Producers/remixers
James Ford and
James Shaw formed
Simian Mobile Disco in 2005, following their departure from the experimental electronic rock band
Simian. The two had originally formed
Simian with singer
Simon Lord and
Alex MacNaughton in the late '90s. Not content with their roles in the band and wishing to indulge their longtime interest in electronic dance music, the two latched onto DJ gigs while touring with the band. Eventually, the duo split from
Simian and dubbed themselves
Simian Mobile Disco. Looking to prevent their own electronic dance tracks from sounding too polished and programmed,
SMD exclusively used analog equipment. The result was
Attack Decay Sustain Release, which appeared in June 2007 through the Wichita label. Meanwhile,
Ford also devoted some time to several production gigs, which saw him helming music for the likes of
Mystery Jets,
Klaxons, and
the Arctic Monkeys.
Simian Mobile Disco toured sporadically throughout 2007 and began working on a new album the following year. A remix album, Sample and Hold, was released in 2008 to placate their music-hungry audience, while a proper sophomore album,
Temporary Pleasure, appeared in 2009. ~ Kenyon Hopkin, All Music Guide