Biography
Hadouken! emerged among the cluster of indie acts vying for the crown of “Voice of Young Britain 2008,” armed with the declaration “We are the wasted youth/And we are the future too.” Taking their name from a Street Fighter special move, the group fused indie rock, rave culture, and grime into a sound that simultaneously evoked Lords of Acid, Dizzee Rascal, and Test Icicles. The project began in late 2006 when Leeds University students James Smith and Daniel Rice reversed the usual order by launching Surface Noise Records before assembling the band itself. Their breakthrough arrived in early 2007 when Mike Skinner of the Streets aired the track “That Boy, That Girl” on BBC Radio 1 during his fill-in slot for Zane Lowe. The single appeared that May and quickly drew notice from NME and Britain’s MTV2. The remainder of the year brought the follow-up single “Liquid Lives,” a contribution to Kitsuné Maison Vol. 4, the USB-stick mixtape Not Here to Please You, and a U.K. tour marked by animated performances and favorable coverage. In early 2008 the rowdy single “Get Smashed Gate Crash” paved the way for the debut album Music for the Accelerated Culture, issued through Atlantic. Two years later the NOISIA-produced For the Masses arrived, and in 2012 the band issued a series of singles via Ministry of Sound.
Albums
