A+E (song)

For the Goldfrapp song, see A&E (song).
"A+E"
Single by Clean Bandit featuring Kandaka Moore & Nikki Cislyn
from the album New Eyes
B-side "Nightingale"
Released 7 December 2012
Format Digital download
Genre
Length 3:03 (single version)
4:06 (album version)
Label Black Butter Records
Writer(s)
  • Jack Patterson
  • Grace Chatto
Producer(s) Jack Patterson
Clean Bandit singles chronology
"UK Shanty"
(2012)
"A+E"
(2012)
"Mozart's House"
(2013)

"A+E" is the debut single by British electronic group Clean Bandit, featuring vocals by Kandaka Moore and Nikki Cislyn. It was released on 7 December 2012 as the first single from their debut album, New Eyes. The song peaked at number 100 on the UK Singles Chart,[1] but received mixed critical reception. The song's music video contains a CGI snake.

Background

The track was written by Jack Patterson while he was waiting for fellow band member Grace Chatto in the accident and emergency department[2] of Whittington Hospital, North London.[3] The track was originally released in 2012[4] as a double A-Side with "Nightingale". Both tracks feature Cislyn; only A&E features Moore.[5]

The track was recorded in Clean Bandit's studio in South Kilburn, London. Moore and Cislyn were recruited from a local community singing and dancing group next to South Kilburn Studios;[6] the studios had a scheme in which artists could use the studios for free if a trainee was taken on.[5]

Music video

The music video contains a CGI snake. Band member Jack Patterson taught himself CGI animation for the video.[7] He had had the idea for a snake for a year previously, and said that "it was quite daunting having to make it a reality learning how to use 3D animation software on the hoof". The video contains two dancers, Rhys Dennis and Kandaka Moore, who over the course of two hours were painted gold (using stop-frame animation, the whole process takes about 25 seconds) and then went into central London.[8]

Critical reception

Critical reception was mixed. MTVIggy.com said that the song was "a funky hodgepodge of elements from the soul-sangin’ vocalists, calypso-flecked xylophone chimes and sharp snare drum beats".[9] Joe Zadeh from Clash magazine called it "a throwaway ode to UK funky".[10]

Track listing

Digital download
No. Title Length
1. "A+E"   3:03
2. "Nightingale"   2:44
3. "A+E" (Alexis Raphael Remix) 8:03
4. "Nightingale" (Gorgon City Remix) 6:13

Charts

Chart (2014) Peak
position
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[11] 100

References

  1. "UK Charts Plus" (538).
  2. New Eyes (booklet). Clean Bandit. Atlantic Records.
  3. Kate Mossman (2014-06-01). "New Eyes review – Clean Bandit's classical-dance fusion | Music | The Observer". Theguardian.com. Retrieved 2014-06-05.
  4. "A+E - Clean Bandit | Releases". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-06-05.
  5. 5.0 5.1 Dingwall, John (2014-04-25). "Clean Bandit on their success with chart topper Rather Be and owing success to dodgy Russian bootlegs". Daily Record. Retrieved 2014-06-05.
  6. "Clean Bandit - A&E | Black Butter Records". Black-butter.co.uk. 2013-07-18. Retrieved 2014-06-05.
  7. Harriet Gibsone. "Clean Bandit - Extraordinary: video premiere | Music". The Guardian. Retrieved 2014-06-05.
  8. "Clean Bandit - A&E | Videos | Clash Magazine". Clashmusic.com. 2012-06-27. Retrieved 2014-06-05.
  9. Music Video (2014-01-27). "Clean Bandit — "A&E (Random Acts)"". Mtv Iggy. Retrieved 2014-06-05.
  10. "Clean Bandit - New Eyes | Reviews | Clash Magazine". Clashmusic.com. 2012-06-27. Retrieved 2014-06-05.
  11. Zywietz, Tobias. "Chart Log UK – 2012". Zobbel. Retrieved 26 September 2014.