Pulling off the whole big-room commercial house music thing without falling into the lowest common denominator is no easy feat (I'm looking at you, David Guetta,) but The Shapeshifters have managed to find that difficult balance between mainstream appeal and true musical quality fairly successfully. The West London DJ/production duo of Simon Marlin and Max Reich enjoyed a meteoric rise to international fame in 2004 through virtue of an over-the-top exuberant filter house banger called "Lola's Theme" which samples the incomparable orchestral intro to Johnnie Taylor's 1982 soul hit "What About My Love?" and features stellar vocals by Cookie, a singer from the London Community Gospel Choir.
Released in the summer of 2004, "Lola's Theme" would go straight to #1 on the UK charts and also managed to peak at #1 on America's Hot Dance Airplay chart. The Shapeshifters' massive early success would be followed by a further two Top 20 UK hits with "Back To Basics" and "Incredible" which landed them a recording contract with the prestigious house label Defected Records. 2009 saw the hard-working duo remix the likes of George Michael, Faithless, Moby, and Natalie Imbruglia, adding to a career-defining collaboration with the legendary Frankie Knuckles on "The Ones You Love" released on Nocturnal Groove. In 2010 The Shapeshifters are bigger than ever, boasting their own swanky brand of 21st century big-room funky house and making regular appearances from Pacha Ibiza, where they currently hold a residency, to their own long-running "Nocturnal" party in London, to Miami's own club Mansion, where the duo will be performing on Saturday, May 8.
The Shapeshifters. Saturday, May 8. Mansion. 1235
Washington Ave., Miami Beach. Doors open at 11 p.m. Tickets cost $20 in
advance from www.wantickets.com.
Ages 21+ with ID. 305-531-5535.
