The Chemical Brothers TShirTS

The Chemical Brothers PosTerS

The Chemical Brothers are a Grammy Award winning electronic music duo from England, comprising Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons (occasionally referred to as Chemical Tom and Chemical Ed). Initially they called themselves "The Dust Brothers", after the noted United States production duo of the same name, but their burgeoning popularity and the threat of legal action from the originals led them to change their name in 1995. Along with The Prodigy, Fatboy Slim, The Crystal Method and other lesser-known acts they were pioneers of the big beat electronic dance genre, and are known for high-quality live sets.

Ed was born in Herne Hill, South London, England, on 9 June 1970 to a barrister mother and a father who was not around much when Ed was growing up. Ed's two main interests when he was young were aeroplanes and musicals. Simons went to school in South London, attending two private schools; Alleyn's School and Dulwich College. He left school with 11 O levels and 3 A-levels. Ed developed a fondness of rare groove and Hip hop music, having frequented a club called The Mud Club when he was 14. By the time he left school, his two main musical interests were two Manchester bands, New Order and The Smiths. Ed studied Medieval History at the University of Manchester.

Another student in Ed's class was Tom Rowlands. Rowlands was born on 11 January 1971 in Kingston-Upon-Thames, England. His father was a lighting cameraman. When Rowlands was very young, his family relocated to Henley-on-Thames Henley. He later went to school in Reading, Berkshire. Rowlands became obsessed with Scotland when he was a child, and loved the bagpipes in particular. Later, he became interested in other music. Initially, one of his favourites was the Oh What A Lovely War soundtrack, then 2-Tone, and in his early teens, the electro sounds of artists such as Heaven 17, Kraftwerk, New Order, and Cabaret Voltaire. Later on in his teens, Rowlands progressed to The Jesus and Mary Chain. He described the first Public Enemy album as the record that probably changed his life and says he thought Miuzi Weighs a Ton was one of the most amazing records he had ever heard. Rowlands started collecting hip hop records by people like Eric B and Schoolly D but was also a large fan of My Bloody Valentine. Rowlands left school with 9 O levels and 3 A levels. He also decided to go to Manchester for further study because of its music scene and specifically the Fac 51 Hacienda Hacienda.

In October 1994, The Dust Brothers became resident DJs at the small, but hugely-influential Heavenly Sunday Social Club at the Albany pub in London's Great Portland Street. The likes of Noel Gallagher, Paul Weller, James Dean Bradfield and Tim Burgess were regular visitors. The Dust Brothers were subsequently asked to remix tracks by Manic Street Preachers and The Charlatans, plus Primal Scream's "Jailbird" and The Prodigy's "Voodoo People". These two remixes received television exposure, being playlisted by MTV Europe's "The Party Zone" in 1995. Early in 1994 however, The Dust Brothers were approached in the club one Sunday by Noel Gallagher, from Oasis, who at the time were becoming one of the most prominent guitar bands in Britain. Gallagher told the duo that he had a Balearic inspired track which he had written, which he would like the Dust Brothers to remix. However, over time, Gallagher changed his mind, and in the end the Brothers did not remix it. The track was "Wonderwall".

In March 1995, The Dust Brothers began their first international tour, which included the United States � where they played with Orbital and Underworld � then a series of European festivals. Also around this time, the original Dust Brothers threatened legal action over the use of their name, and so Rowlands and Simons had to decide on a new name quickly. They decided to then call themselves "The Chemical Brothers" after "Chemical Beats"