Pioneering the big beat style of music, the duo's (Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons) albums are full of deep studded beats, percussive breakdowns, and effects borrowed from a host of sources. All in all, the duo proved to be one of the few dance acts to move over to the mainstream and garner fans from all strands of the music world; it's hardly surprising therefore that they were one of the few dance acts to enjoy simultaneous success in Britain and America.

Rowlands and Simons met while at Manchester University, and the pair began sampling Manchester's vibrant nightclub scene during 1989 and 1990, just at the peak of Britain's fascination with Baleric DJing. Though Rowlands was already performing in the alternative dance group Ariel, the pair began DJing together at a Manchester club in 1991. They took the name, Dust Brothers (a tribute to the production team responsible for one of their favourite albums, the Beastie Boys' Paul's Boutique). And soon their club night began to grow in popularity, thanks to the duo's Balearic mix of rare house tracks flavoured with hip-hop breakdowns, and independent-dance fusions.

After deciding to try and re-create their unique sound in their tiny bedroom studio, the Dust Brothers emerged with "Song to the Siren". The single was pressed up on a limited release of 500 copies, and began to get attention from Britain's top DJs. Andrew Weatherall licensed the single to Junior Boy's Own Records, and after the pair had finished university, they moved back to London to work on another EP (14th Century Sky) and take up a residency at a London club.

After their third release, "My Mercury Mouth," the duo began to get more high-profile re-mix clients: besides Justin Roberston's Lionrock collective, Primal Scream, the Prodigy, and the Charlatans all received treatments. But when lawyers for the original Dust Brothers came calling in 1995, Rowlands and Simons were forced to change their name to the Chemical Brothers.
The Chemical Brothers debut album, "Exit Planet Dust", was heavily praised by critics, and another fan of the record, Noel Gallagher, agreed to lend his vocals to a future single named "Setting Sun," the Chemicals' tribute to one of their own favourites, the Beatles' "Tomorrow Never Knows." The single went to number one in the UK in late 1996, and the Chemical Brothers opened up for the giant Oasis concert at Knebworth besides headlining their own shows all over the world.

Their second album "Dig Your Own Hole" also went straight to No 1 on the UK album charts upon its release in April 1997, and on the wings of America's growing electronica push, the album sailed to number 14 stateside and went gold.

The Chemical Brothers released a mix album in 1998, "Brothers Gonna Work It Out", followed by their third studio LP, "Surrender", in 1999. 2002 saw the duo's fourth album, "Come With Us", and the compilation "Singles 93-03" followed in 2003.

Now back in 2005 with their latest album "Push The Button", which will hits shelves across Europe on 17th January, we want you to "Come With Us" and "Surrender" to the magical electronic dust of the Chemical Brothers, as we "Push The Button" and make them our MTV European Artist Of The Week.

HH