South In-depth Biography
The electronic} trio South} began out of a bond between friends. Joel Cadbury}, Brett Shaw}, and Jamie McDonald} met as teenagers while attending Haverstock Secondary School in London. To beat the doldrums of working-class life, they opted to start a band. All are multi-instrumentalists -- McDonald} takes on vocal duties whereas all three participate in playing guitar, bass, percussion, and keyboards. South} first delved into professional music by remixing cuts, later tinkering around with Ian Brown}. UNKLE}'s James Lavelle} was the one who was most impressed by these young lads' intricate talents and took them under his wing, signing them to his Mo' Wax Recordings} by the near end of the '90s. Several 7" limited-edition singles were released alongside a 12" EP, leaving NME}, Melody Maker}, and Flipside} praising South} to be one of the major facets of music for 2000.
Of course, this led to their stunning debut, From Here on In}, which took shape later that spring. It was an impressive mix of dark acoustics, hushing vocals, and breezy yet rough-cut dance beats. Lavelle}'s love for South} also allowed the band to collaborate on the soundtrack} to Jonathan Glazer}'s thriller} Sexy Beast} in early 2001. Breaks spinning at Fabric} and Damian Harris}' Big Beat Boutique} also electrified the trio's double musical stance as dance} innovators and cross-cultural space rockers}. In 2003, South} returned with the Dave Eringa}-produced With the Tides}. The limited-edition Speed Up/Slow Down} EP marked South}'s first release for Young American Recordings} in late 2005. For South}'s third album, 2006's Adventures in the Underground Journey to the Stars}, the English trio did away with its signature electronic} layers for a stripped-down, straightforward pop} affair. North American dates with Something for Rockets} and Margot & the Nuclear So and So's} coincided with the album's April release date. The band's first-ever concert CD/DVD package, Safety in Numbers: South's Tour Diary}, followed six months later. ~ MacKenzie Wilson, All Music Guide
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