A+E (song)
| "A+E" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Clean Bandit featuring Kandaka Moore and Nikki Cislyn | ||||
| from the album New Eyes | ||||
| B-side | "Nightingale" | |||
| Released | 7 December 2012 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:03 (single version) 4:06 (album / music video version) | |||
| Label | Black Butter Records | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Jack Patterson | |||
| Clean Bandit singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"A+E" is the debut single by British electronic group Clean Bandit, featuring vocals by Kandaka Moore and Nikki Cislyn. It was released on 7 December 2012 as the first single from their debut album, New Eyes. The song peaked at number 100 on the UK Singles Chart,[1] but received mixed critical reception. The song's music video contains a CGI snake.
Background
The track was written by Jack Patterson while he was waiting for fellow band member Grace Chatto in the accident and emergency department[2] of Whittington Hospital, North London.[3] The track was originally released in 2012[4] as a double A-Side with "Nightingale". Both tracks feature Cislyn; only A&E features Moore.[5] The album version of the song includes a string trio arrangement of Johann Sebastian Bach's St. Matthew Passion (BMV 244) Pt. 2, number 54 .
The track was recorded in Clean Bandit's studio in South Kilburn, London. Moore and Cislyn were recruited from a local community singing and dancing group next to South Kilburn Studios;[6] the studios had a scheme in which artists could use the studios for free if a trainee was taken on.[5]
Music video
The music video contains a CGI snake. Band member Jack Patterson taught himself CGI animation for the video.[7] He had the idea for a snake for a year previously, and said that "it was quite daunting having to make it a reality learning how to use 3D animation software on the hoof". The video contains two dancers, Rhys Dennis and Kandaka Moore, who – over the course of two hours – were painted gold (using stop-frame animation, the whole process takes about 25 seconds) and then went into central London.[8]
Critical reception
Critical reception was mixed. MTVIggy.com said that the song was "a funky hodgepodge of elements from the soul-sangin’ vocalists, calypso-flecked xylophone chimes and sharp snare drum beats".[9] Joe Zadeh from Clash magazine called it "a throwaway ode to UK funky".[10]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "A+E" | Jack Patterson & Grace Chatto | 3:03 |
| 2. | "Nightingale" | Jack Patterson, Grace Chatto & Nicole Marshall | 2:44 |
| 3. | "A+E" (Alexis Raphael Remix) | Jack Patterson & Grace Chatto | 8:03 |
| 4. | "Nightingale" (Gorgon City Remix) | Jack Patterson, Grace Chatto & Nicole Marshall | 6:13 |
| Total length: | 20:03 | ||
Charts
| Chart (2014) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles (OCC)[11] | 100 |
References
- ^ "UK Charts Plus" (538).
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ New Eyes (booklet). Clean Bandit. Atlantic Records.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Kate Mossman (1 June 2014). "New Eyes review – Clean Bandit's classical-dance fusion | Music | The Observer". Theguardian.com. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
- ^ "A+E - Clean Bandit | Releases". AllMusic. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
- ^ a b Dingwall, John (25 April 2014). "Clean Bandit on their success with chart topper Rather Be and owing success to dodgy Russian bootlegs". Daily Record. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
- ^ "Clean Bandit - A&E | Black Butter Records". Black-butter.co.uk. 18 July 2013. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
- ^ Harriet Gibsone. "Clean Bandit - Extraordinary: video premiere | Music". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
- ^ "Clean Bandit - A&E | Videos | Clash Magazine". Clashmusic.com. 27 June 2012. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
- ^ Music Video (27 January 2014). "Clean Bandit — "A&E (Random Acts)"". Mtv Iggy. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
- ^ "Clean Bandit - New Eyes | Reviews | Clash Magazine". Clashmusic.com. 27 June 2012. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
- ^ Zywietz, Tobias. "Chart Log UK – 2012". Zobbel. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
