Simian Mobile Disco - Indie Meets Dance.

Because we are your friends.
Friday 10/26/07 - Club Bonbon

The French duo Justice broke onto the electronic dance music scene in 2004 with their massive remix of Simian's "We are you friends/Never be alone" on DJ Hell’s awesome "International DJ Gigolos" record label. The release launched the careers of both Simian Mobile Disco and Justice, and was right on target with Hell's 'Gigolo' sound -- open and adventurous music that laughs in the face of convention, fusing raw acid-house with electro, nu-wave and synth-pop.

This Friday, Shanghai's autumn party season goes into full effect with a visit by Simian Mobile Disco in the first Godskitchen monthly event of the season. See below for special free tickets and GK CDs and DVDs!

Because we are your friends, you'll never be alone again. So come on...

"Never Be Alone" aka "We Are Your Friends" is the song that’s ruled dancefloors for the last three years and is the tune that invented Simian Mobile Disco.

Back in the late '90s, James Ford and Jas Shaw were studying biology at and philosophy respectively at Manchester University, while crafting strange electronic music in the spare room of their shared house. Fellow student Simon Lord, a folk-influenced singer-songwriter, caught wind of the duo’s sonic experiments, and along with bass player Alex MacNaughten they formed the band Simian.

In order to sate their love of electronic party music, James and Jas booked themselves DJ dates while touring with Simian. They’d finish a live gig and then run off to play electro records to small, sweaty rooms full of people who often seemed to be having lots more fun than the audiences at their gigs. They called themselves Simian Mobile Disco.

At around the same time, their record company decided to launch a competition for bedroom acts to remix the Simian track "Never Be Alone". A then unknown French production duo called Justice entered and, famously, didn’t win (James blames this on the dodgy stereo they had to listen to the entries on). Nevertheless, the remix was picked up by DJs like Erol Alkan and became something of a party anthem. It’s still played regularly in clubs now, four years after its initial release. It gave James and Jas the boost to strike out on their own as DJs, remixers and producers of thumping electronic party tunes. Simian Mobile Disco became a reality.

They knocked up a few tunes of their own, and released them on labels such as Kitsuné and Click Click Bang, run by their friends. Thanks to having a foot in both indie and dance camps – with their productions combining the dynamics of rock with the propulsive groove and acid fury of techno – they became DJs of choice for all the emerging club nights that were putting on live bands as well as the usual gurn-fodder.

James produced albums for Mystery Jets, Klaxons and Arctic Monkeys. "He makes the magic happen," said Jamie Reynolds from Klaxons. "I think he receives outer-planetary signals through his hair and they come out through his eyes." Meanwhile, Jas began to build the largest modular synth in the South East of England.

They kept making tunes as Simian Mobile Disco but were careful not to take it too seriously, aware that over-thinking their music would be the death of its jubilant, instant appeal. They went to New York to record the vocals of an aspiring singer/rapper called Char Johnson. She freestyled for 45 minutes and SMD edited the best bits into 'Hustler’, an incendiary dancefloor destroyer that owned 2006, and even got mashed-up with Rick Ross’s coke-rap hit "Hustlin’".

Indie kids can find dance music to be a strange confusing world, and SMD are the friendly gatekeepers, just as The Chemical Brothers were to Britpop fans in the '90s. James and Jas would prefer to avoid the idea that they are providing any kind of cultural function but at the same time they like the idea of introducing people to new sounds, playing Lindstrom to the rock kids, or unleashing Padded Cell at Cream.

Godskitchen worldwide proudly presents Simian Mobile Disco in their first appearance in China at Club Bonbon. It’s an awesome follow up from big party nights by Cocoon and Hospital last week, and is the perfect setup for a forthcoming visit by the founder of Berlin record label "International Deejay Gigolos" DJ Hell.

Club Bonbon and http://urbanon.com are currently running promotions for free tickets, Godskitchen CDs, and DVDs! See http://www.clubbonbon.com or http://urbanon.com for details on how to win free tickets and Godskitchen merchandise!

Club Bonbon, voted Shanghai's Best Club 2 years in a row!
2F – 3F YunHai Tower, No. 1329 – 1331, HuaiHai Road
Http://www.clubbonbon.com
Reservations: 133 2193 9299