Disclosure | ||
| Allmusic Biography : A pop-oriented synthesis of numerous styles, including house, garage, dubstep, and bass, along with well-timed vocal collaborations, made Disclosure one of the most successful production teams of the 2010s. Although they broke through while the path to commercial success was shortening for acts classified as EDM (electronic dance music), the duo, consisting of English siblings Guy and Howard Lawrence, separated themselves with a deeper awareness of underground dance music dating back to the disco era. After debuting in 2010, the duo quickly accelerated to making lustrous, impeccably assembled pop songs, led by the global 2012 hit "Latch," featuring the then obscure Sam Smith. The approach continued with the chart-topping, Grammy-nominated albums Settle and Caracal, issued respectively in 2013 and 2015, which added the likes of AlunaGeorge, Eliza Doolittle, Mary J. Blige, and the Weeknd to their circle. Following an extended hiatus, they returned refreshed in 2018, supported by Fatoumata Diawara on "Ultimatum." Children of musicians, siblings Guy and Howard Lawrence absorbed music throughout their upbringing in the town of Reigate in Surrey, England. They learned to play multiple instruments as kids and studied music at Reigate College, all the while immersing themselves in hip-hop and house, as well as dubstep and bass, the latest developments in the U.K. hardcore continuum. Already acquainted with soul, funk, and disco from their household environment, the siblings traced current underground club music back to 80s Chicago house and Detroit techno, connected those developments to 90s U.K. garage, and applied their numerous inspirations to a modern hybrid sound that grew increasingly distinctive. Early material uploaded to MySpace in 2010 led to interest from the Moshi Moshi label, which released the scruffy dubstep-oriented tracks "Offline Dexterity" and "Street Light Chronicle" as a single later that year. The Lawrences continued to find their footing through mid-2012, a period during which they released singles and EPs for Transparent, Make Mine, and Greco-Roman. The last of those independent outlets issued The Face EP, the first Disclosure release to feature vocalists instead of processed vocal samples. Bolstered by a U.K. deal with the Universal-distributed PMR label, Disclosure made a commercial breakthrough with "Latch," an atmospheric and loping ballad featuring co-songwriting from Jimmy Napes and a bursting lead vocal from Sam Smith. More pop-oriented than Disclosures previous output, the song sent the Lawrences and the previously obscure Smith into the mainstream. Released in October 2012, it peaked at number 11 during a 55-week stay on the U.K. chart. By the time parent album Settle was out the following May, the duo scored additional hits with the AlunaGeorge collaboration "White Noise," which went to number two, and the Eliza Doolittle showcase "You & Me," which peaked at number six. In the U.S., where the duo secured another Universal distribution deal via Cherrytree and Interscope, "Latch" became a sleeper hit. It first entered the Hot 100 in April 2014, reached number seven during a chart run of 19 weeks, and eventually went multi-platinum. Settle topped the U.K. album chart and the U.S. electronic chart. It was nominated for the U.K. Mercury Prize and in the U.S. was nominated for a 2014 Grammy Award in the category of Best Dance/Electronic Album. The Lawrences stateside stock continued to rise. They produced a pair of tracks on Mary J. Bliges The London Sessions, released in late 2014. Only a couple weeks later, they received their second Grammy nomination, this time in the category of Best Dance Recording, for a Blige-fronted version of "F for You" that appeared on a deluxe edition of Settle. All of this success, plus a world tour, led to increased collaborative star power for the second Disclosure album. Released in September 2015 on PMR in the U.K. and Capitol in the U.S., Caracal featured guest lead vocals from Gregory Porter, Sam Smith, Lorde, and the Weeknd on its singles, and affirmed the duos affinity for R&B; with strong cuts fronted by Kwabs, Miguel, and Nao. Like the debut, Caracal topped the U.K. pop and U.S. electronic charts. Additionally, it debuted in the Top Ten of the Billboard 200, and was also nominated for a Best Dance/Electronica Album Grammy Award. Following Moog for Love, a three-track EP highlighted by "Feel Like I Do" with Al Green, the Lawrences went on an extended hiatus. They returned in May 2018 with "Ultimatum," a sparkling collaboration with Fatoumata Diawara. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 11 Title: The Law of One EP Released: 2010-11 Tracks: 3 Duration: 11:47 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 The Law of One (03:37) 2 Scalar (04:29) 3 Disclosure (03:41) |
 | Album: 2 of 11 Title: Carnival / I Love... That You Know Released: 2011-06-13 Tracks: 5 Duration: 21:36 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Blue You (04:37) 2 Carnival (03:44) 3 I Love... That You Know (04:34) 4 Just Your Type (04:26) 5 My Intention Is War! (04:15) |
 | Album: 3 of 11 Title: The Face EP Released: 2012 Tracks: 4 Duration: 00:00 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Boiling (?) 2 Whats in Your Head (?) 3 Lividup (?) 4 Control (?) |
 | Album: 4 of 11 Title: FACT Mix 327: Disclosure Released: 2012-04-30 Tracks: 1 Duration: 46:21 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 FACT Mix 327: Disclosure (46:21) |
 | Album: 5 of 11 Title: Control Released: 2013-04-02 Tracks: 6 Duration: 37:31 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Control (04:49) 2 Lividup (06:03) 3 Control (Joe Goddard remix) (06:34) 4 Boiling (Dixon rework) (09:31) 5 Whats in Your Head (Mak & Pasteman remix) (04:42) 6 Boiling (Medlar remix) (05:52) |
 | Album: 6 of 11 Title: The Singles Released: 2013-04-30 Tracks: 3 Duration: 14:52 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Latch (04:16) 2 White Noise (05:40) 3 You & Me (04:56) |
 | Album: 7 of 11 Title: Settle Released: 2013-05-31 Tracks: 14 Duration: 1:01:01 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Intro (01:01) 2 When a Fire Starts to Burn (04:44) 3 Latch (04:16) 4 F for You (04:29) 5 White Noise (04:38) 6 Defeated No More (06:08) 7 Stimulation (05:20) 8 Voices (04:09) 9 Second Chance (02:27) 10 Grab Her! (05:13) 11 You & Me (04:26) 12 January (05:55) 13 Confess to Me (04:10) 14 Help Me Lose My Mind (04:05) |
| Settle : Allmusic album Review : Cunning if not particularly novel synthesists, Surreys Guy and Howard Lawrence draw from several styles and sub-styles of dance music -- house, garage, dubstep, bass -- and add pop appeal on Settle, their first album. The Lawrences began humbly with MySpace uploads of scruffy, sampling-enhanced dubstep tracks, but they quickly accelerated to making lustrous, impeccably assembled tracks with varied vocalists. Between October 2012 and April 2013, the duo released a trio of singles that fared no worse than number 11 on the U.K. pop chart: the soaring shuffle-tech of "Latch" (with a bursting, almost overdone lead from Sam Smith), the undeniable crossover house track "White Noise" (a perfectly timed partnership with upcoming duo AlunaGeorge), and the rush-inducing so-called future garage of "You & Me" (featuring Eliza Doolittle, something of a sequel to their fine remix of Jessie Wares "Running"). Those hits appear here. Without them, the album would still be generous. Few tracks, however, will appease those who bemoaned the duos departure from relying on sampled and treated vocals. The sluggish "Second Chance," where a downcast Kelis line dissolves into mush, and the rattling "Grab Her!" -- its refrain pinched from Slum Village -- are no match for past sample-heavy delights like "Carnival," "Flow," or "Whats in Your Head." The new vocal cuts are either near the level of the hits or are merely pleasant. Howard Lawrences lead turn on "F for You" approaches the sweetness of Scritti Polittis Green Gartside. Teenaged Sasha Keable sounds wise beyond her years on "Voices," one of the albums deeper house tracks ("I tried to dismiss what you taught me"). London Grammars Hannah Reid has the unenviable task of following Doolittle, Jamie Woon, and Jessie Ware but delivers one of the most heartrending leads on "Help Me Lose My Mind." Like the closing songs on the first three Basement Jaxx albums, the song initially comes across as an insignificant finale but gradually bubbles to the top as a discreet highlight. Considering all the shrewd alliances and its polished attack, Settle seems like it was designed to be 2013s acceptable dance album. That said, any purist who denies its pleasures is a crank. | ||
 | Album: 8 of 11 Title: Settle (The Remixes) Released: 2013-12-16 Tracks: 15 Duration: 1:17:46 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Apollo (06:44) 2 January (Kaytranada Edition) (05:21) 3 Latch (DJ Premier remix) (03:26) 4 Latch (T. Williams club remix) (04:07) 5 Voices (Wookie remix) (05:33) 6 When a Fire Starts to Burn (Midland remix) (05:08) 7 White Noise (HudMo remix) (04:30) 8 You & Me (Flume remix) (04:42) 9 You & Me (Baauer remix) (04:02) 10 F for You (TEED remix) (05:54) 11 Help Me Lose My Mind (Paul Woolford remix) (07:08) 12 Help Me Lose My Mind (Larry Heard remix) (08:38) 13 Help Me Lose My Mind (SOHN remix) (05:11) 14 Stimulation (Preditah remix) (05:00) 15 Together (02:22) |
 | Album: 9 of 11 Title: Caracal Released: 2015-09-25 Tracks: 16 Duration: 1:19:24 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Nocturnal (06:45) 2 Omen (03:50) 3 Holding On (05:15) 4 Hourglass (05:24) 5 Willing & Able (04:53) 6 Magnets (03:19) 7 Jaded (04:35) 8 Good Intentions (04:42) 9 Superego (04:34) 10 Echoes (05:09) 11 Masterpiece (04:02) 12 Molecules (03:56) 13 Moving Mountains (05:36) 14 Bang That (05:23) 15 Afterthought (05:20) 16 Bang That (Kevin & Dantiez Saunderson Bangit Detroit Remix) (06:41) |
| Caracal : Allmusic album Review : Settle was an unqualified success. Platinum, number one, and nominated for a Mercury Prize in Disclosures native U.K., it was also Grammy-nominated in the U.S. "Latch," the albums propellant, primed vocalist Sam Smith for stardom. The Lawrence brothers subsequently worked with Nile Rodgers and Mary J. Blige, remixed Ushers "Good Kisser," and released a pair of club tracks that, more than anything else, showed that fame wasnt stalling their productivity. In May 2015, the garage-flavored "Holding On" -- co-written by Jimmy Napes, a contributor to the debuts three biggest hits -- appeared as the first proper single from the second Disclosure album. It neatly integrated additional songwriting input and a lead from Blue Note jazz vocalist Gregory Porter and, like much of what preceded it, was swift and full of friction yet measured and tasteful. Inferior second pre-album single "Omen" outperformed it, most likely because it featured Smith. The contrast between those two singles is a running theme on Caracal, where tracks featuring lower-profile vocalists regularly upstage those fronted by chart-topping stars. Smith, Lorde, Miguel, and the Weeknd provide the album with a lot of star power, not much else. The last-mentioned contributor, for instance, opens the album by singing 100% "on-brand" lyrics that seem generated rather than written -- so much so that they can be summarized as "vampire Weeknd" -- albeit with a thrown-in reference to the wild cat that inspired the albums title. The Lawrences taste in upcoming talent and ability to assimilate it into their sound, however, is faultless. Fellow U.K. natives Kwabs and Nao are responsible for a pair of irrefutable R&B jams, the vocalists turns recalling, respectively, James "D Train" Williams and young Deniece Williams atop some of the producers most detailed and sumptuous work yet. The lighter cuts, most notably the one that features Lion Babes Jillian Hervey, tend to stick with as much immediacy, and are as full-bodied as the slower numbers. Although the tracks rarely surprise, frequently falling back on familiar sounds and structures -- loping basslines and synthesizer shadings that escalate at the same tempo always arrive on time, for instance -- theyre as well-built as those of the debut, and the Lawrences, along with their songwriting partners, cover the ups and downs of falling in and out of love in sharper fashion. | ||
 | Album: 10 of 11 Title: Caracal Live BBC Session Released: 2015-10-23 Tracks: 4 Duration: 17:47 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Omen (BBC Live From Maida Vale) (04:15) 2 Hotline Bling (BBC Live From Maida Vale) (03:46) 3 Jaded (BBC Live From Maida Vale) (04:06) 4 Moving Mountains (BBC Live From Maida Vale) (05:40) |
 | Album: 11 of 11 Title: Moog for Love Released: 2016-06-15 Tracks: 3 Duration: 15:18 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 BOSS (06:39) 2 Feel Like I Do (03:15) 3 Moog for Love (05:23) |