Plastic Operator

Plastic Operator is a Canadian/Belgian electronic band founded by Mathieu Gendreau and Pieter Van Dessel in London, UK.

History

Background

Mathieu Gendreau and Pieter Van Dessel met at University of Westminster in London in 2000 and formed Plastic Operator in 2001. The same year they finished their MA in Audio Production. Van Dessel moved back to Belgium and Gendreau stayed in London to work as a sound engineer and record producer. It was the beginning of their long distance music collaboration.

They originally self-released a three songs EP which contained the song “Folder” in August 2004. Rough Trade Shop made the EP a recommendation of the week and the song also went viral after Fluxblog^[1] posted it on the internet in September 2004. Radio DJs around the world began championing the song including BBC Radio 1 DJ Rob Da Bank who played the song on his Blue Room show. “Folder” was eventually signed to Rob Da Bank’s label Sunday Best Recordings in the UK for a single release in 2005. Plastic Operator released their debut album “Different Places” on Mathieu’s label Fine Day Records in 2007. 2007 and 2008 saw Plastic Operator take their music to the stage in many major clubs and festivals across Europe: from the Bestival Festival on Isle of Wight, to Paris Fashion Week, Culture Club in Ghent, La Fleche D'Or in Paris, Petrol Club in Antwerp, Ancienne Belgique and Razzmatazz Club in Barcelona.

Between their own releases and touring Plastic Operator produced the song Booka Shade vs Plastic Operator “Won’t Back Down” released on Hed Kandi “The remixes 2011” (Hed Kandi / Ministry of Sound). The band also produced songs for Japanese singers Mao Miyaji and Chiaki (P-Vine Records), and produced the remixes The Winter Glove’s “Let Me Drive - Plastic Operator Remix” and Erasure “Chains Of Love - Plastic Operator Remix”^[2] (Mute Records/EMI). Plastic Operator had their music featured on numerous films, TV shows and advertisement; including an internet ad for Coca Cola and a national TV ad campaign for Movistar Mobile in Spain.

Folder

The song “Folder” was originally released by Sunday Best Recordings in the UK as a 12” vinyl and digital download on November 21, 2005. Prior to the single release it was included on the compilation “Rob Da Bank Presents Sunday Best” released on July 18, 2005. “Folder” hit number 1 on the DMC Update Zzub chart (issue 154 dated of 2/11/05). It was Single of the Week on URB Radio (17/11/2005) and spent six weeks on Studio Brussel’s daytime play list between March and April 2006. The song also hit number 1 on Prambors 102.2 FM in Jakarta during the week of August 18 to 24, 2006 and stayed on their Top 40 chart for a total of ten weeks.

Different Places

The band's debut album, Different Places, was released on May 14, 2007 on Fine Day Records in Europe. It was then licensed to P-Vine Records in Japan and Vision Music in Poland.

Before The Day Is Out

The band's second album, Before The Day Is Out, was released in February 2012 on Fine Day Records in Europe/USA and on P-Vine Records in Japan. As an introduction to the second album the band released the first single "Making It Right" as a free download on their website in December 2011.

Discography

Studio albums

• Different Places (2007)^[3]
• Before The Day Is Out (2012)

Singles

• Folder single (2005)^[4]
• Why Don't You? EP (2007)^[5]
• Home 0207 single (2008)^[6]
• Peppermint EP (2009)^[7]
• Parasols Remixes (2010)
• Singing All The Time Remixes (2011)^[8]
• Sometimes It's Easy (King Britt Nightrider Mix) (2012) ^[9]

Remixes

• 2007 Pajaro Sunrise - Automatic (Plastic Operator Remix)
• 2008 Hermanos Inglesos - Komodo (Plastic Operator Edit)
• 2008 Cato Canari - We Are Together (Plastic Operator Remix)
• 2009 Erasure - Chains of Love (Plastic Operator Remix)
• 2009 Frost - My Plastic Heart (Plastic Operator Remix)
• 2009 Booka Shade vs Plastic Operator - Won't Back Down
• 2010 Winter Gloves - Let Me Drive (Plastic Operator Remix)

External links

• Official website
• Plastic Operator on Facebook
• Plastic Operator Youtube Channel
• Plastic Operator on SoundCloud
• Plastic Operator at Last.fm
• Plastic Operator Discogs
• Plastic Operator on All Music

References