Crystal Fighters

Tags: seen live , electronic , dance-punk

Crystal Fighters are an English/Spanish electronic band who formed in London, United Kingdom in 2007. They are Sebastian (lead vocals, guitar), Gilbert (electronics, guitars, txalaparta, percussion) and Graham (guitar/ txalaparta), plus Laure and Mimi (vocals).

Sebastian and Gilbert were old friends, while Gilbert and Graham met through various parties. The three then began making music under various guises before being joined by Laure and Mimi. The band now play with a live drummer.

The group took their name ‘Crystal Fighters’ from an unfinished opera which Laure’s grandfather had penned during his final months of insanity. Laure came across the manuscript while clearing out the reclusive old man’s remote home in the Basque countryside. She quickly became obsessed by the intriguing scrawls within it and shared it with the others. Captivated by its seemingly prophetic contents, the band took on the name and formed in an attempt to expand upon the wild and deranged spirit of the old man’s writings.

Crystal Fighters’ style is a fusion of genres – fast progressive dance music joined by the melodies and dances of traditional Basque folk, alongside synthesisers, bass-driven wonk-funk, with beats fuelled by early 80s Spanish punk and experimental electronica from bands such as Aviador Dro, Las Vulpes and Dulce Venganza. Basque music informs much of their songwriting: the riff on ‘Champion Sound’ is lifted from the Basque folk piece ‘Sagar Dantza’ and ‘In The Summer’ draws upon music heard at the Carnival of Lantz in Navarroa.

In 2008, popular music-website Palms Out Sounds picked up the track ‘I Love London’ and news of the band's unique sound began to spread. This led to two single releases through record label Kitsuné in 2009. The band had released “Xtatic Truth” via Kitsuné in May 2009. It captured the attention of BBC Radio 1’s Nick Grimshaw who made it Single of the Week, a monumental feat for a band’s first single. The group’s second single 'I Love London' was released on Kitsuné in December 2009. The buzz resulted in the band being one of the Top 5 most blogged artists in the world

'Star of Love' is the name of the first album by Crystal Fighters. It was released to critical acclaim in the UK on 4 October 2010 via the band’s own label Zirkulo. The collection of songs explores the themes in singer Laure's grandfather's writings. Themes include the unfathomable mystery of the universe, the turbulent journey towards being at peace with death, the triumph of love, and the omnipotence of the sun. "Star Of Love" is actually an acronym for SOL, the Spanish word for “sun”.

Band's currently on tour (Northern Hemisphere Summer 2011).

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"Single most exciting live show in dance music" Mixmag
“Crystal Fighters stand out as one of the most interesting prospects by a mile– something genuinely new sounding” NME
"Klaxons move over, this band are brilliant, fantastic live performances infused with the unique instruments creates a brilliant sound" Its All Indie
"Raved-up folktronica and minimal electro pop and veering from Fischerspooner-style euphoria to Animal Collective-toned delicacy” Time Out
“Crystal Fighters’ create carnage at every performance. ” Loud & Quiet
“Forget what you think you know about London’s party scene” FACT
"If these tracks don’t make you want to rip your shirt off and dive into a sweaty sea of beautiful people and glistening gems, I don’t know what will." The Tripwire 'Read more on Last.fm'. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.