Name	Indie rock
Bgcolor	crimson
Color	White
Stylistic origins	Alternative rock, punk rock, post-punk, hardcore punk, New Wave
Cultural origins	Early 1980s, United Kingdom, United States and Canada
Instruments	Guitar, bass, drums, keyboard, vocals
Popularity	Moderate to High in North America and the United Kingdom since the late 2000s
Subgenres	Garage punk, riot grrrl, indie pop, emo, garage rock/post-punk revival, noise pop, dance-punk, New Weird America, Baroque pop, lo-fi, sadcore, C86, math rock
Fusiongenres	Grindie - indie pop - indie folk - indie dance - indie electronic - new rave
Regional scenes	Largely global, England – Ireland – Scotland – Wales – USA – Canada – Sweden – Japan – Australia – Indonesia – Turkey
Other topics	Timeline of alternative rock, DIY ethic }}

Indie rock is a sub-genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others. Originally used to describe record labels, the term became associated with the music they produced and was initially used interchangeably with alternative rock. As grunge and punk revival bands in the US, and then Britpop bands in the UK, broke into the mainstream in the 1990s, it came to be used to identify those acts that retained an outsider and underground perspective. In the 2000s, as a result of changes in the music industry and the growing importance of the Internet, a number of indie rock acts began to enjoy commercial success, leading to questions about its meaningfulness as a term.

Characteristics

Indie rock, derived from "independent", describes the small and relatively low budget labels on which it is released and the do-it-yourself attitude of the bands and artists involved. Although distribution deals are often struck with major corporate companies these labels and the bands they host have attempted to retain their autonomy, leaving them free to explore sounds, emotions and subjects of limited appeal to large, mainstream audiences. The influences and styles of the artists has been extremely diverse, including punk, psychedelia, rock and country. The terms alternative rock and indie rock were used interchangeably in the 1980s, but after many alternative bands followed Nirvana into the mainstream in the early 1990s it began to be used to distinguish those bands, working in a variety of styles, that did not pursue or achieve commercial success.

Allmusic identifies indie rock as including a number of styles that are: "too sensitive and melancholy; too soft and delicate; too dreamy and hypnotic; too personal and intimately revealing in its lyrics; too low-fidelity and low-budget in its production; too angular in its melodies and riffs; too raw, skronky and abrasive, wrapped in too many sheets of Sonic Youth/Dinosaur Jr./Pixies/Jesus & Mary Chain-style guitar noise; too oblique and fractured in its song structures; too influenced by experimental or otherwise unpopular musical styles." Linked by an ethos more than a musical approach, the indie rock movement encompassed a wide range of styles, from hard-edged, grunge-influenced bands like The Cranberries and Superchunk, through do-it-yourself experimental bands like Pavement, to punk-folk singers such as Ani DiFranco. Many countries have developed an extensive local indie scene, flourishing with bands with enough popularity to survive inside the respective country, but virtually unknown outside them.

Indie rock has been identified as a reaction against the "macho" culture that developed in alternative rock in the aftermath of Nirvana's success. It has been noted that indie rock has a relatively high proportion of female artists compared with preceding rock genres, a tendency exemplified by the development of the feminist-informed Riot Grrrl music of acts like Bikini Kill, Bratmobile, 7 Year Bitch, Team Dresch and Huggy Bear.

History

Origins: 1980s

College rock and noise rock

In the mid-1980s, the term "indie" began to be used to describe the music produced on post-punk labels rather than the labels themselves. The indie rock scene in the US was prefigured by the college rock that dominated college radio playlists which included key bands like R.E.M. from the US and The Smiths from the UK. These bands rejected the dominant synthpop of the early 1980s and helped inspire guitar based jangly guitar-pop; Other important bands in the genre included the dB's and Let's Active from the US and The Housemartins and The La's from the UK. In the United States, the term was particularly associated with the abrasive, distortion-heavy sounds of Hüsker Dü, Sonic Youth, Minutemen, Meat Puppets, Dinosaur Jr., Pixies and The Replacements. The most abrasive and discordant outgrowth of punk was noise rock, which emphasised loud distorted electric guitars bands and powerful drums and was pioneered by bands including Sonic Youth, Swans, Big Black and Butthole Surfers. A number of prominent indie rock record labels were founded during the 1980s. These include Washington, DC's Dischord Records in 1980, Seattle's Sub Pop Records in 1986 and New York City's Matador Records and Durham, North Carolina's Merge Records in 1989. Chicago's Touch and Go Records was founded as a fanzine in 1979 and began to release records during the 1980s.

Indie pop

In the United Kingdom the ''C86'' cassette, a 1986 ''NME'' premium featuring such bands as The Wedding Present, Primal Scream, The Pastels, and the Soup Dragons, was a document of the UK indie scene at the start of 1986, and gave its name to the indie pop scene that followed, which was a major influence on the development of the British indie scene as a whole. Major precursors of indie pop included Aztec Camera, Josef K and Orange Juice and major labels included Sarah, Bus Stop and Summershine. The Jesus and Mary Chain's sound combined the Velvet Underground's "melancholy noise" with Beach Boys pop melodies and Phil Spector's "Wall of Sound" production, while New Order emerged from the demise of post-punk band Joy Division and experimented with techno and house music. The Mary Chain, along with Dinosaur Jr, indie pop and the dream pop of Cocteau Twins, were the formative influences for the shoegazing movement of the late 1980s. Named for the band members' tendency to stare at their feet and guitar effects pedals onstage rather than interact with the audience, acts like My Bloody Valentine, and later Slowdive, Ride, and Lush created a loud "wash of sound" that obscured vocals and melodies with long, droning riffs, distortion, and feedback. The other major movement at the end of the 1980s was the drug-fuelled Madchester scene. Based around The Haçienda, a nightclub in Manchester owned by New Order and Factory Records, Madchester bands such as Happy Mondays and The Stone Roses mixed acid house dance rhythms, Northern soul and funk with melodic guitar pop.

Development: 1990s

Alternative enters the mainstream

The 1990s brought major changes to the alternative rock scene. Grunge bands such as Soundgarden, Nirvana, Alice in Chains and Pearl Jam broke into the mainstream, achieving commercial chart success and widespread exposure. Punk revival bands like Green Day and The Offspring also became popular and were grouped under the "alternative" umbrella. Similarly, in the United Kingdom Britpop saw bands like Blur and Oasis emerged into the mainstream, abandoning the regional, small-scale and political elements of the 1980s indie scene. As a result of these changes the term "alternative" lost its original counter-cultural meaning and began to refer to the new form of music that was now achieving mainstream success. The term "indie rock" became associated with the bands and genres that remained dedicated to their independent status. Ryan Moore has argued that in the wake of the appropriation of alternative rock by the corporate music industry that what became known as indie rock increasingly turned to the past to produce forms of "retro" rock that drew on rockabilly, blues, country, swing and garage rock.

Diversification

By the end of the 1990s indie rock developed a number of sub-genres and related styles, in addition to indie pop and dream pop these included lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, noise pop, space rock, sadcore, and emo. Lo-fi eschewed polished recording techniques for a D.I.Y. ethos and was spearheaded by Beck, Sebadoh and Pavement, who were joined by eclectic folk and rock acts of the Elephant 6 collective, including Neutral Milk Hotel, Elf Power and Of Montreal. The work of Talk Talk and Slint helped inspire both post rock, an experimental style influenced by jazz and electronic music, pioneered by Bark Psychosis and taken up by acts such as Tortoise, Stereolab, and Laika, as well as leading to more dense and complex, guitar-based math rock, developed by acts like Polvo and Chavez. Space rock looked back to progressive roots, with drone heavy and minimalist acts like Spaceman 3 in the 1980s, the two bands created out of its split, Spectrum and Spiritualized, and later groups including Flying Saucer Attack, Godspeed You Black Emperor! and Quickspace. In contrast, Sadcore emphasised pain and suffering through melodic use of acoustic and electronic instrumentation in the music of bands like American Music Club and Red House Painters, while the revival of Baroque pop reacted against lo-fi and experimental music by placing an emphasis on melody and classical instrumentation, with artists like Arcade Fire, Belle and Sebastian and Rufus Wainright. The emo movement, which had grown out of the hardcore punk scene in the 1980s with bands like Fugazi and Rites of Spring, gained popularity as the 1990s progressed. Elliott, Sunny Day Real Estate, The Promise Ring, The Get Up Kids and others brought a more melodic sound to the genre. Weezer's ''Pinkerton'' (1996) introduced the genre to a wider and more mainstream audience.

Mainstream success: 2000s-Present

In the 2000s, the changing music industry, the decline in record sales, the growth of new digital technology and increased use of the internet as a tool for music promotion, allowed a new wave of indie rock bands to achieve mainstream success. This new commercial breakthrough and the widespread use of the term indie to other forms of popular culture, led a number of commentators to suggest that indie rock has ceased to be a meaningful term.

Garage rock/post-punk revival

In the early 2000s, a new group of bands that played a stripped down and back-to-basics version of guitar rock, emerged into the mainstream. They were variously characterised as part of a garage rock, New Wave or post-punk revival. Because the bands came from across the globe, cited diverse influences (from traditional blues, through New Wave to grunge), and adopted differing styles of dress, their unity as a genre has been disputed. There had been attempts to revive garage rock and elements of punk in the 1980s and 1990s and by 2000 scenes had grown up in several countries. The Detroit rock scene included The Von Bondies, Electric Six, The Dirtbombs and The Detroit Cobras and that of New York Radio 4, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and The Rapture. Elsewhere, the Oblivians from Memphis Billy Childish and The Buff Medways from Britain, The (International) Noise Conspiracy from Sweden, and The 5.6.7.8's from Japan, enjoyed underground, regional or national success.

The commercial breakthrough from these scenes was led by four bands: The Strokes, who emerged from the New York club scene with their début album ''Is This It'' (2001); The White Stripes, from Detroit, with their third album ''White Blood Cells'' (2001); The Hives from Sweden after their compilation album ''Your New Favourite Band'' (2001); and The Vines from Australia with ''Highly Evolved'' (2002). They were christened by the media as the "The" bands, and dubbed "The saviours of rock 'n' roll", leading to accusations of hype. A second wave of bands that managed to gain international recognition as a result of the movement included The Black Keys, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Modest Mouse, The Killers, Interpol and Kings of Leon from the US. From the UK were Franz Ferdinand, Bloc Party, Editors and The Libertines, The Fratellis, Placebo, Razorlight, Kaiser Chiefs and The Kooks. The Arctic Monkeys were the most prominent act to owe their initial commercial success to the use of Internet social networking. Also successful were Jet from Australia and The Datsuns and The D4 from New Zealand.

Emo

Emo also broke into mainstream culture in the early 2000s with the platinum-selling success of Jimmy Eat World's ''Bleed American'' (2001) and Dashboard Confessional's ''The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most'' (2003). The new emo had a much more mainstream sound then in the 1990s and a far greater appeal amongst adolescents than its earlier incarnations. At the same time, use of the term emo expanded beyond the musical genre, becoming associated with fashion, a hairstyle and any music that expressed emotion. The term emo has been applied by critics and journalists to a variety of artists, including multi-platinum acts such as Fall Out Boy and My Chemical Romance and disparate groups such as Paramore and Panic at the Disco, even when they protest the label.

"Indie landfill"

Existing indie bands that were now able to enter the mainstream included more musically and emotionally complex bands including Modest Mouse, whose 2004 album ''Good News for People Who Love Bad News'' reached the US top 40 and was nominated for a Grammy Award, Bright Eyes who in 2004 had two singles at the top of the Billboard magazine Hot 100 Single Sales and Death Cab for Cutie whose 2005 album ''Plans'' debuted at number four in the US, remaining on the Billboard charts for nearly one year and achieving platinum status and a Grammy nomination. By the end of the decade the proliferation of indie bands was being referred to as "indie landfill", a description coined by Andrew Harrison of ''The Word magazine'', and the dominance of pop and other forms of music over guitar-based indie was leading to predictions of the end of indie rock. However, there continued to be commercial successes like Kasabian's ''West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum'' (2009), which reached number one in the UK. In 2010, Canadian band Arcade Fire's album ''The Suburbs'' reached number one on the Billboard charts in the United States and the official chart in the United Kingdom, winning a Grammy for Album of The Year.

Indie electronic

Indie electronic, which had begun in the early 1990s with bands like Stereolab and Disco Inferno, took off in the new millennium as the new digital technology developed, with acts including Broadcast from the UK, Justice from France, Lali Puna from Germany and The Postal Service, and Ratatat and BOBBY from the US, mixing a variety of indie sounds with electronic music, largely produced on small independent labels. In Britain the combination of indie with dance-punk was dubbed new rave in publicity for Klaxons and the term was picked up and applied by the NME to bands including Trash Fashion, New Young Pony Club, Hadouken!, Late of the Pier, Test Icicles and Shitdisco, forming a scene with a similar visual aesthetic to earlier rave music.

See also

Independent music

Indie music scene

Indie cred

List of indie rock musicians

Underground music

Notes

External links

Indie Rock Cafe

Indie rock database in English and Spanish

Category:2000s in music Category:Sociological genres of music

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Dr. Fu Manchu is a fictional character introduced in a series of novels by British author Sax Rohmer during the first half of the 20th century. The character was also featured extensively in cinema, television, radio, comic strips and comic books for over 90 years, and has become an archetype of the evil criminal genius while lending the name to the Fu Manchu moustache.

Characters

Fu Manchu

A master criminal, Fu Manchu's murderous plots are marked by the extensive use of arcane methods; he disdains guns or explosives, preferring dacoits, Thuggee, and members of other secret societies as his agents armed with knives, or using "pythons and cobras... fungi and my tiny allies, the bacilli... my black spiders" and other peculiar animals or natural chemical weapons.

In the 1933 novel, ''The Bride of Fu Manchu'', Fu Manchu claims to hold doctorates from four Western universities. In the 1959 novel, ''Emperor Fu Manchu'', he reveals he attended Heidelberg, the Sorbonne, and Edinburgh. In the early books, Dr. Petrie, believed that Fu Manchu was around 70 years old in 1911 at the time of their first encounter. This would have placed Fu Manchu in the West studying for his first doctorate in the 1870s.

According to Cay Van Ash, Rohmer's biographer and former assistant who became the first author to continue the series after Rohmer's death, "Fu Manchu" was a title of honor, which meant "the Warlike Manchu." Van Ash speculates that Fu Manchu had been a member of the Imperial family who backed the losing side in the Boxer Rebellion. In the earliest books, Fu Manchu is an agent of the secret society, the Si-Fan and acts as the mastermind behind a wave of assassinations targeting Western imperialists. In later books, he vies for control of the Si-Fan which is more concerned with routing Fascist dictators and halting the spread of Communism. The Si-Fan is largely funded through criminal activities, particularly the drug trade and white slavery. Dr. Fu Manchu has extended his already considerable lifespan by use of the elixir vitae, a formula he spent decades trying to perfect.

Denis Nayland Smith and Dr. Petrie

Opposing Fu Manchu in the early stories are Denis Nayland Smith and Dr. John Petrie. They are in the Holmes and Watson tradition, with Dr. Petrie narrating the stories while Nayland Smith carries the fight, combating Fu Manchu more by dogged determination than intellectual brilliance (except ''in extremis''). Nayland Smith and Fu Manchu share a grudging respect for one another, as each believes a man must keep his word even to an enemy.

In the first three books, Nayland Smith is a colonial police commissioner in Burma granted a ''roving commission'' which allows him to exercise authority over any group that can help him in his mission. He resembles Sherlock Holmes in physical description and acerbic manner, but not in deductive genius. He has been criticized as being a racist and jingoistic character, especially in the early entries in the series, and gives voice to anti-Asian sentiments. When Rohmer revived the series in the early 1930s, Smith (who has been knighted) is Assistant Commissioner of Scotland Yard. He later resigns this post and accepts a position with British Intelligence. Several books have him placed on special assignment with the FBI.

Over the years, Smith has been played by many actors, all of them middle-aged. This is despite the original character's age ranging from a young man in the early books in the 1910s to an old man in the books from the late 1950s:

O.P. Heggie (52-53) in ''The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu'' (1929) and ''The Return of Dr. Fu Manchu'' (1930)

Lewis Stone (53) in ''The Mask of Fu Manchu'' (1932)

William Royle (53) in ''Drums of Fu Manchu'' (1940)

Lester Matthews (56) in ''The Adventures of Dr. Fu Manchu'' (1956)

Nigel Green (41) in ''The Face of Fu Manchu'' (1965)

Douglas Wilmer (46-47) in ''The Brides of Fu Manchu'' (1966) and ''The Vengeance of Fu Manchu'' (1967)

Richard Greene (50-51) in ''The Blood of Fu Manchu'' (1968) and ''The Castle of Fu Manchu'' (1969)

Peter Sellers (54) in ''The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu'' (1980)

Kâramanèh

Prominent among Fu Manchu's agents was the "seductively lovely" Kâramanèh. Her real name is unknown. She was sold to the Si-Fan by Egyptian slave traders while still a child. Kara falls in love with the narrator of the first three books in the series, Dr. Petrie. She rescues Petrie and Nayland Smith many times. Eventually the couple are united and she wins her freedom. They marry and have a daughter, Fleurette, who figures in later novels. Author Lin Carter later created a son for Dr. Petrie and Kara, but this is not considered canonical.

Fah lo Suee

Fu Manchu's daughter, Fah lo Suee, is a devious mastermind in her own right, frequently plotting to usurp her father's position in the Si-Fan and aiding his enemies within and outside of the organization. Her real name is unknown; Fah lo Suee was a childhood term of endearment. She was introduced anonymously while still a teenager in the third book in the series and plays a larger role in several of the titles of the 1930s and 1940s. She was known for a time as Koreani after being brainwashed by her father, but her memory was later restored. She is infamous for taking on false identities, like her father, among them Madame Ingomar and Queen Mamaloi. In film, she has been portrayed by numerous actresses over the years. Her character is usually re-named in film adaptations because of difficulties with pronunciation. Anna May Wong played Ling Moy in 1931's ''Daughter of the Dragon''. Myrna Loy was the similarly named Fah lo See in 1932's ''The Mask of Fu Manchu''. Gloria Franklin was Fah lo Suee in 1940's ''Drums of Fu Manchu''. Laurette Luez played Karamaneh in 1956's ''The Adventures of Dr. Fu Manchu'', but the character owed more to Fah lo Suee than Rohmer's depiction of Karamaneh. Tsai Chin was Fu Manchu's daughter, Lin Tang in the five Christopher Lee films of the 1960s.

Controversy

After the 1932 release of MGM's adaptation of ''The Mask of Fu Manchu'', which featured the Asian villain telling an assembled group of Muslims that they must "kill the white men and take their women", a Harvard University student group petitioned MGM producer William Randolph Hearst (who had also serialized the novel in his ''Cosmopolitan'' magazine) to cease making further films based on the property.

Following the 1940 release of Republic Pictures' serial adaptation of ''Drums of Fu Manchu'', the U.S. State Department requested the studio make no further films with the character as China was an ally against Japan. Likewise Rohmer's publisher, Doubleday, refused to publish further additions to the bestselling series for the duration of the Second World War once the United States entered the conflict. BBC Radio and Broadway investors subsequently rejected Rohmer's proposals for an original Fu Manchu radio serial and stage show during the 1940s.

A planned 1972 U.S. network television screening of the 1966 Warner Bros. film ''The Brides of Fu Manchu'' was cancelled due to protests from an Asian anti-defamation group.

Rohmer himself was quoted in the biography his wife co-authored ''Master of Villainy'' to respond to charges that Fu Manchu had demonized all Chinese people by stating that :Of course, not the whole Chinese population of Limehouse was criminal. But it contained a large number of persons who had left their own country for the most urgent of reasons. These people knew no way of making a living other than the criminal activities that had made China too hot for them. They brought their crimes with them. It was Rohmer's contention that he based Fu Manchu and other "Yellow Peril" mysteries on real Chinese crime figures he knew during his brief stint as a newspaper reporter covering Limehouse activities.

Cultural impact

The character of Fu Manchu became a stereotype often associated with the Yellow Peril. Fu Manchu has inspired numerous other characters, and is the model for most villains in later "Yellow Peril" thrillers. Examples include Pao Tcheou, Ming the Merciless from ''Flash Gordon'', Dr, Goo-Fee from ''Fearless Fly'',Li Chang Yen from ''The Big Four'', James Bond adversary Dr. No, The Celestial Toymaker from the Doctor Who story of the same name, Dr. Benton Quest's archenemy Dr. Zin from the ''Jonny Quest'' television series, Dr. Yen-Lo from ''The Manchurian Candidate'', Lo-Pan from ''Big Trouble in Little China'', Marvel Comics foes the Mandarin and the Yellow Claw, DC Comics' Rā's al Ghūl, Wo Fat from the CBS TV series ''Hawaii Five-O'', and Ancient Wu from the video game ''True Crime: Streets of LA''. Fu Manchu and his daughter are the inspiration for the character Hark and his daughter Anna Hark in the comic book series ''Planetary''.

He was also parodied by Kenneth Williams in the radio show Round the Horne as the Oriental criminal mastermind Dr Chou En Ginsberg MA (failed), accompanied by his common-as-muck concubine Lotus Blossom, played by a cockney Hugh Paddick. Appearing in ten minute sketches within the show he was the villain for Kenneth Horne's masterspy in adventures such as "The Man with the Golden Thunderball", which also spoofed James Bond.

While not of Chinese descent, "Egyptian" arch-villain "Kathulos" (then revealed to be a survived Atlantean) of Robert E. Howard's ''Skull-Face'' novella is inspired by Fu Manchu. "Comrade Li" in Peter George's ''Commander-1'' (1965) is essentially the same type of villain—despite his name having only a thin veneer of Communism or Marxism, being rather a suave philosopher steeped in ancient Chinese learning whose cold-blooded machinations bring about a nuclear holocaust in which nearly all humanity perishes (including China, which he sought to make great) and who eventually meets a suitable gruesome and ignominious end.

A character with the name "Fred Fu Manchu" appeared as a ''famous Chinese bamboo saxophonist'' as part of The Goon Show, a 1950's British radio comedy programme. He appeared in his very own episode, "The Terrible Revenge of Fred Fu Manchu" in 1955 (announced as "Fred Fu-Manchu and his Bamboo Saxophone"), as well as making minor appearances in other episodes (including "China Story", "The Siege of Fort Night" and "The Lost Emperor"(as "''Doctor Fred Fu Manchu: oriental tattooist''")). The character was invented and performed by Spike Milligan, who used the character to mock British xenophobia and self-satisfaction, the traits summoning the original Fu Manchu into existence, and not as a slur against Asians.

Fu Manchu is also one of the earliest known examples of an evil scientist or archenemy, with Professor Moriarty, Doctor Jack Quartz (from Nick Carter), Zenith the Albino (from Sexton Blake), and some others being among the few other precedents. The style of facial hair associated with him in film adaptations has become known as the Fu Manchu moustache, although Rohmer's writings described the character as wearing no such adornment.

Books

''The Mystery of Dr. Fu-Manchu'' (1913) (US Title: ''The Insidious Dr. Fu-Manchu'').

''The Return of Dr. Fu-Manchu'' (1916) (UK Title: ''The Devil Doctor'')

''The Hand of Fu Manchu'' (1917) (UK Title: ''The Si-Fan Mysteries'')

''Daughter of Fu Manchu'' (1931)

''The Mask of Fu Manchu'' (1932)

''The Bride of Fu Manchu'' (1933) (original US Title: ''Fu Manchu's Bride'')

''The Trail of Fu Manchu'' (1934)

''President Fu Manchu'' (1936)

''The Drums of Fu Manchu'' (1939)

''The Island of Fu Manchu'' (1941)

''The Shadow of Fu Manchu'' (1948)

''Re-Enter: Fu Manchu'' (1957) (UK Title: ''Re-Enter: Dr. Fu Manchu'')

''Emperor Fu Manchu'' (1959) was Rohmer's last novel.

''The Wrath of Fu Manchu'' (1973) was a posthumous anthology containing the title novella, first published in 1952, and three later short stories: "The Eyes of Fu Manchu" (1957), "The Word of Fu Manchu" (1958), and "The Mind of Fu Manchu" (1959).

''Ten Years Beyond Baker Street'' (1984). The first of two authorized continuation novels by Cay Van Ash, Sax Rohmer's former assistant and biographer. The novel is set in a narrative gap within ''The Hand of Fu Manchu'' and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes story, ''His Last Bow'' (both published in 1917). Holmes comes out of retirement to aid Dr. Petrie when Nayland Smith is abducted by the Si-Fan.

''The Fires of Fu Manchu'' (1987). The second of two authorized continuation novels by Cay Van Ash. The novel is set in 1917 and documents Smith and Petrie's encounter with Fu Manchu during the First World War culminating in Smith's knighthood. A third Van Ash title, ''The Seal of Fu Manchu'' was underway when Van Ash died in 1994. The incomplete manuscript is believed lost.

''The Terror of Fu Manchu'' is the first of a new series of authorized period Fu Manchu thrillers by William Patrick Maynard. It is set on the eve of the First World War and is narrated by Dr. Petrie. The novel was published in April 2009 by Black Coat Press. A second title by the same author, ''The Destiny of Fu Manchu'' set on the eve of the Second World War will be published in December 2011 by Black Coat Press.

''The League of Dragons'' by George Alec Effinger was an unpublished, unauthorized novel involving a young Sherlock Holmes matching wits with Fu Manchu in the nineteenth century. Chapters have been published in the anthologies, ''Sherlock Holmes in Orbit'' (1995) and ''My Sherlock Holmes'' (2003). This lost university adventure of Holmes is narrated by Conan Doyle's character Reginald Musgrave.

Fu Manchu also made appearances in the following non-''Fu Manchu'' books:

''Anno Dracula'' (1994) by Kim Newman. An alternate histories adventure with Fu Manchu in a anonymous cameo appearance as one of the London crime lords of the nineteenth century.

"Sex Slaves of the Dragon Tong" and "Part of the Game" are a pair of related short stories by F. Paul Wilson appearing in his collection, ''Aftershocks and Others: 19 Oddities'' (2009) and feature anonymous appearances by Dr. Fu Manchu and characters from Little Orphan Annie.

Fu Manchu also appears anonymously in several stories in August Derleth's Solar Pons detective series. Derleth's successor, Basil Copper also made use of the character.

Fu Manchu is the name of the Chinese ambassador in Kurt Vonnegut's ''Slapstick (novel)'' (1976)

It is revealed that Chiun, the Master of Sinanju has worked for the Devil Doctor, as have previous generations of Masters in the The Destroyer novel #83 ''Skull Duggery''.

In other media

Film

Fu Manchu first appeared on the big screen in the 1923 British silent film serial ''The Mystery of Dr. Fu Manchu'' starring Harry Agar Lyons. Lyons returned to the role the next year in ''The Further Mysteries of Dr. Fu Manchu.''

In 1929 Fu Manchu made his American film debut in Paramount's early talkie, ''The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu'' starring Warner Oland, best known for his portrayal of Charlie Chan. Oland repeated the role in 1930's ''The Return of Dr. Fu Manchu'' and 1931's ''Daughter of the Dragon'' as well as in the short, ''Murder Will Out'' as part of the omnibus film, ''Paramount on Parade'' where the Devil Doctor confronts both Philo Vance and Sherlock Holmes.

The most infamous incarnation of the character was MGM's ''The Mask of Fu Manchu'' (1932) starring Boris Karloff and Myrna Loy. The film's tone has long been considered racist and offensive, but that only added to its cult status alongside its campy humor and Grand Guignol sets and torture sequences. The film was suppressed for many years, but has since received critical re-evaluation and been released on DVD uncut.

Fu Manchu returned to the serial format in 1940 in Republic Pictures' ''Drums of Fu Manchu'', a 15-episode serial considered to be one of the best the studio ever made. It was later edited and released as a feature film in 1943.

Other than an obscure, unauthorized 1946 Mexican film ''El Otro Fu Manchu'', the Devil Doctor was absent from the big sceen for 25 years, until producer Harry Alan Towers began a series starring Christopher Lee in 1965. Towers and Lee would make five Fu Manchu film through the end of the decade: ''The Face of Fu Manchu'' (1965), ''The Brides of Fu Manchu'' (1966), ''The Vengeance of Fu Manchu'' (1967), ''The Blood of Fu Manchu'' (1968), and finally ''The Castle of Fu Manchu'' (1969).

Fu Manchu, portrayed by actor David T. Bramberg appeared as the main character on 3 Mexican films of the Golden Age, El Museo del Crimen, Asesinato en los Estudios and La Mujer sin Cabeza, all detectivesque plots around murders.

The character's last authorized film appearance was in the 1980 Peter Sellers spoof, ''The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu'' with Sellers featured in a double role as both Fu Manchu and Nayland Smith. The film bore little resemblance to any prior film or the original books. In the film, Fu Manchu claims he was known as "Fred" at public school, a reference to the character of "Fred Fu Manchu" from The Goon Show which had co-starred Sellers.

Jess Franco, who had directed ''The Blood of Fu Manchu'' and ''The Castle of Fu Manchu'', also directed ''The Girl From Rio'' the second of three Harry Alan Towers films based on Rohmer's female Fu Manchu character, Sumuru. He later directed an unauthorized 1986 Spanish film featuring Fu Manchu's daughter, ''Esclavas del Crimen''.

Nicolas Cage made a camp cameo appearance as Fu Manchu in Rob Zombie's faux trailer ''Werewolf Women of the SS'', which is part of the 2007 film ''Grindhouse''.

There have been several unsuccessful plans to revive the character for the big screen since the early 1970s. The most recent project was announced by Distant Horizons at Cannes in 2007.

Television

Fu Manchu was first brought to television in an unsold pilot for NBC in 1952, ''The Zayat Kiss'' starred John Carradine and Cedric Hardwicke.

In 1956, the television arm of Republic Pictures produced a 13-episode syndicated series, ''The Adventures of Dr. Fu Manchu'' starring Glen Gordon as Dr. Fu Manchu, Lester Matthews as Sir Denis Nayland Smith, and Clark Howat as Dr. John Petrie. The title sequence depicted Smith and Fu Manchu in a game of chess as the announcer stated that "the Devil is said to play for men's souls. So does Dr. Fu Manchu, Evil Incarnate." At the conclusion of each episode, after Nayland Smith and Petrie had foiled Fu Manchu's latest fiendish scheme, he would be seen breaking a black chess piece as the closing credits rolled. It was directed by noted serial director Franklin Adreon as well as William Witney. Unlike the Holmes/Watson type relationship of the films, the series featured Smith as a law enforcement officer and Petrie as a staff member for the Surgeon General.

In 1990, TeleMundo broadcast an affectionate spoof, The Daughter of Fu Manchu featuring Paul Naschy as the Devil Doctor and starring the Hispanic comedy troupe, The Yellow Squad.

On the first episode of the second season of Viva La Bam, Don Vito is, while attached, being drawn a mustache similar to that of Fu Manchu. This prank is referred to as Fool Manchu.

Music

Guy Lombardo had a 1935 song entitled "Fu Manchu, Why Don't You Behave"

The Rockin' Ramrods had a 1965 song titled "Don't Fool With Fu Manchu"

The stoner rock band Fu Manchu was named after him.

Jamaican reggae pioneer Desmond Dekker recorded a song titled "Fu Man Chu" in 1968 with the chorus, "This is the face of Fu Manchu."

Frank Black (of the Pixies) recorded a song called "Fu Manchu" in 1993.

In the song, "We Want Freedom", by Dead Prez, Fu Manchu is referred to in the 2nd verse as a man who "dominated the land and accumulated wealth".

Fu Manchu was the name of a bull, mentioned in Tim McGraw's song "Live Like You Were Dying".

Fu Manchu was also mentioned in Travis Tritt's song "It's a Great Day to Be Alive".

Northern Irish band Ash include Fu Manchu in the lyrics to their songs "Kung Fu" and "Day of the Triffids".

British band The Wildhearts include Fu Manchu on their list of admired villains in the song "Rooting For The Bad Guy".

"The Village Green Preservation Society" on the similarly titled album by The Kinks mentions Fu Manchu, alongside other fictional villains, Moriarty and Dracula, in its list of things to preserve, "Help save Fu Manchu, Moriarty and Dracula". 30 years later, front man Ray Davies again name-checked the character in his 1998 solo song, "London Song."

Hip Hop group The Fugees briefly mention Fu Manchu in the song "Vocab", from the album ''Blunted on Reality''.

Montréal French speaking rock singer Robert Charlebois composed a song entitled "Fu Man Chu (Chus d'dans)" in 1972, in which he refers to the Fu Man Chu and Gene Autry black and white movies of the 1950-1960s. Through the story of Bill, the hero, the song highlights the main events of the second half of the 20th Century, starting with Bill initially dreaming about being attached to a railway track when the train is coming, then his posting abroad to war (presumably Vietnam) and finally ends with Lady Trenton losing her virginity to Bill, whom she saved from the villains after his trip to the milky way.

Drum and bass duo Drumsound & Bassline Smith recently released a song called "Fu Manchu", with a dubstep edit.

Radio

Fu Manchu's earliest radio appearances were on the ''Collier Hour'' 1927-31 on the Blue Network. This was a radio programme designed to promote ''Collier's'' magazine and presented weekly dramatizations of the current issues stories and serials. Fu was voiced by Arthur Hughes. A self titled show on CBS followed in 1932-33. John C. Daly, and later Harold Huber, played Fu.

Additionally, there were "pirate" broadcast from the Continent into Britain, from Radio Luxembourg and Radio Lyons in 1936 through 1937. Frank Cochrane voiced Fu Manchu. The BBC produced a competing series, ''The Peculiar Case of the Poppy Club'' starting in 1939. That same year ''The Shadow of Fu Manchu'' aired in the United States as a thrice weekly serial dramatizing the first nine novels.

Comic strips

Fu was first brought to newspaper comic strips in a black and white daily strip drawn by Leo O'Mealia and ran from 1931 to 1933. The strips were adaptations of the first two Fu Manchu novels and part of the third. They were copyrighted by "Sax Rohmer and The Bell Syndicate, Inc".

Graphic novels

Fu Manchu made his first comic book appearance in ''Detective Comics'' # 17, and continued, as one feature among many in the anthology series, until #28. These were reprints of the earlier Leo O'Mealia strips. Original Fu stories in comics had to wait for Avon's one-shot ''The Mask of Dr. Fu Manchu'' in 1951. A similar British one-shot ''The Island of Fu Manchu'' was published in 1956.

In the 1970s, Fu Manchu appeared as the father of the character Shang-Chi in the series ''Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu.'' However Marvel Comics canceled the book in 1982, and issues over licensing the character and concepts from the novels (such as his daughter) have hampered Marvel's ability to both collect the series in trade paperback format and reference Fu Manchu as Shang-Chi's father. As such, the character is either never mentioned by name, or by alias ("Mr. Han"). Though Fu Manchu himself was killed off in #100 of his son's comic, he has since been (partially) resurrected by an evil terror group known as the Shadow Council.

Fu Manchu appeared as a villain in the first volume of Alan Moore's comic book series ''The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen'' where he attempts to steal a piece of Cavorite to make an airforce and attack England, but was referred to only as "the Doctor" or "the Devil Doctor" as the character is not in the public domain.

In the first edition of ''Docteur Mystery'', Fu Manchu is a leader of a cult that tries to resurrect a giant dragon to take over Europe.

Martin Gilfryd/Memnan Saa of the ''BPRD'' comics by Mike Mignola, John Arcudi and Guy Davis is modeled after Dr. Fu Manchu. Before the mysterious character's identity was revealed Mignola referred to the villain as "that Fu Manchu-looking guy."

Sweets

Trebor's had a 1977 Fu Munchews candy

See also

Charlie Chan - the positive opposite of Fu Manchu

References

External links

"The Adventures of Dr. Fu Manchu" (1956 TV Series)

''The Page of Fu Manchu''

''The Insidious Dr. Fu Manchu'' by Sax Rohmer

''The Return of Dr. Fu Manchu'' by Sax Rohmer

Hermes Reviews'' reviews of all the Fu Manchu books as well as those featuring Sax Rohmer's other criminal mastermind, Sumuru

A database and cover gallery of Fu Manchu comic book appearances

Theater of the Ears: ''The Shadow of Fu Manchu'' Radio Dramas

The Chronology of Fu Manchu http://www.pjfarmer.com/woldnewton/Fumanchu.htm

Fu Manchu and the Yellow Peril http://dspace.wul.waseda.ac.jp/dspace/bitstream/2065/10005/1/40050_3_2.pdf

Fu Manchu in Edinburgh (BBC Radio 4 programme)

Category:Chinese characters in written fiction Category:Fictional cult leaders Category:Fictional doctors Category:Science fiction film characters Category:Characters in pulp fiction Category:Fictional warlords Category:Ethnic and racial stereotypes Category:Fictional gangsters Category:Supervillains first appearing in novels Category:Wold Newton Category:Asian American issues Category:Fictional characters introduced in 1913 ca:Fu-Manxú de:Fu Manchu es:Fu Manchú eu:Fu Manchu fr:Fu Manchu it:Fu Manchu nl:Fu Manchu ja:フー・マンチュー pt:Fu Manchu ru:Фу Манчу fi:Fu Manchu sv:Fu Manchu zh:傅满洲

name	The Sunshine Underground
background	group_or_band
origin	Leeds, EnglandTelford, England
genre	Indie rock, New rave
years active	2000–present
label	City Rockers
website	http://www.tsuarmy.co.uk/
current members	Craig WellingtonStuart JonesMatthew Gwilt
past members	Daley Smith }}

The Sunshine Underground (often shortened to TSU) are an English, Leeds based indie rock band. The Sunshine Underground play a variety of punk, funk and indie, featured on their debut album, ''Raise the Alarm'', released by City Rockers on August 28, 2006. The group is named after a song from the 1999 album ''Surrender'' by The Chemical Brothers.

Biography

The band are originally from Telford and Shrewsbury, and formed while studying at New College Telford. After New College the band moved to Woodhouse in Leeds where the band started to develop its sound.

They sold out venues in London and Leeds on their first headline tour. Following their successful support slots for LCD Soundsystem, the group earned the Live Band of the Year trophy at the Leeds Music Awards.

Work on their debut album, ''Raise the Alarm'', was completed in May 2006 and was released on August 28, 2006. They appeared on the 2006 spring/summer European festival circuit.

November saw the band play even more gigs, at increasingly large venues throughout the UK, including cities like Glasgow, Preston, Barnsley and London with the addition of other concerts in May 2007. Most notably they played the Other Stage at the Glastonbury Festival in June and played a headline set on the future stage at T in the Park in July and performed at the Leeds/Reading Festival in August 2007, playing on the NME stage. The band headlined the Strathclyde University's 2007 freshers week.

In November 2008, after several months of non-activity, the band posted several new demos on their MySpace page titled 'Malibu', 'Epic', 'Darktime', 'Animals' and 'An Introduction'. It was stated by the band that none of these songs would make their second album.

They recorded a song with FC Kahuna named "From The City To The Sea" which was made public and free for download in February 2009. It was released as a free download because it differed too much from the other songs to make it on the album. The song takes a sample from the Aphex Twin track Windowlicker.

On 16 April 2009, the band put up low-resolution versions of five tracks from their new album on their MySpace account; "In Your Arms", "Coming to Save You", "Spell It Out", "Your Friends" and "Any Minute Now". The band performed at various festivals over the summer including 'V' festival and a number of smaller, more local festivals include Bathgate Live and Bingley.

On 3 November 2009 TSU released a 5 Track EP called 'Everything, Right Now'. The EP features 2 previously unheard tracks, 2 reworked demo's that were on their Myspace in November 2008 (Darktime, now renamed Dark Days, and Animals), and the track "Coming to Save You" which was to be on their second album. The band finally released the follow-up to ''Raise The Alarm'' on 1 February 2010 named ''Nobody's Coming to Save You'' released on City Rockers/EMI. The album reached #86 on the UK album chart following its release. To coincide with the release of the album, TSU embarked on a 3 week tour of the UK playing at venues such as Glasgow ABC, Manchester Ritz, Koko (Camden) and finishing with a sold out homecoming gig at Leeds Academy.

The band released 'We've Always Been Your Friends' as a standalone download online single on February 15, followed by the next single released from 'Nobody's Coming to Save You', 'Spell It Out', which was released as part of a digital download along with remixes of the first two singles and an official release of the much aired demo, 'Fall In Line'. The package was released on 17 May. The video is centered about a space chase to defeat a giant robot and is hugely influenced by 80's computer graphics. TSU went on to sub-headline the Festival Republic tent at the Reading & Leeds festivals over the August Bank Holiday weekend in 2010.

On 21 February 2011, TSU bass player Daley Smith announced he would be leaving the band and gave the following statement:

I am sad and happy to announce that I am leaving The Sunshine Underground. Sad because I’m leaving behind some of the best friends I’ve ever had, but also happy because I can now set off on a completely new adventure. There have been no fall-outs or bust ups, no artistic differences or any bad blood what so ever. I just feel, for me, it is just time for something new. This was not an easy decision to make and I didn’t take it lightly. I toiled for a long time over this and in the end the conclusion was clear. Ever since our humble beginnings we have achieved a huge amount. Highlights have been releasing two great albums and an E.P, Japan, SxSW, Mexico, Glastonbury, and too many more to mention them all here. We have been blessed with some of the most loyal and brilliant fans a band could ever wish for. I’d like to thank each and every one of you, for turning up, tuning in and not dropping out. Thanks again you mental bastards. Looking forward, I will play my last gigs with the band in April, my last waltz will be Snowbombing. I wish the other three lads the best of luck for the future, and I know they will continue to make me proud by producing some more amazing music. So, for now it is goodbye.

TSU later confirmed they will be continuing as a three-piece and are already well underway to compiling tracks for the forthcoming third album.

Discography

Demos

''My Army EP'' (2004)

Albums

''Raise the Alarm'' (28 August 2006) - City Rockers

''Nobody's Coming to Save You'' (1 February 2010) - City Rockers/EMI

Compilations

''Raise The Alarm B-Sides & Remixes'' (6 June 2011) - EMI

Extended plays

''Everything, Right Now EP'' (16 November 2009)

''Put You in Your Place (Remixes)'' (6 June 2011) - EMI

Singles

Year	Song	!Album
	"Put You in Your Place"	Non-album single
		Non-album single
	"What You Like"	Non-album single
	"I Ain't Losing Any Sleep"	''Raise the Alarm''
	"Put You in Your Place" (reissue)	''Raise the Alarm''
		''Raise the Alarm''
		''Raise the Alarm''
		''Nobodys Coming to Save You''
	"Coming to Save You"	''Nobodys Coming to Save You''
	"We've Always Been Your Friends"	''Nobodys Coming to Save You''
	"Spell It Out"	''Nobodys Coming to Save You''

External links

The Sunshine Underground Official site

NME Artist page featuring news, interviews, reviews, and videos

The Sunshine Underground - Leeds Music Scene

Category:English indie rock groups Category:Music from Leeds

de:The Sunshine Underground es:The Sunshine Underground fr:The Sunshine Underground nl:The Sunshine Underground ja:サンシャイン・アンダーグラウンド pl:The Sunshine Underground pt:The Sunshine Underground

Name	Iron & Wine
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Samuel Beam
Born	July 26, 1974South Carolina, U.S.
Instrument	Vocals, Guitar, Banjo
Genre	FolkFolk rock
Label	Sub PopWarner Bros./4AD
Associated acts	Calexico, Rosie Thomas
Website	www.ironandwine.com }}

Samuel Beam (born July 26, 1974), better known by his stage and recording name Iron & Wine, is an American singer-songwriter. He has released four studio albums, several EPs and singles, as well as a few download-only releases, which include a live album (a recording of his 2005 Bonnaroo performance). He occasionally tours with a full band.

Beam was raised in South Carolina before moving to Virginia and then Florida to attend school. He now resides in Dripping Springs, near Austin, Texas. The name ''Iron & Wine'' is taken from a dietary supplement named "Beef Iron & Wine" that he found in a general store while shooting a film.

Early life

Beam was raised in Chapin, South Carolina, where his father worked in land management and his mother was a schoolteacher. When he was a child, his family took regular trips to the country, where his grandfather ran a farm. He attended Seven Oaks Elementary School, Irmo Middle School, and Chapin High School. While home from college, he was a waiter at California Dreaming restaurant in Columbia. Beam earned a bachelor's degree in art from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia. He specialized in painting. He graduated from the Florida State University Film School with an MFA degree. Before the release of the first Iron & Wine album, Beam's main source of income was as a professor of film and cinematography at the University of Miami and Miami International University of Art & Design. He had been writing songs for over seven years before a friend lent him a four-track recorder. He began making demos and gave one to his friend Michael Bridwell, brother of Band of Horses lead singer, Ben Bridwell. Michael handed it to Mike McGonigal, editor of Yeti magazine, who chose "Dead Man's Will," later released on ''In the Reins'', for inclusion on one of his magazine's compilation CDs. Beam later came to the attention of Sub Pop Records co-owner, Jonathan Poneman, who contacted Beam to propose a deal.

Musical career

Beam released his first Iron & Wine album, ''The Creek Drank the Cradle'', on the Sub Pop label in 2002. Beam wrote, performed, recorded and produced the album in his home studio. Featuring acoustic guitars, banjo, and slide guitar, the album's music has been compared to that of Nick Drake, Simon and Garfunkel, Elliott Smith, Neil Young and John Fahey.

Also in 2002, Beam recorded a cover of The Postal Service's then-unreleased song "Such Great Heights". Rather than being included on an Iron & Wine release, the track was initially included as a b-side of the original version by The Postal Service. It was later included on the B-sides and rarities album, ''Around the Well''. He then followed up on his debut album in 2003 with ''The Sea & The Rhythm'', an EP containing other home-recorded tracks with a similar style to the songs on the debut.

Beam's second full-length album, ''Our Endless Numbered Days'' (2004), was recorded in a professional studio with a significant increase in fidelity. Produced in Chicago by Brian Deck, the focus was still on acoustic material, but the inclusion of other band members gave rise to a slightly different sound. That same year, he recorded the song "The Trapeze Swinger" for the film ''In Good Company'', and had his version of "Such Great Heights" featured in an advertisement for M&M;'s and in the film and soundtrack for ''Garden State''. This version was later used in a 2006 Ask.com advertisement, and eventually released as a single in 2006 backed with recordings of "The Trapeze Swinger" and "Naked as We Came" made for Radio Vienna.

In February 2005, he released an EP entitled ''Woman King'', which expanded on the sounds of his previous LP, and added electric guitars. Each track featured a spiritual female figure, and had subtle Biblical undertones.

The EP ''In the Reins'', a collaboration with the Arizona-based rock band Calexico, was released in September 2005. Beam wrote all of the EP's songs years earlier, but Calexico added their trademark fusion of southwestern rock, traditional Mexican music and jazz to the songs' arrangements. Several tracks feature brass instruments, a first for Beam's music.

The third full-length Iron & Wine album, entitled ''The Shepherd's Dog'', was released September 25, 2007. This album was voted one of the ten best of 2007 by ''Paste'' magazine. Contributors included Joey Burns and Paul Niehaus of Calexico, as well as jazz musicians Matt Lux and Rob Burger. When asked to describe the album to ''The Independent'', Beam remarked that "it's not a political propaganda record, but it's definitely inspired by political confusion, because I was really taken aback when Bush got reelected."

Beam has released most of his music on iTunes, including several exclusive EPs. The ''Iron & Wine iTunes Exclusive EP'' features unreleased studio recordings, including a Stereolab cover and two tracks which had previously only appeared on vinyl. The ''Live Session (iTunes Exclusive)'' features Beam and his sister, Sarah Beam, performing a number of tracks from his albums, as well as a cover of New Order's "Love Vigilantes". Sarah Beam has contributed backing vocals on many of Beam's studio recordings.

Beam's music has appeared in television series such as ''Grey's Anatomy'', ''The L Word'' and ''House, M.D.''. "Flightless Bird, American Mouth" was used in the film ''Twilight''. The song was specifically chosen for the film's prom scene by Kristen Stewart, the female lead, and appears on the film's soundtrack.

The B-sides and rarities album ''Around the Well'' was released in 2009. Iron & Wine also contributed the song "Stolen Houses (Die)" to the AIDS benefit album ''Dark Was the Night'' produced by the Red Hot Organization.

On November 26, 2010 Iron & Wine released a special edition ''Record Store Day Black Friday'' 12" vinyl and CD single called, ''Walking Far From Home'' for independent record stores.

''Kiss Each Other Clean'', Iron & Wine's fourth full-length album, was released on January 25, 2011 on Warner Bros. Records in North America and 4AD for the rest of the world.

Personal life

Beam, his wife Kim and their five daughters live in Dripping Springs near Austin, Texas.

Discography

Studio, Compilations, Live Albums & EPs

– ''Our Endless Numbered Days'' ''The Shepherd's Dog'' ''Kiss Each Other Clean'' 25 – ''Norfolk 6/20/05 (album) – ''The Sea & The Rhythm'' ''Iron & Wine iTunes Exclusive EP'' ''Woman King'' ''In the Reins'' ''Live Session (iTunes Exclusive) (Iron & Wine EP) ''Live at Lollapalooza 2006: Iron & Wine - EP

Year !! Studio Albums !! Billboard 200	US !! UK !! Notes
2002	''The Creek Drank the Cradle''	|	–	–
2004	|	158	–	–
2007	|	24	74	–
2011	|	2	32	Released January 25, 2011.
Year !! Compilations !! Billboard 200	US !! UK !! Notes
2009	''Around the Well''	|	–	B-sides and rarities compilation
Year !! Live Albums !! Billboard 200	US !! UK !! Notes
2005	''Iron & Wine Live Bonnaroo''	|	–	–
2009	Norfolk'' ||	–	–	Live Album
		Year !! EPs !! Billboard 200	US !! UK !! Notes
2002	Tour EP (Iron & Wine)>Iron & Wine Tour EP''	|	–	–
2003	|	–	–	–
2004	|	–	–	iTunes only
2005	|	128	–	–
2005	|	135	–	Calexico (band)>Calexico
2006	Live Session (iTunes Exclusive)'' ||	–	–	iTunes only
2006	Live at Lollapalooza 2006'' ||	–	–	iTunes only

Singles

"Call Your Boys" b/w "Dearest Forsaken" via Sub Pop Singles Club (CD + Clear 7" Vinyl) (2002)

"No Moon" b/w "Sinning Hands" (Limited 7" Vinyl Bonus with first Pressing of ''Our Endless Numbered Days'') (2004)

"Passing Afternoon" (CD only) (2004)

"The Trapeze Swinger" (iTunes only) (2005)

"Such Great Heights" (UK only CD) (2006)

"Boy with a Coin" (CD + UK only 10" Vinyl) (2007)

"Dark Eyes" (Bob Dylan cover w/ Calexico) (2007)

"Lovesong of the Buzzard" (CD + UK only 10" Vinyl) (2008)

"Flightless Bird, American Mouth" (iTunes only) (2008)

"Walking Far from Home" (2010)

Other contributions

''The O.C. Soundtrack'' (2004) – "The Sea & the Rhythm"

''Garden State Soundtrack'' (2004) – "Such Great Heights"

''Sweetheart: Love Songs'' (2004) – "Ab's Song" (The Marshall Tucker Band cover)

''L Word: Season Two'' soundtrack (2004) – "Naked as We Came"

''Grey's Anatomy: Season Two'' soundtrack (2004) – "Naked as We Came"

''In Good Company'' (2004) – "Naked as We Came," "Sunset Soon Forgotten," "The Trapeze Swinger"

''Fighting in a Sack'' (2004) – "New Slang (Featuring Iron & Wine)[Live]"

''KCRW Sounds Eclectic Volume 3'' (2005) – "Waitin' for a Superman" (Flaming Lips cover)

''I Am a Cold Rock. I Am Dull Grass.'' (2006) – "We All, Us Three, Will Ride"

''I'm Not There'' soundtrack (2007) – "Dark Eyes" (with Calexico)

''The Road Mix'' Volume 3, music from ''One Tree Hill'' (2007) – "He Lays in the Reins" (with Calexico)

''Acoustic 07'' (2007) – "Naked as We Came"

''Numb3rs'' Season 3, Episode 19, "Pandora's Box" (2007) – "Naked as We Came"

''Friday Night Lights'' Season 1, Episode 12 (2007) – "Upward Over the Mountain"

''Friday Night Lights: Original Television Soundtrack'' (2007) – "Dead Man's Will" (with Calexico)

''Twilight'' soundtrack (2008) – "Flightless Bird, American Mouth"

''90210'' Season 1, Episode 18, "Off the Rails" (2008) – "Cinder & Smoke"

''House, M.D.''

* Season 4, Episode 16 (Season Finale, Part 2) Wilson's Heart (2008) – "Passing Afternoon"

* Season 6, Episode 1 (Season Premiere, Part 1) Broken (2009) – "Love Vigilantes" (New Order cover)

''Dark Was the Night'' (2009) – "Stolen Houses (Die)"

''Ugly Betty'' Season 3, Episode 16 (2009) – "Naked as We Came"

''The Mysteries of Pittsburgh'' (2009) – "Naked as We Came"

''Misfits'' Season 1, Episode 6 (2009) – "Such Great Heights"

''The Last Song'' soundtrack (2010) – "Each Coming Night"

References

External links

Official site

Category:American folk guitarists Category:American folk singers Category:American rock guitarists Category:American rock singer-songwriters Category:American male singers Category:Florida State University alumni Category:Musicians from South Carolina Category:Sub Pop artists Category:Living people Category:1974 births Category:People from Lexington County, South Carolina

bs:Iron & Wine da:Iron & Wine de:Iron & Wine es:Iron & Wine fr:Iron & Wine it:Iron & Wine nl:Iron and Wine ja:アイアン・アンド・ワイン no:Iron & Wine nn:Iron & Wine pl:Iron & Wine pt:Iron & Wine ru:Iron & Wine sr:Ајрон енд вајн sv:Iron & Wine uk:Iron & Wine

name	Imogen Heap
background	solo_singer
birth name	Imogen Jennifer Jane Heap
birth date	December 09, 1977
gender	Female
origin	Havering, London, England
instrument	Vocals, keyboards, array mbira, cello, clarinet, guitar, drums, keytar, nail violin, vocal percussion, synthesizer, sampler, organ, hang, vocoder
genre	Electronica, alternative, indie, synthpop, Folktronica, ambient, trip hop, rock, classical
occupation	Musician, singer, songwriter, visual artist
years active	1997–present
label	Almo Sounds (1998–2001)Megaphonic (2005–present)RCA Victor (2006–present)
associated acts	Frou FrouUrban SpeciesIAMXMIKA
website	imogenheap.com
notable instruments	}}

Imogen Jennifer Jane Heap () (born 9 December 1977 in the London Borough of Havering) is a Grammy Award-winning English singer, composer and songwriter from Romford, Havering. She is known for her work as part of the musical duo Frou Frou and her solo albums, which she writes, produces, and mixes. She has produced three solo albums, the latest of which is 2009's ''Ellipse'', which was a North American chart success and earned Heap two Grammy nominations, winning Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical.

Musical and songwriting style

For her solo work (as well as her work with Frou Frou and Acacia), Heap plays heavily produced and arranged singer-songwriter pop incorporating elements of rock, dance and electronica. As a guest player and collaborator she has played rock (Jeff Beck), hip-hop (Urban Species) and theatre/film music. A skilled multi-instrumentalist, Heap extensively uses manipulated electronic sounds as an integral part of her music. She also mixes ambient sound into her music (such as the sound of a frying pan in use cooking food, in the background of her song "My Secret Friend") and has commented that "certain sounds give the music a width and a space, and that's important."

Heap states that her song lyrics come from personal experience, but are not straightforwardly confessional. She has stated "Most of the time, the lyrics are kind of like my secret messages to my friends or my boyfriend or my mum or my dad. I would never tell them that these songs are about them or which specific lyric is about somebody. Often, when I sit down to write a lyric, it is in the heat of the moment, and something has just happened."

Biography

Early life

Heap played music from an early age, becoming classically trained in several instruments including piano, cello and clarinet. She attended Friends School, a private, Quaker-run boarding school in Saffron Walden. Heap's mother (an art therapist) and her father (a construction rock retailer) separated when she was twelve. By age thirteen, she had begun writing songs.

Heap did not get along well with the music teacher at her boarding school, so she principally taught herself sequencing, music engineering, sampling and production (on Atari computers). She also taught herself to play the guitar and drums, and subsequently two percussion/idiophone instruments, the array mbira and the Hang. After school, she went on to study at the BRIT School for Performing Arts & Technology in Croydon, South London.

Early work as musician (including work with Acacia)

After being introduced to Nik Kershaw by his manager Mickey Modern, Heap and Kershaw recorded four demos that Mickey Modern took to Rondor Music. Consequently, a few months later she signed her first record contract at 18 to independent record label Almo Sounds. Modern and Wood formed Modernwood Management, and managed Heap until 2006, when Modernwood was dissolved. Wood continues to manage the artist via his new company, Radius Music.

During 1996, Heap began working with an experimental pop band called Acacia, which featured her future collaborator Guy Sigsworth and was fronted by the singer Alexander Nilere. While never a full member of the band, Heap was a guest vocalist (as a counterpart to Nilere) and contributed to various Acacia single and album tracks. One Acacia song, "Maddening Shroud", would later be covered by Frou Frou.

Mickey Modern asked Dennis Arnold to place Imogen in the line up in the 1996 Prince's Trust Concert in Hyde Park, London organized by Harvey Goldsmith. Heap performed four songs between sets by The Who and Eric Clapton.

1998–2000: ''iMegaphone''

Heap's debut album, ''iMegaphone'' (an anagram of "Imogen Heap") was a mixture of self-penned and self-produced tracks, alongside tracks co-written and produced with established producers such as David Kahne, former Eurythmic Dave Stewart and Guy Sigsworth. The album was released in 1998 internationally via Almo Sounds, to favorable reviews comparing Heap's angst-filled songs to work by PJ Harvey, Kate Bush and Annie Lennox. Promotion for the record included a tour of America and performances around Europe. Three singles were commercially released in the UK: "Getting Scared", "Shine" and "Come Here Boy". "Oh Me, Oh My" was sent to US radio stations in place of "Shine".

Heap's early success was soon replaced by problems. Almo Sounds cut funding for UK promotion and gave Heap a deadline to deliver songs for her second album. Upon delivery of the songs, she was told that they lacked "hit potential". It was announced that the record label would be sold to Universal and its artists moved to other labels or released. Heap was one of the artists who was dropped from the label, leaving her without a record contract. ''iMegaphone'' had, however, been licensed from Almo Sounds to Aozora Records in Japan, who eventually re-released and re-promoted the album in January 2002, featuring "Blanket" and "Aeroplane" (a Frou Frou remix/remake of one of her B-sides, "Airplane" of the ''Shine'' single released in 1998). The album featured new packaging, all-new artwork, and a previously unavailable hidden track, entitled "Kidding", recorded live during her 1999 tour.

Copies of the original Almo Sounds release remain rare. A Brazilian label, Trama Records, currently claims to hold the license to the record and has started re-printing copies of the album in limited quantities. The album was released digitally on the U.S. iTunes Music Store in early 2006. After achieving commercial success with her work with Guy Sigsworth as the duo Frou Frou and her second solo album, ''Speak for Yourself''.

2001: Interim work

In the gap between the end of promotion for ''iMegaphone'' internationally and the re-promotion, Heap had also begun to think about her second solo album, and had started writing songs, both solo, as well as working with Guy Sigsworth; however, as she was without a record deal, the songs were shelved. During the time when she was unsigned, Heap appeared on two UK singles, "Meantime" (a track written by her former Acacia colleagues Guy Sigsworth and Alexander Nilere for the soundtrack to the independent British film, ''G:MT – Greenwich Mean Time'') and "Blanket" (a collaboration with Urban Species). In 2000, Heap sang on the album ''You Had It Coming'' by Jeff Beck.

2002–2003: Frou Frou

Heap had kept in contact with Guy Sigsworth (who had co-written and produced "Getting Scared" from ''iMegaphone'') and this led to the pair of them establishing the collaborative project Frou Frou.

The initial concept for Frou Frou was Sigsworth's, and the project was to have been an album written and produced by her with each track featuring a different singer, songwriter, poet or rapper. Heap explains that Sigsworth invited her over to his studio to write lyrics to a four-bar motif he had, with one condition – that she include the word "love" somewhere. The first line she came up with was "lung of love, leaves me breathless", and the ''Details'' album track, "Flicks" was born. A week later, Sigsworth phoned Heap up again, and together they wrote and recorded the future single "Breathe In".

Throughout the process, Frou Frou work was an equal partnership, with Heap and Sigsworth making equal contributions to writing, arrangement, production and instrumental performance and Heap handling all of the vocals.

In August 2002, they released the ''Details'' album and singles "Breathe In", "It's Good To Be In Love", and "Must Be Dreaming" (although the latter two were not commercially available). The album was critically acclaimed, but did not enjoy the commercial success that they had been hoping for.

In late 2003, after an extensive promotional tour of the UK, Europe and the U.S., the duo were told that their record label, Island Records would not be picking up the option for a second album.

Heap and Sigsworth remain firm friends, and have worked together since the project, including their temporary re-formation in late 2003, when they covered the Bonnie Tyler classic, "Holding Out for a Hero", which was featured during the credits of the movie ''Shrek 2'' after Jennifer Saunders version in the film. Frou Frou saw a resurgence in popularity in 2004, when their album track "Let Go" was featured in the film ''Garden State''.

In a 2005 interview Heap said of frou frou "(it) was really like a kind of little holiday from my own work. Guy and I, we have always worked together, and then over the years, it became clear that we wanted to do a whole album together. It was very organic and spontaneous - just one of those wonderful things that happens. But there was never a mention of a second record from either of us, and not uncomfortably. We're just both kind of free spirits. I love to work with a lot of different people, but I was also just gagging to see what I could do on my own. But I'm sure in the future, Guy and I will get back together to do another record, or to record a few songs together."

2004–2005: ''The O.C.'' and ''Speak for Yourself''

In December 2003, Heap announced on her Web site that she was going to write and produce her second solo album, using her site as a blog to publicise progress.

Heap set herself a deadline of one year to make the album, booking a session to master the album one year ahead in December 2004. She re-mortgaged her flat to fund production costs, including renting a studio at Atomic Studios, London (previously inhabited by UK grime artist, Dizzee Rascal), and purchasing instruments.

At the end of 2004, with the album completed, Heap premiered two album tracks online, selling them prior to the album's release – "Just for Now" and "Goodnight and Go".

In April 2005, ''The O.C.'' featured the vocoded-vocal track, "Hide and Seek" in the closing scenes of their season two finale. The track was released immediately to digital download services, such as iTunes, in the U.S., where it charted. The track was released to iTunes UK on 5 July 2005 (the same day as the UK airing of the season finale) and entered the official UK download chart.

Heap made a decision to put out the album on her own in the UK, starting her own record company, titled Megaphonic Records. The album was titled ''Speak for Yourself''.

''Speak for Yourself'' was released in the UK on 18 July 2005 on CD and iTunes UK, where it entered the top 10 chart. The initial 10,000 physical copies pressed sold out, distributed through large and independent record stores and Heap's own online shop.

In August 2005, Heap announced that she had licensed ''Speak for Yourself'' to Sony BMG imprint RCA Victor for the album release in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The album was released in November 2005 and debuted at #144 in the Billboard Top 200 album chart. In concert, Heap performed solo, controlling the sound through her Apple PowerBook laptop, as well as singing and playing the piano and array mbira.

She returned from the U.S., already having sold over 120,000 copies.

2006–2007: The year of the 'White Rabbit'

Heap also announced, on her return to the UK, that she had signed a deal for the album to be released internationally, as well as re-promoted in the UK, with a new imprint of Sony BMG, White Rabbit, run by former Sony BMG UK A&R; vice president Nick Raphael. The deal meant that the album could have the promotional backing provided by a respected major label, whilst Heap retained sole control and the team she established for Megaphonic Records.

''Speak for Yourself'' was re-released on the label on 24 April 2006, ahead of a full promotional push on 15 May, a week after the second single, "Goodnight and Go", was commercially released in the UK.

In August 2006, Heap performed a set at the V Festival, where it was announced that "Headlock" was to be the third single to be lifted from the album, and released on 16 October 2006 in the UK.

In late September and early October, Heap embarked on a tour of the UK, holding a competition on MySpace for different support acts for each venue, before touring throughout Canada and the USA in November and December. This was her first tour of North America that included a band, incorporating upright bass, percussion, and support acts Kid Beyond and Levi Weaver on beatbox and guitar, respectively. In December 2006, Heap was featured on the front page of ''The Green Room'' magazine.

On 7 December 2006, Heap received two Grammy nominations for the 49th Annual Grammy Awards, one for Best New Artist and the other for Best Song Written For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media for "Can't Take It In".

2007–2009: ''Ellipse''

Throughout the creation of her album Ellipse, Heap posted vlogs, or VBlogs as she called them, through YouTube. She used these to comment on the album as well as update on its release. The album's release was pushed back multiple times. These included Heap being asked to perform at the annual event PopTech in October 2008. During the event, she premiered one of her album's songs, "Wait it Out".

Heap announced on her Twitter page that ''Ellipse'''s first single would be "First Train Home". On 17 August 2009 Heap made the entire album ''Ellipse'' available for live streaming via her webpage.

''Ellipse'' was released in the United Kingdom on 24 August, and in the United States on 25 August.

2011: New "concept" album

On 14 March 2011 Heap officially started work on a new record as fans sent in nearly 900 "sound seeds", or samples of everyday sounds such as a "dishwasher door", a "bicycle" or a "burning match". Heap has stated that the concept for this record will be to record one track over a two week period every 3 months. Each song and video will be released immediately.

The first song, initially titled #heapsong1 and later retitled "Lifeline", premiered worldwide on 28 March 2011 via Ustream along with a live remix by Tim Exile. "Lifeline" was released on 30 March 2011 as a digital download from Imogen's website and via iTunes, Amazon and other digital retailers. Released alongside this was a 12 page 3DiCD package (a 3D virtual CD) including crowd sourced (and paid for) images, the instrumental version of the song, the "seeds and solos only" version and "heap speaks seeds and solos" - an-18 minute commentary by Heap on how the sounds and solos were used in "Lifeline". The whole project can be viewed on the #heapsong1 / Lifeline mini site.

#heapsong2 is entitled "Propeller Seeds" and was released on 5 July 2011.

Recordings for television and film

Heap has recorded several songs for films, including a cover of the Classics IV hit "Spooky" for the soundtrack to the Reese Witherspoon film ''Just Like Heaven''. Her song "Hide and Seek" was featured in ''The Last Kiss'', starring Zach Braff (who used her former band Frou Frou's "Let Go" in his 2004 film ''Garden State''), and was also used in a 2007 episode of ''Saturday Night Live'', hosted by Shia LaBeouf. "The Moment I Said It" was also used in the episode "Seven Seconds" of the CBS crime drama ''Criminal Minds''.

In 2004, while recording her second solo album, she was commissioned to record a cover of a short nursery rhyme for the HBO television series, ''Six Feet Under'', entitled "I'm A Lonely Little Petunia (In An Onion Patch)".

In late 2005, Heap was asked to write a track for the soundtrack of ''The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'' entitled "Can't Take It In", when a track that fellow Brit singer Dido submitted was deemed unfitting. Heap's track is played at the end of the film in an orchestral version produced by Heap and Harry Gregson Williams, who scored the movie. In addition, she composed a track for the film ''The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian'', but it was deemed to be too dark in tone for the film. Instead, it was included in her album ''Ellipse'' as "2-1". 2-1 has also featured in ''CSI Miami'' (Season 8 Episode 9), as well as promotional trailers for the film The Lovely Bones.

In March 2006, Heap completed a track about locusts, entitled "Glittering Cloud", for a CD of music about the plagues of Egypt entitled ''Plague Songs'', accompanying The Margate Exodus project, for musical director Brian Eno.

Heap recorded an a cappella version of the Leonard Cohen track "Hallelujah", for the season three finale of ''The O.C.'', and her "Not Now But Soon" was included on the original soundtrack for the NBC show, ''Heroes''.

Song usage

Imogen Heap and Frou Frou songs have been featured in various TV shows, movies, advertisements, and marching band productions, notably including ''CSI, The OC, SNL, Garden State'', and ''So You Think You Can Dance''.

Also notable is the sampling of Heap's song "Hide & Seek" in Jason DeRulo's single "Whatcha Say", which peaked at #1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.

Collaborations

Heap has collaborated as a guest vocalist, co-writer, remixer or producer with many various artists throughout her career. Among them co-writing and producing ''By The Time'' for Mika and ''Now or Never'' for Josh Groban. The diverse range of other musicians Heap has worked with include IAMX, Jeff Beck, Temposhark, LHB, J. Peter Schwalm, Way Out West, Jon Bon Jovi, Mich Gerber, Sean Lennon, Urban Species, Matt Willis, Jon Hopkins, MIKA, Acacia, Britney Spears, Nik Kershaw, Blue October, Joshua Radin and Nitin Sawhney.

Use of technology

Heap is an outspoken advocate of using new technology to interact and collaborate with her fans. In August, 2009 she used Vokle, an online auditorium, to take questions from listeners over video chat.

Imogen also teamed up with Vokle to hold open cello auditions for her North American tour. She provided sheet music for “Aha” on her website and encouraged local fans to learn the part and audition live via Vokle. Imogen would then pick the cellist to accompany her for that particular city - sometimes with the help of viewers and her puppet Lion, Harold.

In 2010 Imogen opened her online auditions to singers and choirs and invited them to audition via submitted YouTube videos to accompany her on stage as she performed the song "Earth" from ''Ellipse''. The winner of each local show was also invited to do a 15 minute gig of their own. In the studio, the official album recording of "Earth" was made up entirely of numerous tracks of vocals.

July 2011 saw Imogen unveil a pair of high-tech musical gloves at the TED conference in Edinburgh, Scotland. The gloves which were created by Tom Mitchell, a lecturer in music systems at the University of the West of England, Bristol allow Imogen to manipulate sounds using nothing but hand gestures live on stage.

Charity

In 2008 she participated in a music album called ''Songs for Tibet: The Art of Peace'', which is an initiative to support Tibet, Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso and to underline the human rights situation in Tibet. The album was issued on 5 August via iTunes and on 19 August in music stores around the world. On 12 October 2008, Heap also Participated in "Run 10k: Cancer Research UK," placing fifth of the women in the actual run and raising over £1000 for the cause with the help of her fans.

In 2008 Imogen was asked to perform at POP!Tech in Camden, Maine (USA). There she performed selections from her then forthcoming album ''Ellipse''. After her set and an encouraging plea for another performance later in the conference by the audience and organizers, Imogen agreed. Having nothing else prepared though, she decided to improvise a song on the spot with parameters (tempo, key) suggested by the audience. After the show, Imogen was asked by a Poptech attendee if she would give the newly created piece of music to his charity. A ‘lightbulb’ moment occurred in Heap’s head and she saw the potential in doing these improvised pieces for local charities at each show during the tour she would soon begin.

The first of these songs materialized at Imogen’s show at Shepherd’s Bush Empire, in London on the 19th of February 2010. Using the same parameters and audience participation from POP!Tech, Imogen improvised a song titled, "The Shepherdess". After the show, Imogen made the song available worldwide as a digital download on her website asking for donations per download. All proceeds went to the Great Ormond Street Hospital where Imogen was diagnosed with osteomyelitis and underwent life-saving surgery as a little girl. Loving the concept, Imogen rolled this out for her North American Tour, donating all the proceeds for each song to a local charity from that city.

In 2011 Imogen was set to play a benefit concert in New Zealand's Christchurch city to help rebuild the Unlimited Paenga Tawhiti High School, following a severe 6.3 aftershock in February originating from the 7.1 earthquake that struck the Canterbury region in September 2010. The concert was held at the Burnside High Aurora Centre, also featuring performances from Roseanna Gamlen-Greene, and The Harbour Union including The Eastern, Lindon Puffin, Delaney Davidson and The Unfaithful Ways.

Live 4 X

In 2010, Imogen Heap partnered with Thomas Ermacora of Bubbletank to organize a series of online charitable events called ''Live 4 X''.

The initial event was inspired by the 2010 Pakistan floods. Triggered by monsoon rains, the floods left approximately one-fifth of the country of Pakistan underwater, affecting over 14 million people and damaging or destroying over 900,000 homes. Teaming up with Richard Branson’s Virgin Unite and Vokle.com, Heap and Ermacorda create an online webcast/fundraiser to raise awareness and money for the flood stricken. Hosted by comedian, creative, and internet personality Ze Frank, the webcast included a series of conversations with Cameron Sinclair of Architecture for Humanity, Mark Pearson, Gary Slutkin, and Anders Wilhelmson, (and later Richard Branson and Mary Robinson) with live performances by musicians Ben Folds, Amanda Palmer, Kate Havnevik, KT Tunstall, Josh Groban, Kaki King, Zoe Keating and Mark Isham.

The premise of ''Live 4 X'' thus established, Heap has since continued to refine the model, organize, host, and perform a number of charitable, streaming-live, concert events. By integrating live entertainment with educated discussion and technology, ''Live 4 X'' became an effective charitable outreach tool.

Following the devastating Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami of 2011, Heap told Washington Times Communities journalist and recording artist Jennifer Grassman, that she intended to continue organizing ''Live 4 X'' events to benefit various charitable causes.

Catalog of ''Live 4 X'' events to date:

August 31, 2010 – ''Live 4 Pakistan'' raised funds for flood relief and recovery in that region. Musicians included Ben Folds, Amanda Palmer, Kate Havnevik, KT Tunstall, Josh Groban, and Zoe Keating. In an ironic turn of events, Heap, was kept from appearing on ''Live 4 Pakistan'' due to Hurricane Earl which at the time was progressing along the US eastern seaboard. Heap, stranded and unable to get an internet connection, later posted a video message as well as a performance of her song “Wait It Out” from ''Ellipse''. February 3, 2011 – ''Live 4 Capetown'' April 11, 2011 – ''Live 4 Sendai'' raised funds for Japanese tsunami recovery following the disastrous Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011. The event was also used to solicit rebuilding design ideas on behalf of Architecture for Humanity. Performers included Amanda Palmer, Ben Folds, KT Tunstall and Jamie Cullum and hosted by Ze Frank.

Film

After touring for nearly two years straight for her album Speak For Yourself Imogen continued her travels, this time with only a laptop and video camera on hand as she began her writing trip for her next album. Nine weeks later she returned to the UK with the beginnings of the award-winning ''Ellipse'' and footage (as requested by a fan to film the making of the album) from its quiet beginning. Back in Essex, Imogen sought the talents of long-time friend and film maker Justine Pearsall to continue documenting the creation of the album. The film documents every moment of joy, excitement, frustration, and even the renovation of the Imogen’s childhood home including turning her old playroom into her new home studio. ''Everything In-Between: The Story of Ellipse'' is scheduled to be released in November 2010.

On November 5, 2010 at the Royal Albert Hall, Heap conducted an orchestra (including friends and family) as they performed an original composition by Imogen herself orchestrated by Andrew Skeet. It was the score to the concept film Love The Earth - in creative partnership and co-production with Thomas Ermacora again for another Bubbletank production - in which fans were invited to submit video footage highlighting all of the breathtaking qualities of nature to be selected and edited into a film. This performance was broadcasted live worldwide.

In March for the Birds' Eye Festival at the BFi Imogen composed in collaboration with Andrew Skeet an a cappella choral score to the first ever surrealist film ‘The Seashell and the Clergyman’ (Germaine Dulac, 1927) with the Holst Singers.

Heap also performed in the Film and Music Arena at Latitude Festival in 2011.

Discography

1998: ''iMegaphone''

2005: ''Speak For Yourself''

2009: ''Ellipse''

Frou Frou

''Details'' (2002 • Island Records/MCA/Universal) (UK: #128)

"Breathe In" (single) (2002 • Island Records/Universal) (UK: #44)

"Its Good To Be In Love" (single) (2002 • Island Records/Universal)

"Must Be Dreaming" (single) (2002 • Island Records/Universal)

"Let Go" (Promotional single)

Guest appearances

''Hate'' EP by Acacia (1996 • Radar Records)

''Sway'' EP by Acacia (1996 • Radar Records)

''Maddening Shroud'' EP by Acacia (1997 • WEA)

''Cradle'' by Acacia – all tracks except "Wire" (1997 • WEA)

''Blanket'' by Urban Species – "Blanket" and "Predictably Unpredictable" (1998)

''Amor Fati'' by Mich Gerber – "Embers of Love", "Sirens Call (Qishm)" and "Mare" (2000)

''¡Viva Nueva!'' by Rustic Overtones – "Valentine's Day Massacre" (2001 • Tommy Boy Records)

''You Had It Coming'' by Jeff Beck – "Dirty Mind" and "Rollin' and Tumblin'" (2001 • Sony Music)

''Tell 'Em Who We Are'' by LHB – "Coming Up For Air" (2003 • Telstar TV)

''Contact Note'' by Jon Hopkins – "Second Sense" (2004 • Just Music)

''It's Better To Have Loved EP'' by Temposhark – "Not That Big (Metronomy Remix)" (2005 • Paper & Glue)

''Foiled'' by Blue October – "Congratulations" (2006 • Universal Records)

''Musikain'' by J. Peter Schwalm – "P.I.N." (2006 • Musikain Records)

''The Invisible Line'' by Temposhark – "Not That Big" (2007 • Paper & Glue)

''London Undersound'' by Nitin Sawhney – "Bring It Home" (2008 • Cooking Vinyl)

''Kingdom of Welcome Addiction'' by IAMX – "My Secret Friend" (2009 • Metropolis Records)

''The Boy Who Knew Too Much'' by Mika – "By The Time" (2009 • Casablanca Records)

''Live at Ronnie Scott's - Jeff Beck - (2008 • Eagle Records) - (2009 • DVD)

Compilation appearances

''New Dawn (Class of '94)'' – "Missing You" – (1994)

''I Still Know What You Did Last Summer'' soundtrack – "Getting Scared" – (1998 • Warner Music Group)

''Virtual Sexuality'' soundtrack – "Come Here Boy" – (1998 • EMI)

''G:MT – Greenwich Mean Time'' soundtrack – "Mean Time" (with GMT) – (1999 • Island Records/Universal)

''Serve Chilled'' – "Blanket" (with Urban Species) – (1999 • Hed Kandi)

''Women Talking Dirty'' soundtrack – "Getting Scared" – (2001 • Polygram International)

''American Psycho 2: All American Girl'' soundtrack – "Angry Angel" – (2002 • Rondor Music (London) Ltd)

''Garden State'' – "Let Go" – (2004 • Epic Records/Sony BMG)

''Nearing Grace'' Soundtrack – "The Walk" – (2005 • Sony BMG)

''Music from the OC: Mix 4'' – "Goodnight and Go" – (2005 • Warner Music Group)

''Six Feet Under, Vol. 2: Everything Ends'' – "I'm A Lonely Little Petunia (In An Onion Patch)" – (2005 • Astralwerks/EMI)

''Just Like Heaven'' Soundtrack – "Spooky" – (2005 • Sony BMG)

''Music from the OC: Mix 5'' – "Hide and Seek" – (2005 • Warner Music Group)

''The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'' – "Can't Take It In" – (2005 • Disney Records/EMI)

''The Last Kiss'' soundtrack – "Hide and Seek" – (2005 • Lakeshore Pictures)

''Plague Songs'' – "Glittering Clouds (Locusts)" – (2006 • 4AD)

''So You Think You Can Dance (US)'' – "Hide and Seek" – (2006)

''So You Think You Can Dance (US)'' – "Let Go" – (2006)

''The Black Donnellys'' – "The Moment I Said It" – (2007)

''In Search of Sunrise 6'' – "Hide and Seek" (Tiëstos' In Search Of Sunrise Remix) – (2007)

''The Holiday'' – "Just For Now" and "Let Go" (Under 'Frou Frou') – (2006)

''So You Think You Can Dance'' – "The Moment I Said It" – (2007)

''Heroes'' Original Soundtrack – "Not Now, But Soon" – (2008 • NBC Records)

''Criminal Minds'' – "The Moment I Said It" – (2008)

''Songs For Tibet – The Art of Peace''' – "Hide & Seek 2" – (2008)

''Greys Anatomy'' – "Bad Body Double" – (2009)

''So You Think You Can Dance (US)'' - "Aha!" - (2009)

''The Vampire Diaries'' - "Wait it Out" - (2009)

''Melrose Place - "Aha!" - (2009)

''Powder Blue'' - "Blanket" - (2009)

''Chuck'' – "Wait it Out" – (2010)

''CSI: NY'' - "Wait it Out" - (2010)

References

External links

Official website

Imogen Heap, french website.

Imogen Heap's New Music Business Model

Bob Lefsetz on Imogen Heap

Auralgasms Interview From January 2006

Imogen Heap video interview on TiFFcast, November 2006

Portrait of Imogen Heap on 365portraits.com

Imogen Heap plays the Array mbira on numerous recordings and in concert

Review of First Train Home at Daily Music Guide

Interview with Jessica Lewis at "Exclaim!"

Interview with Imogen Heap for www.4ortherecord.com

Photo Report @ Milano (2010)

Category:1977 births Category:Living people Category:English female singers Category:Female rock singers Category:People from Havering (district) Category:English singer-songwriters Category:People educated at the BRIT School Category:Ableton Live users Category:Grammy Award winners Category:English electronic musicians Category:People educated at Friends School Saffron Walden

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