A+E (song)
| "A+E" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Clean Bandit featuring Kandaka Moore and Nikki Cislyn | ||||
| from the album New Eyes | ||||
| B-side | "Nightingale" | |||
| Released | 7 December 2012 | |||
| Format | Digital download | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length |
3:03 (single version) 4:06 (album version) | |||
| Label | Black Butter Records | |||
| Writer(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Jack Patterson | |||
| Clean Bandit singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"A+E" is the debut single by British electronic group Clean Bandit, featuring vocals by Kandaka Moore and Nikki Cislyn. It was released on 7 December 2012 as the first single from their debut album, New Eyes. The song peaked at number 100 on the UK Singles Chart,[1] but received mixed critical reception. The song's music video contains a CGI snake.
Background
The track was written by Jack Patterson while he was waiting for fellow band member Grace Chatto in the accident and emergency department[2] of Whittington Hospital, North London.[3] The track was originally released in 2012[4] as a double A-Side with "Nightingale". Both tracks feature Cislyn; only A&E features Moore.[5]
The track was recorded in Clean Bandit's studio in South Kilburn, London. Moore and Cislyn were recruited from a local community singing and dancing group next to South Kilburn Studios;[6] the studios had a scheme in which artists could use the studios for free if a trainee was taken on.[5]
Music video
The music video contains a CGI snake. Band member Jack Patterson taught himself CGI animation for the video.[7] He had had the idea for a snake for a year previously, and said that "it was quite daunting having to make it a reality learning how to use 3D animation software on the hoof". The video contains two dancers, Rhys Dennis and Kandaka Moore, who – over the course of two hours – were painted gold (using stop-frame animation, the whole process takes about 25 seconds) and then went into central London.[8]
Critical reception
Critical reception was mixed. MTVIggy.com said that the song was "a funky hodgepodge of elements from the soul-sangin’ vocalists, calypso-flecked xylophone chimes and sharp snare drum beats".[9] Joe Zadeh from Clash magazine called it "a throwaway ode to UK funky".[10]
Track listing
| Digital download | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 1. | "A+E" | 3:03 |
| 2. | "Nightingale" | 2:44 |
| 3. | "A+E" (Alexis Raphael Remix) | 8:03 |
| 4. | "Nightingale" (Gorgon City Remix) | 6:13 |
Charts
| Chart (2014) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[11] | 100 |
References
- ↑ "UK Charts Plus" (538).
- ↑ New Eyes (booklet). Clean Bandit. Atlantic Records.
- ↑ Kate Mossman (2014-06-01). "New Eyes review – Clean Bandit's classical-dance fusion | Music | The Observer". Theguardian.com. Retrieved 2014-06-05.
- ↑ "A+E - Clean Bandit | Releases". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-06-05.
- 1 2 Dingwall, John (2014-04-25). "Clean Bandit on their success with chart topper Rather Be and owing success to dodgy Russian bootlegs". Daily Record. Retrieved 2014-06-05.
- ↑ "Clean Bandit - A&E | Black Butter Records". Black-butter.co.uk. 2013-07-18. Retrieved 2014-06-05.
- ↑ Harriet Gibsone. "Clean Bandit - Extraordinary: video premiere | Music". The Guardian. Retrieved 2014-06-05.
- ↑ "Clean Bandit - A&E | Videos | Clash Magazine". Clashmusic.com. 2012-06-27. Retrieved 2014-06-05.
- ↑ Music Video (2014-01-27). "Clean Bandit — "A&E (Random Acts)"". Mtv Iggy. Retrieved 2014-06-05.
- ↑ "Clean Bandit - New Eyes | Reviews | Clash Magazine". Clashmusic.com. 2012-06-27. Retrieved 2014-06-05.
- ↑ Zywietz, Tobias. "Chart Log UK – 2012". Zobbel. Retrieved 26 September 2014.