Simian (band)
Encyclopedia
Simian was an English
electronic rock band
, formed in Manchester
in 2000.
was first released in the UK
on 9 July 2001 on Source Records and in the U.S.
on 18 September 2001 on Astralwerks
. The U.S. edition contained two bonus track
s, "The Tale of Willow Hill" and "Grey", that had previously been released in the UK as part of The Wisp and Watch It Glow EPs respectively.
Their second album, We Are Your Friends was released in the UK on 28 October 2002 (on Source Records) and in the U.S. on 29 October 2002 (on Astralwerks). The Japanese release (26 March 2003) also included the bonus tracks, "Out of Bed", "Coins" and "Reasons", the first two of which had previously been released in the UK as B-sides
of the "Never Be Alone" single.
a cover version
of the Prince
song "Under the Cherry Moon" from his album
Parade (1986). This song was released on the tribute album
, If I Was Prince (2001).
The band remixed the track "Playgirl" by Ladytron
and remixes by Appliance
and Zero 7
. They have also remixed the track "Papua New Guinea
" by The Future Sound of London
.
In 2003, their song "La Breeze" was featured in a Peugeot 1007
advertisement, in the Dove
film
advertisement "Onslaught
", and in a promotional CD distributed by Spin Magazine in 2003.
. The new group is more dance
oriented and are in demand as remix
ers and DJs. Ford is also in the baroque pop group The Last Shadow Puppets
with the Arctic Monkeys
singer Alex Turner
. Lord is now in The Black Ghosts
, an electronica act with DJ Touche
from The Wiseguys
.
In 2006 the single
"We Are Your Friends", which is a remix of their song "Never Be Alone", was released on a reactivated Virgin Records
subsidiary label
called Ten Records. This single was credited to "Justice vs. Simian", and started life as a submission by the French electrohouse outfit Justice
in a remix competition. The video
for the single won the award for best video at MTV
Europe Video Awards 2006. At the MTV Europe Music Awards
2006, fellow nominee Kanye West
appeared on stage to complain about the Justice vs. Simian victory. West claimed that the prize should have gone to him, and that he was told prior to the event that he was going to win the award.
In 2011, NME
placed "We Are Your Friends" at number 19 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years".
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
electronic rock band
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
, formed in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
in 2000.
Personnel
- Simon William LordSimon William LordSimon William Lord is an English musical composer, record producer and musician. Lord was a member of the group Simian and now produces music as Lord Skywave and is one half of The Black Ghosts.-Lord Skywave:...
(vocals, lead guitar) - James Ellis FordJames Ford (musician)James Ford is an English musical composer, record producer and musician.-Biography:Ford was a founding member of the group Simian and currently a member of their spin-off duo Simian Mobile Disco...
(drums) - Alex MacNaghten (bass)
- James Anthony Shaw (keyboard)
History
Simian were formed while members of the band were studying at Manchester University. MacNaghten, Shaw and Ford were formerly members of live hip hop drum 'n' bass outfit King Rib, alongside MC Mr. Wrong and DJ Silver.Main releases
Their debut album Chemistry Is What We AreChemistry Is What We Are
Chemistry Is What We Are is the debut album by Simian. It was released on 9 July 2001 on Source Records in the UK and on 18 September 2001 on Astralwerks in the US.-Track listing:#"Drop and Roll" – 6:25#"The Wisp" – 4:15...
was first released in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
on 9 July 2001 on Source Records and in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on 18 September 2001 on Astralwerks
Astralwerks
Astralwerks is a New York-based record label that releases primarily electronic music. It is owned by Virgin Records/EMI and distributed by Caroline Distribution in the United States....
. The U.S. edition contained two bonus track
Bonus track
In terms of recorded music, a bonus track is a piece of music which has been included on specific releases or reissues of an album. This is most often done as a promotional device, either as an incentive to customers to purchase albums they might otherwise not, or to repurchase albums they already...
s, "The Tale of Willow Hill" and "Grey", that had previously been released in the UK as part of The Wisp and Watch It Glow EPs respectively.
Their second album, We Are Your Friends was released in the UK on 28 October 2002 (on Source Records) and in the U.S. on 29 October 2002 (on Astralwerks). The Japanese release (26 March 2003) also included the bonus tracks, "Out of Bed", "Coins" and "Reasons", the first two of which had previously been released in the UK as B-sides
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
of the "Never Be Alone" single.
Other work
In 2000 the band recordedSound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
a cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of the Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
song "Under the Cherry Moon" from his album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
Parade (1986). This song was released on the tribute album
Tribute album
A tribute album is a recorded collection of cover versions of songs or instrumental compositions. Its concept may be either various artists making a tribute to a single artist, a single artist making a tribute to various artists, or a single artist making a tribute to another single artist.There...
, If I Was Prince (2001).
The band remixed the track "Playgirl" by Ladytron
Ladytron
Ladytron are an English electronic band formed in 1999 in Liverpool, Merseyside. The group consists of Helen Marnie , Mira Aroyo , Daniel Hunt and Reuben Wu .Their sound blends electropop with New Wave and shoegazing elements. Ladytron described their sound as "electronic pop"...
and remixes by Appliance
Appliance (band)
Appliance were an experimental post-rock three piece made up of James Brooks , David Ireland and Michael Parker . Original bass player Stuart Christie left in 1995 to form Harmony 400....
and Zero 7
Zero 7
Zero 7 is a British musical duo consisting of Henry Binns and Sam Hardaker. The group members began their musical careers as studio engineers and in 1997 formed the group Zero 7. Their debut album, Simple Things was released in 2001 and received critical acclaim...
. They have also remixed the track "Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea (song)
"Papua New Guinea" is a 1991 song by the electronic music group Future Sound of London. It was the group's debut single and later appeared on their full-length album Accelerator. The single reached #22 on the UK singles chart...
" by The Future Sound of London
The Future Sound of London
The Future Sound of London is a prolific British electronic music band composed of Garry Cobain and Brian Dougans. The duo are often credited with pushing the boundaries of electronic music experimentation and of pioneering a new era of dance music...
.
In 2003, their song "La Breeze" was featured in a Peugeot 1007
Peugeot 1007
The Peugeot 1007 is a hatchback produced by the French automobile manufacturer Peugeot from 2004 to 2009. It was based on the same platform as the Peugeot 206 and Citroën C3.-Design:...
advertisement, in the Dove
Dove (brand)
Dove is a personal care brand owned by Unilever.Dove products are manufactured in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Ireland, Netherlands, Thailand, Turkey and United States. The products are sold in more than 35 countries and are offered for both women and men.. The Dove...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
advertisement "Onslaught
Onslaught (Dove)
Onslaught is an online advertising campaign created by Unilever in 2007 to promote the Dove Self-Esteem Fund. It is the third such piece to be released, following Daughters and Evolution. As with the previous spots, the 80-second spot was managed by advertising agency Ogilvy & Mather and was...
", and in a promotional CD distributed by Spin Magazine in 2003.
Split
The band split up in 2005 with Ford and Shaw forming the splinter group Simian Mobile DiscoSimian Mobile Disco
Simian Mobile Disco are a United Kingdom-based production and remix team formed in 2005 by James Ford and Jas Shaw of the band Simian. Musically, they are known for their analogue production...
. The new group is more dance
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
oriented and are in demand as remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
ers and DJs. Ford is also in the baroque pop group The Last Shadow Puppets
The Last Shadow Puppets
The Last Shadow Puppets is a band consisting of Alex Turner of the Arctic Monkeys, Miles Kane formerly of The Rascals, and composer/producer James Ford.-Formation:...
with the Arctic Monkeys
Arctic Monkeys
Arctic Monkeys are an English indie rock band. Formed in 2002 in High Green, a suburb of Sheffield, the band currently consists of Alex Turner , Jamie Cook , Nick O'Malley and Matt Helders...
singer Alex Turner
Alex Turner
Alex Turner is the name of:*Alex Turner , Virginian slave, who escaped at the beginning of the American Civil War and fought in the Union army*Alex Turner , film director...
. Lord is now in The Black Ghosts
The Black Ghosts
The Black Ghosts are a United Kingdom-based electronic music duo composed of Theo Keating and Simon William Lord, formed in 2006. They are currently signed to Southern Fried Records in the UK and IAMSOUND Records in North America. Keating and Lord had previously been in the bands The Wiseguys and...
, an electronica act with DJ Touche
Theo Keating
Theo Keating, also known as Touché and Fake Blood, is a British DJ, musician and music producer who made his name as one half of The Wiseguys, a British hip hop/big beat band, together with Paul Eve...
from The Wiseguys
The Wiseguys
The Wiseguys was a British electronica and hip hop band that was responsible for creating the song "Start the Commotion" that was in a Mitsubishi TV advertisement, as well as the films Lizzie McGuire, Zoolander and Kangaroo Jack; and "Ooh La La", which was used in Budweiser commercials...
.
In 2006 the single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
"We Are Your Friends", which is a remix of their song "Never Be Alone", was released on a reactivated Virgin Records
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
subsidiary label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
called Ten Records. This single was credited to "Justice vs. Simian", and started life as a submission by the French electrohouse outfit Justice
Justice (French band)
Justice is a French electronic music duo consisting of Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay . The duo is one of the most successful groups on Ed Banger Records and is managed by the label's head, Pedro Winter...
in a remix competition. The video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for the single won the award for best video at MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
Europe Video Awards 2006. At the MTV Europe Music Awards
MTV Europe Music Awards
The MTV Europe Music Awards were established in 1994 by MTV Networks Europe to celebrate the most popular music videos in Europe. Originally beginning as an alternative to the American MTV Video Music Awards, the MTV Europe Music Awards is today a popular celebration of what MTV viewers consider...
2006, fellow nominee Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
appeared on stage to complain about the Justice vs. Simian victory. West claimed that the prize should have gone to him, and that he was told prior to the event that he was going to win the award.
In 2011, NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
placed "We Are Your Friends" at number 19 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years".
Singles and EPs
The following releases were in the UK only, on Source Records:- Watch It Glow (EPExtended playAn EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, 16 October 2000) - The Wisp (EP, 21 May 2001)
- "One Dimension" (22 October 2001)
- "Mr. Crow" (25 February 2002)
- "Never Be Alone" (14 October 2002)
- "La Breeze" (2 June 2003) - UKUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
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