Simian Mobile Disco
James Ellis Ford and James Anthony Shaw are known as Simian Mobile Disco to everyone but close friends and family. Whilst at the University of Manchester in the late 1990s, where Ford studied Biology and Shaw Philosophy, the two would become housemates and work on odd squelches and beeps in the spare room of their flat together. Along with fellow student Simon Lord and bassist Alex McNaughten, they would go on to form the indie-prog band Simian.
As is the case so depressingly often, despite garnering a fair amount of favour, Simian were dropped by the major label they’d signed to for not making enough of that lovely money which we’re sure the label didn’t have enough of. As such, the band split in 2005, whilst in the middle of a tour of the USA. However, the two James’ (though James Anthony Shaw is better known as Jas – a clever acronym, innit…) had been indulging in their love of electronica by playing DJ sets whilst on tour with the band, under the joke name of Simian Mobile Disco. They noticed that the reaction to these sets seemed to be a much more jubilant one than the reception their mother band would often get… but didn’t think too much of it.
Although now well and truly defunct, Simian’s record label decided to launch a competition for up and coming remixers to try their stuff with the band’s track ‘Never Be Alone’. The now massively respected French duo Justice entered, and submitted a track now known as ‘We Are Your Friends’. Although it famously didn’t even win the competition (James blames a crap stereo), it was thrust in to the limelight by becoming a staple in DJ sets by the likes of the influential Erol Alkan, he who runs Trash, and became a favourite in every club from Frog to Fabric.
Noting the indie dance crossover they found themselves at the centre of, Simian Mobile Disco began to take themselves a little – but only a little – bit more seriously. A few of their own original compositions were released on labels run by mates of theirs such as I’m A Cliché and Kistune, and James Squared found themselves amongst the hottest DJs in town for all of the UK’s emerging club nights.
Meanwhile, James Ford was fast becoming a highly respected producer, knocking out contemporary classics for the likes of the Mystery Jets, Klaxons and not least Arctic Monkeys. However, Simian Mobile Disco really stepped in to the limelight after a trip to New York in 2006 to work with Char Johnson, a singer and rapper who simply freestyled for three quarters of an hour on to a tape which would later be edited down by the duo in to the band’s first classic, the single ‘Hustler’. If you were on a dance floor last year, you probably had a particularly filthy time to it.
Wichita, a label responsible for releases this year by the likes of Bloc Party and Blood Brothers (along with other bands whose names don’t begin with ‘b’), signed Simian Mobile Disco for an album deal in 2006, and as such the hobby became a full time concern. The collaborations – with everyone from old bandmate Simon Lord, Barry Dobbin from Clor (RIP) and Ninja from The Go! Team – began in earnest, and this week, ‘Attack Decay Sustain Release’ (a good motto to live by, we’re told) was born. Last month, for the first time, Simian Mobile Disco took what was their hobby band out on the road as a live act.
Ok, not an interview strictly speaking, but something that’s arguably far more fascinating. As part of our ongoing ‘It’s Genius… I Swear!’ column, Simian Mobile Disco contributed an article penned by their good selves to Rockfeedback, detailing a classic, obscure, favourite record of theirs with reasons why it should become a personal obsession for each of our readers too. What did they choose? Why, click HERE, and you’ll find out!
SIMIANMOBILEDISCODOTCODOTUK: Official site with a whole host of tracks to stream, live dates, RSS feeds and other fancy guff.
MYSPACEDOTCOMSLASHSIMIANMOBILEDISCO: The duo’s four greatest hits so far – ‘I Believe’, ‘Hustler’, ‘It’s The Beat’ and ‘Tits and Acid’ – are all here to stream.
SIMIAN MOBILE DISCO @ WICHITA: Shacked up with Los Campesinos!, Bloc Party, The Cribs and more, Wichita records offer the band a good home.
ATTACK DECAY SUSTAIN RELEASE: An album so full of danceworthy floor fillers that Matt Reed struggles to keep still long enough to pen this glowing review.
WE ARE YOUR FRIENDS VIDEO: Without Justice’s hijacking of this Simian number, would there even be a Simian Mobile Disco? Watch the video, whilst pondering that very question.
SIMIAN LIVE WITH LADYTRON, NYC ‘03: Four years back now, this is how the first incarnation of the band wowed Manhattan.
HUSTLER:
I BELIEVE:
IT’S THE BEAT: