The Shapeshifters are West London house duo Simon Marlin and Max Reich who have, over the past 4 years, established themselves as a chart-topping production partnership and internationally recognized DJ team.
After meeting in 1996 in Max’s native Gothenburg, Sweden, where Simon was sourcing new talent for the Down Boy label, Simon became Max’s artist manager. The pair worked successfully on many production projects, most notably signing the Fused project to Sony - after which Max moved to London.
It was not until 2003, with no commercial pressure or expectations, that the pair finally sat down in the studio together. Combining Simon’s love of house music, Max’s studio experience and a slice of inspiration from a late-night session with Lola – Simon’s wife – listening to her old vinyl collection, the seeds where planted for the first production by The Shapeshifters. Its working title was ‘Lola’s Theme’.
Seven months later, after being promo’d on Simon, Max and Lola’s label Nocturnal Groove, and subsequently licensed to Positiva, ‘Lola’s Theme’ became the chart-topping 1 hit that put The Shapeshifters on the map. ‘Lola’s Theme’ spent more than 8 weeks at the top of the national airplay chart, sounding the welcome return of house music to daytime radio in the process. Testament to its success, The Shapeshifters were nominated for a Brit award in 2004 and picked up numerous House Music Awards in 2004 and 2005.
The Shapeshifters have since forged a musical path beyond many of their contemporaries, hitting the UK national top 40 on 3 more occasions with ‘Back To Basics’, ‘Incredible’ and ‘Sensitivity’.
In March 2006 they unleashed their debut artist album ‘Sound Advice’, a 12 track, career-defining work, with a depth of song-writing and further high quality exploration of musical styles that far exceeds their earlier promise. Utilising the new vocal talents of Jenna G and Antigone Foster alongside Cookie, and musicians such as LSO and Nile Rodgers, Simon and Max have produced a perfectly complete album that encompasses everything from the sun-drenched Balearica and psychedelia of ‘Beautiful Heartache’ to the soaring strings and familiar brass stabs of ‘Lola’s Theme’.
Be it with echoes of classic techno (‘Really Feel’), downtempo paeans to the chemical generation (‘Over Me’), epic brass riffs and deep electronic grooves (‘If In Doubt Go Out’ – released in September 2006 as a 12” single featuring a remix from The Buick Project), or classic electro (Little Green Men), with their debut artist album The Shapeshifters firmly dispelled the myth that dance bands can’t write songs. ‘Sound Advice’ contains a total of four chart-bothering singles and proves that a British dance act is not an outdated concept after all.
Simon and Max have also commissioned remix work for a diverse number of artists ranging from We Deliver – mixing ‘Breathe Again’ for release on their own Nocturnal Groove imprint – and Gerald Elms through to work for Frankie Knuckles – on ‘I’ve Had Enough’ for his Dub J Delight album project. The boys themselves have also remixed George Michael’s ‘Flawless’, the high profile ‘Ain’t No Other Man’ by Christina Aguilera – a remix that hit the summits of the US Billboard Dance Chart - and more recently 'Bleeding Love' by Leona Lewis.
In addition to their studio work, The Shapeshifters have toured the world extensively over the past two years. Three seasons in Ibiza have seen them become regulars on the terrace for ‘Cream @ Amnesia’, guest for ‘Def Mix @ Pacha’ alongside Frankie Knuckles, and make one-off appearances at other venues from intimate club ‘The Underground’ to the massive Radio One Weekend.
Simon and Max have toured Australia twice, DJed extensively throughout Europe and sold-out clubs in Dubai, Russia, Egypt, South Africa and China. In 2006 they were fixtures in the international festival calendar, taking in all 3 HiFi Festivals as well as Global Gathering, SW4 – which saw their debut ‘Live’ performance – Creamfields in Poland and the Castle Dance Festival in St. Petersburg. Combine all this with the acquisition of the ‘Best Breakthrough DJ’ award at the 2005 House Music Awards and the success of their ‘House Grooves’ compilation CDs and it’s obvious why The Shapeshifters are such hot property in both the DJ booth and the studio.
With a new studio album due in early 2008, the development of their stunning ‘Live’ performance (featuring a 7 piece band), more high profile remix work, the continued growth of the Nocturnal Groove label (now planning its 14th release), and a hatful of planned DJ engagements and further international tours, it’s onwards and upwards for The Shapeshifters.
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