If there’s something The Chemical Brothers understand, it’s all about being unhinged.
The electronic music icons have always had the knack of pushing the envelope with edgy vocals and sounds that really plunge the depths of counter-culture.
Now with nine albums under their belt, a handful of Grammys, an amplitude of world tours and having played the stages of the biggest festivals in the world from Glastonbury to Coachella, Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons have enjoyed an incredible career – with no fears of slowing down.
And come next week, they’ll land in Australia to bring the live performance of their ninth album ‘No Geography’ to the stage.
In the three decades since they first bonded as history students in Manchester, The Chemical Brothers have enjoyed an international longevity in dance music where many are called but few are chosen.
But their staying power isn’t an enigma. It’s about not compromising on your sound while remaining fearless in the face of commercialism, results in a succession of victorious LPs to immeasurable dancefloor anthems, pioneering visuals with music videos and onstage production, ingenious remixes and a bucketload of collaborations – many of which have been surprising.
“We always found we weren’t quite in the right place,” Rowlands comments. “We’ve always hoped to be different – especially when we started and played dance music at rock festivals.
“There’s no direct, explicit message in our music to an extent, but all creative decisions and ideas are impacted about how we feel or what we bring into the studio that day; or what we’re talking about with our family and friends.
“So when we come into the studio and find samples, what appeals to a certain time is formed by how we are feeling with a certain sound because it has some kind of resonance. It’s not an explicit commentary for what’s happening in the world.
“Even if there’s a feeling of frustration of positive response to what’s going on around you. But we are people who are taking in what’s happening in the world around us.”
Collecting vocalists from every genre has been a particular speciality, be it from QTip to Noel Gallagher and Aurora, something which comes about “as a natural condition of being a fan,” Tom confirms.
“It’s a natural choice,” he states. “It’s just how we make music. It’s about what we like, what we want to hear, what excites us. It’s just a thing we both agree on from a wide area of ideas.
“It starts with ideas that don’t seem to fit together, but then come together – whether it’s guitars or hip hop – but then we bring it together and it makes sense. It’s our identity. And we’re constantly finding new ways of keeping us interesting and making new music.”
Their latest album, ‘No Geography’, seems to reference coming full circle while tied in with their classic approach of '90s-inspired sounds. And as aural and visual storytellers, their ninth album while still retaining flashbacks to their early days still remains forward thinking and progressive.
“Where we were making it, we definitely found it had connections to our records, a directness and feel,” Rowland relates.
“We’ve used a lot of sophisticated technology across the years. And as we were making records, we were also touring live quite a lot. So we were immersed in our music, and finding certain rhythms to really push and see what would connect with people.
“Then we would take that back into the studio and feed that sense back into the record. This album really has a sense of joy and sound – with all the explosive qualities.”
On 'No Geography', it has been Norwegian singer-songwriter and Australian darling Aurora who has particularly stood out on the ten-track album. “Working with Aurora came when we saw her playing at Glastonbury,” Rowlands outlines. “She’s so amazing. I was really blown away by her – all this joy that comes with her voice.
“We were looking for a voice that would tie things together and it became an amazing collaboration of unrestrained ideas in the studio. It was a real treat.
“She’s a real inspiration, with very special qualities. She gave a cohesion to the record, which I think also relates back to our early records that were focused in one idea.”
She’ll also be appearing in the visual production of the Chems when they land down under. Notorious as production fiends, Rowlands and Simons promise to stay true to form with the standard Chemical Brothers stage spectacle.
“We’re rehearsing with Adam Smith and Marcus Lyall to put the show together and working on new ideas. It’s going to be exciting. Technically, it’s going to be some kind of show. It feels really cool to have a new record and playing that live with the older music and the new stuff then remixing it all together. It’s been a long time but we’re looking forward to it for sure.”
Certainly, it’s been six years since Rowlands and Simons pillaged Australia’s dance floors. “It will be ever so nice to come back,” Rowlands exclaims.
“We’ve had some really amazing tours in Australia with Big Day Out and Future Music Festival. It was amazing – when we were living on the edge to achieve that unhingeness [sic]. But whatever I say will not be as exciting as that feeling of what will really happen.
“After 25 years of music, you will be able to see all the connections that first excited us – when we were playing in dingy basements in London with strobe lights and full intensity. That spirit is still in there.
“And with that, is the spectacle we’ve learnt from headlining festivals. We’re retaining that feeling of intensity of acid house with amazing visuals; to take our ideas and grinding towards an intense, joyful experience. That’s what we’re aiming for – to make people feel something.”
The Chemical Brothers 2019 Tour Dates
Thu 31 Oct - The Riverstage (Brisbane)Sat 2 Nov - The Dome (Sydney Showgrounds)
Tue 5 Nov - Melbourne Arena
