It is very rare that an artist really changes how the music world thinks. There, of course, have been real revolutionaries throughout the history of music, creating the start of a new era of music, of which the examples are countless. However this is becoming increasingly rare, with music tending to evolve as sub genres, and coalitions between different forms of music, as is the case with trap music, arising as a meeting point between hip hop and bass music. Even house music, a scene which has been continually growing over the past year, with fantastic new acts such as Disclosure, Bondax, Julio Bashmore and Friend Within changing how we think of dance music, is rooted in the 1980s and has essentially just evolved from other types of music. So when a band that thinks of something completely different comes onto the scene, it is a genuine achievement.
This is the case, in my opinion, with Clean Bandit. Despite not inventing a new genre, and simply moving along the path laid down by other house acts, this group has been attracting attention through its interpretation of the genre. The British group have been around since 2009, but only achieved their first number one track, with Rather Be, in January 2014. The thing which sets the group apart from the competition is the fusion of house music and classical instruments such as viola and cello. The group formed while studying at Cambridge University, and came about through the relationship of James Patterson, the keyboardist for the group, and Grace Chatto, the cellist. Patterson remixed the recordings of Chatto’s quartet, which included the violinist for the group, Milan Neil Amin-Smith.
The fusion of classical music with dance music is one which I have always believed would be hugely successful, and one which, I personally believe, took far too long in the making. Patterson’s production perfectly matches the style created by the string instruments, creating a very clean sound, as the name suggests. Actually the name came about as a translation from a Russian phrase which is used to say ‘utter bastard’, weirdly.
Having worked with another house music mammoth Gorgon City, on the phonomenal track Intentions, this group is on its way up, undoubtedly so. Having already topped the UK charts, their forthcoming album, New Eyes, which is set for release on the 12th of May on Atlantic Records, should be one of the most monumental for the whole year. I can definitely recommend you keep an eye out for that. I would also expect more acts who fuse different genres to form their unique sound, such as Bondax and The Other Tribe, to emerge as time goes by. All in all, a new formula has been found, and I look forward to the end products which arise as a result.
Nilla Reviews 