Mount Kimbie

Last updated

Mount Kimbie
Mount Kimbie (2013).jpg
Mount Kimbie at Electronic Beats Festival 2013, Podgorica, Montenegro
Background information
OriginLondon, England
Genres
Years active2008–present
Labels
Members
Website www.mountkimbie.com

Mount Kimbie is an English electronic music group. Originally consisting of the duo of Dominic Maker and Kai Campos, Mount Kimbie was formed in 2008. The duo expanded on the musical template of the UK dubstep scene, releasing early EPs Maybes and Sketch on Glass to critical praise the following year. Their debut album Crooks & Lovers in 2010 received further acclaim and was listed as one of the defining albums of the decade by DJ Mag . [1]

Contents

The band signed with Warp Records in 2012, and released their second album Cold Spring Fault Less Youth the following year, third album Love What Survives in September 2017, [2] and a double album, MK 3.5: Die Cuts | City Planning, in November 2022. [3] Drummer Marc Pell and keyboardist Andrea Balency-Béarn joined as live members in 2016, becoming full members in 2023 ahead of the band's fourth album, The Sunset Violent . Mount Kimbie has collaborated with artists such as James Blake, King Krule, and Micachu.

History

Early years: 2008–2011

Kai Campos is originally from Cornwall, while Dom Maker is from Chichester. [4] They met at Southbank University in London, where Campos was attending university for the second time and Maker was studying film. [5] They started making music together at a home studio in Peckham.

Arguably responsible for inspiring the term "post-dubstep", [6] the duo released a series of acclaimed early EPs, including Maybes and Sketch on Glass , that expanded beyond the dubstep sound. [7] The band's debut album, titled Crooks & Lovers , was released on 19 June 2010 in the UK to critical acclaim. [8] At the end of 2010, Crooks & Lovers was included in over thirty 'Best of 2010' lists, including NME , Mixmag , Resident Advisor, Pitchfork , Drowned in Sound , NME listed them at number 22 in their 30 Artists For 2011. [9] In 2010, Mount Kimbie toured the UK, Europe and America. They were also involved in the festival circuit playing at The Great Escape Festival, Stag & Dagger festival, Glade Festival, Field Day Festival and Bestival amongst others. The duo were then invited to perform at Gilles Peterson's Worldwide Awards event in February 2011. [10]

In March and April 2011, they embarked on a US tour which included performances at SXSW and Coachella. They also toured in Australia in March, selling out all six of their performances, [11] with Australia's The Vine saying of their Melbourne performance, "They flesh out skeletal elements of tracks with alternative instrumentation, or accentuate features with subtle additions or substitutions. In this way much of the material aired tonight is invigoratingly bolstered, altered or augmented in some way. It makes for a stimulating performance." [12] However, regarding a live realisation of Crooks & Lovers in Glasgow in early 2011 The Guardian said that "presenting such short tunes as standalone pieces when they might function better threaded together gives the set a disjointed feel." [13]

The pair are closely linked to friend, producer and BBC Sound of 2011 runner-up, James Blake. He has collaborated with them live [14] and lent his skills to the remixing of "Maybes" which features on the Mount Kimbie EP Remixes Part 1, released 12 April 2010, [15] as well as contributing elements to Crooks & Lovers. [14] They've also featured on his BBC Radio 1 residency. [16] Mount Kimbie have produced remixes for the Big Pink, Foals, the xx and Andreya Triana. [17]

Warp: 2012–2022

Mount Kimbie signed to Warp Records in June 2012. The group toured North America that year with Squarepusher. Tony Kus joined the duo as their live drummer from October 2012 to 2015. Since 2016, Marc Pell of Micachu and the Shapes and Andrea Balency-Béarn have joined Mount Kimbie's live show on drums and keyboards. [18] They released their second album Cold Spring Fault Less Youth in 2013. Mount Kimbie performed a full tour across the US and Europe in late 2013 to tie in with the launch of the album. [19]

In September 2015, Mount Kimbie hosted a weekly residency every Tuesday, throughout September, with London based online radio station NTS Radio. The shows included guests such as James Blake, William Basinski and King Krule. [20] In July 2016, Mount Kimbie announced they would be taking a break from recording and be heading out on the road. Playing a small number of European shows including Pitchfork Music Festival. [21]

In 2016 Chance the Rapper sampled 'Adriatic' from their 2010 debut album on his mixtape Coloring Book on the track Juke Jam featuring Justin Bieber and Towkio. [22]

A second 'transatlantic' NTS residency took place across April and May 2017, broadcasting out of both London and Los Angeles, and once again featuring guests including James Blake, Archy Marshall, Actress and Warpaint. [23] On 3 April 2017, Mount Kimbie released a new track, "We Go Home Together" on Warp Records, featuring long time collaborator James Blake. [24] This was followed by another new track, "Marilyn", featuring Micachu. The track was accompanied by a music video by fashion photographer Mark Lebon, featuring Lebon's sons, Tyrone and Frank, both of whom have previously collaborated with Mount Kimbie. [25]

On 12 July 2017, Mount Kimbie announced that they would be releasing their third album, Love What Survives , on 8 September 2017. Alongside this they released a new track, "Blue Train Lines" featuring King Krule.

Love What Survives featured contributions from King Krule, James Blake, Micachu and Andrea Balency. The album received strongly positive reviews upon release; DIY gave the album a 4/5 review, describing it as "the most affecting work to date by some stretch", [26] and Mixmag called the album "searingly brilliant" and rated it 8/10. [27] Pitchfork rated the album 8.4/10, selecting it as their "Best New Music", [28] as well ranking the album at 34th in their 50 Best Albums of 2017 list. [29]

Mount Kimbie toured extensively across the world in 2017 and 2018 to support the album, including festival appearances at Pitchfork Music Festival, Primavera Sound Festival, Field Day and Electric Picnic. [30]

On 9 August 2018, Mount Kimbie's compilation release as part of the DJ Kicks series was announced, featuring an original production by the duo titled "Southgate". [31] In 2019 they released a four track live recording of the Warp NTS live session. [32] In the same year they were commissioned by Adidas Originals to produce music for a new campaign. [33]

In the recent years, they have collaborated with artists such as Slowthai, James Blake, King Krule, and Micachu.

On 15 September 2020, Slowthai, James Blake, and Mount Kimbie released their collaborative single titled "feel away" [34] which appeared on Slowthai's UK number one album Tyron. [35]

In July 2021, Mount Kimbie announced the release of two tracks that were part of the Love What Survives recording sessions, but did not make it onto the album. On 28 July 2021, the tracks titled "Black Stone / Blue Liquid" were released on limited edition vinyl and made available to download via their website until 30 July. [36] An accompanying music video was made for the track "Black Stone", directed by Peter Eason Daniels. [37]

In November 2021, Dom Maker received a Grammy nomination for Best Dance/Electronic Recording for his co production work on James Blake's track "Before". [38]

MK 3.5: Die Cuts | City Planning: 2022

In September 2022 the duo released two double-sided singles, each with tracks produced by an individual member. Dom Maker released the tracks "A Deities Encore", featuring Liv.e, and "In Your Eyes", featuring frequent collaborator Slowthai alongside label mate Danny Brown. Kai Campos released two techno-infused tracks, "Q / Quartz". Each were understood to feature on Mount Kimbie's forthcoming fourth album [39] Soon after, Maker released the non-album track "Locked In" featuring Maxo Kream and Pa Salieu. [40]

The album, titled MK 3.5: Die Cuts | City Planning, was officially announced the day after "Locked In" was released. Rather than a straight collaboration, as on previous records, the album consists of two halves: one created by the now Los Angeles-based Maker, and the other the London-based Campos. It was released on Warp Records in November 2022. [39]

The Sunset Violent: 2023–present

Coinciding with the single "Dumb Guitar" in November 2023, a statement confirmed the official inclusion of Andrea Balency-Béarn and Marc Pell as part of Mount Kimbie. [41] In February 2024, the now four-piece announced their next album The Sunset Violent would be released on 5 April 2024, along with the second single from the record "Fishbrain". The group also announced a tour in support of the record. [42]

Style

Mount Kimbie's early work drew from the contemporary UK dubstep scene while expanding beyond its typical scope. The Guardian described the pair as "leading an exploratory breakaway from bass-heavy dubstep towards a lighter, hazier style of electronica rich with drowsy ambience and chopped-up found sounds." [13] According to Resident Advisor , in their work "dubstep is unraveled and reassembled from its brawny rhythms upward, connecting the dots between musique concrète, R&B, hip-hop, drone and the midnight gospel sounds of Burial." [43] In 2009, Pitchfork Media described their music as making use of "sped-up vocal samples, little tunnels of ambience, unimposing synth patches, and syncopated percussion that sounds like someone putting away the silverware," clarifying that "their rhythms are still dubstep in DNA-- deftly syncopated, slightly off-center, ambiguously danceable-- but most of what they lay on top of the beat sounds like it's being dragged out from places dubstep usually doesn't go: R&B, post-rock, IDM". [44]

The duo use field recordings to form major elements of their music. "It’s amazing what you can pick up with a field microphone. I mean, you might just hear someone riding around but when you slow it down it’s almost like there’s a beat to it. And then just taking little pockets of that rhythm and stretching it out. A lot of what we do is about experimenting with different little bits of tone that you don’t necessarily hear on the first listen... and then trying to make songs out of them." [45]

Solo work

Kai Campos

In 2018 Kai Campos curated a techno-driven DJ-Kicks mix and has been DJing consistently ever since, including a b2b tour with Actress and headline sets at Printworks and Fabric. [46]

Dom Maker

Dominic Maker now lives in L.A. where he has produced for artists such as Jay-Z, Slowthai and James Blake. [47]

Discography

Studio albums

EPs

Compilation

Remixes

Related Research Articles

Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in South London in the early 2000s. The style emerged as a UK garage offshoot that blended 2-step rhythms and sparse dub production, as well as incorporating elements of broken beat, grime, and drum and bass. In the United Kingdom, the origins of the genre can be traced back to the growth of the Jamaican sound system party scene in the early 1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Post-dubstep</span> Electronic music genre, British development of dubstep

Post-dubstep is an umbrella term applied to a range of musical styles that have been influenced by the sparse, syncopated rhythms and heavy sub-bass of the UK dubstep scene. The breadth of styles associated with the term post-dubstep precluded it from being a specific musical genre in the early 2010s. Such music often references earlier dubstep productions as well as UK garage, 2-step and other forms of underground electronic dance music. Artists producing music that has been described as post-dubstep have also incorporated elements of ambient music and early 2000s R&B. The latter in particular is heavily sampled by two artists described as post-dubstep, Mount Kimbie and James Blake. The tempo of music typically characterised as post-dubstep is approximately 130 beats per minute.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">King Krule</span> English singer-songwriter, musician, and producer

Archy Ivan Marshall, also known by his stage name King Krule, among other names, is an English singer, songwriter, musician, rapper and record producer.

<i>Klavierwerke</i> (EP) 2010 EP by James Blake

Klavierwerke is the third solo EP by English musician James Blake, who plays all the instruments and produced the record. It was released on R&S Records on 27 September 2010. The word "Klavierwerke" is German for "piano works", as the album is mostly built on piano.

Paul Rose, usually known as Scuba, is a British electronic musician, now based in Berlin. Described as 'one of dance music's most inventive producers', he has released five albums, numerous singles and EPs, and a handful of compilation and mix albums. His style has been described as dubstep with a later 'shift toward a brighter and more eclectic approach to production'. In 2013, he won an award for Best Live Act from DJ Mag.

Hotflush Recordings is a British record label. Founded by electronic musician Paul Rose, the label began as a UK garage night on Stokes Croft in Bristol when Scuba was studying at University of Bristol, booking the likes of Artful Dodger in the early 2000s. Later becoming a label it has released music by Scuba, Mount Kimbie, Boxcutter, Vaccine, Joy Orbison, Untold and many more.

Untold a.k.a. Jack Dunning, is an electronic producer from London. He released his first solo record on Hessle Audio in 2008 and has since released on R&S Records, Soul Jazz, Clone Records and more. He released his debut album 'Black Light Spiral' on his own label, Hemlock Recordings in February 2014.

<i>Crooks & Lovers</i> 2010 studio album by Mount Kimbie

Crooks & Lovers is the first studio album by Mount Kimbie. It was released on Hotflush Recordings on 19 July 2010. It received critical acclaim, and was included in the year end lists of several publications.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NTS Radio</span> Online radio station based in London

NTS Radio is an online radio station and media platform which launched in Hackney, East London. The station was founded in April 2011 by Femi Adeyemi "for an international community of music lovers". NTS broadcasts from its studios in London and Los Angeles, as well as remote worldwide broadcasts from its mix of resident hosts and guests. NTS produces a diverse range of live radio shows, digital media and events.

<i>Cold Spring Fault Less Youth</i> 2013 studio album by Mount Kimbie

Cold Spring Fault Less Youth is the second studio album by British electronic music duo Mount Kimbie. It was released on Warp Records on 27 May 2013. Vocalist King Krule is featured on two tracks.

<i>Maybes EP</i> 2009 EP by Mount Kimbie

Maybes is the debut EP by UK electronic duo Mount Kimbie, released in January 2009 through Hotflush Recordings as 12" vinyl and digital download. It received praise from critics.

<i>Sketch on Glass</i> 2009 EP by Mount Kimbie

Sketch on Glass is an EP by UK electronic duo Mount Kimbie, released in August 2009 through Hotflush Recordings. It received praise from critics.

<i>Love What Survives</i> 2017 studio album by Mount Kimbie

Love What Survives is the third studio album by British electronic music duo Mount Kimbie, released on Warp on 8 September 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kai Campos</span> Musical artist

Kai Campos is a British electronic musician from St Austell, Cornwall. He made his name as one half of Mount Kimbie alongside Dominic Maker and as a musician and DJ in the Greater London electronic music scene. He initially met Maker at Southbank University where he was studying film. The duo began making music together in a home studio in Peckham.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dominic Maker</span> Musical artist

Dominic Maker is an English Grammy-nominated record producer and songwriter born in Chichester. He is best known as one half of the duo Mount Kimbie and for his production work for artists such as James Blake, Slowthai, Rosalía and Jay-Z. Dom Maker initially met Kai Campos at London South Bank University where he was studying film. Their debut album was released in 2010 and since signing to Warp in 2012 they have released a further two albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don't Miss It</span> 2018 song by James Blake

"Don't Miss It" is a song by English electronic music producer and singer-songwriter James Blake from his fourth album, Assume Form. It was written by Blake and produced alongside Dominic Maker of electronic music duo Mount Kimbie and Dan Foat. A lyric video was released on 24 May 2018, having been premiered that day on an episode of his BBC Radio 1 residency. However, it was only released as single by Polydor Records on 4 June of that year. It is a piano ballad with additional drums accompanied by Blake's auto-tuned vocals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slowthai</span> British rapper (born 1994)

Tyron Kaymone Frampton , better known by his stage name Slowthai, is a British rapper. Raised in Northampton, he rose to popularity in 2019 for his gritty and rough instrumentals and raw, politically charged lyrics, especially around Brexit and Theresa May's tenure as British prime minister. Slowthai placed fourth in the BBC Sound of 2019 and followed up in the same year with his debut studio album, Nothing Great About Britain. The album was nominated for the Mercury Prize; at Slowthai's 2019 Mercury Prize ceremony performance, he held a fake severed head of British prime minister Boris Johnson on stage, prompting controversy.

<i>Tyron</i> (album) 2021 studio album by Slowthai

Tyron is the second studio album by British rapper Slowthai. It was released on 12 February 2021 through Method Records.

<i>The Sunset Violent</i> 2024 studio album by Mount Kimbie

The Sunset Violent is the fourth studio album by English band Mount Kimbie, released on 5 April 2024 by Warp Records. The album is Mount Kimbie's first as a quartet, and also features contributions to two tracks by King Krule. It was written and recorded in Yucca Valley, California, and finished in London. The Sunset Violent is an indie rock album, a significant departure from their prior electronic style.

References

  1. ↑ "DJ Mag's electronic albums that defined the decade". DJMag.com. 9 December 2019. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  2. ↑ "Mount Kimbie sign to Warp, ready second album". Fact. 14 June 2012. Retrieved 6 September 2013.
  3. ↑ "Mount Kimbie announce new album MK 3.5: Die Cuts | City Planning". DIY. 27 September 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  4. ↑ Blanchfield, Corrigan (19 March 2024). "Tone Glow 134: Mount Kimbie". Tone Glow. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  5. ↑ "Mount Kimbie | Artist | Clash Magazine". Clashmusic.com. Retrieved 6 September 2013.
  6. ↑ "Mount Kimbie Biography". Mog.com. Archived from the original on 29 January 2013. Retrieved 15 August 2011.
  7. ↑ Powell, Mike (23 July 2010). "Mount Kimbie: Crooks & Lovers". Pitchfork Media . Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  8. ↑ "Reviews of Crooks And Lovers by Mount Kimbie, collected by Any Decent Music". Anydecentmusic.com. 19 July 2010. Retrieved 15 August 2011.
  9. ↑ "30 Artists For 2011 - No.22: Mount Kimbie - New Music Radar - NME.COM - The world's fastest music news service, music videos, interviews, photos and free stuff to win". Nme. 9 December 2009. Retrieved 15 August 2011.
  10. ↑ "Gilles Peterson's Worldwide Awards ft. James Blake, Flying Lotus, Mount Kimbie | RareFM". Rarefm.hosting.alleventnetworks.net. 7 February 2011. Archived from the original on 31 January 2016. Retrieved 6 September 2013.
  11. ↑ "Mount Kimbie Announce North American Tour". Pitchfork . Archived from the original on 10 February 2011. Retrieved 20 February 2011.
  12. ↑ "Live review - Mount Kimbie, Melbourne 2011". Archived from the original on 8 April 2012. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
  13. 1 2 Jack, Malcolm (24 April 2011). "Mount Kimbie – review". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
  14. 1 2 Gibb, Rory (14 June 2010). "DiS meets Mount Kimbie / In Depth // Drowned in Sound". Drownedinsound.com. Archived from the original on 18 June 2010. Retrieved 15 August 2011.
  15. ↑ "The Playlist: Mount Kimbie – "Maybes" (James Blake Remix)". Pitchfork. Retrieved 15 August 2011.
  16. ↑ "Listen to James Blake's Mix on BBC Radio 1 Residency | Pitchfork". pitchfork.com. 14 January 2016. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
  17. ↑ "RA Reviews: Mount Kimbie – Crooks & Lovers (Album)". Residentadvisor.net. Retrieved 15 August 2011.
  18. ↑ "Warp / Records / Mount Kimbie / Ether Festival show sold out, details of performance & US support dates released". Warp.net. Retrieved 6 September 2013.
  19. ↑ "Live". Mount Kimbie. Retrieved 6 September 2013.
  20. ↑ "Mount Kimbie announce NTS residency featuring guests James Blake, William Basinski and more". FACT Magazine: Music News, New Music. 7 September 2015. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
  21. ↑ "Giant Artist Management". Giantmenmanagement.com. 2 February 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  22. ↑ Barron, Michael Scott (13 May 2016). "Chance the Rapper Samples Mount Kimbie on Justin Bieber Collab Track". Vice. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  23. ↑ "Mount Kimbie Transatlantic Residency | NTS". Archived from the original on 21 April 2017. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
  24. ↑ "Mount Kimbie - We Go Home Together ft. James Blake". YouTube. 3 April 2017. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  25. ↑ "Mount Kimbie team up with Micachu for new song 'Marilyn'". Dazeddigital.com. 10 May 2017. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  26. ↑ "DIY". August 2017.
  27. ↑ "September: 18 albums you need to hear this month". Mixmag. Retrieved 13 February 2019.
  28. ↑ "Mount Kimbie: Love What Survives". Pitchfork. Retrieved 13 February 2019.
  29. ↑ "The 50 Best Albums of 2017 - Page 2". Pitchfork. Retrieved 13 February 2019.
  30. ↑ "Mount Kimbie". Songkick. Retrieved 13 February 2019.
  31. ↑ "Mount Kimbie - Southgate (forthcoming DJ Kicks) [Hessle Audio Rinse FM rip". Facebook.com. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  32. ↑ "Review: Various - WXAXRXP Sessions". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  33. ↑ Dazed (1 April 2019). "adidas Originals teams up with Mount Kimbie and Frank Lebon on a new film". Dazed. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  34. ↑ "Slowthai - Feel away ft. James Blake, Mount Kimbie". YouTube . Archived from the original on 21 December 2021.
  35. ↑ Moore, Sam (15 September 2020). "Slowthai is no longer the loudest person in the room with contemplative new song 'feel away'". NME . Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  36. ↑ Darville, Jordan. "Mount Kimbie share new songs "Black Stone / Blue Liquid"". The Fader. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  37. ↑ "Mount Kimbie - Black Stone (Official Video)". YouTube. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  38. ↑ Grammys. "2022 GRAMMYs Awards Show: Complete Nominations List". Grammy.com. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  39. 1 2 Sacher, Andrew. "Mount Kimbie share 2 new songs, say "new album(s) just around the corner"". Brooklyn Vegan. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
  40. ↑ A., Aron. "Maxo Kream & Pa Salieu Connect With Mount Kimbie On "Locked In"". Hot New Hip Hop. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
  41. ↑ Murray, Robin (2 November 2023). "Mount Kimbie Return With New Single "Dumb Guitar"". Clash Magazine Music News, Reviews & Interviews. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  42. ↑ Monroe, Jazz (7 February 2024). "Mount Kimbie Announce Tour and First Album in 7 Years, Share New Song". Pitchfork . Retrieved 21 February 2024.
  43. ↑ "RA Reviews: Mount Kimbie – Maybes (Single)". Residentadvisor.net. Retrieved 6 September 2013.
  44. ↑ "Album Reviews: Mount Kimbie: Maybes EP / Sketch on Glass EP". Pitchfork. 30 November 2009. Retrieved 15 August 2011.
  45. ↑ Walker, Rosanna (20 April 2011). "Mount Kimbie interview". The List. Retrieved 6 September 2013.
  46. ↑ "Post-Everything: Mount Kimbie's Kai Campos talks life beyond 'post-dubstep' | Interview | The Skinny". www.theskinny.co.uk. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  47. ↑ Wally, Maxine (3 August 2018). "Mount Kimbie's Summer of Exploration". WWD. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.