Micachu
| Micachu | |
|---|---|
 Performing in New York City, October 2008 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Mica Levi |
| Born |
1987 (age 27–28) Surrey, England, United Kingdom |
| Genres | Pop, alternative, experimental, grime, grindie |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, electronics, vacuum cleaner |
| Years active | 2006-present |
| Labels | Rough Trade, Accidental |
| Associated acts | DELS, Ghostpoet, Kwes, Matthew Herbert, Tirzah |
| Website |
micachu |
| Micachu & The Shapes | |
|---|---|
| Members |
Micachu Raisa Khan Marc Pell |
Mica Levi, known by her stage name Micachu (born 1987) is an English singer, songwriter, composer, and producer. She is classically trained and is best known for her band Micachu & The Shapes and for experimental music in a variety of genres.
Biography
Levi was born and raised in Surrey, England. The daughter of two musicians, she started writing and playing music at the age of four.
Music
Levi performed as a DJ in London, and released a mixtape titled Filthy Friends, which was posted on her official Myspace page. For Filthy Friends she enlisted the help of friends and musicians of various backgrounds including MCs Baker Trouble, Brother May, Man Like Me & Ghostpoet, singer-songwriter Jack Peñate, jazz band Troyka, London pop-band Golden Silvers as well as producers Kwes and Toddla T. Following its release, Filthy Friends became sought after on the London club scene.
While a student at Guildhall, Levi was commissioned to write an orchestral piece for the London Philharmonic Orchestra which was performed at the Royal Festival Hall in April 2008.[1]
Levi was an Artist-in-Residence at the Southbank Centre in London in 2010.
Levi co-wrote and produced Tirzah's I'm Not Dancing EP, which was released by Greco-Roman Records in August 2013, to critical acclaim.[2]
Levi composed the soundtrack to Under the Skin, a film directed by Jonathan Glazer and starring Scarlett Johansson, released in 2014. The film is based upon the novel of the same name by Michel Faber. Levi won Best Composer for this score at the 2014 European Film Awards, and tied with Jonny Greenwood for Best Music/Score at the Los Angeles Film Critics Awards. She has also been nominated for the 2015 BAFTA Award for Best Film Music.
Micachu and the Shapes
Levi formed a band called The Shapes, which includes Raisa Khan on keyboards and Marc Pell on drums. They signed to Accidental Records. With the Shapes, Levi's focus has been on experimental pop music. Most of this music prominently features an acoustic half-guitar with various non-standard tunings, extensive distortion, and use of noise and found-object elements, as well as occasionally unusual time signatures. Despite these experimental leanings, the artist categorizes her output with The Shapes as pop music.
Their debut album, Jewellery, produced with influential electronic musician Matthew Herbert, was recorded around Mica's composition studies at Guildhall School. Advance copies of the record reached the press in early 2009, and generated positive feedback. In the wake of this growing buzz, Micachu and the Shapes were signed to Rough Trade, who released Jewellery on 9 March 2009. Drowned In Sound consequently hailed the record as "thrillingly improbable pop made by a grade-A maverick."[3]
In 2009, the band received a grant from the PRS for Music Foundation.[4]
Micachu and the Shapes toured widely throughout the UK in 2008, including performances at Bestival and V Festival. The band played in the US at the CMJ Music Marathon in New York City and SXSW in Austin, Texas. They also performed on the Main Stage of the Siren Music Festival at Coney Island in Brooklyn in July 2009. Touring continued throughout Europe and North America in the summer and fall of 2009.[5] In Spring of 2010, Micachu and the Shapes supported Spoon on tour throughout North America.
The band performed with the London Sinfonietta at Kings Place, London in May 2010 and in March 2011 released the live recording as the album "Chopped and Screwed".[6] Unlike their previous effort, the recording largely avoids pop sensibilities in favor of a slower, hip-hop indebted style and repetitive, discordant string arrangements. The band were chosen by Animal Collective to perform at the All Tomorrow's Parties festival that they curated in May 2011 in Minehead, England.[7]
The follow-up to their debut, Never, was released on 23 July 2012.
Discography
Studio albums
| Year | Album details | Peak positions |
|---|---|---|
| UK | ||
| 2009 | Jewellery (with The Shapes)
|
196 |
| 2012 | Never (with The Shapes) [8]
|
TBC |
| 2014 | Under The Skin (OST)[9]
|
TBC |
Live albums
| Year | Album details | Peak positions |
|---|---|---|
| UK | ||
| 2011 | Chopped and Screwed (with The Shapes and the London Sinfonietta)
|
-- |
Mixtapes
| Year | Mixtape details |
|---|---|
| 2009 | Filthy Friends
|
| 2010 | Kwesachu Mixtape Vol.1 with Kwes.
|
| 2011 | Meat Batch with Kwake Bass
|
Chopped & Screwed Mixtape with Brother May
| |
| 2012 | Kwesachu Mixtape Vol.2 with Kwes.
|
| 2014 | Feeling Romantic Feeling Tropical Feeling Ill
|
Singles / EPs
- "Lone Ranger" (2008)
- "Golden Phone" (2008)
- "Lips" (2009)
- "Turn Me Well" (2009)
- "I'm Not Dancing" (with Tirzah) (2013)
- "No Romance" (with Tirzah) (2014)
References
- ↑ Burrows, Tim. Micachu and the Shapes: The Shape of Things To Come, "The Telegraph, 4 March 2009"
- ↑ "Tirzah: "I'm Not Dancing" | Tracks". Pitchfork. 2013-08-01. Retrieved 2014-07-23.
- ↑ "Michachu: Jewellery", Drowned in Sound.
- ↑ Hogan, Marc. "What's the Matter with Sweden?" in Pitchfork.com 29 March 2010
- ↑ Micachu MySpace Page
- ↑ "Micachu & the Shapes and London Sinfonietta present: CHOPPED & SCREWED", Rough Trade Records.
- ↑ "ATP curated by Animal Collective - All Tomorrow's Parties". Atpfestival.com. Retrieved 2014-07-23.
- ↑ The Quietus - News - DOWNLOAD - Kwesachu Vol. 2. Retrieved on 2012-04-30.
- ↑ . Retrieved on 2012-04-30.
External links
- Micachu website
- Accidental Records profile
- BBC newsbeat: Is Micachu the next big thing?
- Michachu page at Rough Trade Records
- Interview - December 2009 -(Portuguese web-zine)
- Micachu vs Kwake Bass "Meat Batch Mix" on Andrew Meza's BTS Radio
- Interview with Mica Levi on Headphone Commute, December 2014
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