Relaxed Muscle are an English electro duo formed in 2002 by
Pulp
Pulp may refer to:
* Pulp (fruit), the inner flesh of fruit
Engineering
* Dissolving pulp, highly purified cellulose used in fibre and film manufacture
* Pulp (paper), the fibrous material used to make paper
* Molded pulp, a packaging material
...
's
Jarvis Cocker
Jarvis Branson Cocker (born 19 September 1963) is an English musician and radio presenter. As the founder, frontman, lyricist and only consistent member of the band Pulp, he became a figurehead of the Britpop genre of the mid-1990s. Following P ...
and
All Seeing I
The All Seeing I were a British electronic music group from Sheffield, England, comprising Dean Honer, Jason Buckle and DJ Parrot (real name Richard Barratt).
Biography
The band released their first single "I Walk" in 1997, but it was not unti ...
's
Jason Buckle
The All Seeing I were a British electronic music group from Sheffield, England, comprising Dean Honer, Jason Buckle and DJ Parrot (real name Richard Barratt).
Biography
The band released their first single "I Walk" in 1997, but it was not unti ...
.
In early 2003, Relaxed Muscle began playing gigs. Cocker and Buckle maintained anonymity by assuming the alter-egos 'Darren Spooner' and 'Wayne Marsden' respectively. Billing themselves as "the sound of young
Doncaster
Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated in ...
", Darren claimed to have met Wayne "planting flowers" while doing
community service
Community service is unpaid work performed by a person or group of people for the benefit and betterment of their community without any form of compensation. Community service can be distinct from volunteering, since it is not always performe ...
for burglary. Their fictional criminality fitted the project well, with their songs about sex, gambling and domestic violence complementing the depraved character of Relaxed Muscle.
While on-stage as Darren Spooner, Cocker took to karate-chopping balsa wood and breaking
sugar glass bottles on other band members.
However, soon Cocker and Buckle's cover was blown while playing a gig in London, despite wearing full eye make-up and skeleton suits.
Even with their identities revealed, the band continued playing gigs, capitalising on their electronic sound to play the likes of
Trash
Trash may refer to:
Garbage
* Garbage, unwanted or undesired waste material
** Litter, material discarded in inappropriate places
** Municipal solid waste, unwanted or undesired waste material generated in a municipal environment
Arts, enter ...
club on 20 October 2003.
Relaxed Muscle seemed to fade away after their album release in 2003. Pulp remained on a hiatus. However, Cocker and Buckle worked on the soundtrack for ''
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire'' which was released in November 2005 and have since worked together on Cocker's solo album ''
Jarvis'' (2006).
From 5–8 April 2012, Relaxed Muscle appeared as part of a special event titled 'Who's Zoo?' created by British choreographer
Michael Clark. The event featured music accompanied by dancers – both professionals and untrained volunteers – plus, special lighting and projections. ''The New York Times'' reviewed the first night and reported that Relaxed Muscle played four of the show's six songs with "The Heavy", "Let It Ride", "Beastmaster" and an encore of "B-Real" from their album ''
A Heavy Nite With...''.
Discography
Albums
*''
A Heavy Nite With...'' (2003) - No. 13
UK Indie Albums Chart
Singles/EPs
*''Heavy EP'' (2003) - No. 135
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
*#"The Heavy"
*#"Rod of Iron"
*#"Branded!"
*''Billy Jack/Sexualized'' (2003)
*# "Billy Jack"
*# "Sexualized"
*# "Year of the Dog"
References
English electronic music duos
Rough Trade Records artists
Musical groups from Sheffield
{{UK-electronic-band-stub