Audio Bullys

• Genre: House

About

Formed in 2001, Audio Bullys are Simon Franks and Tom Dinsdale, two suburban Londoners who grew up listening to hardcore, garage and house, along with the Kinks, the Beatles and the Specials. Franks grew up in a musical family, learning to play piano and drums at an early age. Dinsdale took the DJing route and was resident at London's Milk N' 2 Sugars event at the age of 17. Their love of a good tune, combined with a passion for cutting loose and larging it with the masses, was entirely evident in their debut release, Ego War (2003). Dubbed "lad house," their sound neatly blended all their influences and picked up where Basement Jaxx left off -- dance music for people who want a bit of a shout. The initial single "We Don't Care" set out their manifesto, and club land embraced it. Their lyrical approach is much like that of the Streets' Mike Skinner: small tales of urban life and general reactions to the everyday. Their follow-up, Generation (2006), suffered slightly from second album syndrome, but nonetheless still demonstrated their musical skill, particularly with the single "Shot You Down" that sampled Nancy Sinatra's Kill Bill soundtrack opener, "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)."

- Nicholas Baker