Brian Joseph Burton better known by his
stage nameA stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
Danger Mouse, is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
musician, songwriter and
producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
. He came to prominence in 2004 when he released
The Grey AlbumThe Grey Album is a mashup album by Danger Mouse, released in 2004. It uses an a cappella version of rapper Jay-Z's The Black Album and couples it with instrumentals created from a multitude of unauthorized samples from The Beatles' LP The Beatles...
, which combined vocal performances from
Jay-ZShawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
's The Black Album with instrumentals from The Beatles'
White AlbumThe Beatles is the ninth official album by the English rock group The Beatles, a double album released in 1968. It is also commonly known as "The White Album" as it has no graphics or text other than the band's name embossed on its plain white sleeve.The album was written and recorded during a...
.
He formed
Gnarls BarkleyGnarls Barkley is an American soul duo comprising Danger Mouse and Cee Lo Green. Their first studio album St. Elsewhere was released in 2006; along with its first single "Crazy". Both single and album were a major commercial success and have been noted for their large sales by download...
with Cee Lo Green and produced their albums
St. ElsewhereSt. Elsewhere is the debut album by United States hip hop soul duo Gnarls Barkley. It was released on April 24, 2006 in the United Kingdom, where it debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, and on May 9, 2006 in the United States, although it was available for purchase one week earlier as a...
and
The Odd CoupleThe Odd Couple is the second studio album by Gnarls Barkley, released digitally on March 18 and in stores March 25, 2008. Due to an early leak of the album over the Internet in early March 2008, the duo decided to push up the release from April 8...
. He produced the second
GorillazGorillaz is an English musical project created in 1998 by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett. This project consists of Gorillaz music itself and an extensive fictional universe depicting a "virtual band" of cartoon characters...
album, 2005's
Demon DaysDemon Days is the second studio album by British virtual band Gorillaz, released in May 2005. The album features contributions from De La Soul, Neneh Cherry, Martina Topley-Bird, Roots Manuva, MF DOOM, Ike Turner, Bootie Brown of the Pharcyde, Shaun Ryder, Dennis Hopper, the London Community Gospel...
, as well as
BeckBeck Hansen is an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known by the stage name Beck...
's 2008 record,
Modern GuiltModern Guilt is the eleventh studio album by American alternative musician Beck. It was released on July 8, 2008. The album fulfills Beck's recording contract with Interscope Records...
and an album with
Joker's DaughterJoker's Daughter was originally a musical collaboration between Greek-English singer/songwriter Helena Costas and producer Danger Mouse who released their debut album The Last Laugh in 2009...
in 2007. He has been nominated for a Grammy Award in the
Producer of the YearThe Grammy Award for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical has been awarded since 1975. The award had several minor name changes:*from 1975 to 1977, the award was known as Best Producer of the Year...
category five times (2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011), and won the award in 2011. In addition, Burton worked with rapper
MF DoomDaniel Dumile is a hip hop artist who has taken on several stage names in his career, most notably MF DOOM, where the "MF" stands for metal face, and for tracks he has produced, metal fingers...
as
Danger DoomDanger Doom is a musical collaboration between DJ and producer Danger Mouse and rapper MF Doom. Their first album, The Mouse and the Mask, was released in 2005, and followed by the Occult Hymn EP in 2006.-Background:...
and released the album
The Mouse and the MaskThe Mouse and the Mask is a collaboration album by Danger Mouse and MF DOOM under the name Danger Doom, released on October 11, 2005 by Punk Label Epitaph Records in the United States marking it the third hip hop release for the label...
and the EP
Occult HymnOccult Hymn is a follow-up EP to Danger Doom's debut album The Mouse & The Mask. It contains seven tracks and was released as a free download at Adult Swim's website on May 30, 2006...
.
In 2009 he collaborated with
James MercerJames Russell Mercer is an American guitarist and Alternative rock musician. He is a founding member and lead singer-songwriter of the Grammy-nominated indie rock group The Shins. In 2009, Mercer and producer Danger Mouse formed the side project Broken Bells, for which they released a...
of the indie rock band
The ShinsThe Shins are an American indie rock band comprising singer, songwriter, and guitarist James Mercer, guitarist/bassist Dave Hernandez, Eric Johnson of Fruit Bats, drummer Joe Plummer and bassist Ron Lewis. Their sound draws on several musical genres, including pop, alternative rock, indie rock,...
to form
Broken BellsBroken Bells is an American alternative rock band composed of artist-producer Brian Burton and James Mercer, the lead vocalist and guitarist for the indie rock band The Shins. Broken Bells compose and create as a duo, but are joined by a full band on tour...
. The group's first album was released on March 9, 2010.
Danger Mouse was listed as one of
EsquireEsquire is a men's magazine, published in the U.S. by the Hearst Corporation. Founded in 1932, it flourished during the Great Depression under the guidance of founder and editor Arnold Gingrich.-History:...
magazine's seventy-five most influential people of the 21st century. In 2010 he began producing an album for
U2U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
.
Early life
Brian Burton was born in
White Plains, New YorkWhite Plains is a city and the county seat of Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located in south-central Westchester, about east of the Hudson River and northwest of Long Island Sound...
. He spent much of his childhood in
Spring Valley, New YorkSpring Valley, incorporated on July 9, 1902 is a village spanning the Town of Ramapo and Town of Clarkstown in Rockland County, New York, United States located north of Nanuet; east of Airmont and Monsey; south of Hillcrest and west of West Nyack...
. Burton also lived in
Athens, GeorgiaAthens-Clarke County is a consolidated city–county in U.S. state of Georgia, in the northeastern part of the state, comprising the former City of Athens proper and Clarke County. The University of Georgia is located in this college town and is responsible for the initial growth of the city...
for a while, where his trip-hop work was released under the name "Pelican City". He also remixed work by several local artists, including
Neutral Milk HotelNeutral Milk Hotel was an American indie rock band formed by singer, guitarist and songwriter Jeff Mangum in the early 1990s. The band was noted for its experimental sound, obscure lyrics and eclectic instrumentation....
and DJ'd for
University of GeorgiaThe University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
radio station WUOG-FM. From 1998 to 2003, Burton also created a series of remix CDs and records under the stage name Danger Mouse. He performed in a mouse outfit because he was too shy to show his face, and took his name from the British cartoon series Danger Mouse.
Music career
While in Athens, Burton took second place in a 1998 talent contest and was asked to open for a concert at the
University of GeorgiaThe University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
featuring
OutKastOutkast is an American hip hop duo based in East Point, Georgia, consisting of Atlanta native André "André 3000" Benjamin and Savannah, Georgia-born Antwan "Big Boi" Patton. They were originally known as Two Shades Deep but later changed the group's name to OutKast...
and
Goodie MobGoodie Mob is a Hip Hop act based in Atlanta, Georgia that formed in 1991 and currently consists of members Cee-Lo Green, Khujo, T-Mo and Big Gipp.-History:The group's name acts as a double backronym...
. Afterwards, Burton approached Cee Lo Green, a member of Goodie Mob, and gave him an instrumental demo tape. It would be several years before the pair made contact again, but the two would eventually collaborate as
Gnarls BarkleyGnarls Barkley is an American soul duo comprising Danger Mouse and Cee Lo Green. Their first studio album St. Elsewhere was released in 2006; along with its first single "Crazy". Both single and album were a major commercial success and have been noted for their large sales by download...
.
2001–2004
Burton moved to
BritainThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
for a couple of years, living in
New CrossNew Cross is a district and ward of the London Borough of Lewisham, England. It is situated 4 miles south-east of Charing Cross. The ward covered by London post town and the SE 14 postcode district. New Cross is near St Johns, Telegraph Hill, Nunhead, Peckham, Brockley, Deptford and Greenwich...
in London and working at the Rose pub near London Bridge. While there, he sent a demo to
Lex RecordsLex Records is an independent record label founded by Tom Brown in 2001. The label was an imprint of Warp Records and run from their North London offices, until September 2005.Lex has a low volume of releases, rarely releasing more than three albums annually...
, which signed him. Burton's first original releases under the name Danger Mouse were his collaborations with rapper
JeminiJemini the Gifted One , better known as Jemini, is a rapper from Brooklyn who has worked with DJ Danger Mouse, most notably on the rap/pop album Ghetto Pop Life...
, including the album
Ghetto Pop Life, released in 2003 on Lex Records. While the Danger Mouse debut was well-received by critics, he did not rise to fame until he created
The Grey AlbumThe Grey Album is a mashup album by Danger Mouse, released in 2004. It uses an a cappella version of rapper Jay-Z's The Black Album and couples it with instrumentals created from a multitude of unauthorized samples from The Beatles' LP The Beatles...
, mixing
a cappellaA cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
versions of Jay Z's The Black Album over beats crafted from samples of
The BeatlesThe Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
'
White AlbumThe Beatles is the ninth official album by the English rock group The Beatles, a double album released in 1968. It is also commonly known as "The White Album" as it has no graphics or text other than the band's name embossed on its plain white sleeve.The album was written and recorded during a...
. The remix album, originally created just for his friends, spread over the Internet and became very popular with both the general audience and critics, with
Rolling StoneRolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
calling it the ultimate remix record and
Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
ranking it the best record of that year. He discussed his feelings about any controversy the album may have created in the documentary Alternative Freedom. Danger Mouse was also named among the Men of the Year by GQ in 2004 and won a 2005
WiredWired is a full-color monthly American magazine and on-line periodical, published since January 1993, that reports on how new and developing technology affects culture, the economy, and politics...
Rave Award.
2004–2007
The Grey Album also got the attention of
Damon AlbarnDamon Albarn is an English singer-songwriter and record producer who has been involved in many high profile projects, coming to prominence as the frontman and primary songwriter of Britpop band Blur...
, who enlisted Danger Mouse to produce the
GorillazGorillaz is an English musical project created in 1998 by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett. This project consists of Gorillaz music itself and an extensive fictional universe depicting a "virtual band" of cartoon characters...
' second studio album,
Demon DaysDemon Days is the second studio album by British virtual band Gorillaz, released in May 2005. The album features contributions from De La Soul, Neneh Cherry, Martina Topley-Bird, Roots Manuva, MF DOOM, Ike Turner, Bootie Brown of the Pharcyde, Shaun Ryder, Dennis Hopper, the London Community Gospel...
. Demon Days earned Burton a
Grammy AwardA Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
nomination for
Producer of the YearThe Grammy Award for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical has been awarded since 1975. The award had several minor name changes:*from 1975 to 1977, the award was known as Best Producer of the Year...
.
Danger Mouse's next project was
The Mouse and the MaskThe Mouse and the Mask is a collaboration album by Danger Mouse and MF DOOM under the name Danger Doom, released on October 11, 2005 by Punk Label Epitaph Records in the United States marking it the third hip hop release for the label...
, a collaboration with
MF DOOMDaniel Dumile is a hip hop artist who has taken on several stage names in his career, most notably MF DOOM, where the "MF" stands for metal face, and for tracks he has produced, metal fingers...
(as
DANGERDOOMDanger Doom is a musical collaboration between DJ and producer Danger Mouse and rapper MF Doom. Their first album, The Mouse and the Mask, was released in 2005, and followed by the Occult Hymn EP in 2006.-Background:...
) about and for
Cartoon NetworkCartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
's
Adult SwimAdult Swim is an adult-oriented Cable network that shares channel space with Cartoon Network from 9:00 pm until 6:00 am ET/PT in the United States, and broadcasts in countries such as Australia and New Zealand...
. The two had previously collaborated on the Danger Mouse remix of
Zero 7Zero 7 is a British musical duo consisting of Henry Binns and Sam Hardaker. The group members began their musical careers as studio engineers and in 1997 formed the group Zero 7. Their debut album, Simple Things was released in 2001 and received critical acclaim...
's "Somersault", on the
Prince PoLawrence Baskerville ,also known as Prince Po, is an American rapper and former member of the rap duo Organized Konfusion with Pharaohe Monch. Originally the duo was called Simply 2 Positive. Prince Poetry MC'd and Monch beat-boxed...
track "Social Distortion", and on
GorillazGorillaz is an English musical project created in 1998 by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett. This project consists of Gorillaz music itself and an extensive fictional universe depicting a "virtual band" of cartoon characters...
' "November Has Come". A year later, DANGERDOOM released a follow-up EP called
Occult HymnOccult Hymn is a follow-up EP to Danger Doom's debut album The Mouse & The Mask. It contains seven tracks and was released as a free download at Adult Swim's website on May 30, 2006...
. The 7-track EP featured new songs as well as remixes of tracks from The Mouse & The Mask and was released exclusively as a free download on Adult Swim's site.
In 2006, Danger Mouse and Cee-Lo (as
Gnarls BarkleyGnarls Barkley is an American soul duo comprising Danger Mouse and Cee Lo Green. Their first studio album St. Elsewhere was released in 2006; along with its first single "Crazy". Both single and album were a major commercial success and have been noted for their large sales by download...
) released their first album,
St. ElsewhereSt. Elsewhere is the debut album by United States hip hop soul duo Gnarls Barkley. It was released on April 24, 2006 in the United Kingdom, where it debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, and on May 9, 2006 in the United States, although it was available for purchase one week earlier as a...
, which included the international hit single "
Crazy"Crazy" is the debut single from Gnarls Barkley, a musical collaboration between Danger Mouse and Cee Lo Green, and is taken from their 2006 debut album St. Elsewhere...
". "Crazy" became the first
UK number-one single based solely on
downloadsA music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
.
He also produced two tracks on
The RaptureThe Rapture is an Indie rock band based in New York City. The band mixes influences from many genres including post-punk, acid house, disco, electronica and rock, pioneering the post-punk revival genre...
's 2006 album
Pieces of the People We LovePieces of the People We Love is the second full-length album by dance-punk band The Rapture. The album was released in the United States on September 12, 2006.-Track listing:# "Don Gon Do It"# "Pieces of the People We Love"...
. In the Autumn of 2006, Sparklehorse released their fourth album, 'Dreamt for Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain', a collaboration with Danger Mouse and Steven Drozd of The Flaming Lips. In August and September 2006, Danger Mouse collaborated with British graffiti artist
BanksyBanksy is a pseudonymous England-based graffiti artist, political activist, film director, and painter.His satirical street art and subversive epigrams combine irreverent dark humour with graffiti done in a distinctive stencilling technique...
to replace 500 copies of
Paris HiltonParis Whitney Hilton is an American businesswoman, heiress, and socialite. She is a great-granddaughter of Conrad Hilton . Hilton is known for her controversial participation in a sex tape in 2003, and appearance on the television series The Simple Life alongside fellow socialite and childhood...
's album
ParisParis is the debut studio album by American media personality and singer Paris Hilton, released on her own label, Heiress Records, in association with Warner Bros. Records. The album was released in the United States on August 22, 2006...
in English music stores with altered album artwork and a 40 minute instrumental song containing various statements she had made.
2007–present
In January 2007, Danger Mouse produced another collaboration with
Damon AlbarnDamon Albarn is an English singer-songwriter and record producer who has been involved in many high profile projects, coming to prominence as the frontman and primary songwriter of Britpop band Blur...
on
The Good, the Bad and the QueenThe Good, the Bad & the Queen is the album by an ostensibly unnamed British alternative rock supergroup also commonly referred to as The Good, The Bad & The Queen, and made up of Damon Albarn, Paul Simonon, Simon Tong and Tony Allen. The album was released in January 2007...
, along with
ClashThe Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
bassistA bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
Paul SimononPaul Gustave Simonon is an English musician and artist best known as the bass guitarist for punk rock band The Clash. Recent work includes his involvement in the album The Good, the Bad & the Queen with Damon Albarn, Simon Tong and Tony Allen, released in January 2007...
, former
VerveThe Verve were an English rock band formed in 1989 in Wigan by lead vocalist Richard Ashcroft, guitarist Nick McCabe, bassist Simon Jones, and drummer Peter Salisbury. Guitarist and keyboardist Simon Tong later became a member. Beginning with a psychedelic sound indebted to shoegazing and space...
guitarist
Simon TongSimon Tong is a guitarist and keyboardist who was a member of The Verve between 1996 and 1999 and is currently a member of Erland and the Carnival and Transmission. He has also played on tour with Blur, Gorillaz and the unnamed supergroup responsible for The Good, the Bad & the Queen...
and
AfrobeatAfrobeat is a combination of traditional Yoruba music, jazz, highlife, funk and chanted vocals, fused with percussion and vocal styles, popularised in Africa in the 1970s. Its main creator was the Nigerian multi-instrumentalist and bandleader Fela Kuti, who gave it its name, who used it to...
pioneer and Africa 70
drummerA drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
Tony AllenTony Oladipo Allen is aNigerian drummer, composer, and songwriter who currently lives and works in Paris. He is currently writing his autobiography "Tony Allen: Master Drummer of Afrobeat" with author/musician Michael E...
.
In March 2008,
The Odd CoupleThe Odd Couple is the second studio album by Gnarls Barkley, released digitally on March 18 and in stores March 25, 2008. Due to an early leak of the album over the Internet in early March 2008, the duo decided to push up the release from April 8...
, the second album of his and Cee-lo's
Gnarls BarkleyGnarls Barkley is an American soul duo comprising Danger Mouse and Cee Lo Green. Their first studio album St. Elsewhere was released in 2006; along with its first single "Crazy". Both single and album were a major commercial success and have been noted for their large sales by download...
project, was released. In May 2008, an album with
Martina Topley-BirdMartina Topley-Bird is a British vocalist and songwriter who first gained fame as the featured female vocalist on trip hop pioneer Tricky's debut album, Maxinquaye...
, titled
The Blue GodThe Blue God is the second studio album by British singer-songwriter Martina Topley-Bird, her first in five years. Released on May 12, 2008, the album had been complete since at least September 2007. Since then, Topley-Bird slowly revealed track titles and posted songs from the album on her...
, was released. Martina collaborated on "All Alone", one song on the Danger Mouse produced
GorillazGorillaz is an English musical project created in 1998 by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett. This project consists of Gorillaz music itself and an extensive fictional universe depicting a "virtual band" of cartoon characters...
second LP,
Demon DaysDemon Days is the second studio album by British virtual band Gorillaz, released in May 2005. The album features contributions from De La Soul, Neneh Cherry, Martina Topley-Bird, Roots Manuva, MF DOOM, Ike Turner, Bootie Brown of the Pharcyde, Shaun Ryder, Dennis Hopper, the London Community Gospel...
. Also released in May 2008 was
Replica Sun MachineReplica Sun Machine is the second album by The Shortwave Set.Work began on the album shortly after the release of The Debt Collection. In an interview for Swedish television, singer and songwriter Andrew Pettitt said that by February 2007 the album was completed as far as they were concerned...
, an album with the band
The Shortwave SetThe Shortwave Set are a British alternative pop band whose debut album, The Debt Collection, was released in 2005 on Independiente Records. The band's music combines sample-based music with more traditional songwriting and instrumentation to create a sound the group have described as "Victorian Funk"...
, including a collaboration with Van Dyke Parks and the Velvet Underground's John Cale, according to British music magazine New Musical Express.
Upcoming releases include a follow-up to
Ghetto Pop Life entitled Kill Your Heroes. KYH was scheduled to be released in summer of 2006, but its release has been pushed back to an undetermined date. A collaborative album with
Black ThoughtTariq Trotter , better known as Black Thought, is an American hip-hop artist who is the lead MC of the Philadelphia-based hip hop group The Roots and occasional actor...
of
The RootsThe Roots is an American hip hop/neo soul band formed in 1987 by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are famed for beginning with a jazzy, eclectic approach to hip hop which still includes live instrumentals...
is said to be in the works. He was also working on an album with
The Black KeysThe Black Keys are an American rock duo consisting of vocalist/guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer/producer Patrick Carney. The band was formed in Akron, Ohio, in 2001. As of October 2011, the band has sold over 2 million albums in the U.S....
and
Ike TurnerIsaac Wister Turner was an American musician, bandleader, songwriter, arranger, talent scout, and record producer. In a career that lasted more than half a century, his repertoire included blues, soul, rock, and funk...
. Turner's death was expected to cancel the album, but The Black Keys and Danger Mouse released
Attack & Release- Notes :* "Things Ain't Like They Used to Be" features a duet between Dan Auerbach and then 17-year-old bluegrass/country singer Jessica Lea Mayfield.* "Strange Times" is featured in the 2008 video game Grand Theft Auto IV as well as NASCAR 09....
in April 2008. Some songs must have been recorded by Turner, however, as a posthumous Danger Mouse produced album has been mentioned, as well as another collaboration with MF Doom.
Danger Mouse also produced
BeckBeck Hansen is an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known by the stage name Beck...
's album
Modern GuiltModern Guilt is the eleventh studio album by American alternative musician Beck. It was released on July 8, 2008. The album fulfills Beck's recording contract with Interscope Records...
, which was released in July 2008. In April 2009, he and Helena Costas released an album as
Joker's DaughterJoker's Daughter was originally a musical collaboration between Greek-English singer/songwriter Helena Costas and producer Danger Mouse who released their debut album The Last Laugh in 2009...
titled The Last Laugh. Danger Mouse was also listed as one of Esquire
's 75 most influential people of the 21st century.
Since 2005, Danger Mouse (as a producer as well as an artist with Gnarls Barkley) has been nominated for 11 Grammy Awards: Producer of the Year (2005, 2006 and 2008), Record of Year (2006), Album of Year (2006), Best Alternative Album (2006 and 2008), Best Urban Alternative Performance (2006), Best Short Form Music Video (2007 and 2008) and Best Pop Performance (2008) He won two Grammy Awards in 2006 for Best Alternative Album and Best Urban Alternative Performance.
Danger Mouse and
SparklehorseSparklehorse was an American indie rock band led by the singer and multi-instrumentalist Mark Linkous.-History:Sparklehorse's first album, Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot featuring Bob Rupe of the Silos and Cracker, was a modest college radio success...
were due to release an album in the summer of 2009 entitled
Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse Present: Dark Night of the SoulDark Night of the Soul is an album written by Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse. It features a wide range of singers, which include James Mercer of the Shins, Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips, Gruff Rhys of Super Furry Animals, Jason Lytle of Grandaddy, Julian Casablancas of the Strokes, Black Francis...
(together with a 100+ photo book with photographs by
David LynchDavid Keith Lynch is an American filmmaker, television director, visual artist, musician and occasional actor. Known for his surrealist films, he has developed his own unique cinematic style, which has been dubbed "Lynchian", and which is characterized by its dream imagery and meticulous sound...
). Due to a dispute with
EMIThe EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
the album was not released officially until 12 July 2010 . However, the BBC reported that Danger Mouse planned to release a full illustrated jewel case with a blank CD-R included in it. The CD-R was to be labeled:
"For Legal Reasons, enclosed CD-R contains no music. Use it as you will."
On November 8, 2009, Paste Magazine named Danger Mouse the "Best Producer of the Decade (2000-2009)."
Together with
James MercerJames Russell Mercer is an American guitarist and Alternative rock musician. He is a founding member and lead singer-songwriter of the Grammy-nominated indie rock group The Shins. In 2009, Mercer and producer Danger Mouse formed the side project Broken Bells, for which they released a...
, Danger Mouse (billed by his real name, Brian Burton) formed
Broken BellsBroken Bells is an American alternative rock band composed of artist-producer Brian Burton and James Mercer, the lead vocalist and guitarist for the indie rock band The Shins. Broken Bells compose and create as a duo, but are joined by a full band on tour...
. The project was first announced on Tuesday, September 29, 2009. 21 December 2009 the band informed fans in an e-mail message of the release of their debut single "The High Road", which was made available as a free download on their official site. The
self-titled debut albumBroken Bells is the eponymous debut album from Broken Bells Broken Bells is the eponymous debut album from Broken Bells Broken Bells is the eponymous debut album from Broken Bells (James Mercer of indie rock band The Shins with producer and multi-instrumentalist Brian Burton (aka Danger Mouse), and...
was released in the U.S. on March 9, 2010.
In 2010 Danger Mouse began producing an album with the band
U2U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
, set to be released in early 2011. U2's frontman,
BonoPaul David Hewson , most commonly known by his stage name Bono , is an Irish singer, musician, and humanitarian best known for being the main vocalist of the Dublin-based rock band U2. Bono was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, and attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School where he met his...
, said, "We have about 12 songs with him. At the moment that looks like the album we will put out next because it's just happening so easily."
Since 2005, Danger Mouse has been composing a spaghetti western album with composer Daniele Luppi. Jack White and Norah Jones do the main vocals on the album. Instrumentation was done mainly by musicians who played on the original Ennio Morricone scores. Danger Mouse does not play any instruments on the album. The style of the album reflects much of Danger Mouse's work since 2005, such as segments of Beck's "Modern Guilt", aspects of "Dark Night of the Soul", and songs like "Mongrel Heart" off of the self-titled Broken Bells album. The album is titled
RomeRome is an album written by the American music producer Danger Mouse and the Italian composer Daniele Luppi. The album took five years to make and was inspired by the music from spaghetti westerns....
and was released on May 16, 2011.
On February 13, 2011, Danger Mouse won a Grammy for Best Producer for his work on the Black Keys' Brothers,
Broken BellsBroken Bells is an American alternative rock band composed of artist-producer Brian Burton and James Mercer, the lead vocalist and guitarist for the indie rock band The Shins. Broken Bells compose and create as a duo, but are joined by a full band on tour...
selftitled, and the Danger Mouse and
SparklehorseSparklehorse was an American indie rock band led by the singer and multi-instrumentalist Mark Linkous.-History:Sparklehorse's first album, Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot featuring Bob Rupe of the Silos and Cracker, was a modest college radio success...
album Dark Night of the Soul.
Philosophy
In an interview for the New York Times magazine, Danger Mouse was compared to a film auteur, basing his music production philosophy on the cinematic philosophy of directors like
Woody AllenWoody Allen is an American screenwriter, director, actor, comedian, jazz musician, author, and playwright. Allen's films draw heavily on literature, sexuality, philosophy, psychology, Jewish identity, and the history of cinema...
. "Woody Allen was an auteur: he did his thing, and that particular thing was completely his own," he said. "That's what I decided to do with music. I want to create a director's role within music, which is what I tried to do on this album (
St. ElsewhereSt. Elsewhere is the debut album by United States hip hop soul duo Gnarls Barkley. It was released on April 24, 2006 in the United Kingdom, where it debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, and on May 9, 2006 in the United States, although it was available for purchase one week earlier as a...
)... I can create different kinds of musical worlds, but the artist needs the desire to go into that world... Musically, there is no one who has the career I want. That's why I have to use film directors as a model."
Awards
- 2004 Entertainment Weekly Album of the year (Danger Mouse - The Grey Album)
- 2004 GQ Magazine "Men of the Year"
- 2005 Wired Magazine Rave Award (Music)
- 2005 Grammy Nomination (Danger Mouse - Producer of the Year)
- 2005 Q Magazine (Best Producer)
- 2006 Grammy Award - Best Alternative Album (Gnarls Barkley -St. Elsewhere)
- 2006 Grammy Award - Best Urban/Alternative Performance (Gnarls Barkley - Crazy)
- 2006 Entertainment Weekly Album of the Year (Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere)
- 2006 Grammy Nomination (Danger Mouse - Producer of the Year)
- 2006 Q Magazine (Song of the Year - Gnarls Barkley "Crazy" )
- 2008 Rolling Stone Magazine Best Producer in Rock
- 2009 Esquire Magazine 75 Most Influential People of the 21st Century
- 2009 Grammy Nomination (Danger Mouse - Producer of the Year)
- 2009 GQ Magazine Album of the Year (Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse - Dark Night of the Soul)
- 2009 Paste Magazine "Producer of the Decade"
- 2010 Grammy Nomination - Best Alternative Album (Gnarls Barkley - The Odd Couple)
- 2010 Rolling Stone Magazine - Song of the Decade (Gnarls Barkley - Crazy)
- 2011 Grammy Award (Danger Mouse - Producer of the Year)
- 2011 Grammy Nomination - Best Alternative Album (Broken Bells - Broken Bells)
Danger Mouse albums
- Danger Mouse and Jemini
Jemini the Gifted One , better known as Jemini, is a rapper from Brooklyn who has worked with DJ Danger Mouse, most notably on the rap/pop album Ghetto Pop Life...
– Ghetto Pop Life (2003)
- Danger Mouse – The Grey Album
The Grey Album is a mashup album by Danger Mouse, released in 2004. It uses an a cappella version of rapper Jay-Z's The Black Album and couples it with instrumentals created from a multitude of unauthorized samples from The Beatles' LP The Beatles...
(2004)
- Gorillaz
Gorillaz is an English musical project created in 1998 by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett. This project consists of Gorillaz music itself and an extensive fictional universe depicting a "virtual band" of cartoon characters...
– Demon DaysDemon Days is the second studio album by British virtual band Gorillaz, released in May 2005. The album features contributions from De La Soul, Neneh Cherry, Martina Topley-Bird, Roots Manuva, MF DOOM, Ike Turner, Bootie Brown of the Pharcyde, Shaun Ryder, Dennis Hopper, the London Community Gospel...
(2005)
- Danger Doom
Danger Doom is a musical collaboration between DJ and producer Danger Mouse and rapper MF Doom. Their first album, The Mouse and the Mask, was released in 2005, and followed by the Occult Hymn EP in 2006.-Background:...
– The Mouse & The Mask (2005)
- Danger Doom
Danger Doom is a musical collaboration between DJ and producer Danger Mouse and rapper MF Doom. Their first album, The Mouse and the Mask, was released in 2005, and followed by the Occult Hymn EP in 2006.-Background:...
- Occult HymnOccult Hymn is a follow-up EP to Danger Doom's debut album The Mouse & The Mask. It contains seven tracks and was released as a free download at Adult Swim's website on May 30, 2006...
(2006)
- The Rapture
The Rapture is an Indie rock band based in New York City. The band mixes influences from many genres including post-punk, acid house, disco, electronica and rock, pioneering the post-punk revival genre...
– Pieces of the People We LovePieces of the People We Love is the second full-length album by dance-punk band The Rapture. The album was released in the United States on September 12, 2006.-Track listing:# "Don Gon Do It"# "Pieces of the People We Love"...
(2006)
- Sparklehorse
Sparklehorse was an American indie rock band led by the singer and multi-instrumentalist Mark Linkous.-History:Sparklehorse's first album, Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot featuring Bob Rupe of the Silos and Cracker, was a modest college radio success...
– Dreamt for Light Years in the Belly of a MountainDreamt for Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain is the fourth and final album by Sparklehorse before Mark Linkous' death in 2010. It was released September 25, 2006 on Astralwerks Records.-Recording:...
(2006)
- Gnarls Barkley
Gnarls Barkley is an American soul duo comprising Danger Mouse and Cee Lo Green. Their first studio album St. Elsewhere was released in 2006; along with its first single "Crazy". Both single and album were a major commercial success and have been noted for their large sales by download...
– St. ElsewhereSt. Elsewhere is the debut album by United States hip hop soul duo Gnarls Barkley. It was released on April 24, 2006 in the United Kingdom, where it debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, and on May 9, 2006 in the United States, although it was available for purchase one week earlier as a...
(2006)
- The Good, the Bad & the Queen (2007)
- The Black Keys
The Black Keys are an American rock duo consisting of vocalist/guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer/producer Patrick Carney. The band was formed in Akron, Ohio, in 2001. As of October 2011, the band has sold over 2 million albums in the U.S....
– Attack & Release- Notes :* "Things Ain't Like They Used to Be" features a duet between Dan Auerbach and then 17-year-old bluegrass/country singer Jessica Lea Mayfield.* "Strange Times" is featured in the 2008 video game Grand Theft Auto IV as well as NASCAR 09....
(2008)
- Gnarls Barkley
Gnarls Barkley is an American soul duo comprising Danger Mouse and Cee Lo Green. Their first studio album St. Elsewhere was released in 2006; along with its first single "Crazy". Both single and album were a major commercial success and have been noted for their large sales by download...
– The Odd CoupleThe Odd Couple is the second studio album by Gnarls Barkley, released digitally on March 18 and in stores March 25, 2008. Due to an early leak of the album over the Internet in early March 2008, the duo decided to push up the release from April 8...
(2008)
- The Shortwave Set
The Shortwave Set are a British alternative pop band whose debut album, The Debt Collection, was released in 2005 on Independiente Records. The band's music combines sample-based music with more traditional songwriting and instrumentation to create a sound the group have described as "Victorian Funk"...
– Replica Sun MachineReplica Sun Machine is the second album by The Shortwave Set.Work began on the album shortly after the release of The Debt Collection. In an interview for Swedish television, singer and songwriter Andrew Pettitt said that by February 2007 the album was completed as far as they were concerned...
(2008)
- Martina Topley-Bird
Martina Topley-Bird is a British vocalist and songwriter who first gained fame as the featured female vocalist on trip hop pioneer Tricky's debut album, Maxinquaye...
– The Blue GodThe Blue God is the second studio album by British singer-songwriter Martina Topley-Bird, her first in five years. Released on May 12, 2008, the album had been complete since at least September 2007. Since then, Topley-Bird slowly revealed track titles and posted songs from the album on her...
(2008)
- Beck
Beck Hansen is an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known by the stage name Beck...
– Modern GuiltModern Guilt is the eleventh studio album by American alternative musician Beck. It was released on July 8, 2008. The album fulfills Beck's recording contract with Interscope Records...
(2008)
- Joker's Daughter
Joker's Daughter was originally a musical collaboration between Greek-English singer/songwriter Helena Costas and producer Danger Mouse who released their debut album The Last Laugh in 2009...
– The Last Laugh (2009)
- Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse
Sparklehorse was an American indie rock band led by the singer and multi-instrumentalist Mark Linkous.-History:Sparklehorse's first album, Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot featuring Bob Rupe of the Silos and Cracker, was a modest college radio success...
– Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse Present: Dark Night of the SoulDark Night of the Soul is an album written by Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse. It features a wide range of singers, which include James Mercer of the Shins, Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips, Gruff Rhys of Super Furry Animals, Jason Lytle of Grandaddy, Julian Casablancas of the Strokes, Black Francis...
(2010)
- Broken Bells
Broken Bells is an American alternative rock band composed of artist-producer Brian Burton and James Mercer, the lead vocalist and guitarist for the indie rock band The Shins. Broken Bells compose and create as a duo, but are joined by a full band on tour...
– Broken BellsBroken Bells is the eponymous debut album from Broken Bells Broken Bells is the eponymous debut album from Broken Bells Broken Bells is the eponymous debut album from Broken Bells (James Mercer of indie rock band The Shins with producer and multi-instrumentalist Brian Burton (aka Danger Mouse), and...
(2010)
- The Black Keys
The Black Keys are an American rock duo consisting of vocalist/guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer/producer Patrick Carney. The band was formed in Akron, Ohio, in 2001. As of October 2011, the band has sold over 2 million albums in the U.S....
– BrothersBrothers is the sixth album and Grammy Award-winner of Best Alternative Music Album by American blues-rock duo, The Black Keys. The album was announced on March 2, 2010 by Pitchfork Media and became the band's third release from Nonesuch Records on May 18, 2010...
"Tighten Up" (2010)
- Broken Bells
Broken Bells is an American alternative rock band composed of artist-producer Brian Burton and James Mercer, the lead vocalist and guitarist for the indie rock band The Shins. Broken Bells compose and create as a duo, but are joined by a full band on tour...
– Meyrin Fields (2011)
- Danger Mouse and Daniele Luppi
Daniele Luppi is an Italian musician, arranger and producer based in Rome, Italy. Luppi is known for his cinematic music productions.- Discography :* Danger Mouse and Daniele Luppi – Rome - External links :...
– RomeRome is an album written by the American music producer Danger Mouse and the Italian composer Daniele Luppi. The album took five years to make and was inspired by the music from spaghetti westerns....
(2011) (UK chart peak: #20)
- The Black Keys
The Black Keys are an American rock duo consisting of vocalist/guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer/producer Patrick Carney. The band was formed in Akron, Ohio, in 2001. As of October 2011, the band has sold over 2 million albums in the U.S....
- El CaminoEl Camino is the seventh album by American blues-rock duo The Black Keys. The album was announced on October 10, 2011 by Pitchfork Media and will become the band's fourth release from Nonesuch Records on December 6, 2011...
(2011)
Solo singles
| Year |
Single |
Peak chart |
Album |
US
Alt. |
US
RockRock Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks the airplay of songs on alternative, mainstream rock and triple A radio stations. The first chart was published in the issue dated June 20, 2009. "Know Your Enemy" by Green Day was the first number-one song. The Rock Songs...
|
| 2011 |
"Two Against One" (featuring Jack WhiteJack White , often credited as Jack White III, is an American musician, songwriter, record producer and occasional actor...
) |
20 |
33 |
Rome |
"Black" (featuring Norah JonesNorah Jones is an American singer-songwriter and occasional actress.In 2002, she launched her solo music career with the release of the commercially successful and critically acclaimed album Come Away With Me, which was certified a diamond album in 2002, selling over 20 million copies...
) |
— |
— |
| "Two Against One" / "Problem Queen" |
— |
— |
Pelican City
- The Chilling Effect (1999)
- Rhode Island (2000)
- Pelican City vs. Scanner
Robin Rimbaud is an electronic musician who works under the name Scanner due to his use of cell phone and police scanners in live performance...
– EP (2002)
Promos
- Danger Mouse Promo: Volume 1 (1998)
- Danger Mouse Promo: Volume 2 (1999)
- Danger Mouse Promo: Volume 3 (2000)
- Danger Mouse Promo: Volume 4 (2000)
- Danger Mouse Promo: Remix EP 12" White (2001)
- Danger Mouse Promo: Remix EP 12" Red (2002)
- Danger Mouse Promo: Remix EP 12" Yellow (2003)
Contributions
- Verve Remixed 3 (2005) – Dinah Washington – "Baby, Did You Hear?" (Danger Mouse remix)
- The Now Sound Redesigned
The Free Design was a Delevan, New York-based vocal group playing jazzy pop music. Their music can be described as sunshine pop and baroque pop, which were pop music subgenres at the time, which later influenced the bands Stereolab, Cornelius, Pizzicato Five, Beck and The High Llamas.-Early...
– "To a Black Boy" by Danger Mouse (with Murs)
External links