Seize are a British electronic band.
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The origins of Seize date back to 1997 when Sandrine Gouriou and Steven Young collaborated to form the project ‘Seize The Day’, with the duo going on to produce their debut E.P ‘Blades’. A year later they changed the name to simply ‘Seize’. Following their debut gig in London in 2000, the pair went on to perform across the country..
The duo’s second single, ‘Victim’, was released on 12” white label, featuring a club orientated remix that was successful in Ibiza. 2001 saw Seize release their first album ‘Lunacy’. The album won outstanding reviews across the world music press, drawing comparisons to the likes of ‘Massive Attack’ and ‘Portishead’.
In order to expand the scope of their live performances, Seize recruited bass guitarist Rosie Harris in 2002, and by now the group were heading towards a more breakbeat and trance direction. With the help of producer Mark O’Grady, the band created remixes, such as the Seize version of The Nursery’s ‘Caprice’.
Seize toured in 2003 across the UK and Europe to promote their forthcoming album ‘The Other Side of Your Mind’. Amongst others, Radio One and Future Music picked up on the new album and both made Seize a ‘featured artist’.
The band was signed by Belgian label ‘Alfa Matrix’ in 2003 and ‘The Other Side of Your Mind’ was released in November of that year, reaching number 8 in the German Alternative Charts. After the album release, Seize toured, with shows including the Wave Gotik Treffen festival in Leipzig. 2004 also paved the way for Sandrine, Steven and Rosie to spend most of 2005 touring with Steve Strange as a backing band for Visage, playing to crowds of 10,000 people. The following year saw the return of Seize on the tour circuit, this time with the addition of drummer Sean Suleman. Highlights included supporting Apoptygma Berzerk on their UK tour, playing the Swedish Alternative Music Awards and being asked to support Front 242 at one of their two sell out 25th anniversary shows in Brussels.
Despite losing Sean to Mesh, the album ‘Constant Fight’ was completed toward the end of 2008, and released in Europe in June 2009: it had a limited release in the UK. The lead single ‘Who’s Your Teacher’ is a massive departure from the breakbeat / drum and bass roots that Seize are well known for. Coming on like a throbbing new wave funk monster – think Chic brawling with Kraftwerk and Blondie - the accompanying video features iSandi laying down the law, dressed as a school teacher (calm down boys!!).
Michel Radermecker and Paul Jeffrey have now joined the ranks to finally give Seize the settled line up they’d been searching for, and with plenty of activity in 2010, it finally looks like Seize are heading for the stars …catch them before they go supernova.
Only available in the limited box set edition of 'Constant Fight', that also features a poster, band sticker, presented in a glossed hard card box