic.html] The Chemical Brothers took over the streets of downtown Los Angeles on [[September 29]], [[2007]], headlining the 13th Annual Nocturnal Wonderland Festival. The duo was one of the head-liners for [[Roskilde Festival]] 2008 in Denmark. The festival is held from the 3rd-6th of July and is the biggest festival in Northern Europe. Chemical Brothers will play at [[Olympia, London|London's Olympia Grand Hall]] on 30th August. This will be the first time any major band has played at Olympia's Grand Hall in over 10 years. ==Discography== {{main|The Chemical Brothers discography}} ==See also== *[[List of number-one dance hits (United States)]] *[[List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart]] ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== *[http://www.thechemicalbrothers.com/ Official Chemical Brothers Website] *{{myspace|thechemicalbrothers|The Chemical Brothers}} *[http://www.emimusic.jp/chems/ The Chemical Brothers Japan official website] *[http://www.dailymotion.com/do-it-again/video/x5n6m1_do-it-again_music an amateur video on do it again] {{The Chemical Brothers}} [[Category:British electronic music groups|Chemical Brothers, The]] [[Category:British techno music groups|Chemical Brothers, The]] [[Category:British house music groups|Chemical Brothers, The]] [[Category:English musical groups|Chemical Brothers, The]] [[Category:1990s music groups|Chemical Brothers, The]] [[Category:2000s music groups|Chemical Brothers, The]] [[Category:Club DJs|Chemical Brothers, The]] [[Category:Remixers|Chemical Brothers, The]] [[Category:Musical groups from Manchester|Chemical Brothers, The]] [[Category:Celebrity duos|Chemical Brothers, The]] [[Category:British dance musicians|Chemicals Brothers, The]] [[Category:Breakbeat musicians|Chemical Brothers, The]] [[Category:Electronic music duos|Chemical Brothers, The]] [[Category:Grammy Award winners|Chemical Brothers, The]] [[Category:Old Alleynians|Simons, Ed]] [[cs:The Chemical Brothers]] [[da:The Chemical Brothers]] [[de:The Chemical Brothers]] [[es:The Chemical Brothers]] [[fr:The Chemical Brothers]] [[ko:케미컬 브라더스]] [[it:The Chemical Brothers]] [[ka:The Chemical Brothers]] [[lv:The Chemical Brothers]] [[hu:The Chemical Brothers]] [[nl:The Chemical Brothers]] [[ja:ケミカル・ブラザーズ]] [[no:The Chemical Brothers]] [[pl:The Chemical Brothers]] [[pt:The Chemical Brothers]] [[ru:The Chemical Brothers]] [[fi:The Chemical Brothers]] [[sv:The Chemical Brothers]] [[tr:The Chemical Brothers]]