Filthy Dukes

All Music Guide:

A stylish update on '80s synth pop, Filthy Dukes first took shape in 2005 when club promoters Olly Dixon and Tim Lawton started DJing as a duo while supporting acts at their Kill Em All night at London's Fabric nightclub. Eventually interests turned from spinning records to making their own records, and the two began releasing remixes, including songs by the Rakes, Bloc Party, and Heloise & the Savoir Faire. After the success of their Maccabees remix, Dixon and Lawton were convinced by their musical peers to write their own material. Teaming up with producer Mark Ralph, they started recording in the studio. Ralph became a permanent fixture of the band, and the three started playing shows, quickly building a following of fans that drew from both the rave and rock culture. Well established as a solid live band by only their third show -- a prominent bill at Glastonbury -- Filthy Dukes found the studio to be a different entity than the stage, with their instruments left behind in favor of the producer's hand. This style of recording led to many collaborative spots with guest vocalists. In late 2007, Filthy Dukes pressed a limited run of "This Rhythm," an electro-house track with Samuel Dust of Late of the Pier on vocals; Girls Aloud singer Sarah Harding collaborated with the group for a track on 2008's Wild Child soundtrack; and the first single, "Tupac Robot Club Rock," from their debut full-length featured raps by Plastic Little. After the group signed to Fiction Records, Nonsense in the Dark was released in March of 2009.

Wikipedia:

Filthy Dukes are a synthpop band from London, England. The band is composed of Olly Dixon (sampling, electronic percussion, electric guitar), Tim Lawton (synthesisers, lead vocalist) and Mark Ralph (bass guitar, backing vocals). Having been active since 2005, the band released their debut single "Tupac Robot Club Rock" on Fiction Records. The track features vocals by Philadelphian rap group Plastic Little. Their debut album, Nonsense in the Dark, was released on Monday 16 March 2009 with the track Messages receiving a lot of airplay. It was later released as a single.

Band history

The group began as Olly Dixon and Tim Lawton working together, where they promoted various club nights and DJ sets. They would go on to play supporting DJ sets for Mylo, Hot Chip and LCD Soundsystem, as well as release remixes of bands such as Late of the Pier, The Rakes and The Maccabees. Their music was described as "electroacidhousenuravetwisteddiscopunkfunk". The duo then joined together with long-term producer Mark Ralph to begin playing live. The band have their own resident DJ set, Kill Em All, which they have been playing for five years. It currently takes place at Fabric.

The band collaborated with Girls Aloud singer Sarah Harding on a track for the film Wild Child, released in August 2008. It is also set to appear on the film's soundtrack. The track sparked rumours that Harding would be leaving Girls Aloud to pursue a solo career, a rumour she later denied.