Gruffudd Maredudd Bowen Rhys is a Welsh musician,composer,producer,filmmaker and author. He performs solo and with several bands,including Super Furry Animals,which obtained mainstream success in the 1990s. He formed the electro-pop outfit Neon Neon with Boom Bip. Their album Stainless Style was nominated for the 2008 Nationwide Mercury Prize. He won the 2011 Welsh Music Prize for his album Hotel Shampoo,which was followed up by American Interior in 2014,accompanied by a film,a book and a mobile app. His most recent album,Sadness Sets Me Free,was released in 2024. He is considered a figurehead of the era known as Cool Cymru.
De La Soul is an American hip hop group formed in 1988 in the village of Amityville on Long Island,New York. They are best known for their eclectic sampling,eccentric lyrics,and contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap and alternative hip hop subgenres. Kelvin "Posdnuos" Mercer,David "Trugoy the Dove" Jolicoeur,and Vincent "Maseo" Mason formed the group in high school and caught the attention of producer Prince Paul with a demo tape of the song "Plug Tunin'".
"19-2000",sometimes written "19/2000",is a song from the British virtual band Gorillaz' self-titled debut album Gorillaz. It was the second single from the album,released on 25 June 2001 in the United Kingdom. "19-2000" reached number six on the UK Singles Chart and number 34 on the US Billboard Mainstream Top 40 chart. It was particularly successful in New Zealand,where it reached number one for a week in September 2001.
Hadouken! were a British dance-punk band formed in London in 2006 by singer,songwriter and producer James Smith and synth player Alice Spooner along with guitarist Daniel "Pilau" Rice,bassist Christopher Purcell and drummer Nick Rice. The band took its name from the special attack of the same name from the Street Fighter video game series. It was in Leeds that Hadouken! began their own record label,Surface Noise Records.
"Juxtapozed with U" is the thirteenth single by Super Furry Animals. It was the first single to be taken from the Rings Around the World album and reached number 14 on the UK Singles Chart on its release in July 2001. The song was initially conceived as a duet but,after both Brian Harvey and Bobby Brown turned the band down,lead singer Gruff Rhys sang the entire track,using a vocoder on the verses to imitate another person. Musically "Juxtapozed with U" has echoes of Philadelphia soul and the "plastic soul" of David Bowie's album Young Americans and was inspired by the Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder track "Ebony and Ivory". Rhys has claimed that he sees "Juxtapozed with U" as "fairly subversive" because its polished pop style was in stark contrast to the "macho" guitar music the band felt was prevalent in 2001.
"Lazer Beam" is a single by Super Furry Animals. It was the only single to be released from the Love Kraft album and reached #28 in the UK Singles Chart,and as of 2023,remains their last UK Top 40 hit. The song is "about making your own reality" and tells the story of aliens coming down to earth to shoot humans with laser beams which "make them intelligent rather than being jerks". Some of singer Gruff Rhys's lyrics were lifted from a speech made by Tony Blair at the Labour Party Conference in 2004.
Oliver Sabin,formerly known as Unicorn Kid,is a Scottish electronic music/chip music composer and musician from Edinburgh,educated at Leith Academy. When asked about the name of the act,Sabin stated,"There's no real story behind the name,it just kind of came about and fitted in with the fun,magical nature of the music." Sabin has had a number of BBC Radio 1 appearances including an early live session on the Vic Galloway BBC Radio 1 show and a BBC Maida Vale Studios session for Rob da Bank. In September 2014,he announced the end of Unicorn Kid to pursue a different alias. In 2017,Sabin released a DJ set on SoundCloud under the alias Plush.
Plastic Beach is the third studio album by British virtual band Gorillaz. It was released on 3 March 2010 by Parlophone internationally and by Virgin Records in the United States. Conceived from an unfinished project called Carousel,the album was recorded from June 2008 to November 2009,and was produced primarily by group co-creator Damon Albarn. It features guest appearances by such artists as Snoop Dogg,Gruff Rhys,De La Soul,Bobby Womack,Mos Def,Lou Reed,Mark E. Smith,Bashy,Kano,and Little Dragon.
"Stylo" is the first single from British virtual band Gorillaz's third studio album Plastic Beach. The song features guest vocals from Bobby Womack and Mos Def. The single was released on 26 January 2010.
"On Melancholy Hill" is the third single from British virtual band Gorillaz's third studio album,Plastic Beach. The single was released on 12 June 2010.
"XXXO" is a song by English recording artist M.I.A.,released as the lead single from her third studio album,Maya (2010). The song was written by M.I.A.,Charles "Blaqstarr" Smith and Cherry Byron-Withers,and produced by Blaqstarr and Rusko. "XXXO" was first released as a digital download following its world premiere on radio on 10 May 2010,and released in physical format in the United Kingdom on 28 June 2010. Two XXXO remix EPs were released alongside the single,featuring Jay-Z,SBTRKT,KickRaux amongst others on official remixes. The song's release followed the digital release of "Born Free",also from Maya.
The Escape to Plastic Beach Tour was a concert tour by the British alternative rock virtual band Gorillaz in support of their third studio album Plastic Beach. During the tour,Damon Albarn recorded The Fall,described by Albarn as a "diary of [his] experience" throughout its American leg. The album was released in late December 2010 to fan club members,and physically in April 2011.
"Doncamatic" is a single by British alternative band Gorillaz. The track features British singer Daley. The single was released on 21 November 2010 via digital download,with a physical release following the next day. It charted at No.37 in the UK Charts and as of 2023,remains their last UK Top 40 hit.
"Symphonies" is a song by British musician Dan Black,released as the first single from his 2009 debut album UN.
The Singles Collection 2001–2011 is a compilation album released by British virtual band Gorillaz on 28 November 2011. The album is a collection of the group's singles released between 2001 and 2011,except The Fall. The album is available in four different editions:standard,deluxe,12" vinyl and 7" single box set.
"Gun" is a song by Scottish synth-pop band Chvrches from their 2013 debut album The Bones of What You Believe. It was released as the band's third official single on 15 June 2013 via Virgin and Goodbye Records.
Joshua Paul Davis,better known by his stage name DJ Shadow,is an American DJ and record producer. His debut studio album,Endtroducing....., was released in 1996. He is known for layered production that uses numerous samples,often from obscure sources,to create new compositions and whose music was described in Allmusic as having "revolutionized hip-hop".
The Humanz Tour was a concert tour by the British alternative rock virtual band Gorillaz,in support of their fifth studio album Humanz.
"Humility" is a single by British virtual band Gorillaz featuring American jazz guitarist George Benson. It was released on 31 May 2018 along with "Lake Zurich" as the first single from their sixth studio album,The Now Now. On 12 July 2018,two remixes of the song by Superorganism and DJ Koze were released. It charted in a total of 8 countries reaching number 85 on the US Billboard Hot 100,with its highest position in any chart being number 7 in Billboard's Hot Rock Songs.
The Now Now Tour was a concert tour by the British alternative rock virtual band Gorillaz,in support of their sixth studio album The Now Now.
