Astralwerks

Astralwerks is an American-based record label primarily focused on electronic and dance music. A unit of Universal Music Group, its material is distributed via Capitol Music Group, and also releases materials mostly from EMI Music Australia. Some of the label's most popular recent releases have come from deadmau5, Mat Zo, Porter Robinson, Empire of the Sun, Nervo and Halsey.

Below is an overview of the artists that have released material on Astralwerks. A number of the acts listed below are only distributed by Astralwerks, as it licenses a number of European acts for the US market.

Artists

Porter Robinson

Porter Weston Robinson (born July 15, 1992) is an American electronic music producer and DJ from Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Robinson has registered multiple number one singles across different electronic genres. His debut album, Worlds, was released on August 12, 2014. On March 20, 2015, he was named MTVu Artist of the Year.

Biography

Robinson began producing at the age of 12, achieving international notice by the time he was 18. His early influences include video gaming music, in particular, Dance Dance Revolution. He is a major fan of anime and Japanese culture, and incorporates these elements into his music.

Viewed as one of America's forefront electronic producers, he has been named 7th in the Billboard 21 under 21 list, 1st in InTheMix's 25 under 25 list, and 5th in DJ Times' 2013 ranking for America's Best DJ. Three of Robinson's records reached number one on Beatport's overall chart before the time he was 21.

He currently lives in his hometown of Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

The Chemical Brothers

The Chemical Brothers are a British electronic music band composed of Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons originating in Manchester in 1989. Along with The Prodigy, Fatboy Slim, The Crystal Method, and fellow acts, they were pioneers at bringing the big beat genre to the forefront of pop culture. In the UK, they have had six number one albums and 13 top 20 singles, including two number ones.

History

Formation and early career (1984–95)

Ed Simons was born in Herne Hill, South London on 9 June 1970 to a barrister mother and a father who were not around much when Simons was growing up. Simons' two main interests when he was young were aeroplanes and musicals. Simons attended two South London public schools, Alleyn's School and Dulwich College. During his school years, he developed a fondness for rare groove and hip hop music, having frequented a club called The Mud Club from the age of 14. By the time he left school, his two main musical interests were two Manchester bands, New Order and The Smiths. After finishing school with 11 O levels and three A-levels, he continued on to study history, especially late medieval history, at the University of Manchester.