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The Avalanches are an Electronic Music group from Melbourne , Australia , best known for its live DJ sets and debut album '' Since I Left You '', which was assembled from approximately 3,500 vinyl samples.http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/nov02/articles/avalanches.asp?print=yes Retrieved 16 June 2007 PRE-HISTORY The Avalanches began in 1995 as Alarm 115, a noise-punk outfit inspired by Drive Like Jehu , The Fall and Ultra Bidet.http://www.emimusicpub.com/worldwide/artist_profile/avalanches_profile.html Retrieved 16 June 2007 The band - Darren Seltmann, Robbie Chater, Tony Diblasi and Manabu Etoh - bought all their instruments at junk shops, where they also discovered piles of old records. When Etoh was deported and Alarm 115 ended, those records became the core of a new project. Chater was a film student at Melbourne's RMIT, and had access to a recording studio there, which he and Seltmann used to turn said vinyl into a 30-song demo tape labeled ''Pan Amateurs''.http://www.emimusicpub.com/worldwide/artist_profile/avalanches_profile.html Retrieved 16 June 2007 In 1997, A new lineup (Seltmann, Chater, Diblasi, and Gordon McQuilten) was assembled to play the tunes live, debuting in July under the name Swinging Monkey Cocks.http://www.emimusicpub.com/worldwide/artist_profile/avalanches_profile.html Retrieved 16 June 2007 Their first four shows were played under different names. EARLY RELEASES They officially became The Avalanches at their fifth gig - a support slot for label in May 1998. Months later, Leo Silvermann signed them to his Rex Records for the exclusive UK 10" "Undersea Community".http://www.whiteroom.com.au/howlspace/en3/avalanches/avalanches.htm Retrieved 16 June 2007 SINCE I LEFT YOU The Avalanches' profile grows with support slots on tours by the Beastie Boys , Public Enemy , Stereolab and Beck . The band also play the Tibetan Freedom Concert, Homebush, Sydney. James De La Cruz is added to the live lineup on turntables and keyboards, and makes his debut appearance with the band at The Palace, St Kilda, supporting Public Enemy. Modular releases the ''Electricity'' EP in Australia (12") and the UK (7"), while work continues on an album, under the working title 'Pablo's Cruise'. In February 2000 the band finish mixing the album at Sing Sing studios, Melbourne. By July, with '' Since I Left You '' now overdue, Chater's ''Gimix'' cassette is made available to fans and critics hungry for new material. It is a Mixtape blending previews of the forthcoming album with some of the band's favourite songs. The initial album launch date (September 11) is delayed, with the record hanging in limbo due to sample clearance & overseas interest. An early 2001 worldwide release is hoped for, although a November 27 Australian release is confirmed a few weeks later. The first Australian single, Frontier Psychiatrist , is released in August. It reaches #6 in Triple J 's 2001 Hottest 100 countdown, the world's largest annual radio music poll. In October 2000 the band undertake their first Australian headline tour, hitting all capital cities. All dates are completely sold out, however Seltmann breaks his leg in Brisbane in an on-stage collision with bassist/singer Tony DiBlasi. In November 2000 the 'Since I Left You' album is launched in Melbourne with a boat cruise party aboard the Victoria Star, through Port Phillip Bay, with 'The Face' and other UK media flying to Australia to cover the event. '' Since I Left You '' is eventually released in Australia in November 2000 and is nominated for nine ARIA awards. The Avalanches eventually take home four, Best New Artist Album, Best New Artist Single, Best Dance Act plus Producer Of The Year for Robbie and Darren. The band also win six Australian Dance Music Awards. The band head to the U.K for a three-week promotional stint, including DJ sets at the Social and Fabric Nightclubs, while their remix of Badly Drawn Boy's 'The Shining' is released in the UK. The UK version of 'Since I Left You', is released by XL Recordings in 2001, debuts at #8, and quickly tops 200,000 sales in the UK. The first UK single from the album, also titled 'Since I Left You', is released and debuts at No. 16 on the national charts. The 'Since I Left You' video wins 'Video Of The Year' at the MTV Europe Music Awards. In July 2001 the second UK single, Frontier Psychiatrist, debuts at Number 18. The video for 'Frontier Psychiatrist' is later awarded runner-up prize at Soho Shorts Film Festival in the UK. The Avalanches also appear on the front cover of Jockey Slut and Muzik magazines. The band embark on their European live tour. Peter "Snakey" Whitford is asked to become a touring percussionist with the band. Whitford spent his youth playing in the Afro Psych band 'Prophecy' throughout the Pacific Islands. Seltmann breaks his other leg during the band's second Electric Ballroom show in London, while De La Cruz is concussed onstage at the V2001 festival. The remaining live dates are changed to DJ sets. Despite this, the band eventually receive the 'Best Live Act 2001' award from MUZIK magazine. London-Sire Records releases the US version in November 2001. When that label dissolves in 2003, The Avalanches switch to Elektra . The Album is also released in Japan, with bonus track 'Everyday'. The 'At Last Alone' EP (re-scheduled Tour EP with revised tracklisting) is also released in Japan. In the US a promotional Since I Left You 12" featuring remixes from Stereolab and Prince Paul is released, and the Avalanches remix of the Manic Street Preachers 'So Why So Sad' is released worldwide. Critics worldwide include '' Since I Left You '' on their "Best of 2001" lists. The album goes on to place at #4 in 'Juice' magazines 'Best Australian albums of all time' list, and #5 in Pitchfork Media's top albums of the decade. LIVE PERFORMANCE Initially The Avalanches played live using samplers, analogue keyboards, bass guitar, drumkit and theremin.http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/nov02/articles/avalanches.asp?print=yes Retrieved 16 June 2007 Their set-up later included four turntables, a percussion stand, and a battery of MIDI-controlled special effects.http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/nov02/articles/avalanches.asp?print=yes Retrieved 16 June 2007 The band was a favourite at 2000/2001 festivals, including the Big Day Out , Falls Festival and V1 . Peter "Snakey" Whiteford joined as percussionist for the August European tour. At the Electric Ballroom in London, Seltmann shattered an ankle on stage, which meant the remaining shows were DJ Set s only. This format continued for the US and Japan "Since I Left You" tours. Chater, Dexter and De la Cruz also took the DJ show around Australia, calling themselves The Magic Midgets. Brains "Brains" is a monthly clubnight held outdoors behind the tiny Melbourne bar 'St Jeromes', and features regular dj sets from Avalanches Robbie, Darren and Tony. "Brains" is usually Soca -inspired DJ Set s , but can include anything from the 'Highlife' guitar music of West Africa to unusual re edits of 80's acid house tracks, and sometimes even new Avalanches material. Far from a typical 'world music' dj set, the "Brains" nights are extremely loud and celebratory, with people overflowing into Caledonian Lane, the band bringing in a special P.A system to cope with the extra crowd. The "Brains" experience toured Australia in early 2005, and spilled over into the band's DJ Set s at that year's St Jerome's Laneway Festival and Meredith Music Festival . The Avalanches continued DJing at Australian festivals such as Golden Plains and Splendour throughout 2006 and into 2007, although these sets were a return to a heavier 'club' sound and markedly different to the previous "Brains" dj sets. THE SECOND ALBUM Details of The Avalanches' second album are sparse. Seltmann said in 2005 that after starting out as "ambient world music", the record was returning to more of a "party" sound. In 2006, claimed it had rejected The Avalanches' new album.http://www.betweenplanets.co.uk/index.php?tag=avalanches Retrieved 16 June 2007 In January 2007, the band stated via its website that roughly 40 tracks were being considered: "It's so fuckin' party you will die, much more hip-hop than you might expect, and while there is still no accurate estimated time of arrival, we're sure you're gonna love it when it arrives ... It's ended up sounding like the next logical step to "Since", we just had to go around in a big circle to get back to where we belong. And one day when you least expect it you'll wake up and the sample fairy will have left it under your pillow."http://www.betweenplanets.co.uk/index.php?tag=avalanches Retrieved 16 June 2007 DISCOGRAPHY Albums
Singles and EPs
Remixes
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