Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons met while attending Manchester University in 1988. The two became instant friends and started playing music together at nightclubs. While DJing they called themselves Dust Brothers as a tribute to the American Dust Brothers, and then after some time changed their name to The Chemical Brothers. By 1995, the duo released their celebrated debut, Exit Planet Dust. Two years after came Dig Your Own Hole and then Surrender.
The Chemical Brothers are fine examples of modern electronic music because their music resonates with a wonderment and esteem. Of course, they are legends in their own right. The Chemical Brothers is a name that actually fits the frenzy, often caustic nature of their electronic magical power. Since making their debut in 1988, Rowlands and Simons have released a total of 7 studio albums, countless singles and remixes, and even a movie soundtrack for the action film Hanna and three songs for Black Swan. The Chemical Brothers philosophical nature of electronic music is an interesting reality to explore.
In the The Sunday Times, The Chemical Brothers explained their process of creating brilliant techno music. “We’re using all these old, unwieldy machines,” Simons says. “They’re all slightly out of tune, and they change as they heat up, but they’re brilliant to perform with. Those imperfections, those mistakes and accidents that happen with them as they go wrong, are all-important.”
The duo spoke of touring and the possibility of playing in Glastonbury, a festival best known for its contemporary music, but also features dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and many other arts. “We always imagine how our music will sound at Glastonbury,” Simons says. “If it’ll create the right feeling.”
When introducing a new album or concept of their techno music, Simon told The Sunday Times, “I look forward to seeing how people react. I know that when I hear the music at full volume, it physically changes my mood.”
Rowlands interjects, “Our gigs are just as much about the audience and the crowd noise as they are about us. You can’t be on stage and fake your enjoyment.”
One might wonder why the duo refuses to perform on television. Doing the talk show circuit might be kind of fun to see them perform techno live. Even though visiting with the late night talk shows hosts like Jay Leno or David Letterman might make their label happy, they will never say yes.
“We feel the same as we did all those years ago,” Simons told The Sunday Times. “We began DJing together playing wild instrumental hip-hop tunes, records with breakbeats and sirens on…”
“The trouble was, there were never enough records like that,” Rowlands continues. “So we decided to make our own. And here we are! To this day, we’re attracted to that sense of wildness.”
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About Brad Parmerter:
Brad Parmerter has almost 20 years experience in the music and entertainment industry as a writer, programmer, and merchandiser. He has professionally interviewed and photographed such artists as: Rush, Metallica, Celine Dion, Live, Phil Collins, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Live, Van Halen, Queensryche, Anna Nalick, Styx, Def Leppard, and many more.
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