The Chemical Brothers — Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons — formed in Manchester in 1989 and became central figures in British big beat, with multiple Grammy wins along the way. Dig Your Own Hole (1997) and Surrender (1999) are the classics; start there and work outward. Browse Chemical Brothers vinyl, CDs, and reissues at Wax Trax Records.
The Chemical Brothers formed in Manchester in 1989 when Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons met as students at the University of Manchester. They began performing as the Dust Brothers, changing the name to the Chemical Brothers in 1995 after a legal dispute with the American production duo of the same name. They became central figures in the British big beat scene of the mid-to-late 1990s alongside Fatboy Slim, the Prodigy, and others. They have remained as a duo throughout their career, releasing material primarily through Virgin Records and their own Freestyle Dust imprint, with multiple Grammy Award wins for Best Electronic/Dance Album.
The Chemical Brothers' sound combines big beat, electronic dance music, techno, breakbeat, and psychedelic electronic music with extensive guest vocalist collaborations including Noel Gallagher, Beth Orton, Tim Burgess, and Q-Tip. Their work bridges club-oriented electronic music with rock-influenced song structures.
Original Virgin and Astralwerks pressings of the Chemical Brothers catalog are widely collected. Multiple anniversary editions, box sets, and audiophile reissues have been released across the catalog.
Listeners new to the Chemical Brothers typically start with Dig Your Own Hole (1997) or Surrender (1999).
