UNKLE

Born in London in the early 1990s around James Lavelle, UNKLE has built itself as a project with variable geometry, between a studio collective and a live outfit, at the crossroads of electronic, trip hop, breakbeat and an increasingly pronounced alternative rock side over the years. After an initial phase with Tim Goldsworthy, Toshio Nakanishi and K.U.D.O., UNKLE took on a new dimension with the arrival of DJ Shadow for the Psyence Fiction album in 1998, where hip-hop collages, cinematic atmospheres and songs led by various guests mingle. The next phase developed around James Lavelle with Rich File, then Pablo Clements, emphasising the dialogue between electronic textures, guitars, slow rhythms and voices from diverse horizons. This evolution is reflected on Never, Never, Land (2003), War Stories (2007) and Where Did the Night Fall (2010), before The Road: Part I in 2017 and The Road: Part II (Lost Highway) in 2019. UNKLE also carried out parallel image- and mix-related projects, including End Titles... Stories for Film in 2008, extending an old penchant for soundtracks, hybrid formats and occasional collaborations with musicians from rock, hip-hop and the electronic scene. Now centered on James Lavelle, UNKLE continues alternating studio productions, audiovisual creations and live performances.