Zero 7

In a noisy world we should be grateful there is still a space for acts likes Zero 7. It’s not that they are reclusive, merely that they prefer to do things their way; at a slow pace that somehow also evokes the warmth of their music. Given that Sam Hardaker and Henry Binns first met as teenagers, it’s a testament to their durability and friendship that more than 30 years later they are still working and producing music together. The pair first met at school in North West London, where they both went on to serve apprenticeships as tape ops at the legendary RAK Studios. Their first break came via a chance Radiohead remix. The leap from the pair’s ‘Climbing Up The Walls’ mix to debut album Simple Things was not huge, even if the success was completely unexpected. Simple Things was nominated for a Mercury Music Prize and sold over 1.5 million copies worldwide. It was an amazing achievement for a debut album. Over the ensuing eight years, they recorded a further three albums, including Grammy Nominated The Garden. More recently, they have released a series of singles and EPs on their own Make Records imprint featuring various artists including José Gonzáles, Only Girl, Hidden, Jem Cooke and Lou Stone.