South

The electronic trio South originated through a close friendship that developed among Joel Cadbury, Brett Shaw, and Jamie McDonald during their teenage years at Haverstock Secondary School in London. Eager to escape the monotony of working-class routines, the three decided to launch a band. All function as multi-instrumentalists, with Jamie McDonald handling vocals while the group shares duties on guitar, bass, percussion, and keyboards. Their initial professional steps involved remixing tracks, followed by sessions with Ian Brown. UNKLE’s James Lavelle took particular notice of their layered skills and signed them to Mo’ Wax Recordings near the end of the ’90s. A series of limited-edition 7" singles and a 12" EP soon appeared, prompting NME, Melody Maker, and Flipside to single out South as one of the standout musical prospects for 2000.

That attention directly preceded the spring arrival of their debut album, From Here on In. The record fused dark acoustic textures, hushed vocals, and buoyant yet abrasive dance rhythms. Lavelle’s endorsement also secured the band a role on the soundtrack to Jonathan Glazer’s thriller Sexy Beast in early 2001. Regular play at Fabric and Damian Harris’ Big Beat Boutique further spotlighted their standing as both dance innovators and cross-cultural space rockers. South resurfaced in 2003 with the Dave Eringa-produced With the Tides. Their first release on Young American Recordings, the limited-edition Speed Up/Slow Down EP, surfaced in late 2005. For their third album, 2006’s Adventures in the Underground Journey to the Stars, the English trio abandoned its signature electronic layers in favor of a straightforward, stripped-down pop sound. North American shows with Something for Rockets and Margot & the Nuclear So and So’s supported the April release. Six months later the band issued its first concert CD/DVD package, Safety in Numbers: South’s Tour Diary. South returned with You Are Here in 2008.