Brian Joseph Burton (born July 29, 1977), known professionally as Danger Mouse, is an American musician and record producer. He came to prominence in 2004 when he released The Grey Album, which combined vocal performances from Jay-Z's The Black Album with instrumentals from the Beatles' The Beatles, also known as The White Album.[1] In 2008, Esquire named him one of the "75 most influential people of the 21st century".
Brian Joseph Burton was born on July 29, 1977 in White Plains, New York.[3] He spent much of his childhood in Spring Valley, New York. Burton moved to Stone Mountain, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta, where he attended and graduated from Redan High School.[4] He lived in Athens, Georgia, where he pursued a degree in telecommunications at the University of Georgia on scholarship,[4][5] and where his trip hop works (The Chilling Effect (1999), Rhode Island (2000), and Pelican City / Scanner – Pelican City vs. Scanner (2002)) were released while he was a student.[6] While at the University of Georgia he was introduced to Nirvana, Pink Floyd, and Portishead, and came to know the indie rock scene in Athens,[4] remixed work by several local artists, including Neutral Milk Hotel,[7] and DJ'd for University of Georgia radio station WUOG-FM.[5] From 1998 to 2003, Burton created a series of remix CDs and records under the stage name Danger Mouse. He performed in a mouse outfit because he was too shy to show his face, and took his name from the English cartoon series Danger Mouse.[8]
Music career
While in Athens, Burton took second place in a 1998 talent contest and was asked to open for a concert at the University of Georgia featuring OutKast and Goodie Mob. Afterwards, Burton says he approached CeeLo Green, a member of Goodie Mob, and gave him an instrumental demo tape. CeeLo has no recollection of this and the instrumental demo tape's existence has never been confirmed. Trey Reames who had promoted CeeLo's first solo shows in Georgia, moved to London and became Burton's first manager. He suggested and negotiated CeeLo's appearance on the 26' Remix of the Danger Mouse and Jemini record. When Burton met CeeLo for this project, he shared some beats which led them to collaborate as Gnarls Barkley.[9]
2001–2004
Burton moved to Britain for a couple of years, living in New Cross in London and working at the Rose pub[10] near London Bridge. While there, he sent a demo to Lex Records, which signed him. Burton relocated to Los Angeles; his first original releases under the name Danger Mouse were his collaborations with rapperJemini, including the album Ghetto Pop Life, released in 2003 on Lex Records. The Danger Mouse debut was well received by critics, but he did not rise to fame until he created The Grey Album, mixing a cappella versions of Jay-Z's The Black Album over beats crafted from samples of the Beatles' eponymous album, also known as The White Album. The remix album, originally created just for his friends, spread over the Internet and became very popular with both the general audience and critics, with Rolling Stone calling it the ultimate remix record[11] and Entertainment Weekly ranking it the best record of that year.[12] He discussed his feelings about any controversy the album may have created in the documentary Alternative Freedom.[13] Danger Mouse was named among the Men of the Year by GQ in 2004 and won a 2005 Wired Rave Award.[14]
Danger Mouse's next project was The Mouse and the Mask, a collaboration with MF Doom (as Danger Doom) about and for Cartoon Network's Adult Swim. The two had previously collaborated on the Danger Mouse remix of Zero 7's "Somersault", on the Prince Po track "Social Distortion", and on Gorillaz' "November Has Come". A year later, Danger Doom released a follow-up EP called Occult Hymn. The 7-track EP features new songs, and remixes from The Mouse & The Mask, and was released as a free download on Adult Swim's site.
In 2006, Danger Mouse and CeeLo as Gnarls Barkley released their first album, St. Elsewhere, which includes the international hit single "Crazy".[1] "Crazy" became the first UK number-one single based solely on downloads.[16] Gnarls Barkley set out on tour and was one of the main opening acts on the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Stadium Arcadium World Tour. The Gnarls Barkley touring lineup featured future Chili Peppers guitarist, Josh Klinghoffer. He produced two tracks on The Rapture's 2006 album Pieces of the People We Love. In the autumn of 2006, Sparklehorse released his fourth album, Dreamt for Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain, a collaboration with Danger Mouse and Steven Drozd of The Flaming Lips. In August and September 2006, Danger Mouse collaborated with British graffiti artist Banksy to replace 500 copies of Paris Hilton's album Paris in British music stores with altered album artwork and a 40-minute instrumental song containing various statements she had made.[17]
2007–present
Danger Mouse and CeeLo Green performed as Gnarls Barkley in 2007.
Upcoming releases include a follow-up to Ghetto Pop Life entitled Kill Your Heroes. It was scheduled to be released in summer of 2006, but its release was pushed back to an undetermined date. He was also working on an album with The Black Keys and Ike Turner. Turner's death was expected to cancel the album, but The Black Keys and Danger Mouse released Attack & Release in April 2008. Some songs must have been recorded by Turner, however, as a posthumous Danger Mouse produced album has been mentioned, and another collaboration with MF Doom.[18]
Danger Mouse produced and crafted beat structures with Beck for Beck's album Modern Guilt, which was released in July 2008.[19] In April 2009, he and Helena Costas released an album as Joker's Daughter titled The Last Laugh. Danger Mouse was listed as one of Esquire's 75 most influential people of the 21st century.
Since 2005, Danger Mouse (as a producer and as an artist with Gnarls Barkley) has been nominated for 12 Grammy Awards: Producer of the Year (2005, 2006 and 2008), Record of Year (2006), Album of Year (2006), Best Alternative Album (2006 and 2008), Best Urban Alternative Performance (2006), Best Short Form Music Video (2007 and 2008) and Best Pop Performance (2008). He won two Grammy Awards in 2006 for Best Alternative Album and Best Urban Alternative Performance. He won in 2017 for his work as a producer on Adele's 25.[20]
Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse were due to release an album in the summer of 2009 entitled Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse Present: Dark Night of the Soul (together with a 100+ photo book with photographs by David Lynch).[21][22] Due to a dispute with EMI the album was not released officially until July 12, 2010.[23] However, the BBC reported that Danger Mouse planned to release a full illustrated jewel case with a blank CD-R included in it.[21][22][24] The CD-R was to be labeled: "For Legal Reasons, enclosed CD-R contains no music. Use it as you will."[21][22][24]
On November 8, 2009, Paste magazine named Danger Mouse the "Best Producer of the Decade (2000–2009)."[25]
Together with James Mercer, Danger Mouse (billed by his real name, Brian Burton) formed Broken Bells. The project was first announced on September 29, 2009.[26] On December 21, 2009, the band informed fans in an e-mail message of the release of their debut single "The High Road", which was made available as a free download on their official site.[27] The self-titled debut album was released in the U.S. on March 9, 2010.
In 2010, Danger Mouse began producing U2's thirteenth studio album Songs of Innocence, released in 2014. U2's frontman, Bono, said in 2010, "We have about 12 songs with him. At the moment that looks like the album we will put out next because it's just happening so easily."[28] Ultimately, Danger Mouse was credited as co-producer on 7 of the album's 11 tracks, and sole producer on "Sleep Like a Baby Tonight" and "This Is Where You Can Reach Me Now". During this period, he produced the band's single "Ordinary Love", released in 2013 as part of the soundtrack to Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, and their single "Invisible", which was released on Super Bowl Sunday, February 2, 2014.
In 2005, Danger Mouse began composing a "Spaghetti Western" album with composer Daniele Luppi and main vocalists Jack White and Norah Jones. Instrumentation was done mainly by musicians who played on the original Ennio Morricone scores.[29] Danger Mouse does not play any instruments on the album. The style of the album reflects much of Danger Mouse's work since 2005, such as segments of Beck's Modern Guilt, aspects of Dark Night of the Soul, and songs like "Mongrel Heart" off of the self-titled Broken Bells album. The album was titled Rome and was released on May 16, 2011.[30]
On February 13, 2011, Danger Mouse won a Grammy for Best Producer for his work on the Black Keys' Brothers, Broken Bells' self-titled album, and the Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse album Dark Night of the Soul.
On November 1, 2011, Los Angeles-based indie band Electric Guest released their first single, "Troubleman/American Daydream", produced by Danger Mouse. Danger Mouse produced the band's whole debut album Mondo which was released on April 24, 2012.
On May 1, 2012, Norah Jones released her Danger Mouse-produced fifth studio album Little Broken Hearts (Blue Note/EMI).[31]
Danger Mouse co-wrote the song "Keep It for Your Own" by POP ETC.[32]
In November 2015 Danger Mouse launched his own record label, 30th Century Records.[35]
Danger Mouse was announced as the producer for the Red Hot Chili Peppers eleventh album and that he would replace Rick Rubin, the producer of the band's previous six albums dating back to 1991. Production began in February 2015. The production was halted due to an injury the band's bassist Flea suffered during a skiing trip. It resumed in August 2015 and continued into early 2016. The Getaway was released in June 2016 with Danger Mouse performing on and having co-writing credits on many of the songs.[36][37]
In March 2017, Red Hot Chili Peppers singer Anthony Kiedis indicated that the band would likely want to work again with Danger Mouse on the follow-up to The Getaway. Kiedis stated "I think it's good to work with the same guy again to um, you know you had your freshman experience. I think we owe it to ourselves to start from the beginning with this guy and see what we can accomplish."[38] However, their follow-up albums, 2022's Unlimited Love and Return of the Dream Canteen, featured the return of longtime producer Rick Rubin.
In April 2017, he released Resistance Radio: The Man in The High Castle, a compilation produced alongside 30th Century Records-signee producer Sam Cohen. Connected to Amazon's eponymous TV series, this album contains covers of 1960s classics by contemporary artists like Beck, Norah Jones, Kelis, Andrew VanWyngarden, The Shins, and more. [39]
In June 2017, Portugal. The Man released Woodstock, their follow-up to 2013's Evil Friends; both of which featured production from Danger Mouse.
In October 2022, he released a third Broken Bells album with James Mercer entitled Into The Blue (stylized all caps).[citation needed]
Philosophy
In an interview for The New York Times magazine, Danger Mouse was compared to a film auteur, basing his music production philosophy on the cinematic philosophy of directors like Woody Allen. "Woody Allen was an auteur: he did his thing, and that particular thing was completely his own", he said. "That's what I decided to do with music. I want to create a director's role within music, which is what I tried to do on this album (St. Elsewhere)... I can create different kinds of musical worlds, but the artist needs the desire to go into that world... Musically, there is no one who has the career I want. That's why I have to use film directors as a model."[9]
Lex Records is a British independent record label. Most releases on the label are alternative hip hop, alternative rock or electronic music. Dazed described Lex as a label "...whose wildly creative output spans over a decade of landmark releases that have changed the music industry no end."
Frederick Mark Linkous was an American singer, songwriter and musician, best known as leader of Sparklehorse. He was also known for his collaborations with such artists as Tom Waits, PJ Harvey, Daniel Johnston, Cracker, Radiohead, Black Francis, Julian Casablancas, Nina Persson, David Lynch, Fennesz, Danger Mouse, and Sage Francis.
Thomas DeCarlo Callaway-Burton, known professionally as CeeLo Green, is an American singer, rapper, and record producer. He is known for his soul-infused delivery in hip hop and R&B, displayed in his signature song "Crazy" and his solo single "Fuck You."
St. Elsewhere is the debut album by American soul duo Gnarls Barkley. It was released on April 24, 2006, in the United Kingdom, where it debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, and on May 9, 2006, in the United States, although it was available for purchase one week earlier as a digital download in the US iTunes Store. St. Elsewhere debuted at No. 20 on the US Billboard 200, and peaked at No. 4. It topped the Billboard Dance/Electronic Albums chart for 39 non-consecutive weeks in 2006 and 2007.
"Crazy" is the debut single of American soul duo Gnarls Barkley, taken from their 2006 debut album, St. Elsewhere. It peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the charts in the United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and several other countries.
"Smiley Faces" is a song by American soul music duo Gnarls Barkley from their debut album, St. Elsewhere (2006). It was released July 17, 2006, as the second single from that album in the United Kingdom and peaked at number 10 on the UK Singles Chart.
Waxploitation is an American record label, artist management company and music publisher, which was founded in 1996 by Jeff Antebi.
Jeff Antebi is an American entrepreneur in the arts, best known as the founder of Waxploitation Records and for his photographic works from war and conflict zones.
"Who Cares?" and "Gone Daddy Gone" are songs performed by Gnarls Barkley and are featured on their debut album, St. Elsewhere. The songs were released on November 6, 2006 as a double A-sided single from that album in the United Kingdom. A week later, on November 13, 2006, the single debuted at No. 60 in the UK Singles Chart. "Gone Daddy Gone" is a cover of the Violent Femmes song. The song peaked at No. 26 on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart, and at No. 35 on Billboard's Adult Top 40 chart. The song "Gone Daddy Gone" is also featured in the soundtrack for the video game Tony Hawk's Project 8, the soundtrack for Forza Motorsport 2 and in the trailer for the Chris Rock film I Think I Love My Wife.
Gnarls Barkley is an American soul duo, composed of singer-songwriter CeeLo Green and producer Danger Mouse. They released their debut studio album, St. Elsewhere, in 2006. It contained their hit single "Crazy", which peaked at number two on the US Hot 100 and topped the UK Singles Chart. It was nominated at the 2007 Grammy Awards for Record of the Year, and was platinum certified for shipping over 1,000,000 records. St. Elsewhere also received a nomination for Album of the Year. The Odd Couple, their second studio album, was scheduled for release in April 2008, but due to a leak of the album over the internet, they decided to release it early. The album in its entirety received similarly positive reviews.
Gnarls Biggie is a hip hop mashup album created in the same vein as Danger Mouse's The Grey Album. It was produced by a group of Brooklyn-based DJs known as Sound Advice. The album features 11 songs in which the tracks of Gnarls Barkley are cut-up into beats and then layered with raps of The Notorious B.I.G. It was released on July 17, 2006 on the website gnotorious.com and was featured on the websites of the music magazines VIBE and Spin. There was also a promotional video released on YouTube. Its album cover parodies the cover of The Notorious B.I.G.'s Ready to Die by replacing the baby's head with Cee-Lo's head. All of the tracks on the album use beats that sample Gnarls Barkley's album St. Elsewhere.
The Odd Couple is the second studio album by Gnarls Barkley, released digitally on March 18 and in stores March 25, 2008. Due to an early leak of the album over the Internet in early March 2008, the duo decided to push up the release from April 8. The album was released to the iTunes Store and Amazon MP3 on March 18.
"Run (I'm a Natural Disaster)", also known more commonly as "Run", is a song written and recorded by Gnarls Barkley. It is the first single to be released from the band's second album The Odd Couple. Released in February 2008 as a digital download in the UK and the US via the iTunes Store, a physical release of the single followed in the UK on March 31. The song features a sample from Keith Mansfield's "Junior Jet Set" from the KPM LP Flamboyant Themes and "Starting Out the Day" by Strawberry Alarm Clock. The song is featured in the film X-Men: First Class, as a playable song in the video game Dance Central 2, and is heard in promos for Disney-Pixar's Cars 2 and the eight series of CBBC's Raven. This song was number 34 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Best Songs of 2008.
"Who's Gonna Save My Soul" is the third and final single taken from soul duo Gnarls Barkley's second studio album, The Odd Couple, released in late 2008. The song's official music video was directed by Chris Milk and was released on July 25, 2008. The video featured work by character animator Keith Sintay and mostly features dialogue from actors Jorma Taccone and Aasha Davis. The single was only released physically in America, in a special limited edition CD + DVD single package.
Modern Guilt is the eleventh studio album by American musician Beck, released in 2008 by both DGC Records and XL Recordings. The album was produced by Beck and Danger Mouse and features two contributions by Cat Power.
Broken Bells is an American indie rock band composed of artist-producer Brian Burton and James Mercer, the lead vocalist and guitarist for the indie rock band The Shins. Broken Bells compose and create as a duo, but are joined by Dan Elkan and Jon Sortland when performing live. The previous live band included Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band sidemen Nate Walcott and Nik Freitas, and Jonathan Hischke and Dan Elkan, both ex-members of Hella. Following their 2010 self-titled debut album, the duo released an EP, Meyrin Fields, in 2011 and their second studio album, After the Disco, in 2014. In 2022 they released a third studio album titled "Into the Blue".
Dot Hacker is an American experimental rock band from California, formed in 2008. The band consists of Josh Klinghoffer, Clint Walsh, Jonathan Hischke (bass) and Eric Gardner (drums).
Daniele Luppi is an Italian composer and music producer who has been active since around 1999. He is an Emmy nominated film and television composer and has worked with Red Hot Chili Peppers, Gnarls Barkley and John Legend.
The discography of Gnarls Barkley, an American alternative hip hop duo composed of record producer Danger Mouse and soul singer Cee Lo Green, consists of two studio albums, two extended plays, seven singles and seven music videos. The duo originally met in the late 1990s, and began to record music together in 2003 following the release of Danger Mouse's 2003 album Ghetto Pop Life. Their first single, "Crazy", was released in 2006; it achieved worldwide chart success, reaching number two on the US Billboard Hot 100 – where it was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) – and reaching the top ten of the Australian, New Zealand and Swiss singles charts, among others. It also topped the UK Singles Chart, attracting considerable attention for becoming the first song ever to top the chart on digital download sales alone, following a change to the chart's eligibility rules allowing songs to chart purely on digital sales providing that it was given a physical release the following week. The song appeared on Gnarls Barkley's debut studio album, St. Elsewhere, which peaked at number four on the US Billboard 200 as well as topping the New Zealand and United Kingdom albums charts. Three further singles – "Smiley Faces", which reached the top ten of the UK and Irish singles charts, "Who Cares?" and a cover of the Violent Femmes song "Gone Daddy Gone" – were released from St. Elsewhere, although none of them appeared on the Billboard Hot 100.
Ben H. Allen (III.) is an American Grammy Award-winning record producer, mixer and songwriter, based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. He has produced and mixed records by artists such as Walk the Moon, Animal Collective, Gnarls Barkley, Kaiser Chiefs, Cut Copy, Washed Out and Neon Indian.
↑ "An American musician and producer, Brian Burton, created remix CDs under the stage name Danger Mouse, which he took from the television series." Associated Press, "Mark Hall, 75, 'Danger Mouse' cartoonist", The New York Times, November 20, 2011.
1 2 Klosterman, Chuck (June 18, 2006). "The D.J. Auteur". The New York Times Magazine. Retrieved June 20, 2006.
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