Crystal Fighters juxtapose the eerie flavour of traditional Basque folk music with churning basslines and catchy energetic vocals, resulting in a jubilant and uplifting sound unlike any other. They offer raved-up, percussive folktronica, veering from Fischerspooner-style euphoria to Animal Collective-toned delicacy, underpinned by a progressive contemporary London bass sound. Though their distinctive production techniques take in all this and more, Crystal Fighters draw a broader and more profound influence- the energy and wild liberty of the 80s Spanish/Basque ‘anti-todo’ youth movement, including the songs of bands such as Eskorbuto, Sinistro Total and Golpes Bajos.

The story is as engaging as their music ~

‘Crystal Fighters’ is the name of an unfinished opera written by singer Laure’s deceased grandfather during his final months of insanity. She came across it while clearing out the reclusive old man’s remote abode in the Basque countryside, and quickly became obsessed with the scrawls contained within it. Captivated by its seemingly prophetic contents, the band took on the name and attempted to expand upon the wild and deranged spirit of the old man’s writings.

2009 has already been an immense year for Crystal Fighters. Their debut single XTATIC TRUTH was released on the uber hip Kitsune label in June garnering feverish response worldwide. Xtatic Truth was chosen as “Single Of The Week” on BBC Radio 1 by Nick Grimshaw – a monumental feat for a band’s first single; whilst the single also received high praise across both the indie and dance worlds as both the NME and Mixmag awarded it their respective “Single Of The Week/Month” crown. Xtatic Truth also featured on the Kitsune Maison 7 – Lucky One compilation, establishing Crystal Fighters as one of the hottest and most promising new acts in the world.

Not content with this, the band have been busy in the studio remixing, turning their hand to Magic Wands’ “Black Magic” on Young & Lost, peaking at #1 in NME’s “10 Tracks You Have to Hear This Week.” Other remixes in the pipeline for this year include CSS, Master Shortie, and MIT.

Crystal Fighters’ live shows have become legendary – described to be unrelentingly raw, intense, and passionate. Having headlined the Kitsune Maison party in Paris, Durrr, The Great Escape, Stag & Dagger, Dollop, Vice, Cargo, Matter to name a few, the coming months see them go global with shows already booked in Barcelona, Paris, Madrid, Zurich, and Amsterdam.

All this follows the already impressive 2008 which saw the group take London by storm, being featured in all the cutting edge underground press – eg Dazed & Confused, FACT, Clash, Mixmag, iDJ magazine, and a Radio 1 Live Session for Rob da Bank. 2008 was rounded up with their ubiquitous online hit ‘I Love London’ voted in Mixmag’s Top 100 Records for 2008, the only unreleased record in the 100, crashing in ahead of the likes of Toddla T and Bloc Party.

Crystal Fighters are currently in the studio writing their debut album, and the second single “I Love London” will be released via KITSUNE later in the year.

The last twelve months have seen London three-piece IS TROPICAL make waves with their unique brand of dreamy pop, rapidly gaining fans in all corners of the globe from diehard indie kids to full on clubbers.

They first came to international attention with the release of their debut single When O’ When released on Hit Club Records in January 2010. Produced by Al Al Al (The Big Pink / Klaxons), the single, together with their spectral live shows, saw the band attract the attention of fans and critics alike. They were soon signed to French music and fashion label Kitsuné (Digitalism/Two Door Cinema Club). The band entered the studio last autumn with Jimmy Robertson to record their debut album, the first fruits of this is the lush ‘SOUTH PACIFIC’ single. The band’s second release was mixed by LEXXX (Crystal Castles /Gwen Stefani) and was released on Kitsuné in November 2010. Around this time IS TROPICAL toured the UK and Europe as special guests of Klaxons, The Big Pink and Mystery Jets and have subsequently grown into a mesmerising live act, effortlessly combining a late night strobing club show with infectious, sing along pop songs.