Gorillaz is the first, most famous and most successful virtual band. Here is the history of this unusual musical group, information about the real members of the Gorillaz group, as well as the Gorillaz discography, Gorillaz pictures and other materials.
Virtual members of Gorillaz:
Vocalist, keyboardist
Bass player, band founder
Guitarist, backing vocals on some songs
Drummer and percussionist
History of Gorillaz
Of course, like any group, Gorillaz has its own story, but still, virtual groups are different from ordinary ones, so Gorillaz has not one story, but two.
The first of them can be read in detail in the biography Rise of the Ogre. The book's release date in the United Kingdom is October 26, 2006, but it does not have an official translation into Russian, so you will have to read it in the author's language - English. There you can find out about all the events that happened with the virtual members of the group, from their acquaintance to their performances in New York.
And here is the second story, although it is a very long story.
Phase One
When Gorillaz were still a young and green group, just breaking into the charts with their single Clint Eastwood, fans along with a battery of critics wondered: who is behind all this? There were many versions, among the most interesting was, for example, the story about real-life alter egos of drawn heroes who communicate via the Internet and write music online, although they have never actually seen each other. But the truest truth is no less interesting. After all, Gorillaz is the fruit of the joint imagination of two very unusual people. What is the real composition of Gorillaz?
One of them is Damon Albarn, leader of the famous Britpop group Blur, which in Russia, unfortunately, is known only to a few, and even then mainly because of the rivalry that arose in the mid-90s between Blur and the group Oasis. Gorillaz's other dad is an artist Jamie Hewlett, who in many reviews is presented exclusively as a co-author of the thunderous European countries comic Tank Girl (again, not translated into Russian).
But still, these are not their only achievements. Damon Albarn, in addition to Blur and Gorillaz, participated in such projects as Mali Music (2002), The Good, The Bad & The Queen (2006) and Monkey: Journey to the West (2007), released solo album Democrazy (2003), and also participated in the recording of soundtracks for films such as Trainspotting and 101 Reykjavik, and collaborated with many artists in their solo works (for example, Damon's vocals can be heard in the song Fatboy Slim " Put It Back Together").
And Jamie Hewlett, since 1988, has published Deadline magazine (in which Tank Girl first appeared), participated in the creation of designs for nightclubs, is the author of many wonderful comics, some of which have been filmed, and in 2006 the Design Museum in London recognized him designer of the year.
Damon and Jamie have known each other for many years, but the idea of creating a joint project came to them when they lived together in a rented apartment on Westbourne Grove in 1998. Initially, in addition to Albarn, Del tha Funkee Homosapien and producer Dan the Automator, with whom Damon had previously worked on the debut album Deltron 3030, were responsible for the musical component of the group.
True, then the group was called Gorilla, and the first song they recorded, Ghost Train, ended up being just a b-side to the Rock the House single. But the first album also featured many guest performers: Miho Hatori from Cibo Mato (Re-Hash and 19-2000), Tina Weymouth from Tom Tom Club (19-2000) and Ibrahim Ferrer from Buena Vista Social Club (Latin Simone (Que Pasa) Contigo)), although Gorillaz themselves have always remained the same.
The first release was Tomorrow Comes Today EP, released in 2000, but real fame came to Gorillaz after the release of the first single Clint Eastwood March 5, 2001. It is this song that is still one of the most famous in the group’s work; it is in these proportions that hip-hop, rock and electronic music Many “connoisseurs” consider the group to be something like “classic Gorillaz”. The video for the song is a story-based cartoon with the participation of the group, so beloved by both children and adult children, and even Clint Eastwood himself, according to rumors, approved the song about himself.
It was a success, which was followed by the album of the same name, which took 3rd place in the English chart and climbed to 14th place in the American chart. Many considered it a kind of mockery of the modern music industry, others began to look for some secret meanings (and found, surprisingly), others simply listened to good music. The first album gave the world three more singles: 19-2000, Tomorrow Comes Today, and Rock the House (6th, 33rd and 18th places in the British charts, respectively). At the end of the year, together with rap artists from D12 and Terry Hall, Gorillaz recorded the song “911”, dedicated to the terrorist attacks of September 11, and released G-Sides, a collection of B-sides from the Tomorrow Comes Today EP and the first three singles (released in Japan in December 2001, in the UK in February 2002).
In 2002, the group performed at the BRIT Awards, appearing in 3D animation on four large screens together with rapper Phi Life Cypher. The band were nominated for six awards at the event, including Best British Group, Best British Album and Best British New Artist, but left the ceremony empty-handed.
A collection of remixes was also released in 2002 Laika Come Home, critically acclaimed, and the band's first DVD Phase One: Celebrity Take Down, which included Gorillaz Bitez (short videos about the band), the humorous documentary Charts of Darkness (in which reporter Krishnan Guru-Murthy tries to track down Damon and Jamie after they are committed to a mental institution), and an unfinished video for song 5/4 and much more. The DVD menu mirrors the band's website and depicts their Kong Studio (you can go on and on about the website itself, but it's much easier to visit once). There were rumors that Gorillaz were busy preparing full-length film, but as it turned out, these plans never came to fruition. As Jamie later admitted, he lost all interest in the project as soon as he began meeting with studios and realized how different his vision of this film was from what the Hollywood bosses were offering him.
Phase Two
And then there was a silence that almost made everyone believe that there was no life after the first album. And magazines vied with each other to write that the most good joke, told twice, becomes uninteresting. And they almost believed them: the band’s official website was almost completely closed, and Mr. Albarn very transparently hinted that there was no point in waiting for a new album.
But oh, this fickle man! The prolonged silence was broken on December 8, 2004, when the group’s official website started working again and a video clip appeared on it. Rock it(the first song recorded for the new album), and the name of the new producer became known: Danger Mouse, which Albarn took notice of after the release of Gray Album. In this work, the young and talented performer crossed the White Album of The Beatles and the Black Album of Jay-Z, quite possibly with the musical mixture created by Gorillaz, new producer should have handled it. But fans didn't know what to expect.
In the end, as always, everything changed almost in last moment: everyone was waiting for an album called We Are Happy Landfill in March 2005, but heard only in May and with a different name - Demon Days. Of the people originally employed in this project, only Albarn and Hewlett remained, and the list of guest performers expanded further: among them were Nena Cherry, Martina Topley-Bird, Shaun Ryder (Happy Mondays), Ike Turner, rap group De La Soul and actor Dennis Hopper. In general, the exact number of people who worked on the album is not known to anyone, except perhaps Mr. Albarn, and even then it’s unlikely.
The first single was the song Feel Good Inc., which became a real hit and entered the top 10 in 14 countries. The composition was nominated for a Grammy in the Record of the Year category, and was later published at number 308 on the list best songs 2000s, compiled by Pitchfork Media (an online publication specializing in music criticism, as well as news and interviews). As for the clip, it amazes with its realism. Now, when creating videos, images are used along with animation real people participating in the recording of songs. It was new level not only in music, but also in the implementation of the very ideas about a virtual group.
The album Demon Days was released on May 11, 2005 in Japan, May 23 in the UK, debuting at number one in the UK album chart, but ended up at number 29 in just seven weeks. True, as soon as the video for the next single, DARE, began to be played on all music channels, including MTV, the album quickly returned to the top 10.
Two more singles were released from the album: Dirty Harry And Kids with Guns/El Manana, which achieved good positions in the charts, and the group also donated their composition Hong Kong, which was not included on the album, to a charity collection Help: A Day in the Life, which was released on September 10, 2005 and collected songs from artists such as Coldplay, Razorlight, Keane, Kaiser Chiefs and Radiohead.
In 2007-2008, Gorillaz planned to go on a world tour using huge holographic screens, but later decided to abandon this idea, since each show was too expensive. Therefore, in the field of live performances, Gorillaz limited themselves to appearances at the MTV Awards on November 3, 2005, as well as at the Grammy Awards on February 8, 2006, where they performed with Madonna, and the BRIT Awards 2006, where they performed with Bootie Brown and the San Fernandez Children's Choir. and one of a series of concerts at Manchester Opera (which took place from 1 to 5 November 2005) was subsequently released on DVD.
On October 30, 2006, the second DVD appeared Phase Two: Slowboat to Hades, October 31 – illustrated autobiography Rise of the Ogre, November 19, a collection of b-sides and remixes D-Sides. All this looked like a farewell to the fans, leaving at the peak of glory. The final chord was a documentary about the group Bananaz, which told about everything that fans had been wondering about for so long.
Phase Three
Release of Gorillaz's third album entitled Plastic Beach took place on March 8, 2010, although it appeared online much earlier. Many fans were perplexed: after such a triumph of the last album, they were waiting for the second Demon Days, but got something completely different. Changes that have occurred in musically– much less of Damon's guitar, drums and vocals than on previous albums,” the creators easily explained with the help of their hand-drawn characters.
Allegedly, Murdoch began creating his album without the participation of other members of the group, but then realized that he could not do without them, and, having kidnapped 2D, forced him to take part in the recording. Noodle's fate remained unknown after El Manana (in the video she crashed on a floating island), and the android created from her DNA was much worse at playing the instrument than the talented guitarist.
As for the actual participants, nothing has changed. More precisely, on the contrary, as always, the composition of the participants has completely changed: many people worked on the album talented musicians of the most varied directions - Snoop Dogg, Lou Reed, Mos Def, Bobby Womack, Graff Rhys, Mark E. Smith, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon, Kano, Bashy, De La Soul, Little Dragon and even the Lebanese National Orchestra of Oriental Arabic Music.
The third album of the Gorillaz group reached number 2 in both the British and American charts, and the first single from it, Stylo, was released on January 26, 2010 (the toughest nut Bruce Willis starred in the Stylo video, which madly surprised everyone, and the drawn band members appeared in the form of three-dimensional 3D figures).
On April 18, 2010, the group performed as a headliner at music festival at Coachella.
It is also planned to release two more singles for the songs Superfast Jellyfish And On Melancholy Hill.
Murdoch recently gave an interview to NME magazine, and in response to one of the journalist’s questions he answered that he did not think album The Strokes "This is it" best album decade, but is quite capable of recording a couple more Gorillaz albums before 2020 in order to win this title in the next decade.
And later, Damon Albarn said that while working on Plastic Beach, he recorded so much material that he could well create a couple of sequel albums, if, of course, he has enough energy and time for this. Well, let's wait a little? Mr. Albarn knows how to surprise.
The British group "Gorilaz" became the first world famous virtual musical group. The peak of its popularity occurred in the early 2000s.
Virtual group
When the group "Gorilaz" first loudly announced itself with its single called "Clint Eastwood", no one yet knew who was hiding behind this sign. And ordinary fans, and dozens music critics They shrugged hopelessly. Finding the real creators of the project was not so easy.
The group "Gorilaz" became famous not only for its music, but also for its animated videos on television. These videos featured fictitious members of the group - Stuart Pot, Murdoch Niccals, Noodle and Russell Hobbs. Until the creators of these characters revealed their identities to the public, fans believed that the cartoon musicians had real-life prototypes.
Versions have been put forward that the music was written by four musicians from different points world, and the means of their communication was supposedly the Internet, which was then gaining popularity. The truth turned out to be different, but that didn’t make it any less interesting and intriguing.
Albarn and Hewlett
The virtual group "Gorilaz" has two founding fathers. One of them is Damon Albarn. He is best known as the frontman of another British band, Blur. She was at the peak of her popularity in the 90s, when the Britpop style was at its peak. Blur is one of the two pioneers of this genre. For many years, Albarn's team argued with Oasis for the title of leader of Britpop.
Blur's touring window opened up in the late '90s when Damon decided to pursue his own side project. In 1998, he met his Jamie Hewlett - famous artist. In Europe, his comics were very popular. Therefore, we can say with confidence that the main composition of the Gorilaz group is two masters of their craft.
Albarn and Hewlett combined their talents (musical and artistic) to create something completely new at the intersection of these two arts. One was a designer who created images of a fictional group. Another wrote music. In addition, at the beginning of their joint career, the friends collaborated with producer Dan Automator, with whom Albarn had previously worked.
At first, the songs of the group "Gorilaz" were released under a sign with a similar name (Gorilla). Later, friends decided to change the name of the group. The first songs were released on physical media by independent labels in the form of B-sides with a small circulation.
Music genre
Albarn was intensely looking for a new sound that would be noticeably different from what he performed in Blur. As a result, he gave the band's debut album a sound that was rare for that time. It was a modern and even innovative palette of genres. The songs were influenced by (from Blur), hip-hop and electronica. Collaboration with various producers and musicians (many performers were invited for duets, etc.) bore fruit.
Albarn managed to add a touch of other genres to some of the songs. It was the Britpop he was familiar with, as well as reggae, dub, psychedelic music and even punk rock. Representatives of major labels liked several bright demo recordings. Finally Parlophone and Virgin signed a contract with Gorilaz. The band members began a full-fledged studio recording of their numerous achievements.
"Clint Eastwood"
The debut album with the same name as the group - Gorillaz - was recorded over several months at the turn of 1999 and 2000. Albarn took charge of the mixer in several studios in West London and as far away as Jamaica.
On March 5, 2001, the debut single "Clint Eastwood" was released. He had to demonstrate to a wide audience what the Gorilaz group was all about. The biography of its participants and the unexpected genre attracted the attention of the whole world.
The title of the song was a linguistic play on the name famous actor Clint Eastwood, who became a legend of Westerns in the second half of the 20th century. This reference was not accidental. One of the song's melodies resembles the main one musical theme movie "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly". Main role Clint Eastwood played in this film.
Elburn not only wrote the music, but also sang the chorus. The verses were recorded by a guest rapper. The song became the band's calling card, both in terms of music (a mixture of rock and hip-hop) and thanks to the video clip. Another founding father of Gorillaz, Jamie Hewlett, was responsible for its animation and direction.
Revolutionary clip
The song "Clint Eastwood" became a phenomenon even before the release of the first Gorilaz album. Photos of the group (virtual) constantly appeared in all world charts on television, in newspapers, etc. The amazing success is also explained by the bright and interesting clip. The video begins with the band's logo appearing on a black background, along with a quote from the popular 70s horror film Dawn of the Dead.
The reference to Eastwood is revealed in several artistic techniques in the song. Firstly, the footage contains frequent scenes close up. This is a favorite technique used by the directors of spaghetti westerns. Also at the beginning of the clip there is a scream that was already in the movie “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.”
First record
Three weeks after the successful single, the debut album was released. Over the following weeks, the entire world music press only discussed the phenomenon that the Gorilaz group represented. The formation of the team, the fictitious biography of the virtual participants and other interesting details were revealed much later. Released in 2006 official biography entitled "Rise of the Ogre", in which the founding fathers of the project described the fictitious story of the acquaintance of four musicians of the group.
The album "Gorillaz" became a bestseller in 2000. It peaked at number three in the UK chart and number 14 in the US. To date, five million physical copies of the debut album have already been sold in America. This is a significant result, especially if we remember that in the early 2000s the music industry was experiencing a crisis caused by the advent of the Internet and accessible illegal ways downloading content.
Film project and tour
Neither the lead singer of the group "Gorilaz" nor the main designer expected the success that befell them. Over the course of several months after the release of the debut album, several more clips appeared, documentaries etc. Hollywood studios showed interest in the project. Jamie even met with several directors, but soon abandoned the idea of a feature film. He explained his decision by saying that his vision for the group and creative plans were very different from Hollywood plans.
Gorillaz was a studio project. Organizing live performances for the band was extremely difficult. This was due to the large number of guest vocalists, animation, etc. Nevertheless, Albarn held several large concerts in his homeland and in the United States. About once every five years, a small tour was organized to coincide with the release of the next album. During these tours, several shows took place.
Demon Days
In 2001, the team released a compilation containing the best tracks and remixes. After this, the Gorilaz group stopped its activities for a long time. The discography still consisted of just one studio album, and Albarn continued to remain silent about future fate project.
And in May 2005, Demon Days was released. Albarn invited completely new musicians and vocalists. Only he and his friend the artist Hewlett remained from the composition of the first album. Subsequently, these two continued to release records, changing the guest contingent of musicians, remaining the unchanged heart and engine of the project.
Trill has always listened with great interest to young musicians, and now we want to provide a platform for young journalists - those who will soon discover a new generation of talented artists for us. Today on our blog, sixteen-year-old Alisa Korneeva talks about how the virtual quartet Gorillaz was formed, blurring the line between the artist’s bold fantasy and reality.
In an era when computers replace live instruments, drum machines replace drums, and even synthesized vocals, it is not surprising that virtual performers are emerging. The first and most bright stars Gorillaz remains among them - the project of the British Jamie Hewlett and Blur lead singer Damon Albarn.
Gorillaz appeared in the late nineties, and released their first album in 2001. The members of the group, according to the creators of the project, are the same people as you and me, only they live in another reality - on the other side of the screen, and their world is something unimaginable. In the Gorillaz universe there are flying islands, demon rappers who possess people, cyborgs, phantoms, aliens and much, much more. And the group’s music is appropriate: it does not have a specific style, each song is a mix of elements of hip-hop, grunge, rap, alternative rock, electronics, dubstep - in other words, balanced chaos.
The band consists of three guys and a girl: bassist Murdoch Niccals, keyboardist and lead singer 2D or Stuart Pot, drummer Russell Hobbs and Noodle, backing vocalist and guitarist. They are not just computer models, but individuals: each has a unique biography, character, interests. And the name of the four, apparently, can be explained characteristic features the heroes of the artist Hewlett: prominent lower jaws and arms reaching to the knees, which is especially noticeable on the posters.
The Gorillaz story begins when Murdoc Niccals crashes his car into a record store window, injuring one of the clerks, Stu Pott. The guy falls into a coma and loses one eye, and Nikkals is sentenced to correctional labor and caring for the victim. Shortly before the end of his sentence, Murdoch decides to make a sharp U-turn in the car on a dare, while an unbelted Stewart sits in the front seat. When performing the trick, the poor guy flies through windshield and loses his second eye and memory, and the bassist leaves the crime scene in a hurry.
After some time, Nikkals meets Russell, an aspiring rapper, and takes him into his group as a drummer. The team is missing a keyboard player, and then Murdoch remembers the guy from the music store, who, of course, has golden hands. Finds him and convinces him to join the team. Stuart gets a new nickname: 2D (since he has no eyes and is missing a pair of front teeth).
On initial stage the group was called Gorilla, and instead of Noodle, another girl named Paula Cracker played in it - a friend of 2D, with whom the team managed to record only one track - “Ghost Train”. Russell soon found out that she was secretly dating Murdoch, and she had to leave the team. A week later, a large FedEx package arrived at the studio, containing a little girl who knew only one word in English: noodle. She was destined to take the vacant position.
Through the videos and the band's official website, the Gorillaz story begins to be told and continues to this day. And although all the characters have noticeably matured, they still arouse great interest. Their albums do not linger on the shelves, the tracks are played on the radio, and in Instagram Drawings from the new, fourth “phase” are already beginning to be published. The band will return with a new album in 2017, and it will be something absolutely amazing...
