Sneaky Sound System

Electro-pop outfit Sneaky Sound System first rose to prominence as one of Australia’s leading club acts through its self-titled 2006 debut album. Songwriter and producer “Black Angus” McDonald crossed paths with MC Daimon “Double D” Downey at a Sydney costume party during spring 2000; the pair promptly decided to co-headline DJ sets at a friend’s nightclub. The next summer they began recording together as Sneaky Sound System, secured a deal with Sony Music Australia, and delivered the mix CD Other Peoples Music in late 2003. After launching their own Whack Recordings imprint, Black Angus and Double D enlisted producer and engineer Peter Dolso to shape their first proper album, which yielded an early club favorite in the single “Hip Hop Hooray.” Vocalist Miss Connie Mitchell, previously of the Aussie rock trio Primary, soon joined and the lineup finished the self-titled LP; the record spawned the Top 40 singles “I Love It” and “Pictures” and was later certified triple platinum at home. Subsequent tours found the group supporting Jamiroquai, Robbie Williams, and the Scissor Sisters. The follow-up album Two arrived in 2008 and reached the top of the ARIA album chart. After Downey’s departure the remaining members moved to Modular and issued From Here to Anywhere in 2011. Their Tiësto collaboration “I Will Be Here” topped Billboard’s Dance Airplay chart in the United States, while “The One,” a 2014 single produced with the Knocks, followed. Mitchell has also contributed to recordings by Snoop Dogg, Rick Ross, and Kanye West.