Clean Bandit, founded in 2009, is an electronic quartet from Cambridge, UK. The band is made up of Luke Patterson, Jack Patterson, Grace Chatto and Neil Amin-Smith, latter three of whom met whilst studying at Jesus College, University of Cambridge.
Jack Patterson the then boyfriend of Grace Chatto would record compositions of Chatto’s and add drum beats and electronic effects to the mix. Interestingly, the band’s name Clean Bandit comes from a translation of a Russian phrase, which Patterson said is the equivalent to the English “utter rascal”.
The band is known for their ability to transcend genres, with classically trained members Grace Chatto and Neil Amin-Smith adding impressive compositions from the likes of Beethoven and Mozart. Zane Lowe BBC Radio 1 DJ has described Clean Bandit as making classical/orchestral music accessible to a wider audience, as well as adding notable house elements into their distinctive electronic style with fruitful results.
On the 29 March 2013 Clean Bandit released the song “Mozart’s House” which peaked at number 17 on the UK Singles Chart and was their first top twenty single. The band subsequently made a music video shot in Russia, which became an instant success.
In a groundbreaking BBC Radio 1 broadcast Clean Bandit along with five lead vocalists accompanied the 70-strong BBC Philharmonic orchestra in a 45-minute performance at Media City, Salford, UK. The orchestral instruments replicated the sound of the band’s synthesisers arranged by the composer Joe Duddell under Clean Bandit’s instruction to have no synth content whatsoever.
Clean Bandit’s fourth song “Rather Be” featuring Jess Glynne was released on 19th January, 2014, and reached the top of the UK Singles Chart becoming one of the fastest selling singles of the year. The song features on their debut album “New Eyes” which was released on 2nd June 2014.
Samuel Nicholson
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