Dragonette
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| Dragonette | |
|---|---|
 Dragonette performing at the MSN.ca Launch Party on October 1, 2009 |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Genres | Electropop, synthpop, New Wave |
| Years active | 2005–present |
| Labels | Mercury, Universal, I Surrender |
| Associated acts | The New Deal, Martin Solveig, Kaskade |
| Website | dragonetteonline.com |
| Members | |
| Martina Sorbara Dan Kurtz Joel Stouffer |
|
| Past members | |
| Simon Craig Will Stapleton Chris Hugget |
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Dragonette is a Canadian electronic music band from Toronto, Ontario, formed in 2005.[1] The band consists of singer-songwriter Martina Sorbara, bassist and producer Dan Kurtz (also in The New Deal) and drummer Joel Stouffer.
Dragonette released a self-titled EP before being signed to Mercury Records and relocating to London, where they recorded and released their debut album Galore to moderate critical appreciation.[2] A second studio album, Fixin to Thrill, was released in 2009.
Contents |
[edit] History
Sorbara and Kurtz met at a Canadian music festival[3] and formed a duo named The Fuzz,[4] making music together in their basement recording studio for fun. The duo formed Dragonette after these initial recordings, and supported New Order only on their second live performance. In 2005, the band released Dragonette EP, prior to signing a record deal with UK record label Mercury Records.
Dragonette relocated to London to record their debut album Galore, released on September 25, 2007, and toured the UK supporting local acts, including Basement Jaxx (with whom Sorbara also recorded the track Take Me Back To Your House) and Sugababes and played headline gigs in small venues across the UK and Canada. British musician Will Stapleton replaced Simon Craig on guitar following the relocation. Dragonette filmed two music videos, one for "Jesus Doesn't Love Me" and another for "I Get Around". The former video leaked onto the internet, while the other served as promotion for their first single release. Despite the promotion from the band, "I Get Around" reached number ninety-two on the UK Singles Chart. A further single release, "Take It Like a Man" fared no better, not even reaching the top 100 on the UK Singles Chart. Dragonette did however receive some airplay with a cover of Calvin Harris' hit single "The Girls", which was retitled "The Boys". "I Get Around" was released in the band's home country of Canada where it outperformed the UK release, peaking at number fifty-seven on Billboard's Canadian Hot 100.
In 2008, Dragonette received a Juno Award nomination for Best New Group, while Kurtz and Sorbara wrote and produced the song "Grab a Hold" with Cyndi Lauper for her 2008 album Bring Ya to the Brink. That same year Will James Stapleton left the band, to be replaced by Chris Hugget. Dragonette released their second studio album Fixin to Thrill on September 29, 2009.
Dragonette have collaborated with several house DJs for releases, to varying degrees of success. Although Basement Jaxx's 2006 song "Take Me Back to Your House" only featured Sorbara on vocals, it was promoted by the band as a Dragonette collaborative. The band have since recorded several tracks with French DJ Martin Solveig, including "Boys & Girls" in 2009, "Hello" in 2010, and "Can't Stop" and "Big in Japan" in 2011; all of these tracks appear on Solveig's 2011 album Smash. In 2010, the band also collaborated with Kaskade on "Fire in Your New Shoes" and with Don Diablo on "Animale".
A double A-side single containing the songs "Our Summer" and "Volcano" was made available digitally on July 27, 2010.[5] Dragonette released the Mixin to Thrill EP digitally and a limited edition CD was sold via the band's online store as of August 3, 2010. The EP also contains three new songs, including "Volcano", "Our Summer" and several remixes from the previous year.
The band have toured the world in promotion of their albums and also performed at Lollapalooza 2010.[6]
In 2010 South African landline operator Telkom launched its mobile arm 8ta, which uses "Hello" as the theme song for its adverts.
In 2011, Dragonette worked with Girls Aloud member Nicola Roberts, co-writing and producing the single "Lucky Day" for her debut solo album Cinderella's Eyes.[7]
The band have also informed fans via their official mailing list that they are currently recording their third studio album. Kurtz reported on the band's official forum that Dragonette's third studio album will be released in 2011.[dated info]
In December 2011, Sorbara guested with Kurtz and his band The New Deal for a version of "Hello" during their farewell show in Toronto.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
| Year | Title | Peak chart position |
|---|---|---|
| CAN | ||
| 2007 | Galore
|
80 |
| 2009 | Fixin to Thrill
|
63 |
[edit] EPs
- Dragonette EP (2005)
- Mixin to Thrill (2010)
[edit] Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN [8] |
UK | |||
| 2007 | "I Get Around" | 57 | 92 | Galore |
| "Take It Like a Man" | — | 112 | ||
| 2008 | "Competition" | 87 | 56 | |
| 2009 | "Fixin to Thrill" | — | — | Fixin to Thrill |
| "Gone Too Far" | — | — | ||
| "Pick Up the Phone" | 28 | — | ||
| "Come On Be Good" | — | — | ||
[edit] As featured artist
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN [9] |
FRA [10] |
RSA [11] |
NL [12] |
IRE | UK | US | |||
| 2009 | "Boys & Girls" (Martin Solveig featuring Dragonette) | — | 17 | — | — | — | — | — | C'est La Vie Remixes |
| 2010 | "Fire in Your New Shoes" (Kaskade featuring Dragonette) | 69 | — | 19* | — | — | — | — | Dynasty |
| "Hello" (Martin Solveig featuring Dragonette) | 8 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 13 | 46 | Smash | |
| "Animale" (Don Diablo featuring Dragonette) | — | — | — | 33 | — | — | — | TBC | |
| 2011 | "Can't Stop" (Martin Solveig featuring Dragonette) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Smash |
| "Big In Japan" (Martin Solveig featuring Dragonette & Idoling) | 37 | — | 5* | — | — | — | — | ||
[edit] Music videos
| Year | Song | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | "I Get Around" | Galore |
| "Jesus Doesn't Love Me" | ||
| 2008 | "Take It Like a Man" | |
| "Competition" | ||
| 2009 | "Fixin to Thrill" | Fixin to Thrill |
| "Boys & Girls" with Martin Solveig | C'est La Vie Remixes & Fixin to Thrill & Smash | |
| "Pick Up the Phone" | Fixin to Thrill | |
| 2010 | "Easy" | |
| "Fire in Your New Shoes" with Kaskade | Dynasty | |
| "Hello" with Martin Solveig* | Smash | |
| "Animale" with Don Diablo* | TBC |
* = NOTE: Neither Martina Sorbara or any other members of the band appear in this video.
[edit] References
- ^ Dragonnette Allmusic bio
- ^ Kraines, Talia (September 21, 2007). "Review of Dragonette – Galore". BBC Music. BBC Online. http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/44p2. Retrieved March 19, 2011.
- ^ "Hey, Dragonette: (no) thanks for oversharing!". CBC News. CBC.ca. September 9, 2008. http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/things-that-go-pop-blog/2008/09/hey-dragonette-no-thanks-for-oversharing.html. Retrieved March 19, 2011.
- ^ "Hype Monitor: Tempo No Tempo, Dragonette, Sleigh Bells". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. November 19, 2009. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/blogs/staff-blog/hype-monitor-tempo-no-tempo-dragonette-sleigh-bells-20091119. Retrieved March 19, 2011.
- ^ "Our Summer Volcano – Single by Dragonette". iTunes Store US. Apple Inc.. http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/our-summer-volcano-single/id382468861. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
- ^ Venus Zine: Dragonette at Lollapalooza 2010
- ^ http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/music/interviews/Nicola+Roberts+interview-99080.html
- ^ "Dragonette Album & Song Chart History". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/charts/canadian-hot-100#/artist/dragonette/chart-history/813740. Retrieved 2009-11-21.
- ^ "Kaskade Album & Song Chart History". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/charts/canadian-hot-100#/artist/kaskade/chart-history/477686. Retrieved 2010-08-11.
- ^ "Discographie Dragonette (France)". lescharts.com. http://lescharts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Dragonette. Retrieved 2009-12-12.
- ^ "The 5FM top 40". http://www.5fm.co.za/charts/the-5fm-top-40. Retrieved 2010-11-14.
- ^ "The Dutch Single top 100". http://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Martin+Solveig+%26+Dragonette&titel=Hello&cat=s. Retrieved 2010-12-28.
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Dragonette |
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