CHEMICAL BROTHERS [06:02:08] STILL PUSHING BUTTONS Few tag-team duos can lay claim to having the sort of commercial success that has been afforded Thomas Rowlands and Edmund Simons. Chemical Tom and Chemical Ed! Their story is one of constant reinvention and evolution. Coupled with their ability to stay at the forefront of an ever-changing electronic music landscape, their music has touched people of every age, race, religion and creed from Bangalore to Ginza. While their history might sound similar to many others stories you read, it has been their foresight that has seen The Chemicals remain relevant and pioneering. As Ed explains: “We actually met at university in the late 1980s and we started on the DJ circuit together. Our first record came out in 1995 and ever since I think we’ve had a really great creative partnership and a good friendship as well. We’ve travelled the world so many times over, done so much studio work and experienced so many different stages in our careers. There were hard times too, but on the whole it has been a great long term experience.” 1995’s debut, ‘Exit Planet Dust’, set the scene. 12 years later, ‘We Are The Night’ finds the duo in completely new musical territory. Despite that obvious progression, the duo’s ability to create music with a sense of power and emotion has remained intact. Indeed, it’s what sets them apart from their peers. And while they might be electronic music’s strongest ambassadors, you won’t hear either of them admit it. “We really don’t see ourselves as a vanguard of electronic music,” explains Ed. “It’s difficult, but in particular we make sure we don’t make music for the sake of it. Both of us are pretty stern critics of what we do and if we both decide that there’s something good enough to give the world we will!” While it’s a cliché, they consider last year’s ‘We Are The Night’ their best work yet. “Whenever you put something out, you have to think it’s the best one; when we did ‘Push The Button’ it reignited our zest and connected with a lot of people. The ‘Galvanize’ single was exciting and we sat down at the end after having drifted for a while and took it all in. It was the same with this project - we didn’t have a big conversation about it really. Key pieces of music just emerged and we built around the ideas that we had on the go.” Indeed, the pair continue to enjoy one another’s dynamic energy to this day and don’t feel like they are anywhere near the end of their never-ending cycle of creative output. “There is so much more to explore and at present when we’re not on tour, we’re relaxing, maybe doing some production work. I’ve even done some DJ gigs here and there.” Of course the Chemical Brothers live show is always a spectacle to behold and finds them flying the flag for everything old and new. Talking about the upcoming Australian tour, the guys remain committed to treating the crowd to an aural and visual spectacle that is almost without equal. Ed sums up with this: “We always try to create an exciting environment so that the music can be shared. It’s the only way to do it I think. When you’ve got a big crowd of people swept up in the moment we make sure the sound is pristine and the visuals crystal clear. There should be a sense of occasion otherwise it’s a CD being listened to at home.” RK The Chemical Brothers headline the Future Music Festival, Saturday March 1 at Doomben Racecourse. They’ll be joined by John Digweed, Roger Sanchez, Sven Vath, Aesop Rock, Markus Schulz and a whole lot more. back to top ^

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