Metronomy

All Music Guide:

Named after the musical term for the measurement of time by an instrument, Metronomy is the dance-meets-rock project of London-based multi-instrumentalist and producer Joseph Mount. The live version of Metronomy also includes keyboardist/saxophonist Oscar Cash and keyboardist/bassist Gabriel Stebbing. Prior to Metronomy, Mount and Stebbing played together in bands such as the Upsides, a pop group the pair described as "the original Busted," and the Customers, with whom they played in university. Using an old computer that his father gave him, Mount started Metronomy in 1990 as a side project to the other bands he played with. When his cousin Cash joined Metronomy, it became the trio's main project. With a sound inspired by everyone from Devo and David Bowie to N.E.R.D. and Pavement, Metronomy earned buzz for their engaging live show as well as official and unofficial remixes of tracks by Gorillaz, Architecture in Helsinki, Sebastien Tellier, Kate Nash, U2, and Britney Spears. Metronomy's debut single, "You Could Easily Have Me," arrived in spring 2005 on the Holiphonic imprint; the full-length Pip Paine (Pay the £5000 You Owe) was released that summer. Metronomy switched to their own label Need Now Future for their 2007 single "Radio Ladio." The following year, their second album Nights Out arrived; it became their breakthrough album, introducing their eclectic sound to a wider audience. In 2009, Stebbing left Metronomy to focus on his other project, Your Twenties. Bassist Gbenga Adelekan and former Lightspeed Champion drummer Anna Prior joined the fold for 2011's The English Riviera, which boasted a sleeker sound than the band's previous work.

Wikipedia:

Metronomy are an electronic music group formed by Joseph Mount in Totnes, Devon, England in 1999. The current band consists of Joseph Mount (composer, singer, keyboards and guitar), Oscar Cash (saxophone, backing vocals, guitars and keyboards), Anna Prior (drums and vocals) and Gbenga Adelekan (bass guitar and vocals). Their music consists of instrumental electronic music and more recently, with the release of Nights Out, vocal electronic pop music. Mount also releases remixes under the name Metronomy, and has remixed many artists including Gorillaz, Roots Manuva, Franz Ferdinand, Klaxons, Goldfrapp, The Young Knives, Zero 7, Ladytron, Kate Nash, Lady Gaga and Lykke Li.

Metronomy have released three albums of original material, Pip Paine (Pay The £5000 You Owe), Nights Out and The English Riviera which was released in April 2011.

Biography [edit]

Joseph Mount started Metronomy while he was still living in Devon as a side project to the various bands he played drums for. He has since claimed that most of these bands were torn apart by girlfriends. Using an outdated computer sold to him by his father, Mount began to make his own electronic compositions. The name Metronomy was originally chosen by Mount as Metronomy sounded cool and interesting and was in keeping with the bands he was heavily into, namely Autechre and Funkstorung. The word 'Metronomy' also linked to a Metronome, which is a piece of equipment musicians use to help the beat.

After relocating to Brighton, Metronomy began to build up a reputation for live shows, sometimes solo, sometimes joined by Gabriel Stebbing and Oscar Cash who provided support as Metronomy's backing band, The Food Groups. They are now no longer referred to as The Food Groups having been fully incorporated into the band.

In the autumn of 2005, Metronomy released a debut album, Pip Paine (Pay the £5000 You Owe). Over the next 3 years, Mount remixed many other artists, often adding new vocals and instrumentation. For example, in the case of his Goldfrapp remix a French monologue about Nottingham. On remixing, Mount has said "(b)asically, I only like remixers that really care about what they're doing. I can honestly say that I have got really involved in all of my remixes. If I’ve not got anywhere with one I will tell whoever it is that I’m giving up. That doesn't happen that often." Metronomy has "a good strike rate" in terms of remix work released. However, a DFA-inspired remix of U2's "City of Blinding Lights" was dismissed by their marketing manager and was not released.

In 2008, the band released the singles "My Heart Rate Rapid", "Holiday", "Heartbreaker" (which feat. a Remix by Kris Menace), "A Thing For Me" and "Radio Ladio" and the full album Nights Out in September of that year. Kris Menace's Remix of "Heartbreaker" became Hype Chart Nr.1 in 2008. In May 2009, it was announced through the band's Myspace page that Stebbing would be leaving the band. Joseph wrote "It's all very amicable and he's assured me he doesn't think he's fleeing a sinking ship." Stebbing is currently working with his own band, Your Twenties, which is being produced by Mount. Despite this, Stebbing reappeared to play bass for Metronomy for their appearance at the Far Out stage at Green Man 2010.

In 2011, the band released three singles 'The Look', 'Everything Goes My Way' and 'The Bay' from their 3rd album The English Riviera which came out on the 11th of April.

Pre-Metronomy [edit]

Before Joseph started writing music as Metronomy he, Gabriel and friend Kevin Hawes, who died in 2005, performed and wrote music as part of The Upsides and The Customers.

The Upsides were a band that Joseph and Gabriel joined when still in their early teens. According to Joseph they "played proper original pop songs - we like to think we were the original Busted". The band came to an end when both guys moved to Brighton to start university.

The Customers started out in 1996 as a studio project for Will and Gregg who lived in a neighbouring village to Joseph's and Gabriel's home in Devon, but did not enter its present form until all members had moved from Devon to Sussex.

Will worked with Gabriel and played out live under the guise of Willis. The name changed to The Customers on Christmas Day 2001. Joseph joined the band as drummer in 2002 and they welcomed Gregg back into the line up to complete the four piece.

Live performances [edit]

Metronomy have toured widely throughout the UK and Europe supporting acts such as Coldplay, Bloc Party, CSS, Klaxons, Kate Nash and Justice. They engaged in their first headline UK tour in 2008. Metronomy have also played gigs in America and Canada notably at the 2007 SXSW.

Up until April 2009 Joseph Mount's performance of keyboards, vocals, and guitar in the live band was accompanied by members Oscar Cash (keyboards, melodica and saxophone), and Gabriel Stebbing (keyboards and bass guitar). Since Stebbing's departure from Metronomy in 2009 their live set has been known as Metronomy 2.0 and has been highly praised by Stebbing.

Metronomy's new band features former Lightspeed Champion drummer Anna Prior, and bassist Gbenga Adelekan.

Metronomy's live shows include dance routines and light shows. Most notably they use push lights stuck to their chests. Mount explained in an interview where the idea came from:

"We did our first gig in Brighton and a few days before I saw these lights in a pound shop and I thought ‘we'll whack these on our t-shirts and do some synchronized light shows!’ I'm totally aware that some people hate it but equally I think some people enjoy it just for the fact that it's a bit of fun."

Metronomy performed at Field Day music festival in Sydney, Australia on New Years Day 2012 and toured the UK in February 2012 with Two Door Cinema Club, Tribes and Azealia Banks on the NME Awards Tour 2012.