Gorillaz HHV Records 22 Items

Two singles with a plan

Blur frontman, Damon Albarn and cartoon artist Jamie Hewlett decided in 1990 to put aside their previous occupations and create an imaginary music group. After Hewlett sold his cult comic Tank Girl to MGM and Albarn spent his nerves on band squabbles, the two single men moved together into an apartment in London’s Kensington neighborhood and devoted themselves to their new project. The characters Murdoc Niccals, 2-D, Russell Hobbs & Noodle had not only a unique cartoon appearance, but also a very individual backstory. Their first appearance, timed to coincide with their first release Ghost Train, ended, according to stories, in a riot. In reality, however, with the signing of a contract with EMI Records.

A unique universe

In 1998, the recording of the first studio album began and lasted until 2000, when Dan The Automator (Dr.Octagon) and Primal Screams XTRMNTR produced Albarn’s new vision, even flying to GeeJam Studio in Jamaica to do it. Tina Weymouth (Talking Heads), Ibrahim Ferrer, Kid Koala and Miho Hatori were invited to be part of an electrifying album that, with influences from hip hop, trip-hop, dub und pop, was named best album of 2001 by Rolling Stone magazine. For the music video directed by Clint Eastwood, the four band members were animated by a 25-person team in four months, alongside Zombie Gorillas and the rapper "Dead’’. After a collaboration album with Spacemonkeyz, the album Demos Days was released four years later, which was highly acclaimed by critics and sold millions of copies. In search of a new lair, Murdoc discovered an island in the middle of the ocean made entirely of garbage heaps glued together. He spray painted the island bright pink and used the insurance money to build a new Gorillaz headquarters on it and rename the island Plastic Beach. While living on the island, Murdoc began writing and putting together the concept for the third Gorillaz vinyl, but had to regroup his bandmates. After that, the band recorded throughout 2016 at Studio 13, Murdoc’s secret new studio in London, and finally completed their first album in 7 years, Humanz, in 2017. Murdoc decided to release the album by hosting “the party to end all parties” at a haunted house in Detroit called the Spirit House. When the band first arrived at the house in the music video for Saturnz Barz, they were haunted by three demons. The machine (which turned out to be Song Machine) was activated on January 28. The following day, the band announced their next project, The Song Machine, a multimedia series of songs/music videos that will be released in episodes through 2020 as a constantly updating playlist via streaming services. (But it’s also available on vinyl) The Now Now contains elements of 1980s new wave and yacht soul as well as the breezy synth-pop style that has been compared to the Gorillaz’ earlier album Plastic Beach. Albarn’s lyrics are more “introspective,” he said, as he moves away from the “bad influences” of 2017 album Humanz.

A never-ending story

Albarn felt the need to make a certain kind of pop music after his break up with Blur. His inspiration for this was bands like Big Audio Dynamite, The Specials and Massive Attack. With Gorillaz, Albarn and Hewlett have created a story all their own for the four characters, who can keep exploring without being subjected to the exhausting live touring or intrusion into their personal lives. Cartoon bands like The Archies, Josie and the Pussycats or Alvin & The Chipmunks already played with the medium in the late 60s and 70s, but Gorillaz expanded the concept and created their very own universe around the band that has been producing wonderfully crazy pop music for more than two decades. In addition to a range of musical styles, they also offer wide-ranging collaborations with musicians and have since defied all the rules of art.