The British group "Gorilaz" became the first world-famous virtual musical group. The peak of its popularity occurred in the early 2000s.
Virtual group
When the Gorilaz band first made a loud statement about themselves with their single entitled "Clint Eastwood", no one knew who was hiding behind this sign. And ordinary fans, and dozens of music critics hopelessly shrugged. Calculating the real creators of the project was not so simple.
The Gorilaz group has become famous not only for its music, but also for the animated clips on television. These videos featured fictional band members - Stuart Pot, Murdoch Nikkals, Noodle and Russell Hobbs. Until the creators of these characters revealed their identities to the public, fans believed that the drawn musicians had real prototypes.
There were versions that four musicians from different parts of the world write music, and the Internet, then gaining popularity, was supposedly their means of communication. The truth turned out to be not so, but from this it did not become less interesting and intriguing.
Albarn and Hewlett
The Gorilaz virtual group has two founding fathers. One of them is Damon Albarn. Most of all he is known as the frontman of another British group - Blur. She was at the peak of her popularity in the 90s, when Britpop style was experiencing its heyday. Blur is one of the two pioneers of this genre. For many years, the Elbarna team argued with Oasis for the title of Brit Pop leader.
In the late 90s, Blur formed a window on the road when Damon decided to start his own side project. In 1998, he met with his old friend Jamie Hewlett, a famous artist. Comics of his authorship were very popular in Europe. Therefore, it is safe to say that the main composition of the Gorilaz group is two masters of their craft.
Albarn and Hewlett combined their talents (musical and artistic) in order to create something completely new at the intersection of these two types of arts. One was a designer who created the images of a fictional group. Another wrote music. In addition, at the beginning of a joint career, friends collaborated with producer Dan Avtomatator, with whom Albarn had previously worked.
At first, the songs of the Gorilaz group were released under the guise of a similar name (Gorilla). Later, friends decided to change the name of the team. The first songs were published on physical media by independent labels in the form of bi-sides with a small circulation.
Musical genre
Albarn strenuously searched for a new sound that would be noticeably different from what he performed in Blur. As a result, he gave the band'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 (inherited from Blur), hip-hop and electronics. Collaboration with various producers and musicians (many performers were invited for duets, etc.) bore fruit.
In some songs, Albarn managed to add a pinch of other genres. It was familiar to him Britpop, as well as reggae, dub, psychedelic music and even punk rock. Representatives of major labels liked several vivid demos. Finally, Parlophone and Virgin signed a contract with Gorilaz. The band members began a full-fledged studio recording of their many 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. Albarn took charge of the mixer in several studios in West London and even in Jamaica.
On March 5, 2001, the debut single "Clint Eastwood" was released. He was supposed to demonstrate to a wide audience what the Gorilaz group is like. The biography of its participants and the unexpected genre attracted the attention of the whole world.
The name of the song was a linguistic play on the name of the famous actor Clint Eastwood, who became the legend of Westerns in the second half of the 20th century. Such a reference was not accidental. One of the melodies of the song resembles the main musical theme of the film "Good, Bad, Evil." Clint Eastwood played the main role in this picture.
Alburn not only wrote music, but also performed the chorus. Verses were recorded by a guest rapper. The song became the hallmark of the group, both in terms of music (a mixture of rock and hip-hop), and thanks to the video clip. For his animation and directing was responsible for the other founding father of Gorilaz - Jamie Hewlett.
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 on all world charts on television, in newspapers, etc. Amazing success is also explained by a bright and interesting clip. The video begins with the appearance of the band’s logo on a black background, as well as quotes from the popular horror film of the 70s “Dawn of the Dead”.
The reference to Eastwood is revealed in several artistic tricks in the song. First, the footage contains frequent close-up scenes. This is a favorite technique used by directors of spaghetti westerns. Also at the beginning of the clip is a cry that was already in the film “Good, Bad, Evil”.
First record
Three weeks after the successful single, their debut album was released. Over the following weeks, the entire world music press only discussed the phenomenon that the Gorilaz group represented. The formation of the team, the fictional biography of virtual participants and other interesting details were revealed much later. In 2006, an official biography called "Rise of the Ogre" was released, in which the founding fathers of the project described the fictional story of the acquaintance of the four musicians of the group.
The album "Gorillaz" became a bestseller of 2000. In the UK chart, he reached third place, and in the US - 14 numbers. To date, five million physical copies of the debut are already sold in America. This is a significant result, especially if you recall that in the early 2000s the music industry was in crisis due to the advent of the Internet and available illegal methods of downloading content.
Film project and tour
Neither the lead singer of the Gorilaz group, nor the chief designer expected the success that had befallen them. Within a few months after the release of the debut album, several more clips, documentaries, etc. 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 the fact that his vision of the group and creative plans were very different from Hollywood plans.
Gorillaz was a studio project. It was extremely difficult to organize live performances of the group. This was due to the large number of guest vocalists, in an animated manner, etc. Nevertheless, Albarn held several major concerts in his homeland and in the USA. About once every five years, a small tour was scheduled to coincide with the release of the next album. During these tours, several shows took place.
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. The discography still consisted of just one studio album, and Albarn continued to remain silent about the fate of the project.
And in May 2005, Demon Days was released. Albarn invited completely new musicians and vocalists. From the composition of the first album, only he and his friend artist Hewlett remained. In the future, these two continued to release 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 short breaks, the albums "Plastic Beach" and "The Fall" were released. The group retained its virtual image. As before, several video clips came out with each record, which became hits on television rotation.
In July 2015, Albarn said in an interview with ABC that he began work on his fifth album. Its release is expected in 2016. So far, according to tradition, nothing else has been known about him.