Tom Rowlands (b. Thomas Owen Mostyn Rowlands, 11 January 1971, Kingston-Upon-Thames, London, England) and Ed Simons (b. Edmund John Simons, 1970, Herne Hill, London, England) met while studying medieval history at Manchester Polytechnic in the late 80s. Rowlands became a member of the Balearic group Ariel, which put out a number of releases on Deconstruction Records. At the same time the pair found a common interest in acid house, techno and hip-hop and began DJing at house parties, calling themselves the Dust Brothers after the west coast hip-hop producers. They subsequently played at a club called "Naked Under Leather" and began writing their own material to use. One track, "Song To The Siren", was picked up by Junior Boy's Own Records and released early in 1993. The pair were consequently invited to remix Lionrock's "Packet Of Peace" and tracks by various other artists, including Leftfield/John Lydon, Republica and the Sandals. The next year the Dust Brothers released the EPs Fourteenth Century Sky, which became well-known for the track "Chemical Beats", and My Mercury Mouth.
Following the success of these records and the Sunday Social, a club that they ran in London in conjunction with Heavenly Records, Rowlands and Simons signed to Virgin Records in early 1995 as the Chemical Brothers, after the threat of legal action from the original US Dust Brothers. Their first releases included the single "Leave Home" and the album Exit Planet Dust on their own subsidiary, Freestyle Dust. As well as their trademark sound of guitars, heavy breakbeats and analogue noise (rather crudely dubbed big beat by the music press), the album surprisingly included vocals from the Charlatans' Tim Burgess ("Life Is Sweet") and Beth Orton ("Alive: Alone"). During 1995 the duo promoted the album with successful performances at many rock and dance festivals throughout the UK and Europe and also toured America alongside Orbital and Underworld. A live mix album appeared alongside remixes for Dave Clarke, the Manic Street Preachers and Method Man.
In the autumn of 1996, the Chemical Brothers released "Setting Sun", which featured lead vocals by Oasis' Noel Gallagher, and became their first UK number 1 single. The duo's huge popularity was confirmed with the release of the chart-topping Dig Your Own Hole, which also received critical acclaim, being nominated for Mercury and BRIT Awards in the UK, while the number 1 single "Block Rockin' Beats" won a Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental despite featuring vocals (a sample of US rapper Schoolly D). The album's closing tracks, "Where Do I Begin?" (featuring Orton) and "The Private Psychedelic Reel" (featuring Jonathan Donahue of Mercury Rev), provided a breathtaking summation of an era which was about to reach its brief apogee. The Chemical Brothers big beat music became the crossover success of the year, appealing to rock and dance fans in equal measure, and making inroads into the American market.
Remix work for Spiritualized, Mercury Rev and the original Dust Brothers followed in 1998, as well as another mix album. The Chemical Brothers returned to the UK pop charts in June 1999 with the Top 5 single, "Hey Boy Hey Girl", and the chart-topping Surrender. The album featured guest vocal turns from Noel Gallagher ("Let Forever Be"), Jonathan Donahue ("Dream On"), New Order's Bernard Sumner and Primal Scream's Bobby Gillespie ("Out Of Control"), and Mazzy Star's Hope Sandoval ("Asleep From Day'). Rowlands and Simons sustained their remarkable creativity with their first album of the new millennium, 2002"s Come With Us. The album reflected uncertain times in clubland, largely eschewing the duo's trademark head-swirling beats for subtle textures and trippy atmospherics. The "comedown" tracks "The State We're In" (featuring Beth Orton) and "The Test" (featuring Richard Ashcroft) provided beautifully weighted meditations on "the morning after the party" vibe circulating around the UK dance scene.
The 2003 compilation set Singles 93-03 neatly rounded up a decade's worth of pioneering and entertaining music, and included the new tracks "Get Yourself High" (featuring K-Os) and "The Golden Path" (featuring Wayne Coyne from the Flaming Lips). The new studio album Push The Button, which in January 2005 followed its predecessors to the top of the UK charts, featured a diverse array of guest artists, including rappers Q-Tip and Anwar Superstar, Tim Burgess, Kele Okereke of Bloc Party, Anna-Lynne Williams from Trespassers William, and the Magic Numbers.
