Muscles (musician)
Encyclopedia
Muscles is an Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

n electronica
Electronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...

 musician.
Muscles' debut album Guns Babes Lemonade
Guns Babes Lemonade
Guns Babes Lemonade is the critically acclaimed debut album by Australian electronica musician Muscles. It was released in Australia on 29 September 2007, 23 October 2007 in the U.S., and 28 April 2008 in the UK and Europe.-Track listing:# "Sweaty" – 4:16...

was released in Australia on 29 September 2007. The album entered the Australian ARIA Album Chart
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...

 at #14 on 8 October 2007, reaching #3 on the Australian Artist Chart and #1 on the Dance Album Chart in its first week.

Beginnings

Muscles self released Four Months
Four Months
Four Months is an independent release by Muscles that was available from his website and at his shows.- Track listing :#"Elisa"#"Bush Fire"#"Lovers Say Goodnight" #"Corner of her Jacket" #"Memory Pre"#"One Inch Badge Pin"...

in early 2006, a compilation of 20 lo-fi experimental/dance/ambient songs burned on 80 handmade CD-Rs, whilst playing various open mic nights in Melbourne. Muscles's first single "One Inch Badge Pin" gained small radio play on Australian national youth radio Triple J
Triple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...

 in July 2006. Playing various indie nights and club shows between Melbourne, Muscles supported Girl Talk
Girl Talk (musician)
Gregg Michael Gillis , better known by his stage name Girl Talk, is an American musician specializing in mashups and digital sampling. Gillis has released five LPs on the record label Illegal Art and EPs on 333 and 12 Apostles....

 in Melbourne and Sydney and performed New Years Eve at Honkytonks 'The Last Dance' closing down party.

2007 began with a concert at Sydney Festival
Sydney Festival
Sydney Festival is Australia's largest and most attended annual cultural event running every January since it was first held in 1977. Its program features around 80 events including contemporary and classical music, dance, circus, drama, visual arts and artist talks...

 alongside Midnight Juggernauts
Midnight Juggernauts
Midnight Juggernauts are a band from Melbourne, Australia composed of Andrew Szekeres, Vincent Vendetta, and Daniel Stricker. The band has been described as anything from 'prog dance meets cosmic film scores', to 'slasher-flick disco' to 'deadpan landscape',...

, Ajax
Ajax (DJ)
Ajax is an Electroclash mash-up DJ known for his musical irreverence and cut and paste mixing style. Prior to this he was a university art lecturer. Quoted by artists Mylo and Tiga as a talent to watch...

 and Gus Da Hoodrat. A week later Muscles was chosen as the support for Hot Chip
Hot Chip
Hot Chip are an English electronic indie band. They have released four studio albums—Coming on Strong, The Warning, Made in the Dark and One Life Stand.-Formation:...

's Melbourne Big Day Out
Big Day Out
The Big Day Out is an annual music festival held in several cities in Australia and New Zealand in late January. It started in Sydney in 1992, spread to Adelaide, Melbourne and Perth by 1993, with the Gold Coast and Auckland joining in 1994...

 sideshow. A special one-off performance was organised in February at Click Click (in Brown Alley), arranging 10 musicians from local indie bands in Melbourne to come together and play four songs in a 10 piece superstar improv-band to a mixed response. February included gigs at St. Kilda Festival
St Kilda Festival
The St Kilda Festival is a popular community festival held in the Melbourne suburb of St Kilda. Traditionally held on the second Sunday in February, the festival is about showcasing live Australian music, family and children's entertainment, beach activities and much more all presented in a...

, main support for Jenny Wilson
Jenny Wilson (singer/songwriter)
Jenny Wilson is a Swedish singer-songwriter, born on October 20, 1975 in Blekinge, Sweden. She founded the band First Floor Power in 1997 and released two albums, There Is Hope and Nerves, before leaving the band to go solo around 2004. She studied graphic design at Konstfack for one year...

's Australian tour, parties in Sydney at Bandits and Bad Kids Recreation Club. Late February Modular threw a launch party for their new compilation 'Leave Them All Behind 2
Modular Presents: Leave Them All Behind 2
Modular Presents: Leave Them All Behind 2 is the 2007 double-disc follow-up to Modular Recordings' well-received 2005 dance-rock compilation Modular Presents: Leave Them All Behind...

' at Bondi Beach, the night included DJ sets from Van She Tech
Van She
Van She is an electropop band formed in 2005 in Sydney, Australia, with Matt Van Schie on bass guitar/vocals, Tomek Archer on drums/sequencer, Michael Di Francesco on synth/guitar and Nicholas Routledge on vocals/guitar...

 and Bang Gang DJs and Muscles was asked to play live.

In March he opened the first ever Golden Plains Festival
Golden Plains Festival
The Golden Plains Festival is held over three days during the Victorian Labour Day long-weekend on private farmland in Victoria, Australia. The nearest rural town is Meredith, which is between the regional cities of Geelong and Ballarat. The closest metropolitan city is Melbourne, 90 kilometres...

 (sister to the popular Meredith Music Festival
Meredith Music Festival
The Meredith Music Festival is a three-day outdoor music festival held every December at the Supernatural Amphitheatre, a natural amphitheatre located on private farmland near the town of Meredith in Victoria, Australia...

, Australia's biggest non-commercial festival). Three weeks later was Australia's first ever V Festival
V Festival (Australia)
The Australian V Festival was an Australian music festival, and a spin-off of the British V Festival. Like all V Festivals, the event was primarily sponsored by Virgin Mobile. In Australia the event was also sponsored by airline Virgin Blue. The V Festival was televised exclusively in Australia by...

, Muscles was not on the line-up but was added last minute a night before due to a band cancelling, already booked to play the official afterparty there were three shows that day including a DJ set at Club 77. Muscles met Soulwax
Soulwax
Soulwax, headed by David and Stephen Dewaele, are an alternative rock/electronic band from Ghent, Belgium. Next to the Dewaele brothers, Soulwax consists of bassist Stefaan Van Leuven and drummer Steve Slingeneyer. They were first noticed after the release of their album Much Against Everyone's...

/2manydjs at the V festival afterparty where he was asked to support them on an 11 date North American tour in April for their US release of Nite Versions
Nite Versions
Nite Versions is an electronic album by Soulwax. It was released on September 26, 2005 on the PIAS record label. The album contains reworkings and remixes of tracks from earlier Soulwax album Any Minute Now....

.

Back to Australia in May, and directly to supporting Architecture In Helsinki
Architecture in Helsinki
Architecture in Helsinki is an Australian indie pop band which consists of Cameron Bird, Gus Franklin, Jamie Mildren, Sam Perry, and Kellie Sutherland...

 on their east coast tour including a most memorable all ages show at The Metro
The Metro Theatre
The Metro Theatre is a music venue located on George Street, in the central business district of Sydney, Australia. The venue was redeveloped, from two former cinemas, by property developer Leon Fink....

 in Sydney.

Muscles spent a month in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 between May and June playing club nights and parties. The debut album Guns Babes Lemonade
Guns Babes Lemonade
Guns Babes Lemonade is the critically acclaimed debut album by Australian electronica musician Muscles. It was released in Australia on 29 September 2007, 23 October 2007 in the U.S., and 28 April 2008 in the UK and Europe.-Track listing:# "Sweaty" – 4:16...

 (completed in February) was mastered at The Exchange during this time. Highlights of the tour include supporting Robyn
Robyn
Robin Miriam Carlsson , better known by her stage name Robyn, is a Swedish recording artist, singer, and songwriter. Robyn became known in the late nineties for her worldwide dance-pop hit "Do You Know " from her debut album Robyn Is Here . She co-wrote the song "Du gör mig hel igen" for...

 in Camden, supporting Soulwax
Soulwax
Soulwax, headed by David and Stephen Dewaele, are an alternative rock/electronic band from Ghent, Belgium. Next to the Dewaele brothers, Soulwax consists of bassist Stefaan Van Leuven and drummer Steve Slingeneyer. They were first noticed after the release of their album Much Against Everyone's...

 in an underground railway, playing the O2 Wireless Festival afterparty in London and the O2 Wireless Festival in Leeds. Amongst gigs in London, Leeds, Bristol, Brighton and Nottingham, the tour also included a gig in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...

 with The Presets
The Presets
The Presets are an Australian electronic duo formed in 2003, consisting of Julian Hamilton on vocals and keyboards, and Kim Moyes on drums and keyboards. They released their debut album Beams in 2005 to positive critical response. Their 2008 release Apocalypso debuted at number-one on the ARIA...

 (that Motörhead rocked up to after their concert with Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...

 that night) and a Modular Party in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

 at Maxim's
Maxim's Paris
Maxim's is the name of a restaurant in Paris, France, located at No. 3 of the rue Royale. It is known for its art nouveau interior decor.-History:...

 restaurant.

In August, Muscles played at the Splendour in the Grass
Splendour in the Grass
Splendour in the Grass is an annual Australian music festival held in July at Woodford, Queensland, and previously held at Belongil Fields, outside Byron Bay...

 festival, a few days later travelling to Japan with Cut Copy
Cut Copy
Cut Copy are an Australian electronic band formed in 2001 by Dan Whitford on vocals, keyboard and guitar. Other members are Tim Hoey on guitar and sampler, Ben Browning on bass guitar and Mitchell Scott on drums. Their second album, In Ghost Colours peaked at number-one on the ARIA Albums Chart in...

, The Presets
The Presets
The Presets are an Australian electronic duo formed in 2003, consisting of Julian Hamilton on vocals and keyboards, and Kim Moyes on drums and keyboards. They released their debut album Beams in 2005 to positive critical response. Their 2008 release Apocalypso debuted at number-one on the ARIA...

 and The Bang Gang DJs, to play two shows at Womb and Summersonic Festival Modular Midnight Stage.

Mid-August saw the release of "Ice Cream" and "Sweaty", a double A-side Australian CD single on Modular. "Ice Cream" had been a radio-only single since March, due to Triple J
Triple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...

 and community radio stations around the country picking it up 6 months before Muscles had a record deal
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...

.

Guns Babes Lemonade

He performed on the Parklife national festival tour in September alongside Justice
Justice (French band)
Justice is a French electronic music duo consisting of Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay . The duo is one of the most successful groups on Ed Banger Records and is managed by the label's head, Pedro Winter...

, M.I.A.
M.I.A. (artist)
Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam , better known by her stage name M.I.A. , is an English singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, painter and director of Sri Lankan Tamil descent. Her compositions combine elements of hip hop, electronica, dance, alternative and world music. M.I.A...

, Digitalism
Digitalism (band)
Digitalism is a German electro house duo founded in 2004 in Hamburg and consisting of Jens "Jence" Moelle and İsmail "Isi" Tüfekçi. They are signed to French label Kitsuné Music, and have released four singles to date: "Idealistic", "Zdarlight", "Jupiter Room", and "Pogo"...

 and MSTRKRFT
MSTRKRFT
MSTRKRFT is a Canadian electronic music duo from Toronto, Ontario. The group was started in 2005 by Jesse F. Keeler of Death from Above 1979 and Al-P formerly of the Mississauga, Ontario electropop group Girlsareshort...

. The debut album Guns Babes Lemonade
Guns Babes Lemonade
Guns Babes Lemonade is the critically acclaimed debut album by Australian electronica musician Muscles. It was released in Australia on 29 September 2007, 23 October 2007 in the U.S., and 28 April 2008 in the UK and Europe.-Track listing:# "Sweaty" – 4:16...

was released in Australia during this tour. Muscles did a two week North American club tour in October to promote the US release of the album. In November and December, he played his first headline tour of Australia including 3 Melbourne shows at the Corner Hotel, Adelaide's Rocket Bar, Family in Brisbane, and an all-ages show at The Forum in Sydney. The tour also included festivals in Newcastle, New South Wales
Newcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...

 and Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...

, a Myspace
Myspace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....

 Secret Show in Coffs Harbour and the biggest Australian-only music festival Homebake
Homebake
Homebake is an annual Australian rock festival, featuring an all-Australian lineup . The festival was first held on 4 January 1996 at Belongil Fields in Byron Bay, on the far north coast of New South Wales...

. December 2007 saw Muscles on the support bill for Daft Punk
Daft Punk
Daft Punk are an electronic music duo consisting of French musicians Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter . Daft Punk reached significant popularity in the late 1990s house movement in France and met with continued success in the years following, combining elements of house with synthpop...

's Australian Never Ever Land tour. He missed the Meredith Music Festival
Meredith Music Festival
The Meredith Music Festival is a three-day outdoor music festival held every December at the Supernatural Amphitheatre, a natural amphitheatre located on private farmland near the town of Meredith in Victoria, Australia...

 and Never Ever Land Perth due to illness. As of 13 December 2007, his album had reached #3 on the CMJ
College Music Journal
College Music Journal, commonly known as CMJ, is a music events/publishing company which hosts an annual festival in New York City, the CMJ Music Marathon, as well as a weekly magazine of and for the music industry and college radio stations in the United States and Canada. It publishes top 30...

 RPM (Electronic) charts in the US. New Years Eve highlights included playing an abandoned cinema complex in Melbourne with Felix Da Housecat
Felix da Housecat
Felix da Housecat is an American DJ and record producer, mostly known for house music and electroclash. His name was inspired by Felix the Cat....

, Spank Rock
Spank Rock
Spank Rock is an American hip-hop group consisting of rapper Naeem Juwan and producer Alex Epton . Their style is generally described as a mix of underground alternative rap and electro and rock.- Biography :...

 and Chromeo
Chromeo
Chromeo is an electrofunk duo formed in Montreal, Quebec, Canada in 2004.-History:Chromeo is composed of P-Thugg on keyboards, synthesizers, and talk box, and Dave 1 on guitar and lead vocals...

. Muscles also supported Felix Da Housecat
Felix da Housecat
Felix da Housecat is an American DJ and record producer, mostly known for house music and electroclash. His name was inspired by Felix the Cat....

 in Sydney on New Years Day after playing BBQ Breaks in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...

 that afternoon.

In 2008, Muscles was one of the headline acts at the Southbound Festival
Southbound (festival)
Southbound is an arts, camping and music festival. A variety of Australian and international artists perform at this event. The festival occurs annually, early January, at the Sir Stewart Bovell Park in Busselton, Western Australia.-History:...

 in Busselton, Western Australia
Busselton, Western Australia
-Growth and development:According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics the Shire had a permanent resident population of 25,950 in 2004 with the town of Busselton accounting for 67% or 17,400 of the total. The Shire's permanent population is expected to continue to increase significantly to...

 along with Groove Armada
Groove Armada
Groove Armada is an English electronic music duo from London, England comprising Andy Cato and Tom Findlay. They are perhaps best known for their singles "I See You Baby" and "Superstylin'"...

, Kings of Leon
Kings of Leon
Kings of Leon is an American rock band that originated in Albion, Oklahoma but formed in Nashville, Tennessee in 1999. The band is composed of brothers Anthony Caleb Followill , Ivan Nathan Followill and Michael Jared Followill Kings of Leon is an American rock band that originated in Albion,...

 and many more. In February, he was asked to play the Good Vibrations Festival
Good Vibrations Festival
Good Vibrations Festival commenced in 2004 and is an annual Australian music festival held in Melbourne, Sydney, Gold Coast and Perth. The festival takes place during February.-2011:-2010:-2009:Master of Ceremonies – Supernatural-2008:-2007:...

 in Sydney and also gained the main live support for the Chemical Brothers Australian Tour. In February announced he would embark on a 17 date Australian tour to promote new single "The Lake" that is set for release late April. An encore show in Melbourne was added due to popularity in his hometown, and a third Perth show also after Perth and Fremantle shows sold out. With 14 shows selling out it proved to be a record breaking tour for an emerging Australian artist.

Acoustic

Muscles' piano acoustic rendition of 'Ice Cream' reached #45 on the Triple J Hottest 100
Triple J Hottest 100
The Triple J Hottest 100 is an annual music poll, based on the votes of national Australian radio station Triple J listeners, in order to determine their favourite song of the year. Voting is conducted by the internet and begins roughly two weeks prior to the new year for the previous year's songs...

 2008 on 26 January 2009, Australia Day
Australia Day
Australia Day is the official national day of Australia...

.

Younger & Immature EP

A press release on 7 September 2010 from Modular
Modular Recordings
Modular Records is an Australian record label. It was established by Sydney-based music promoter Steve Pavlovic as a joint-venture with EMI, but is now distributed by Universal Music in Australia...

/Universal Australia announced a new 5 track EP entitled 'Younger & Immature' and lead single 'Girl Crazy Go' to be released late October.

Koala / I'll Follow You

Muscles' new double A-Side single 'Koala' and 'I'll Follow You' is released by Modular
Modular Recordings
Modular Records is an Australian record label. It was established by Sydney-based music promoter Steve Pavlovic as a joint-venture with EMI, but is now distributed by Universal Music in Australia...

 1 July 2011. The first taste of Muscles' second album.

EPs

  • Four Months
    Four Months
    Four Months is an independent release by Muscles that was available from his website and at his shows.- Track listing :#"Elisa"#"Bush Fire"#"Lovers Say Goodnight" #"Corner of her Jacket" #"Memory Pre"#"One Inch Badge Pin"...

    (February 2006) (promo)
  • Hyperpop! (April 2006) (independent release)
  • Popular Music Is (May 2006) (independent release)
  • Gold Coast Babes (May 2006) (independent release)
  • Younger & Immature EP (October 2010) (Modular
    Modular Recordings
    Modular Records is an Australian record label. It was established by Sydney-based music promoter Steve Pavlovic as a joint-venture with EMI, but is now distributed by Universal Music in Australia...

    )

Singles

  • "One Inch Badge Pin" (2007)
  • "Ice Cream / Sweaty" (2007) Aus #59
  • "Sweaty" (2008) International
  • "Ice Cream" (2008) UK
  • "The Lake" (2008) USA
  • "Girl Crazy Go" (2010)
  • "Princess Beatrice Royal Hat" (2011)
  • "Koala / I'll Follow You" (2011)

Remixes

Songs that Muscles has remixed include:
  • Emma-Louise - "Jungle" (2011)
  • Kylie Minogue - "Put Your Hands Up" (2011)
  • Sly Hats
    The Crayon Fields
    Crayon Fields are a four-piece Melbourne based band signed to the labels Chapter Music and Rallye. They have been described as having an artful naïve-pop aesthetic and as lo-fi....

     - "Vampire Sips" (2009)
  • Robyn
    Robyn
    Robin Miriam Carlsson , better known by her stage name Robyn, is a Swedish recording artist, singer, and songwriter. Robyn became known in the late nineties for her worldwide dance-pop hit "Do You Know " from her debut album Robyn Is Here . She co-wrote the song "Du gör mig hel igen" for...

     - "Cobrastyle" (2008)


Unreleased remixes:
  • Ben Lee
    Ben Lee
    Benjamin Michael "Ben" Lee is an ARIA Award winning musician and actor. Lee began his career as a musician at the age of 14 with the Sydney band Noise Addict, but focused on his solo career when the band broke up in 1995. He appeared as the protagonist in the Australian film The Rage in Placid Lake...

     - "I Love Pop Music" (2009)
  • Architecture in Helsinki
    Architecture in Helsinki
    Architecture in Helsinki is an Australian indie pop band which consists of Cameron Bird, Gus Franklin, Jamie Mildren, Sam Perry, and Kellie Sutherland...

     - "Nevereverdid" (2008)
  • Children Collide
    Children Collide
    Children Collide is an Australian indie rock band from Melbourne, Australia. The band consists of drummer Ryan Caesar, bassist Heath Crawley, and vocalist/guitarist John Mackay...

    - "Frozen Armies" (2006)

Music videos

  • "Sweaty" [Chris Hopkins] (2007)
  • "The Lake" [Jaron Albertin] (2008)
  • "Girl Crazy Go" [Beaufort] (2010)

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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