Metronomy are an English

electronic music Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroac ...

group formed in 1999. As of 2021, the band consists of

Joseph Mount Joseph Patrick Kennith Mount (born 11 September 1982) is an English musician and record producer. He is the founder of British band Metronomy. Biography Mount started out as a rock and roll drummer, playing in various bands at school and then ...

(vocals, keyboards and guitar), Oscar Cash (keyboards, backing vocals, guitar and saxophone), Anna Prior (drums and vocals),

Olugbenga Adelekan Olugbenga Adelekan, also known as Olugbenga, is a Nigerian-born music producer. Olugbenga performs as a solo artist and as the bass player of the Mercury Music Prize Award-nominated band Metronomy. Biography Born in Lagos, Nigeria, Olugbenga m ...

(bass guitar and vocals) and Michael Lovett (keyboards and guitars). Their music consists of vocal and instrumental electronic pop music. Mount also releases remixes under the name Metronomy, and has remixed many artists including

Gorillaz Gorillaz are an English virtual band formed in 1998 by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett, from London. The band primarily consists of four fictional members: 2-D (vocals, keyboards), Murdoc Niccals (bass guitar), Noodle (guitar, ...

, Sebastien Tellier,

Roots Manuva Rodney Hylton Smith, better known by his stage name Roots Manuva (born 9 September 1972), is a British rapper and producer. Since his debut in 1994, he has produced numerous albums and singles on the label Big Dada, achieving commercial succes ...

Franz Ferdinand Archduke Franz Ferdinand Carl Ludwig Joseph Maria of Austria, (18 December 1863 – 28 June 1914) was the heir presumptive to the throne of Austria-Hungary. His assassination in Sarajevo was the most immediate cause of World War I. F ...

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Goldfrapp Goldfrapp are an English electronic music duo from London, formed in 1999. The duo consists of Alison Goldfrapp (vocals, synthesiser) and Will Gregory (synthesiser). Despite favourable reviews and a short-listing for the Mercury Prize, their ...

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Ladytron Ladytron are a largely British electronic band formed in Liverpool in 1999. The group consists of Helen Marnie (lead vocals, synthesizers), Mira Aroyo (vocals, synthesizers), Daniel Hunt (synthesizers, guitar, vocals), and Reuben Wu (synthesize ...

Kate Nash Kate Marie Nash (born 6 July 1987) is an English singer-songwriter and actress. Nash launched her music career in 2005. Her 2007 single " Foundations" became a hit and brought her to public attention in the UK. Her debut album, '' Made of Bricks ...

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and

Lykke Li Li Lykke Timotej Zachrisson (born 18 March 1986), known as Lykke Li (), is a Swedish singer. Her music often blends elements of indie pop, dream pop and electronic. Her debut studio album, ''Youth Novels'', was released in 2008, and has been fol ...

. Metronomy have released seven albums of original material, '' Pip Paine (Pay The £5000 You Owe)'', ''

Nights Out ''Nights Out'' is the second studio album by English electronic music band Metronomy, released on 8 September 2008 by Because Music. Background The starting point for the album was, according to lead singer Joseph Mount, "a half-arsed concept ...

'', '' The English Riviera'', ''

Love Letters A love letter is an expression of love in written form. However delivered, the letter may be anything from a short and simple message of love to a lengthy explanation and description of feelings. History One of the oldest references to a l ...

'', ''

Summer 08 ''Summer 08'' is the fifth studio album by English electronic music band Metronomy, released on 1 July 2016 by Because Music. Recording and release ''Summer 08'' is Metronomy's first album recorded solely by member Joseph Mount since their ...

'', ''

Metronomy Forever ''Metronomy Forever'' is the sixth studio album by English electronic music band Metronomy, released on 13 September 2019 by Because Music. Critical reception ''Metronomy Forever'' received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Met ...

'', and '' Small World''.

Biography

As a teenager,

began Metronomy as a bedroom project while he was still living with his parents in

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

. After having an interest in music from an early age, he "drummed in a few bands at school and they all fell apart. Then I got an old computer off my dad and I started messing around when I was about sixteen or seventeen". Stuart Stubbs, 'Interview: Metronomy', ''Loud and Quiet Magazine'', May 2008 (vol. 2). The name Metronomy was originally chosen by Mount and was said to be influenced by the band names of

Autechre Autechre () is an English electronic music duo consisting of Rob Brown and Sean Booth, both from Rochdale, Greater Manchester. Formed in 1987, they are among the best known acts signed to UK electronic label Warp Records, through which all of Au ...

and

Funkstörung Funkstörung (sometimes stylized as Funkstorung) are an electronic music duo from Rosenheim, Germany, consisting of Michael Fakesch and Chris de Luca. History Chris de Luca and Michael Fakesch first met in 1992 at a techno party organised by F ...

. In 2002, Mount moved to

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

for his studies,"Factmag"
Angus Finlayson, 'On Record: Metronomy’s Joe Mount hails Outkast’s "ridiculously inspirational" Speakerboxx/The Love', ''Fact Magazine'', 28 August 2012. while having a number of odd jobs, including one at a local

HMV Sunrise Records and Entertainment, trading as HMV (for His Master's Voice), is a British music and entertainment retailer, currently operating exclusively in the United Kingdom. The first HMV-branded store was opened by the Gramophone Company ...

. Upon graduating, he became interested in music production and began "soundtracking animations". During his time in Brighton, Mount began to get involved with electronic music nights and performed as a DJ. At one of these gigs he was approached by "some guy, hotold me he'd put out a record. It turned out that of the songs I'd recorded, I had an album's worth"."Clash Brighton"
Tristan Parker, 'Metronomy's Guide To Brighton', Clash Music, 18 November 2009. In the autumn of 2005, Metronomy released a debut album, '' Pip Paine (Pay the £5000 You Owe) ''preceded by the first single 'You Could Easily Have Me'. After it had received limited attention, Mount began to build up a reputation for live shows. Initially, Metronomy was essentially a laptop/DJ act, although Mount soon asked his cousin Oscar Cash and an old schoolfriend Gabriel Stebbing to join him."Argus interview 2011"
Duncan Hall, 'Metronomy, Digital, Brighton', ''The Argus'', 15 April 2011. Mount explained that "I was doing some shows on my own (...), which was pretty crap, so I thought it would be better to get a band thing going on". The trio spent the next three years gaining live-experience while Mount recreated mixes for many other artists; contractual issues with the record company halted any new release. On remixing, Mount has said "(b)asically, I only like remixers that really care about what they're doing. I can honestly say that I have got really involved in all of my remixes. If I've not got anywhere with one I will tell whoever it is that I'm giving up. That doesn't happen that often." Metronomy has "a good strike rate" in terms of remix work released. However, a DFA-inspired remix of U2's "

City of Blinding Lights "City of Blinding Lights" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the fifth track on their eleventh studio album, ''How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb'' (2004), and was released as the album's fourth single on 6 June 2005. It was produced by Flo ...

" was dismissed by their marketing manager and was not released. Although the band was now a three-piece live, in the studio Mount was "still writing and recording it all on my own" and "influenced by people who’ve written, recorded and produced things all on their own, like Prince". In 2008, the band released the singles "My Heart Rate Rapid", "Holiday", "Heartbreaker" (which feat. a Remix by Kris Menace), "A Thing For Me" and "Radio Ladio" and the full album ''

'' in September of that year. Kris Menace's Remix of "Heartbreaker" became Hype Chart Nr.1 in 2008. In May 2009, it was announced through the band's Myspace page that Stebbing would be leaving the band. Joseph wrote "It's all very amicable and he's assured me he doesn't think he's fleeing a sinking ship." Stebbing is currently working with his own band, Your Twenties, which is being produced by Mount. Despite this, Stebbing reappeared to play bass for Metronomy for their appearance at the Far Out stage at Green Man 2010. In 2011, the band released three singles 'The Look', 'Everything Goes My Way' and 'The Bay' from their 3rd album '' The English Riviera'' which came out on 11 April. The album was the first to feature bassist

and drummer Anna Prior as band members, rounding out the band as a quartet. On 23 January 2014, Metronomy's upcoming single ''Love Letters'' was named

Zane Lowe Alexander Zane Reid Lowe (born 7 August 1973) is a New Zealand radio DJ, live DJ, record producer, and television presenter. After an early career in music creation, production and DJing, he moved to the UK in 1997. He came to prominence thro ...

's "Hottest Record in the World". In a telephone interview with the band, it was confirmed that the video would be directed by

Michel Gondry Michel Gondry (; born 8 May 1963) is a French filmmaker noted for his inventive visual style and distinctive manipulation of mise en scène. Along with Charlie Kaufman, he won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay as one of the writers ...

. Their fourth studio album, ''Love Letters'', was released on 10 March 2014, with the band achieving their joint highest ever position on the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...

, at number 7. In an interview with ''

Crack Magazine ''Crack'' is a monthly independent music and culture magazine distributed across Europe. Founded in Bristol in the UK in 2009, the magazine has featured Björk, MF Doom, Lil Yachty, FKA twigs, Gorillaz and Queens of the Stone Age on the cover. T ...

'', it was revealed that Metronomy would be releasing a new album in the summer of 2016. The title of the album was later revealed to be ''

'', with its release scheduled on 1 July 2016. On 13 September 2019, Metronomy released their sixth studio album, ''

''. Their seventh studio album, ''Small World,'' was released on 18 February 2022.

Pre-Metronomy

Before Mount started writing music as Metronomy he, Gabriel and friend Kevin Hawes, who died in 2005, performed and wrote music as part of The Upsides and The Customers. The Upsides were a band that Joseph and Gabriel joined when still in their early teens. According to Joseph they "played proper original pop songs – we like to think we were the original Busted". The band came to an end when both guys moved to Brighton to start university. The Customers started out in 1996 as a studio project for Will and Gregg who lived in a neighbouring village to Joseph's and Gabriel's home in

, but did not enter its present form until all members had moved from Devon to Sussex. Will worked with Gabriel and played out live under the guise of Willis. The name changed to The Customers on Christmas Day 2001. Joseph joined the band as drummer in 2002 and they welcomed Gregg back into the line-up to complete the four piece.

Live performances

20150627 Düsseldorf Open Source Festival Metronomy 0008

Metronomy have toured widely throughout the UK and Europe supporting acts such as

Coldplay Coldplay are a British rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer Will Champion and creative director Phil Harvey. They met at University Col ...

Bloc Party Bloc Party are an English Rock music, rock band, composed of Kele Okereke (lead vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards, sampler), Russell Lissack (lead guitar, keyboards), Justin Harris (bass guitar, keyboards, saxophones, backing vocals) and Loui ...

CSS Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) is a style sheet language used for describing the presentation of a document written in a markup language such as HTML or XML (including XML dialects such as SVG, MathML or XHTML). CSS is a cornerstone techno ...

and

Justice Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...

. They engaged in their first headline UK tour in 2008. Metronomy have also played gigs in America and Canada notably at the 2007

SXSW South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Te ...

. Up until April 2009, Joseph Mount's performance of keyboards, vocals, and guitar in the live band was accompanied by members Oscar Cash (keyboards,

melodica The melodica is a handheld free-reed instrument similar to a pump organ or harmonica. It features a musical keyboard on top, and is played by blowing air through a mouthpiece that fits into a hole in the side of the instrument. The keyboard usual ...

and saxophone), and Gabriel Stebbing (keyboards and bass guitar). Since Stebbing's departure from Metronomy in 2009 their live set has been known as Metronomy 2.0 and has been highly praised by Stebbing. Metronomy's new band features former

Lightspeed Champion Devonté Hynes (born David Joseph Michael Hynes, 23 December 1985), also known as Blood Orange and formerly Lightspeed Champion, is an English singer, songwriter, record producer and director based in New York City. From 2004 to 2006, Hynes was ...

drummer Anna Prior and bassist Olugbenga Adelekan. Metronomy's live shows include dance routines and light shows. Most notably they use push lights stuck to their chests. Mount explained: "We did our first gig in Brighton, and a few days before I saw these lights in a pound shop and I thought 'we'll whack these on our t-shirts and do some synchronised light shows!' I'm totally aware that some people hate it but equally I think some people enjoy it just for the fact that it's a bit of fun." Metronomy performed at Field Day music festival in Sydney on New Year's Day 2012 and toured the UK in February 2012 with

Two Door Cinema Club Two Door Cinema Club are a band from Bangor, County Down, Bangor, Northern Ireland. The band formed in 2007 and is composed of three members: Alex Trimble (vocals, rhythm guitar, beats, synths), Sam Halliday (lead guitar, backing vocals), and Ke ...

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and

Azealia Banks Azealia Amanda Banks ( ; born May 31, 1991) is an American rapper, singer and songwriter. Raised in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City, she began releasing music through Myspace in 2008 before being signed to XL Recordings at age 18. In 2 ...

on the

NME Awards Tour ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

2012. They also performed at

Primavera Sound Primavera Sound (commonly referred to as simply Primavera) is an annual music festival held in Parc del Fòrum in Barcelona, Spain that takes place between the end of May and beginning of June. The first edition took place in 2001 in Poble Espany ...

Festival in Barcelona in May 2014, at

Rock Werchter Rock Werchter is an annual music festival held in the village of Werchter, near Leuven, Belgium, since 1976 and is a large sized rock music festival. The 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2012 and 2014 festivals received the Arthur award for ''best festiv ...

in Belgium in June 2014 and at Festival No.6 at Portmeirion, Wales in September 2015. In June 2022, Metronomy appeared at the

Glastonbury Festival Glastonbury Festival (formally Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts and known colloquially as Glasto) is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts that takes place in Pilton, Somerset, England. In addition to contemp ...

Discography

* '' Pip Paine (Pay the £5000 You Owe)'' (2006) * ''

'' (2008) * '' The English Riviera'' (2011) * ''

'' (2014) * ''

'' (2016) * ''

'' (2019) * '' Small World'' (2022)

Awards and nominations

Antville Music Video Awards , - , 2009 , "A Thing For Me" , Most Fun , , - , rowspan="3" , 2011 , "The Bay" , Best Editing , , - , "She Wants" , Best Choreography , , - , rowspan="2" , Themselves , rowspan="2" , Best Commissioning Artist , , - , 2014 , D&AD Awards , - , 2012 , "The Bay" , Music Video , style="background:#BF8040", Wood Pencil Mercury Prize , - , 2011 , '' The English Riviera'' , Album of the Year , NME Awards , - , 2012 , "The Bay" , rowspan="2" , Best Dancefloor Filler , , - , 2015 , "Love Letters" , Rober Awards Music Poll , - , 2011 , Themselves , Best Pop Artist , UK Music Video Awards , - , 2009 , "A Thing For Me" , Best Dance Video , , - , rowspan="3" , 2011 , rowspan="3" , "The Bay" , Best Indie/Rock Video (UK) , , - , Best Editing , , - , Best Telecine , , - , rowspan="6" , 2014 , Themselves , Best Video Artist , , - , "I'm Aquarius" , rowspan="2" , Best Art Direction , , - , rowspan="2" , "Love Letters" , , - , Best Pop Video (UK) , , - , rowspan="2" , "Reservoir" , Best Animation , , - , rowspan="2" , Best Alternative Video (UK) , , - , rowspan="2" , 2016 , rowspan="2" , "Old Skool" , , - , Best Styling , , - , 2017 , "Hang Me Out to Dry" (ft.

Robyn Robin Miriam Carlsson (born 12 June 1979), known as Robyn (), is a Swedish pop singer, songwriter, record producer, and DJ. She arrived on the music scene with her 1995 debut album, ''Robyn Is Here'', which produced two Billboard Hot 100, ''Bil ...

) , Best Alternative Video (UK) ,

References

External links

* * *
Interview at musictowers.comInterview at nme.comSession for Planet ClaireInterview on remixes
with

Vice magazine ''Vice'' (stylized in all caps) is a Canadian-American magazine focused on lifestyle, arts, culture, and news/politics. Founded in 1994 in Montreal as an alternative punk magazine, the founders later launched the youth media company Vice Media, ...

{{Authority control English electronic music groups Musical groups from Brighton and Hove Because Music artists