Elderbrook
Elderbrook | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Elderbrook in 2019 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Alexander Kotz |
| Born | London, England |
| Genres | Electronic |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2015–present |
| Labels | Parlophone |
Alexander Kotz (born 20 December 1992),[citation needed] known professionally as Elderbrook, is an English electronic musician, singer, songwriter, record producer and DJ. His career began in 2015 when he released his first EP containing the song "How Many Times", which went on to be remixed by German duo Andhim and ranked one of Mixmag's best songs of 2015.[1]
During 2016, he collaborated with a number of artists, including Gorgon City. He also remixed tracks by a number of well-known artists, such as Clean Bandit.
To date, Elderbrook's most notable song is the collaboration with CamelPhat, titled "Cola". The song reached number one on both the Dance Club Songs chart in the United States and Indie Chart in the United Kingdom. It was also nominated for Best Dance song at the 2018 Grammy Awards.
Career
Career beginnings
Elderbrook first ventured into music at the age of 16. He began playing as a member of an indie band, before at nineteen switching to a singer-songwriter. During an interview with Red Bull, he stated it was a "folky acoustic thing" part of his career. He then attended university, where he says he was first exposed to quality electronic dance music and subsequently began listening to various dance genres.[2]
Before moving into the electronic music genre, he wanted to pursue a more hip hop and soulful sound with his distinct vocals.[2]
Kotz began to use the moniker Elderbrook after finishing university and debuted with the track and EP of the same name, Could. His debut extended play featured a number of tracks that went on to garner over a million views on SoundCloud and similar platforms.[3] The EP featured three tracks, Could, Rewinding and How Many Times. All three tracks received positive reviews, with the latter becoming Elderbrook's first major hit.
Elderbrook first major inroads into the music industry when he collaborated with the German duo, Andhim. The track was a reworked version of the original How Many Times from Elderbrook's first EP. The track received positive reviews throughout the music industry. It was released in mid-2015, becoming a dance classic and pushing Elderbrook's name out into the wider dance music genre. Mixmag were one of the most complimentary of the collaboration, giving the track 8/10.[4] It also went onto be listed as one of Mixmag's top tracks for 2015.
Following the success of his first EP, he released a second in the same year. Travel Slow contained three tracks, "Be There Soon", "Good Enough" and "Travel Slow".[5] While working on his first two EP's he also became heavily involved in remixing. He released a number of well-known remixes of songs which performed well on various Billboard charts. One of the most notable during 2015 was Pablo Nouvelle's "Take Me to a Place".[2]
During 2016, Elderbrook toured and supported a number of well-known acts. One of the main acts he worked with during 2016, was Gorgon City. He was a supporting act for their performance at the Brixton Academy and also collaborated on their single, "Smile", which was released in October 2016.[6][7] He also played at the Omeara in London to a sold-out crowd in November 2016.[8]
Toward the end of 2016, it was announced that Elderbrook would be the official remixer of "Rockabye" by British band Clean Bandit.[9]
Cola
Elderbrook shot to commercial fame when he collaborated with CamelPhat. The song they produced was titled "Cola", and went onto become one of the biggest selling songs globally in 2017. It was co-written by British electronic house duo CamelPhat, with Elderbrook on vocals. The lyrics over the top of an electro house beat, follow a woman's night out, involving mixing various drinks involving Coca-Cola. The song performed well during the summer months as a club anthem in many places throughout Europe and the United States, before becoming a chart single later in the year.
The song received critical acclaim during November 2017, when it reached number one on the Billboard's Dance Club Songs chart when it entered the charts on 11 November 2017.[10] The song also reached number one on the UK Indie chart during November 2017. It performed well on the UK singles chart, reaching the Top 20, in 18th position. "Cola" was subsequently nominated for a Best Dance Recording at the 2018 Grammy Awards.[11] [12]
The success of the track meant it was remixed by a number of well-known dance artists, including Robin Schulz.[13] In the United Kingdom, the single went platinum in December 2017, when it sold 600,000 copies.[14]
Why Do We Shake in the Cold?
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Why Do We Shake in the Cold? was Elderbrook’s debut studio album. It was released on September 18, 2020 through Parlophone Records.[15] The album includes the single "Something About You" with Rudimental, which reached number eighty-seven on the UK Singles Chart.[16]
Elderbrook debuted the album by playing it in full at the London Aquarium. The event was live streamed exclusively for fans and ended with his and CamelPhat’s Grammy Nominated song “Cola.”[15]
Little Love
Elderbrook’s sophomore album, Little Love, was released on March 21, 2023. The album’s 12 tracks explore parental love and its complexity.[17] The album is dedicated to his children. In an interview with CULTR magazine, Elderbrook shares, “It became clear that the overarching theme was about the messages I’d want to share with my children as they grow older. We all lived through such a bizarre and difficult few years during the pandemic but I was given the greatest gift and biggest responsibility of all in that time, and it seemed only fitting that my second album be a dedication to that, to them, my little loves.”[18]
The opening tracks “Just Like Us” and “I Need You” discuss universal struggles and the ways they can bring people together. The track “Howl,” which was a collaboration with Tourist, was written about the artist's newborn daughter. The song was inspired by the sleepless nights he experienced as a new parent.[18]
Musical style and collaborations
He is known for his versatility as a musician, as he is recognised as a multi-instrumentalist. He has taken influences from country and soul to rock and gospel, classically trained in both piano and guitar. His production techniques follow his ambition to "make some I haven't heard before". He has been known to sample unique sounds such as the breaking of reading glasses and crackling ice in a warm coffee. He also stated in an interview that he would "often bang the table I’m sat at, sample it and use that as my drums".[citation needed]
Following the release of his first single on the label Black Butter, Elderbrook's vocals were complimented by Mixmag, describing them as flawless.[4] When speaking about his style of production, Elderbrook stated "phonetics are as important as lyrics. My voice adds another important harmonic element to the sounds." Red Bull stated that his sound and tracks regularly contained "tender vocals and ambient beats."
Elderbrook is known for his collaborations with some of the biggest names in dance music, including Diplo, Camelphat, Black Coffee and Bob Moses.[17]
Live performances and recognition
Elderbrook has toured with the likes of Jungle, Rufus Du Sol and Odesza, which has allowed him to perform for fans around the world.[17] He has received nominations for both an Ivor Novello award and a Grammy and his collective catalog has been streamed over a billion times.[15] He recently performed at the 22nd Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in April 2023.[19]
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Why Do We Shake in the Cold? |
|
| Little Love |
|
Extended plays
- Simmer Down (2015)
- Travel Slow (2015)
- Talking (2017)
- Old Friend (2018)
- Innerlight (2021)[20]
Singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [21] |
AUS [22] |
BEL (Fl) [23] |
BEL (Wa) [23] |
FRA [24] |
GER [25] |
HUN [26] |
IRE [27] |
US Club [28] |
US Dance [28] | ||||
| "Be There Soon" | 2015 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Travel Slow EP | |
| "How Many Times" (with Andhim) |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Simmer Down EP | ||
| "Closer" | 2016 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles | |
| "Sorry" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "First Time" | 2017 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Difficult to Love" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Cola" (with CamelPhat) |
18 | 32 | 23 | 32 | 40 | 76 | 8 | 12 | 1 | 21 | Dark Matter | ||
| "Woman" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Talking EP | ||
| "Good Times" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Sleepwalking" | 2018 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Old Friend EP | |
| "Capricorn" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Old Friend" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "How Do You" | 2019 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | |
| "Something About You"[33] (with Rudimental) |
87 | — | 78 | 71 | — | — | — | 88 [34] |
— | 35 |
|
Why Do We Shake in the Cold? | |
| "Numb"[35] | 2020 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 46 | ||
| "My House"[36] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Fire"[37] (with Ytram) |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles | ||
| "Body"[38] | 2021 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Inner Light"[39] (with Bob Moses) |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "One by One" (with Andhim & Diplo) |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Diplo (Deluxe) | ||
| "I'll Find My Way to You" (with Emmit Fenn) |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Innerlight EP | ||
| "Howl"[40] (with Tourist) |
2022 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Little Love | |
| "Beautiful Morning" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "When I Talk" (with Kx5) |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Kx5 | ||
| "I'll Be Around" (with Amtrac) |
2023 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Little Love | |
| "Talk It Over" (with Vintage Culture) |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Good Life" (featuring Elderbrook) |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Good Life | ||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released. | |||||||||||||
Remixes
- Amber Run – "I Found" (2014)
- Pablo Nouvelle – "Take Me to a Place" (2015)
- Chloe Black – "27 Club" (2015)
- Alex Adair – "Heaven" (2015)
- Clean Bandit featuring Sean Paul – "Rockabye" (Elderbrook Remix) (2016)
- X Ambassadors – "Unsteady" (Elderbrook Remix) (2016)
- Klangkarussell – "Hey Maria" (2016)
- Big Wild – "Empty Room" (2017)
References
- ^ "The top 100 tunes of 2015". Mixmag. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
- ^ a b c Todd, Bella (9 September 2015). "5 things you should know about Elderbrook". Red Bull.
- ^ "Elderbrook". SoundCloud.
- ^ a b "Elderbrook X andhim Review". Mixmag.
- ^ "Travel Slow EP". Apple Inc.
- ^ ""Smile" ft. Elderbrook". Hilly Dilly.
- ^ "Smile (feat. Elderbrook)". BBC.
- ^ "Elderbrook 17th November, 2016". Omeara London.
- ^ Williams, Phillip (7 December 2016). "Premiere: Hear Elderbrook's Clean Bandit remix". Red Bull.
- ^ "Hot Dance Club Songs – November 11, 2017". Billboard. 31 October 2017. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
- ^ "60th GRAMMY Awards: Full Nominees List". The Recording Academy. 28 November 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
- ^ "CamelPhat & Elderbrook on 'Cola' Success, Unexpected Grammy Nomination" from Billboard (8 December 2017)
- ^ Bein, Kat (12 August 2017). "Robin Schulz Gives CamelPhat & Elderbrook's 'Cola' the Extended Club Remix Treatment". Billboard.
- ^ "CamelPhat & Elderbrook – Cola". British single certifications. Archived from the original on 24 September 2009. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
- ^ a b c Bergvelt-Vassileiou, Stephanie (18 September 2020). "'Why Do We Shake In The Cold?' With Elderbrook". Notion. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
- ^ Wild, Stephi. "Elderbrook Releases 'Why Do We Shake In The Cold'". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
- ^ a b c "Elderbrook releases life-affirming sophomore album Little Love". Music-News.com. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
- ^ a b "Elderbrook Releases Stunning 'Little Love' Album | CULTR". 25 June 2023. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
- ^ Mullins, Ellie (19 April 2023). "Coachella 2023: Elderbrook delivers stellar performance during Weekend 1". We Rave You. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
- ^ Moayeri, Lily (7 October 2021). "Elderbrook sets a dance floor-focused tone with Innerlight EP". Spin. Archived from the original on 8 October 2021. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
- "Something About You": "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
- ^ "ARIA Australian Top 50 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. 5 February 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
- ^ a b "Discografie Elderbrook". ultratop.be. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
- ^ "Le Top de la semaine : Top Singles Téléchargés – SNEP (Week 46, 2017)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Archived from the original on 16 December 2017. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
- ^ Hung, Steffen. "germancharts.com - Discographie Elderbrook". germancharts.de. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
- ^ lightmedia.hu. "Single (track) Top 40 lista - Hivatalos magyar slágerlisták". zene.slagerlistak.hu. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
- ^ "IRMA – Irish Charts". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
- ^ a b "Elderbrook". Billboard. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
- ^ a b "British certifications – Elderbrook". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 11 July 2022. Type Elderbrook in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
- ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2023 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
- ^ "ultratop.be - ULTRATOP BELGIAN CHARTS". ultratop.be. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
- ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank". Retrieved 15 August 2019.
- ^ Stack, Chris (11 August 2019). "Elderbrook and Rudimental team up for 'Something About You' music video". Dancing Astronaut. Archived from the original on 23 August 2019. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
- ^ "IRMA – Irish Charts". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
- ^ "Numb - Single by Elderbrook on Apple Music". iTunes Store. 6 March 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
- ^ "My House - Why Do We Shake In the Cold? on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
- ^ Sani, Niko (4 September 2020). "Martin Garrix's Ytram teams up with Elderbrook to release intoxicating single 'Fire'". Edm.com - the Latest Electronic Dance Music News, Reviews & Artists. Archived from the original on 15 September 2020. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
- ^ Heffler, Jason (26 March 2021). "Grammy-nominated 'Cola' duo Elderbrook and CamelPhat reunite for new single, 'Body'". Edm.com - the Latest Electronic Dance Music News, Reviews & Artists. Archived from the original on 24 April 2021. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
- ^ "Inner Light - Single by Elderbrook & Bob Moses on Apple Music". Apple Music. 30 July 2021. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
- ^ "FINALLY - it's that time… my new track Howl with Tourist is dropping on Friday 2nd Sept!". Twitter. 18 August 2022. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
External links
Media related to Elderbrook at Wikimedia Commons
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| Artists | |
