Mint Royale
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| Mint Royale | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Manchester, England, UK |
| Genre(s) | Big Beat |
| Years active | 1997–Present |
| Label(s) | Faith & Hope |
| Members | |
| Neil Claxton Steven Wren Class A Fola |
|
| Former members | |
| Chris Baker |
|
Mint Royale are a big beat electronic music act from Manchester, England. They were originally founded by the duo Neil Claxton and Chris Baker in 1997; the latter left the band in 2004, but Claxton continued to produce music using the Mint Royale name.
Mint Royale first specialized in remixes, and became known after the release of their mix of "Tequila", by Terrorvision. They were championed by British dance guru Norman Cook, whose DJ sets regularly included their work. Their sound was similar to his, to the extent that some people mistakenly believed Mint Royale to be a pseudonym for Cook himself. Their first album, On the Ropes was released in late 1999, and though it was not a big sales hit, some songs from it have achieved recognition. The single "Don't Falter", featuring Lauren Laverne from Kenickie, was a minor hit in the British charts. The song "From Rusholme with Love" has been made recognisable through its extensive use in film and television series soundtracks. Notable examples include the theme tune for the film Kung Pow! Enter The Fist, as well as being present on the soundtrack of the films Vanilla Sky, Get Carter, Serendipity and the television series ALIAS (episode The Prophecy) and Spaced. The song "Because I'm Worth It" has also been used as the theme tune for the Jamie Theakston and Zoë Ball chat show The Priory. The song "Show Me" is played every Friday by John Richards of KEXP and the song has become known as "The Friday Song". "Show Me" was also used in the National Lampoon movie Van Wilder.
The band released their second album, Dancehall Places, in 2002. The first single from this album, "The Sexiest Man in Jamaica", featuring a sample of a Prince Buster recording, became their second UK Top 20 hit. As the band embarked on a series of live shows and a UK tour in 2003, a new single was released, "Blue Song" (featuring a sample of Captain Beefheart's "Ah Feel Like Acid"), the video for which featured comedians Noel Fielding and Julian Barratt, of The Mighty Boosh fame, as well as Nick Frost of Spaced and Shaun of the Dead fame and Michael Smiley, also of Spaced. The video was directed by Edgar Wright.
Mint Royale returned to the studio to start writing and recording their third album in the April of 2004. The next few months were a turbulent time for Mint Royale with founding member Chris Baker parting company with the band. However, Neil and the resident vocalists returned to the studio to complete the recording of the third album (January 2005) and the result was ‘See You In The Morning’. In 2005 the group released "Waiting in the Rain" on the "Wait for You" EP - a remix of "Singin' in the Rain", which was featured in the January 2005 Volkswagen Golf GTI commercial. It reached #20 on the UK Singles Chart after it was released as a single (remixed and renamed as "Singing In the Rain"). This version also features on the album "See You in the Morning".
In 2007, Mint Royale released a compilation CD+DVD named Pop Is..., which contained all their singles and videos, as well as a couple of the remixes they had done for other performers, and a new song, "Wham-Bar", based on the Wham! hit song "Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do)".
On June 1, 2008, "Singin' In The Rain" re-entered the UK Singles Chart at number 28 after the success of George Sampson on Britain's Got Talent. It then became Number 1 on the British Singles Chart announced on June 8, 2008, beating the previous holder, Rihanna.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Single releases
| Release date | Song Title | UK Singles Chart | Irish Singles Chart | Album | Format(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 23, 1998 | "Deadbeat" | - | - | On the Ropes | 12" |
| January 30, 1999 | "Tequila" by Terrorvision (remix) | 2 | - | - | CD / 7" / 12" |
| February 2, 1999 | "Rock And Roll Bar" | - | - | On the Ropes | CD / 12" |
| June 7, 1999 1999 | "From Rusholme With Love" | - | - | On the Ropes | CD / 12" |
| September 27, 1999 | "Shake Me" | - | - | On the Ropes | CD / 12" |
| January 24, 2000 | "Don't Falter" feat Lauren Laverne | 15 | - | On the Ropes | CD / 12" |
| April 24, 2000 | "Take It Easy" | - | - | On the Ropes | CD / 12" |
| August 26, 2002 | "The Sexiest Man in Jamaica" | 20 | - | Dancehall Places | CD / 12" |
| January 27, 2003 | "Blue Song" | 35 | - | Dancehall Places | CD / 12" |
| July 21, 2003 | "Dancehall Places" | - | - | Dancehall Places | CD / 12" |
| April 11, 2005 | "Wait For You" | - | - | See You In The Morning | 12" |
| August 22, 2005 | "Singin' In The Rain" | 20 | See You In The Morning | CD / 12" | |
| November 21, 2005 | "The Effect on Me" | - | - | See You In The Morning | CD / 12" |
| June, 2008 | "Singin' In the Rain" (re-entry) | 1 | 5 | See You In The Morning | Digital |
