Group "Gorilaz": participants and discography

The British group "Gorilaz" became the first world-famous virtual musical group. The peak of its popularity came in the early 2000s.

Virtual group

When the band "Gorilaz" first announced loudly with their single "Clint Eastwood", no one knew who was hiding behind this signboard. And simple fans, and dozens of music critics hopelessly bred their hands. Calculating the real creators of the project was not so simple.

The group "Gorilaz" became known not only for their music, but also for the animated clips on television. In these videos figured invented members of the team - Stuart Pot, Murdoch Nikkals, Noodle and Russell Hobbs. While the creators of these characters did not disclose their personalities to the public, the fans believed that the drawing musicians have real prototypes.

There were versions that music was written by four musicians from different parts of the world, and the Internet was supposed to be the means of their connection. The truth was not so, but from this it did not become less interesting and intriguing.

Elbarn and Hewlett

The virtual group "Gorilaz" has two founding fathers. One of them is Damon Albarn. Most of all, he is known as the frontman of another British band - Blur. She was at the height of popularity in the 90s, when her blossom was experiencing the style of Britpop. Blur is one of the two pioneers of this genre. Over the years, Elbarn's team has argued with the Oasis group for the title of Britpop leader.

In the late 90's, Blur formed a window on tour when Damon decided to tackle his own side project. In 1998, he met his old friend Jamie Hewlett - a famous artist. In Europe, the comics of his authorship were very popular. Therefore, we can say with certainty that the main structure of the group "Gorilaz" is two masters of their craft.

Elbarn and Hewlett combined their talents (musical and artistic) in order to create something completely new at the intersection of these two arts. One was the designer who created the images of the fictional group. Another wrote music. In addition, at the beginning of a joint career, friends collaborated with producer Dan Automator, with whom Elbarn had previously worked.

Initially, 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 collective. The first songs were released on physical media by independent labels in the form of b-sides with a small print run.

Musical genre

Elbarn was strenuously searching for a new sound that would be noticeably different from what he was doing in Blur. As a result, he gave the album's debut album a rare sound for that time. It was a modern and even innovative palette of genres. The songs traced the influence of alternative rock (got from Blur), hip-hop and electronics. Cooperation with different producers and musicians (many artists were invited for duets, etc.) has borne fruit.

In some songs, Elbarn managed to add a pinch of other genres. It was his Brit-pop, as well as reggae, dub, psychedelic music and even punk rock. A few bright demos like the representatives of major labels. Finally Parlophone and Virgin signed a contract with "Gorilaz". Members of the group began to fully record the studio's numerous achievements.

"Clint Eastwood"

The debut album with the same name as the band's name, Gorillaz, was recorded for several months at the turn of 1999 and 2000. Elbarn took on a mixer in several studios in western London and even in Jamaica.

On March 5, 2001 the debut single "Clint Eastwood" was released. He had to demonstrate to the general audience what the "Gorilaz" group is. Biography of its participants and an unexpected genre attracted the attention of the whole world.

The name of the song was a linguistic overplaying of the name of the famous actor Clint Eastwood, who became a legend of the westerns of the second half of the 20th century. Such a reference was not accidental. One of the melodies of the song reminds the main musical theme of the film "Good, Bad, Evil". The main role in this picture was played just by Clint Eastwood.

Albern not only wrote music, but also performed the refrain. The cuplets were recorded by a guest repertory. The song has become the hallmark of the band, both in terms of music (a mixture of rock and hip-hop), and thanks to the video clip. For his animation and direction, the other father-founder of "Gorilaz", Jamie Hewlett, answered.

Revolutionary clip

The song "Clint Eastwood" became a phenomenon even before the release of the first album "Gorilaz". Photos of the group (virtual fictional characters) were constantly featured in all the world charts on television, in newspapers, etc. Amazing success is also due to the bright and interesting video. Video begins with the appearance on the black background of the company's logo, as well as quotes from the popular horror film of the 70's "Dawn of the Dead".

The reference to Eastwood is revealed in several artistic techniques in the song. First, the video sequence contains frequent close-up scenes. This is a favorite technique that was used by the directors of spaghetti westerns. Also at the beginning of the clip is a scream that is already in the movie "Good, Bad, Evil".

First record

Three weeks after the successful single came out and the debut album. Over the following weeks, the entire world music press was only discussing the phenomenon, which was a group of "Gorilaz". The formation of the collective, the invented biography of virtual participants and other interesting details were revealed much later. In 2006, an official biography entitled "Rise of the Ogre" was published, in which the founding fathers of the project described the fictitious story of the four band members' acquaintance.

Album "Gorillaz" became a hit of sales in 2000. On the UK chart, he reached the third line, and in the United States - 14 numbers. For today in America already sold five million physical copies of the debut. This is a significant result, especially if we recall that in the early 2000s the music industry was experiencing a crisis caused by the advent of the Internet and the available illegal means of downloading content.

Film project and tour

Neither the soloist of the group "Gorilaz" nor the main designer expected the success that had fallen on them. Several months after the release of the debut, several more clips, documentaries, and more appeared. Hollywood studios showed interest in the project. Jamie even met with several directors, but soon abandoned the idea of a full-length film. He explained his decision by saying that his vision for the band and his creative plans were very different from Hollywood's plans.

Gorillaz was a studio project. It was extremely difficult to organize live performances of the band. This was due to the large number of guest vocalists, in an animated manner, etc. Nevertheless, Elbarn conducted several major concerts in his homeland and in the US. Approximately once in five years, a small tour was planned, timed to the release of the next album. In the course of such tours, several shows were held.

Demon Days

In 2001, the team released a compilation containing the best tracks and remixes. After that the "Gorilaz" group stopped its activity for a long time. Discography still consisted of only one studio album, and Elbarn continued to remain silent about the future fate of the project.

And in May 2005, Demon Days came out. Elbarn invited completely new musicians and vocalists. From the composition of the first album there was only he and his friend the artist Hewlett. Later these two continued to produce records, changing the invited contingent of musicians, remaining the same heart and engine of the project.

Last news

In 2010 and 2011 In a row, with a few interruptions, albums "Plastic Beach" and "The Fall" were released. The group has retained its virtual image. As before, along with each record, there were several video clips that became hits of the television rotation.

In July 2015, Elbarn said in an interview with ABC that he started working on the fifth album. Its output is expected in 2016. While nothing else about him is traditionally not known.