The Knocks is an American
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 ...
duo consisting of Ben "B-Roc" Ruttner and James "JPatt" Patterson. They have released 3 full length albums
Big_Beat_Records,_Neon_Gold.html" ;"title="Big Beat Records (American record label)">Big Beat Records, Neon Gold">Big Beat Records (American record label)">Big Beat Records, Neon Gold, Atlantic Records, and their label HeavyRoc Music. In addition, they are prolific remixers, delivering remixes for artists across the musical spectrum. They are also known for their singles Classic (The Knocks song), "Classic," featuring the duo
Powers (duo), Powers (Certified Gold), "Ride or Die" ft.
Foster The People
Foster the People is an American indie pop band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 2009. Its members are singer Mark Foster, guitarist Sean Cimino, and keyboardist Isom Innis.
Foster founded the band in 2009 after spending several years in ...
, "Bodies" ft.
MUNA
Muna may refer to:
Places
* Muna (Mikulovice), a World War II POW camp and ammunition factory in the Czech Republic
* Muna, Estonia, village in Rõuge Parish, Võru County, Estonia
* Muna, Iran, village in East Azerbaijan Province, Iran
* Mu ...
, and marquee collaborations with
Sofi Tukker
Sofi Tukker (stylized in all caps) is a musical duo based in Florida consisting of Sophie Hawley-Weld and Tucker Halpern. They are best known for their songs "Drinkee", " Best Friend", and " Purple Hat". "Best Friend" was featured in a commerc ...
"Best Friend",
Purple Disco Machine
Tino Piontek (born 12 February 1980), also known as Tino Schmidt and the stage name Purple Disco Machine, is a German disco and house music producer and DJ.
Career
Tino Piontek was born in Dresden on 12 February 1980, and grew up in East Germa ...
"Fireworks," and
ODESZA
Odesza (; stylized as ODESZA) is an American electronic music duo originating from Bellingham, Washington. It consists of Harrison Mills and Clayton Knight, known individually as Catacombkid and BeachesBeaches. They formed in 2012, shortly bef ...
"Love Letter."
History
The duo's name, "The Knocks", refers to the early days in their career when neighbors would knock on their door for playing music too loudly.
They posted a
"Origins"video on YouTube explaining in more detail. Before focusing on their own music and remixes, they were producing beats and remixes for the likes of
Katy Perry
Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Known for her influence on modern pop music and her Camp (style), campy style, she has been ...
,
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the " Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage productio ...
,
Mobb Deep
Mobb Deep was an American hip hop duo from New York City. The duo consisted of rappers Prodigy and Havoc. They are considered to be among the principal progenitors of hardcore East Coast hip hopEdwards, Paul, 2009, ''How to Rap: The Art & Scien ...
,
Nikki Minaj,
Marina & the Diamonds
Marina Lambrini Diamandis (; el, Μαρίνα-Λαμπρινή Διαμάντη; born 10 October 1985), known mononymously as Marina (often stylised in all caps), and previously by the stage name Marina and the Diamonds, is a Welsh singer and ...
,
Flo Rida
Tramar Lacel Dillard (born September 16, 1979), better known by his stage name Flo Rida (, ), is an American rapper and singer. His 2007 breakout single " Low" was number one for 10 weeks in the United States and broke the record for digital dow ...
,
Sky Ferreira
Sky Tonia Ferreira (born July 8, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, model, and actress. As a teenager, Ferreira began uploading videos on Myspace of herself singing songs she had written, which led to her discovery by producers Bloods ...
,
Theophilus London
Theophilus Musa London (born February 23, 1987) is an American rapper and singer. A frequent collaborator of Kanye West, London was a producer on the 2022 album Donda 2 and was featured on West's 2015 single " All Day" which was nominated for sev ...
,
Ellie Goulding
Elena Jane Goulding ( ; born 30 December 1986) is an English singer and songwriter. Her career began when she met record producers Starsmith and Frankmusik, and she was later spotted by Jamie Lillywhite, who became her manager and Artists and ...
, and others.
''
NME
''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 ...
'' magazine named The Knocks as one of the "20 hottest producers in music" in 2010, and the group was featured frequently in ''
New York Post
The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com.
It was established ...
''s "Popwrap" the same year.
2010–15: ''Magic'', ''Comfortable'' and ''So Classic EPs''
Their single "Make It Better", released in 2010 on
Neon Gold Records
Neon Gold Records is a New York City-based boutique record label founded in 2008 by Derek Davies and Lizzy Plapinger.
Initially operating as a vinyl-only singles label, Neon Gold has launched the debut releases and international careers of ma ...
, was used in the US for a nationally televised
Corona
Corona (from the Latin for 'crown') most commonly refers to:
* Stellar corona, the outer atmosphere of the Sun or another star
* Corona (beer), a Mexican beer
* Corona, informal term for the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which causes the COVID-19 di ...
campaign. Their 2010 single "Dancing with the DJ" was an instant online success. Philadelphia hip hop band
Chiddy Bang
Chidera Anamege, now known by his stage name Chiddy Bang, is an American rapper from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Prior to its breakup, Chiddy Bang was an American hip hop duo consisting of Anamege, under the stage name Chiddy, and Noah Beresin, ...
sampled The Knocks' "Blackout" for their single "Here We Go" (featuring
Q-Tip) from their EP ''
The Preview''. Chiddy Bang subsequently sampled The Knocks' "When You've Got Music" and "Dancing with the DJ" for their mixtape ''
Peanut Butter and Swelly''. After the success of "Dancing With The DJ", their debut extended play, titled ''Magic'' was released in 2011.
In 2012, their cover of "
Midnight City
"Midnight City" is a song by French electronic music band M83. The track was first released in France on 16 August 2011, as the lead single from the group's sixth studio album, ''Hurry Up, We're Dreaming'' (2011). The song was written by Anth ...
" by
M83 featuring vocals by Mandy Lee, had 10,000 downloads in its first week on the website
SoundCloud
SoundCloud is an online audio distribution platform and music sharing website that enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is one of the largest music streaming se ...
. In June, the duo took the number one spot on the website
HypeMachine
Hype Machine is a music blog aggregator created by Anthony Volodkin.
History
Hype Machine was originally a music database created in 2005 by Anthony Volodkin, then a sophomore computer science major at Hunter College.Heilemann, JohCapturing the ...
with the track "Learn to Fly", which reached 100,000 plays on SoundCloud within a week of its release. "Geronimo", a collaboration with French producer
Fred Falke, was released on
Kitsuné Records in July 2012.
Later on in November 2012, the duo were featured alongside pop sensation
St Lucia
Saint Lucia ( acf, Sent Lisi, french: Sainte-Lucie) is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. The island was previously called Iouanalao and later Hewanorra, names given by the native Arawaks and Caribs, two Amerindi ...
in
Icona Pop's song "Sun Goes Down", which was released through their debut album ''
Icona Pop''. It was later revealed that the song was the duo's very first feature and co-produced track.
Afterwards, the duo released another successful single, featuring St. Lucia, titled "Modern Hearts", in the beginning of 2013 and earned the group another number-one placing on HypeMachine and reached the 100,000 plays mark on SoundCloud in four days. Within the same year, another single, titled "Comfortable", which featured vocals from X Ambassadors, was released, which was the made the lead single of their second extended play, also titled "Comfortable", and that was released shortly afterwards.
In 2014, The Knocks released a single on Neon Gold Records/
Big Beat Records, "Classic", featuring alt-pop duo POWERS. An official video was released that paid homage to video game ''
The Sims
''The Sims'' is a series of life simulation game, life simulation video games developed by Maxis and video game publisher, published by Electronic Arts. The franchise has sold nearly 200 million copies worldwide, and it is one of the best-selling ...
''. After it was released, they released a "Powers Sunset Version" which followed on shortly afterwards. This followed the songs "Dancing with Myself", "Collect My Love", featuring Alex Newell, and "Time" being released in early 2015. These tracks made up their third EP, titled ''So Classic'', which was released in April 2015.
2015–16: ''55''
In November 2015, it was reported that The Knocks' debut album, titled ''55'', was to be released in January 2016, but was delayed to a later date sometime within the early months of the year. ''55'' features collaborations with
Fetty Wap
Willie Junior Maxwell II (born June 7, 1991), better known by his stage names Fetty Wap or Harlem Fetty, is an American rapper, singer and songwriter. He rose to prominence after his debut single " Trap Queen" reached number two on the U.S. ''B ...
,
Cam'ron
Cameron Ezike Giles (born February 4, 1976), better known by his stage name Cam'ron, is an American rapper, record executive, and actor from Harlem, New York City. Beginning his career in the mid-1990s as Killa Cam, Giles signed to Lance "Un" ...
,
Wyclef Jean
Nel Ust Wyclef Jean (; born October 17, 1969) is a Haitian rapper, musician, and actor. At the age of nine, Jean immigrated to the United States with his family. He first achieved fame as a member of the New Jersey hip hop group the Fugees, a ...
,
Carly Rae Jepsen,
Matthew Koma
Matthew Bair (born June 2, 1987), known professionally as Matthew Koma, is an American singer, songwriter, DJ and record producer. Songs written by Koma include "Spectrum" and Grammy Award-winner "Clarity", both performed by Zedd. Koma has colla ...
,
Magic Man
"Magic Man" is a song by the American rock band Heart released as a single off their debut album, '' Dreamboat Annie.'' Written and composed by Ann and Nancy Wilson, the song is sung from the viewpoint of a young girl who is being seduced by a ...
,
Alex Newell
Alex Eugene Newell (born August 20, 1992) is an American actor and singer. They are known for their role as Unique Adams on the Fox musical series ''Glee'' and Mo on ''Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist''. Newell also starred as Asaka in the Broadway ...
, POWERS,
Phoebe Ryan
Phoebe Holiday Ryan (born September 21, 1990) is an American singer and songwriter. In 2015, she released a mashup of R. Kelly's "Ignition" and Miguel's "Do You", followed by her first single "Mine" from her debut EP of the same name. She signe ...
,
Justin Tranter
Justin Drew Tranter (born June 16, 1980) is an American songwriter, singer, and activist. Frequently co-writing with Julia Michaels, Tranter has written songs for artists such as Britney Spears, Gwen Stefani, Linkin Park, Kelly Clarkson, Selena ...
,
Walk the Moon
Walk the Moon (stylized as WALK THE MOON) is an American rock band based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Lead singer Nicholas Petricca started the band in 2006, while a student at Kenyon College, deriving the band's name from the song "Walking on the M ...
, and
X Ambassadors
X Ambassadors (also stylized XA) are an American pop rock band from Ithaca, New York. Its members currently include lead vocalist Sam Harris, keyboardist Casey Harris, and drummer Adam Levin. Russ Flynn is a touring member that plays guitar and ...
.
Work for the album began to show in August 2015, when the single "Classic", released for their ''So Classic'' EP, was re-mastered and released as a 2015 re-release, adding new feature vocals from Fetty Wap along with POWERS. Afterwards, the duo went on to uploading a brand new music video for their collaboration with Alex Newell, titled "Collect My Love" and was classed as the second re-release from their ''So Classic'' EP. Both songs from the EP were considered to be a part of the new album at the time.
In the late months of 2015, The Knocks released a new single which was the first song outside of the ''So Classic'' EP and other projects that they had previously work on, which sparked much interest about whether or not the duo was working on a new project. It was titled "I Wish (My Taylor Swift)" and was collaborated with Matthew Koma. It was eventually released in September 2015. The trailer for their debut album was released on their YouTube channel in November 2015, announcing it under the title ''55''. This teased the release of another single, titled "New York City", featuring vocals from Cam'ron, and was released the following month. Also in the same month, they re-released their official video for their 2013 single "Comfortable", featuring vocals from X Ambassadors, which was originally released under their 2013 ''Comfortable'' EP, and was classed as being another 2015 re-release.
Afterwards, in 2016, other projects also began to take place, such as their American "Route 55" Tour, which started on 15 January and ended on 13 February. Also, their first remix of the year was also released which was of
Taylor Swift
Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bor ...
's single "Welcome to New York", taken from her album ''
1989''. This was made the last bootleg of their "Summer Bootleg Series" which was released on SoundCloud. Remixes included Carly Rae Jepsen and her single "All That", and
Skrillex
Sonny John Moore (born January 15, 1988), known professionally as Skrillex, is an American DJ and music producer. Growing up in Northeast Los Angeles and Northern California, he joined the post-hardcore band From First to Last as the lead si ...
and
Diplo
Thomas Wesley Pentz (born November 10, 1978), known professionally as Diplo, is an American DJ and music producer. He is the co-creator and lead member of the electronic dancehall music project Major Lazer, a member of the supergroup LSD with ...
's collaborative single "
Where Are Ü Now
"Where Are Ü Now" is a song produced by American EDM artists Skrillex and Diplo under their collaborative effort Jack Ü, with vocals from Canadian singer Justin Bieber. The song was released as the second single from the duo's debut studio alb ...
", featuring
Justin Bieber
Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Bieber is recognized for his genre-melding musicianship and has played an influential role in modern-day popular music. He was discovered by American record executive Scooter ...
.
Away from the announcements of such projects, before the release of their collaboration with Wyclef Jean, they announced further that the duo were made executive producers for Jean's 2016 album. Their first single of the year, titled "Kiss The Sky", featuring vocals from Wyclef Jean, was released in January 2016. During the premiere of the track, it was reported afterwards that the release date for the debut album ''55'' was confirmed to be 4 March 2016. This was followed on by the track listings from the album being released with single "Comfortable", featuring X Ambassadors, confirmed to also be on the album. This was also among all tracks from the ''So Classic'' EP being confirmed as songs on the album, as well as the collaborations with Matthew, Cam'ron and Wyclef.
During their tour in late January, the duo were interviewed by ''The Daily Nebraskan'', stating news about the album ''55''. B-Roc, who makes up one half of the duo, stated, "I think the new album is similar to our ''So Classic'' EP. That's a good representation of what the album will be like." He also added that, "We didn't get to meet Fetty Wap, but Carly Rae was cool. Every artist we featured we previously had worked with or knew someone who knew them. The label didn't put them on our record; we wanted them on there."
After the tour in February, they announced that the duo is hoping to arrange some shows in Europe, but details of that are yet to be revealed.
In mid-February 2016, the duo then released their next song from ''55'', titled "Best for Last", which features vocals from Walk the Moon. In just under a week after that song was released, the song "Love Me Like That", which features vocals from Carly Rae Jepsen, was made the next single from the album. The day after it was released, Carly Rae Jepsen's management company, "SB Projects", which was run by
Scooter Braun
Scott Samuel "Scooter" Braun (born June 18, 1981) is an American entrepreneur, investor, and entertainment executive. Known as the manager for artists such as Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, J Balvin, Demi Lovato, The Kid Laroi and other artists ...
, signed the duo to which afterwards they stated that they are "looking forward to this new chapter in our career."
Starting in the turn of the month, the duo launched a video series called "New York Knocks", which features the passers by reactions with songs off of the album ''55''. The episodes also revealed snippets or teasers of songs from the album.
''55'' was eventually released on 4 March 2016. On the day of its release, the duo uploaded every remaining unreleased song from the album onto their digital streaming profiles on
SoundCloud
SoundCloud is an online audio distribution platform and music sharing website that enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is one of the largest music streaming se ...
,
Spotify
Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...
and
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
. These songs were "The Key", "Dancing With Myself", which is a 2016 re-release of the 2015 version, "Tied To You", featuring vocals from Justin Tranter, "Cinderella", featuring vocals from Magic Man, and "Purple Eyes", featuring vocals from
Phoebe Ryan
Phoebe Holiday Ryan (born September 21, 1990) is an American singer and songwriter. In 2015, she released a mashup of R. Kelly's "Ignition" and Miguel's "Do You", followed by her first single "Mine" from her debut EP of the same name. She signe ...
.
2016: Post success and collaborative projects
After the album's release, it reached number 2 on the US electronic charts.
A week later, the group teased the official video for single "New York City", featuring vocals from
Cam'ron
Cameron Ezike Giles (born February 4, 1976), better known by his stage name Cam'ron, is an American rapper, record executive, and actor from Harlem, New York City. Beginning his career in the mid-1990s as Killa Cam, Giles signed to Lance "Un" ...
; the video was released the following week. It featured footage from the
iPhone 6
The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are smartphones that were designed and marketed by Apple Inc. They are the eighth generation of the iPhone, succeeding the iPhone 5, iPhone 5C and iPhone 5S, and were announced on September 9, 2014, and rele ...
, which was promoted through the video. On the week of the teaser for the video they also premiered the official video for the acoustic version of single "Kiss the Sky", featuring vocals from
Wyclef Jean
Nel Ust Wyclef Jean (; born October 17, 1969) is a Haitian rapper, musician, and actor. At the age of nine, Jean immigrated to the United States with his family. He first achieved fame as a member of the New Jersey hip hop group the Fugees, a ...
.
At the end of March, the duo's second co-produced track was released (which was the first track co-produced by them since their collaboration with
Icona Pop), which was of Wyclef Jean's comeback single "My Girl", featuring vocals from Sasha Mari. At the time, it was planned to be the lead single of Jean's eighth studio album, titled ''Carnival Vol. III'' (originally announced as ''Clefication'') which the duo themselves later described as being so similar to their collaboration that they see it as being "a new Knocks album".
When approaching April, the album's success grew as the collaborations with
Magic Man
"Magic Man" is a song by the American rock band Heart released as a single off their debut album, '' Dreamboat Annie.'' Written and composed by Ann and Nancy Wilson, the song is sung from the viewpoint of a young girl who is being seduced by a ...
,
Carly Rae Jepsen, and Wyclef Jean all received promotion from various advertisements and television shows across the US. The group also released two remixes, one of
Phoebe Ryan
Phoebe Holiday Ryan (born September 21, 1990) is an American singer and songwriter. In 2015, she released a mashup of R. Kelly's "Ignition" and Miguel's "Do You", followed by her first single "Mine" from her debut EP of the same name. She signe ...
's single "Chronic" and one of
Justin Bieber
Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Bieber is recognized for his genre-melding musicianship and has played an influential role in modern-day popular music. He was discovered by American record executive Scooter ...
's single "
Company
A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of people, whether Natural person, natural, Legal person, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common p ...
" from his 2015 album ''
Purpose'', both of which were released on
SoundCloud
SoundCloud is an online audio distribution platform and music sharing website that enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is one of the largest music streaming se ...
.
Later in the month they announced that they were releasing remixes of songs from their debut album as part of a new project which materialized as their fourth EP, titled ''55.5''. Originally intended to be released on 29 April 2016, it was ultimately delayed until 24 June 2016. The first track from the EP, "Classic", was teased through SoundCloud shortly after the project's announcement, with the other tracks released periodically leading up to the final release dates.
In May 2016 the group toured with Justin Bieber on the Canadian branch of his ''Purpose'' tour, as well as with
Ellie Goulding
Elena Jane Goulding ( ; born 30 December 1986) is an English singer and songwriter. Her career began when she met record producers Starsmith and Frankmusik, and she was later spotted by Jamie Lillywhite, who became her manager and Artists and ...
. Shortly after, they announced their collaboration with Norwegian electronic group
Lemaitre on their single "We Got U", released on 17 June 2016. On the same day, Wyclef Jean released his second single produced by the group, titled "Hendrix".
In June 2016 the duo embarked on an American tour with
The 1975
The 1975 are an English pop rock band formed in 2002 in Wilmslow, Cheshire. Now based in Manchester, the band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Matthew "Matty" Healy, lead guitarist Adam Hann, bassist Ross MacDonald, and drummer G ...
, and on 7 July 2016 announced that ''55.5'' was expected to be released the following day.
In late August 2016, the duo revealed that they were returning the studio. They revealed on social media that they were collaborating with Carly Rae Jepsen on new material. The group, along with
Jack Antonoff
Jack Michael Antonoff (born March 31, 1984) is an American singer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer. Antonoff is the lead singer of rock band Bleachers, and is the guitarist and drummer in the pop rock band Fun. He was pr ...
and
Rami Yacoub
Rami Yacoub (born 17 January 1975), also known by the mononym Rami, is a Swedish record producer and songwriter and former member of the songwriting/production houses Cheiron Studios and Maratone. Yacoub collaborated extensively with Max Marti ...
, are expected to produce material for Jepsen's upcoming fourth studio album.
2016–17: ''Testify EP''
In October 2016, Whilst the duo were embarking on their European tour, they announced that a new single, titled "
Heat
In thermodynamics, heat is defined as the form of energy crossing the boundary of a thermodynamic system by virtue of a temperature difference across the boundary. A thermodynamic system does not ''contain'' heat. Nevertheless, the term is al ...
", featuring vocals from X Ambassadors lead singer
Sam Nelson Harris, was to be released on 21 October 2016. Upon release, the song was revealed to have been co-written and co-produced by
Styalz Fuego. A week after, they conducted a surprise remix of
Tove Lo
Ebba Tove Elsa Nilsson (born 29 October 1987), known professionally as Tove Lo (), is a Swedish singer and songwriter. She has been called "Sweden's darkest pop export" by ''Rolling Stone.'' She is known for her raw, grunge-influenced take o ...
's single "
Cool Girl
"Cool Girl" is a song recorded by Swedish singer-songwriter Tove Lo for her second studio album ''Lady Wood'' (2016). Lo co-wrote the song with its producers Jakob Jerlström and Ludvig Söderberg, who are known collectively as The Struts. The t ...
". The remix was released as a surprise track on her second studio album, titled ''
Lady Wood
''Lady Wood'' is the second studio album by Swedish singer and songwriter Tove Lo. It was released on 28 October 2016 by Island Records. ''Lady Wood'' is considered the first half of a two-piece concept album that describe "highs, lows and ult ...
'', on 28 October 2016.
In late November 2016, it was revealed that the duo were working on their fifth extended play and that the single "Heat" was the lead single.
Then, in January 2017, they announced that they were going to be collaborating with
MNEK
Uzoechi Osisioma "Uzo" Emenike (born 9 November 1994), professionally known by his stage name MNEK (, ), is a British singer, songwriter and record producer. He has been nominated for a Grammy and a Brit Awards, Brit Award, and has received the ...
on the EP.
On 4 January 2017, they released the trailer for their fifth extended play, which was announced under the title ''
Testify
In law and in religion, testimony is a solemn attestation as to the truth of a matter.
Etymology
The words "testimony" and "testify" both derive from the Latin word ''testis'', referring to the notion of a disinterested third-party witness.
La ...
''. A couple days later, they announced their second single from the EP, titled "Trouble", featuring Absofacto.
On 21 January 2017, the duo released the official track list of their fifth extended play, confirmed to be released on 3 February 2017. It is expected to feature the likes of Delacey,
Tayla Parx
Taylor is a unisex given name mainly in use in English-speaking countries, including England and Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. The name Taylor also has been well used for characters on American and now some Australi ...
, and Jerm, as well as
MNEK
Uzoechi Osisioma "Uzo" Emenike (born 9 November 1994), professionally known by his stage name MNEK (, ), is a British singer, songwriter and record producer. He has been nominated for a Grammy and a Brit Awards, Brit Award, and has received the ...
,
Sam Nelson Harris and Absofacto. The EP was later released as planned.
Billie Ellish and brother
Finneas
Finneas Baird O'Connell (born July 30, 1997), known mononymously as Finneas ( stylized in all caps), is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actor. He has written and produced music for various artists, most notably his sister, ...
are credited on the song "Your Eyes."
Later on in the month, it was reported that Patterson is working with
Julia Michaels
Julia is usually a feminine given name. It is a Latinate feminine form of the name Julio and Julius. (For further details on etymology, see the Wiktionary entry "Julius".) The given name ''Julia'' had been in use throughout Late Antiquity (e.g ...
on her debut major-label extended play, entitled ''Nervous System''.
2017–2018: ''Amelia Airhorn'', ''The Mary Nixons'' and ''New York Narcotic''
In June 2017, The Knocks collaborated with
Skylar Spence
Ryan DeRobertis (known by his stage name Skylar Spence and formerly known as Saint Pepsi) is an American electronic musician and singer who grew up in Farmingville, New York and attended Boston College for two years studying music. His electroni ...
to create a nu-disco project, reminiscent of Skylar's older work, under the moniker "Amelia Airhorn" in which they released their first single "Miracle" The project released their debut mixtape, entitled ''The Knocks & Skylar Spence Present...Amelia Airhorn'', which was released later on in the month.
During the conception of the project, The Knocks announced that they were officially starting production on their next studio album. Rumoured collaborations are with the likes of
St. Lucia
Saint Lucia ( acf, Sent Lisi, french: Sainte-Lucie) is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. The island was previously called Iouanalao and later Hewanorra, names given by the native Arawaks and Caribs, two Amerin ...
and
Dua Lipa.
On 22 June 2017, their affiliate
Wyclef Jean
Nel Ust Wyclef Jean (; born October 17, 1969) is a Haitian rapper, musician, and actor. At the age of nine, Jean immigrated to the United States with his family. He first achieved fame as a member of the New Jersey hip hop group the Fugees, a ...
announced the official lead single of his eighth studio album, entitled "What Happened to Love", featuring vocals from
dance-pop
Dance-pop is a popular music subgenre that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit radio. Developing from a ...
and
nu-disco rapper and songwriter
LunchMoney Lewis
Gamal Kosh Lewis (born January 11, 1988), better known as LunchMoney Lewis, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known for his 2015 single " Bills", which topped the charts in Australia and peaked within t ...
. The duo were officially labelled as co-writers and producers of the track. This was also when the album's title was confirmed to be ''
The Carnival Vol. III: The Fall & Rise of a Refugee'' and is scheduled to be released on 15 September 2017.
As of 6 July 2017, the duo have also worked with Levan Kali and
Stuart Price
Stuart David Price (born 9 September 1977) is an English electronic musician, DJ, songwriter, and record producer known for his work with artists including Madonna, Dua Lipa, The Killers, New Order, Kylie Minogue, DMA's, Example, Take ...
, who has previously remixed their 2017 single "Trouble", featuring Absofacto.
They have also started a punk-infused band with fellow musician
Mat Zo
Matan Zohar ( ; born 30 April 1990), better known by his stage name Mat Zo, is a British producer and DJ. Zohar released his debut album, ''Damage Control'', via the Anjunabeats and Astralwerks labels on 5 November 2013. His second studio alb ...
called The Mary Nixons. Their debut single, entitled "Adrian" was released on 14 July 2017.
In August 2017, the duo stated that they are already working on the finishing touches and artwork for the album's lead single. On Twitter, they announced that "it would be the first Knocks single in almost a year when it comes out", succeeding their previous single "Lie", featuring Jerm.
In September 2017, the duo featured in
Sofi Tukker
Sofi Tukker (stylized in all caps) is a musical duo based in Florida consisting of Sophie Hawley-Weld and Tucker Halpern. They are best known for their songs "Drinkee", " Best Friend", and " Purple Hat". "Best Friend" was featured in a commerc ...
's new single "Best Friend", alongside
Nervo
Nervo (stylised as NERVO) are an Australian DJ duo comprising twin sisters Olivia and Miriam Nervo (born 18 February 1982). After signing with Sony/ATV Music Publishing at 18 years of age, the sisters pursued careers as songwriting partners and ...
and
Alisa Ueno. The duo teamed up with the group after producing remixes of their recent releases and being in sessions together working on the duo's second album. The song later appeared on the advertisement for the new
iPhone X
The iPhone X (Roman numeral "X" pronounced "ten", also known as iPhone 10) is a smartphone designed, developed and marketed by Apple Inc. It is part of the 11th generation of the iPhone. Available for pre-order from October 27, 2017, it was re ...
. The single gave the duo their first number one on Billboard's
Dance/Mix Show Airplay
Dance/Mix Show Airplay (formerly Hot Dance Airplay) is a monitored electronic dance music radio chart that is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine.
History
The chart came about as a result of the small but influential impact of electronic ...
Chart in its January 20, 2018 issue.
Later on in the month, the duo posted a digital advertisement in Times Square, New York City on social media as part of the promotion and announcement of their new single, entitled "House Party", which has been collaborated with renowned production trio
Captain Cuts
Captain Cuts is a songwriting, record production and remix team based in Los Angeles. The trio is composed of Ben Berger, Ryan McMahon and Ryan Rabin (son of Trevor), drummer and producer of the band Grouplove. Collectively they have produced and ...
. It is expected to be the lead single off of their second album and was released on 13 October 2017.
On 5 January 2018, the duo announced on social media that they were preparing their second single off of their second yet-to-be-titled album. The song was eventually revealed to be titled "
Ride or Die", featuring vocals from
indie pop
Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and sub ...
band
Foster the People
Foster the People is an American indie pop band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 2009. Its members are singer Mark Foster, guitarist Sean Cimino, and keyboardist Isom Innis.
Foster founded the band in 2009 after spending several years in ...
, and was released on 9 March 2018.
On 7 March 2018, they announced their second album, under the title ''New York Narcotic'', and has been scheduled for a Spring release date. A little while after, it was confirmed on ASCAP that they had recorded new songs with the likes of
Sofi Tukker
Sofi Tukker (stylized in all caps) is a musical duo based in Florida consisting of Sophie Hawley-Weld and Tucker Halpern. They are best known for their songs "Drinkee", " Best Friend", and " Purple Hat". "Best Friend" was featured in a commerc ...
and
Method Man
Clifford Smith, Jr. (born March 2, 1971), better known by his stage name Method Man, is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is known as a member of the East Coast hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan. He is also half of t ...
which are expected to make the album.
On 29 June 2018, they announced a third single from the album, entitled "Shades", which was co-written alongside
Lukas Graham
Lukas Graham is a Danish pop band consisting of lead vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Lukas Forchhammer, bassist Magnus Larsson, and drummer Mark Falgren. The band released their first album, '' Lukas Graham'', with labels Copenhagen Records ...
affiliate Morten Pilegaard. Shortly after, that weekend, they announced that the album was finished.
On 17 August 2018, they announced their second studio album under the predicted title ''New York Narcotic'', along with the pre-order. The track list has revealed that "House Party" with
Captain Cuts
Captain Cuts is a songwriting, record production and remix team based in Los Angeles. The trio is composed of Ben Berger, Ryan McMahon and Ryan Rabin (son of Trevor), drummer and producer of the band Grouplove. Collectively they have produced and ...
will not be on the album and is classified as a non-album single. It has also revealed the album is confirmed to feature further contributions from the likes of
Big Boi
Antwan André Patton (born February 1, 1975), better known by his stage name Big Boi, is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer and actor. He is best known for being a member of the southern hip hop duo Outkast alongside André 300 ...
,
Sofi Tukker
Sofi Tukker (stylized in all caps) is a musical duo based in Florida consisting of Sophie Hawley-Weld and Tucker Halpern. They are best known for their songs "Drinkee", " Best Friend", and " Purple Hat". "Best Friend" was featured in a commerc ...
,
Sir Sly
Sir Sly is an American indie rock band formed and based in Orange County, California, United States. The band is fronted by vocalist Landon Jacobs with instrumentalists Jason Suwito and Hayden Coplen accompanying him. The trio gradually built a ...
and
Alexis Krauss
Sleigh Bells is an American musical duo based in Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2008 and consisting of vocalist Alexis Krauss and guitarist/producer Derek E. Miller. They became known for their overdriven style of noise pop, which incorporates ...
.
In January 2019, The Knocks embarked on a North American tour featuring a full live band. During the time, they had begun to work with bassist and record producer
Blu DeTiger
Blu DeTiger (born February 22, 1998) is an American singer-songwriter, bass guitar player, record producer, and DJ based in New York City.
Early life
DeTiger was born in New York City and grew up in NoHo, Manhattan. Her older brother suggested ...
, who was also supporting The Knocks during their tour, and contributed to her first two singles "In My Head" and "Mad Love".
2019–Present: ''Summer Series: 2019 EP, Solo Projects, HISTORY''
In April 2019, it was announced that the duo had worked with
Carly Rae Jepsen on her fourth album ''
Dedicated'' on a song called "Julien", which was released as the album's third single on 19 April 2019. Later in 2019, The Knocks released an EP called Summer Series: 2019, which featured songs like popular Tiktok song "Lucky Me" and "New York Luau," which was the feature song at the US Open broadcast on ESPN.
In October 2020, the duo announced their first single of their new album "
All About You", featuring
Foster the People
Foster the People is an American indie pop band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 2009. Its members are singer Mark Foster, guitarist Sean Cimino, and keyboardist Isom Innis.
Foster founded the band in 2009 after spending several years in ...
. The song would be featured in TikTok's end of the year "Wrapped" ad and reached #14 on US Alt radio charts.
In June 2021, the duo released the single "Bedroom Eyes" in collaboration with
Studio Killers
Studio Killers is a Finnish–Danish–British electropop virtual band made up of four animated characters: vocalist and designer Chubby Cherry (or simply Cherry), keyboardist Goldie Foxx, DJ Dyna Mink, and manager Bipolar Bear.
History
2011 ...
and featured
music videostarring
Casey Frey. They later featured in a remix of the song by
Nathan Barnatt
Nathan James Barnatt (born February 2, 1981) is an American actor, comedian, dancer, YouTuber, singer, and filmmaker. He is best known for his famous comic characters Keith Apicary and "Dad".
Career
Barnatt appeared on Comedy Central's '' Th ...
under the persona of
Dad Feels
Nathan James Barnatt (born February 2, 1981) is an American actor, comedian, dancer, YouTuber, singer, and filmmaker. He is best known for his famous comic characters Keith Apicary and "Dad".
Career
Barnatt appeared on Comedy Central's ''The ...
.
The Knocks released their third album, HISTORY, on April 29, 2022. The album features
MUNA
Muna may refer to:
Places
* Muna (Mikulovice), a World War II POW camp and ammunition factory in the Czech Republic
* Muna, Estonia, village in Rõuge Parish, Võru County, Estonia
* Muna, Iran, village in East Azerbaijan Province, Iran
* Mu ...
,
Mallrat
Grace Kathleen Elizabeth Shaw (born 25 September 1998), known professionally as Mallrat, is an Australian musician, singer, and rapper from Brisbane. Mallrat has released three EPs: ''Uninvited'' (2016), '' In the Sky'' (2018) and '' Driving M ...
,
Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs
Orlando Tobias Edward Higginbottom (born 7 March 1986), known professionally as Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs (or TEED), is a British electronic music producer, DJ and singer-songwriter based in the United States.
Early life
Orlando is ...
,
Foster The People
Foster the People is an American indie pop band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 2009. Its members are singer Mark Foster, guitarist Sean Cimino, and keyboardist Isom Innis.
Foster founded the band in 2009 after spending several years in ...
,
Cold War Kids
Cold War Kids is an American alternative rock band from Long Beach, California. Band members are Nathan Willett (vocals, piano, guitar), Matt Maust (bass guitar), David Quon (guitar, backing vocals), Matthew Schwartz (keyboards, backing vocals, ...
,
Parson James
Parson James (born June 7, 1994) is an American singer and songwriter. He is best known for his single " Stole the Show", a collaboration with Norwegian producer Kygo. The song became a hit in a number of countries as well as receiving certificat ...
,
Dragonette
Dragonette is the stage name of Canadian singer-songwriter Martina Sorbara. Originally an electronic music band from Toronto, Ontario, formed in 2005, the band consisted of Sorbara with her husband Dan Kurtz as bassist and producer (also in Th ...
,
Cannons
A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder dur ...
,
Donna Missal
Donna Joy Missal is an American singer-songwriter from New Jersey.
Early life and career
Missal grew up in a musical family; her grandmother was a songwriter in the 1950s and her father was a musician in the 1980s. She co-wrote and performed ...
,
Yoke Lore
Adrian Galvin, better known by his moniker Yoke Lore, is a multi-instrumentalist, dancer, and visual artist from New York, United States. Before going solo Galvin was a member of Walk the Moon and Yellerkin.
Early life
Galvin is from Katonah, ...
, and Powers. Th
music videofor "Slow Song" w/ Dragonette was shot in Mexico City and features Ru Paul's Drag Race Winner,
Aquaria.
The Knocks have had five songs featured in the iconic EA Sports FIFA video game series: "We Got U" w/ Lemaitre (2017), "Awa Ni" ft. Kah-lo (2020), "Best Friend" w/ Sofi Tukker, Nervo, & Alisa Ueno (2018), "Walking on Water" ft. Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs (2023), and "People" w/ Kungs (2023). They are the only artists on this year's FIFA 23 Edition with two songs on the soundtrack ("Walking on Water" & "People")
HeavyRoc Music and Black Clay
Ben Ruttner founded HeavyRoc Music in 2007 and has since released debut singles for acts including
Sofi Tukker
Sofi Tukker (stylized in all caps) is a musical duo based in Florida consisting of Sophie Hawley-Weld and Tucker Halpern. They are best known for their songs "Drinkee", " Best Friend", and " Purple Hat". "Best Friend" was featured in a commerc ...
,
Blu DeTiger
Blu DeTiger (born February 22, 1998) is an American singer-songwriter, bass guitar player, record producer, and DJ based in New York City.
Early life
DeTiger was born in New York City and grew up in NoHo, Manhattan. Her older brother suggested ...
,
St. Lucia
Saint Lucia ( acf, Sent Lisi, french: Sainte-Lucie) is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. The island was previously called Iouanalao and later Hewanorra, names given by the native Arawaks and Caribs, two Amerin ...
, and more. In 2017, the label was nominated for a GRAMMY for Best Dance Recording for the song "Drinkee." In 2019, the label expanded to include a partnership with Warner Music Group and now operates under the name Black Clay. Black Clay has released projects for artists includin
Holiday87James Patterson an
Richie Quake
Touring
The band have actively encouraged fans to set up after-parties following their shows where they DJ. Typically these are at colleges, dorms, late night spots or anywhere available.
The Knocks' first US tour was opening for Ellie Goulding. Supporting
Dragonette
Dragonette is the stage name of Canadian singer-songwriter Martina Sorbara. Originally an electronic music band from Toronto, Ontario, formed in 2005, the band consisted of Sorbara with her husband Dan Kurtz as bassist and producer (also in Th ...
's American/Canadian tour in 2012, they also played alongside
Diplo
Thomas Wesley Pentz (born November 10, 1978), known professionally as Diplo, is an American DJ and music producer. He is the co-creator and lead member of the electronic dancehall music project Major Lazer, a member of the supergroup LSD with ...
,
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 ...
,
Boys Noize
Alexander Ridha (born 22 August 1982), better known by his stage name Boys Noize, is a Berlin-based German-Iraqi electronic music record producer, songwriter, and DJ. It is similar to the name of Ridha's label, Boysnoize Records, which he esta ...
, and
Knife Party
Knife Party are an Australian electronic music duo consisting of Rob Swire and Gareth McGrillen, two members of the drum and bass band Pendulum.
The duo has worked with artists such as Swedish House Mafia, Steve Aoki, MistaJam, Foreign Beg ...
on the Holy Ship!.
[ During 2013, The Knocks began touring with ]Alex Clare
Alexander George Clare (c. 1985) is an English singer and songwriter. His debut album, '' The Lateness of the Hour'', was released in the UK on 11 July 2011 on Island Records and was produced by Mike Spencer and Major Lazer.
His biggest hit, " ...
and commenced a college tour with Grouplove
Grouplove (often typeset as GROUPLOVE) is an American alternative rock band that was formed in 2009 by Hannah Hooper (lead vocals, keyboards), Christian Zucconi (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Sean Gadd (bass), Andrew Wessen (lead guitar, backing vo ...
.
The Knocks have shared the stage with artists such as The 1975
The 1975 are an English pop rock band formed in 2002 in Wilmslow, Cheshire. Now based in Manchester, the band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Matthew "Matty" Healy, lead guitarist Adam Hann, bassist Ross MacDonald, and drummer G ...
, Justin Bieber
Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Bieber is recognized for his genre-melding musicianship and has played an influential role in modern-day popular music. He was discovered by American record executive Scooter ...
Purpose_World_Tour">Purpose_Tour.html" ;"title="Purpose_World_Tour.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Purpose World Tour">Purpose Tour">Purpose_World_Tour.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Purpose World Tour">Purpose Tour Bruno Mars, Deadmau5, Skrillex
Sonny John Moore (born January 15, 1988), known professionally as Skrillex, is an American DJ and music producer. Growing up in Northeast Los Angeles and Northern California, he joined the post-hardcore band From First to Last as the lead si ...
, Big Boi
Antwan André Patton (born February 1, 1975), better known by his stage name Big Boi, is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer and actor. He is best known for being a member of the southern hip hop duo Outkast alongside André 300 ...
, M.I.A., Sleigh Bells, Tiesto, Martin Solveig
Martin Laurent Picandet (; born 22 September 1976), better known by his stage name Martin Solveig (), is a French DJ, singer, songwriter and record producer. He hosts a weekly radio show called ''C'est La Vie'' on radio stations worldwide, incl ...
, Weezer
Weezer is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1992. Since 2001, the band has consisted of Rivers Cuomo (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Patrick Wilson (drums, backing vocals), Scott Shriner (bass guitar, keyboards, backing ...
, Die Antwoord
Die Antwoord (, Afrikaans for "The Answer") is a South African alternative hip hop group formed in Cape Town in 2008.
The group comprises rappers Watkin Tudor "Ninja" Jones and Anri "Yolandi Visser" du Toit, a male/female duo, and producers ...
, 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 ...
, and Calvin Harris
Adam Richard Wiles (born 17 January 1984), known professionally as Calvin Harris, is a Scottish DJ, record producer, singer, and songwriter who has released six studio albums.
His debut studio album, ''I Created Disco'', was released in June ...
.
The band has performed at festivals around the world, including Wonderfront, Firefly, M3F, Pal Norte, Ultra Miami, All Things Go, Kaaboo, Camp Bisco, Bonanza, Splash House, Shaky Beats, Phoenix Lights, Euphoria, Okeechobee, Outside Lands, Cultivate, Gov Ball, Bonnaroo, Spring Awakening, Sasquatch!, SXSW, CMJ, Hellow Fest, lleSoniq, Wakarusa, Lights All Night, Tomorrowworld, North Coast Music Festival, Kahbang Music & Arts Festival, Veld Music Festival, Osheaga Festival, RBC Blues Festival, Electro Beach, HolyShip!, Foreshore Festival, Monster Bash, Budweiser Made in America, Electric Forest, HARD Haunted Mansion, The Big Chill Festival, Underage Festival.
The Knocks recently finished a North American co-headline tour with Cannons
A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder dur ...
.
Controversy
Ahead of Daft Punk
Daft Punk were a French electronic music duo formed in 1993 in Paris by Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo. Widely regarded as one of the most influential acts in dance music history, they achieved popularity in the late 1990s as p ...
's 2013 album release ''Random Access Memories
''Random Access Memories'' is the fourth studio album by the French electronic duo Daft Punk, released on 17 May 2013 through Columbia Records. The album pays tribute to late 1970s and early 1980s American music, particularly from Los Angeles. ...
'', the band were accused of unmasking Daft Punk with photos of the band playing beer-pong with champagne glasses in Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...
' offices. The band responded that they did not take the photos, which were in fact a re-post from another user, and furthermore many pictures of Daft Punk without masks freely and openly exist.
Discography
* '' 55'' (2016)
* '' New York Narcotic'' (2018)
* ''History'' (2022)
References
External links
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Knocks, The
21st-century American musicians
A&M Records artists
Atlantic Records artists
American musical duos
Electronic music duos
Musicians from New York City
Nu-disco musicians
Remixers