| Dukes of Windsor | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Origin | Melbourne, Australia |
| Genres | Alternative Indie Rock Electro |
| Years active | 2005 – present |
| Labels | Island Records (Aus/NZ), Motor Music (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) |
| Website | Official EU website Official band-administered blog Official Website MySpace Page |
| Members | |
| Jack Weaving Joe Franklin Oscar Dawson Scott Targett Mirra Seigerman |
|
| Past members | |
| Cory Blight, Bobby Manila | |
Dukes of Windsor are a Berlin-based Australian Electro/Rock group most noted for their single It's A War, released in Australia in 2008 and in Europe in early 2010, as well as their song The Others, remixed by Australian dance act TV Rock.
Contents |
Dukes of Windsor are a five-piece alternative/indie band. Although formed in Melbourne, Australia, they are currently based in Berlin, Germany. They 'fuse minimalist rhythms, punchy bass-lines, cascading guitar riffs, and glacial synths'. Their music has been described as 'angular and reductive, groovy and melodic', and has been termed the beautiful paradox of 'robotic soul'.
The Dukes’ career began with the release of the EP Foxhunt in 2005. Debut album The Others followed in 2006, produced in Melbourne by expatriate American Jonathan Burnside (Faith No More, Nirvana). Extra production, mixing and mastering were provided by hardcore producers Pelle Henricsson and Eskil Lovstrom (Refused - 'The Shape Of Punk To Come', Poison the Well, Hell is for Heroes) from Tonteknik Studios in Umea, Sweden. After the release of the album, the band embarked on an intensive schedule of touring around Australia. After extensive national radio play, they were showcased as a ‘Next Crop Artist’ by national broadcaster Triple j in November 2006.
In 2007, the remix of their debut single ‘The Others’ was certified Gold in Australia (50,000 copies), was a top 10 Aria single, spent three months at #1 on the Aria Club Chart, and received an Aria Award nomination. The guys also closed out the MTV Australian Music Video Awards ceremony in Sydney that year.
second album 'Minus' was released through Island Records in Australia in late 2008. To record the album, the band reunited with Pelle and Eskil, travelling to Tonteknik Studios in the Swedish winter. The album’s title both represents these sub-zero temperatures, as well as the fresh clinical approach to the album. The stark sound is balanced with warm synth textures and vocals.
After the release of 'Minus', the band took in a string of sell-out gigs in capital cities, as well as completing dates nationally with Sneaky Sound System, Sam Sparro, The Music and The Vines. The band also featured heavily on Australian national broadcaster triple j, with two ‘Number One Most Played’, and television performances on both Rove Live (‘It’s A War’) and The Footy Show (‘Get It’). Three singles were released from 'Minus', including ‘It’s a War’, ‘Get it’ (both 2008), and most recently, ‘Runaway’ (2009). The video clip for ‘Runaway’ was also featured as a ‘Ripe Clip Of The Week’ on national music television channel Channel [V].
Comprising Jack Weaving (vocals) , Oscar Dawson (guitar), Joe Franklin (bass), Scott Targett (keys) and Mirra Seigerman (drums), the band relocated to Berlin, Germany, in December 2009 to continue writing their third full-length album. After signing a management and joint venture deal with local indie label Motor Music, they also released the album 'It's A War', an album comprising selected songs off 'Minus' and 'The Others'.
Since then, they have spent time preparing to self-produce their next full-length album from their own studio, in Berlin.
| Year | Title | Album | Chart positions | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian (ARIA) | ARIA Digital Chart | NZ Singles Chart | ||||||
| 2006 | "The Others" |
|
- | - | - | |||
| "Handsome Man" | - | - | - | |||||
| "So Beautiful" | - | - | - | |||||
| "Tear This Party Down" | - | - | - | |||||
| 2007 | "The Others" vs TV Rock |
|
#10 | #9 | - | |||
| 2008 | "It's a War" |
|
- | - | - | |||
| "Get It" | - | - | - | |||||
| 2009 | "Runaway" | - | - | - | ||||
| "Crystal's Getting High" | - | - | - | |||||
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