Hometown: London
Members (L-R): Jas Shaw, James Ford
Fun fact: Ford has produced Arctic Monkeys, and Shaw is currently building the second largest modular organ in South England.
Why they’re worth watching: The big beat is back, and—with debut album Attack Decay Sustain Release now in stores—SMD is helping lead the charge.
For fans of: Daft Punk, Justice, LCD Soundsystem
A funny thing happened to James Ford and Jas Shaw on their way to indie-rock glory. They got remixed.
In the late ’90s, Ford and Shaw formed half of neo-psychedelic British rock outfit Simian. The band had a solid fan base, a record deal with Virgin and concerts booked around the globe. But in 2003, after some disputes with their label, Simian dissolved, calling it quits halfway through a tour. At the same time, a then-unknown French DJ duo named Justice remixed Simian’s “Never Be Alone.” The track became an international dance-club sensation, and—over the hysterical objections of losing nominee Kanye West—it won Best Video at the 2006 MTV Europe Music Awards.
Even when touring with Simian, Ford and Shaw often slipped out after concerts to DJ under the moniker Simian Mobile Disco (SMD). After Simian’s breakup, the duo began indulging their electronic impulses full time. SMD’s reputation and ambition have grown steadily since, and a new record deal has refocused the duo.
“It was only at the beginning of this year, when we signed to Wichita and decided to put together an album, that we started to think of ourselves as new artists,” Ford says.
Attack Decay Sustain Release grabs dance music’s percussive backbone and transplants it into rock ’n’ roll’s sinuous body. “We wanted to try and make a dance-music album that had a bit more coherence than normal,” Ford says. “We wanted to make an album you could listen to from the beginning to the end.”
He and Shaw borrowed elements from their rock days: snappy hooks, strong melodies and shout-’em-out-loud choruses, including one that culminates with the word “hotdog.” “We’re not dance kids at heart,” Ford says. “We haven’t been into club music all our lives. We’re kind of new to it, if you know what I mean. And I suppose that makes us approach it in a slightly different way.”