Pulling off the whole big-room commercial house music thing without falling into the lowest common denominator is no easy feat. (We're looking at you, David Guetta.) Nevertheless, the Shapeshifters have succeeded in finding that difficult balance between mainstream appeal and true musical quality. The West London DJ/production duo of Simon Marlin and Max Reich enjoyed a meteoric rise to international fame in 2004 thanks to an over-the-top filter-house banger called "Lola's Theme." That exuberant track sampled the incomparable orchestral intro to Johnnie Taylor's 1982 soul hit, "What About My Love?" and featured stellar vocals by Cookie, a singer from the London Community Gospel Choir. It went straight to number one on the UK charts and peaked at number one on America's Hot Dance Airplay chart.
The Shapeshifters' massive early success would be followed by two Top 20 UK hits, "Back to Basics" and "Incredible," which landed them a recording contract with the prestigious house label Defected Records. Last year saw the hard-working duo remixing the likes of George Michael, Faithless, Moby, and Natalie Imbruglia. The pair also released a career-defining collaboration with the legendary Frankie Knuckles, "The Ones You Love," on Nocturnal Groove. In 2010, the Shapeshifters are bigger than ever, boasting their own swanky brand of 21st-century big-room funky house and making regular appearances from Ibiza to London and, this weekend, Miami.
