Coldcut (band)

Coldcut (band)
Name	Coldcut
Origin	London
Genres	Electronic music, House music, Hip hop music, Ambient music, Dub
Years active	1987–present
Labels	Ninja Tune, Ahead of Our Time, Big Dada
Members	Matt Black, Jonathan More

Coldcut (band) is a British electronic music duo formed in 1987 by Matt Black and Jonathan More. They emerged from the British hip hop and sampling scenes in London and co-founded the independent label Ninja Tune to release experimental electronic and dance music projects. Known for pioneering sample-based production, multimedia live shows, and remix culture, they have influenced artists across house music, trip hop, ambient music, and drum and bass.

History

Matt Black and Jonathan More met through the UK dance music circuit and early hip hop clubs in London, collaborating on record production and DJing before their first releases. Their debut single on Debug Records and subsequent remixes for acts like Eric B. & Rakim, De La Soul, Public Enemy, and A Tribe Called Quest established them in the late 1980s sampledelia movement. In 1990 they co-founded Ninja Tune as a sister label to Coldcut’s output and to support experimental acts such as DJ Food, The Cinematic Orchestra, Amon Tobin, and Bonobo. Albums including "What's That Noise?" and "Some Like It Cold" expanded into ambient, house, and dub territories while their remix work connected them with Madonna, Jungle Brothers, The KLF, and Queen Latifah.

Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, the duo adapted to changes in music technology by embracing digital sampling hardware and software such as the Akai MPC and Digidesign Pro Tools, while continuing to champion vinyl culture and independent distribution. Projects like the pioneering interactive audiovisual platform VJing and the Ninja Tune affiliated festivals and compilations consolidated their reputation as innovators. Into the 2010s and 2020s they continued releasing material, remixing contemporary acts like Thom Yorke-adjacent ensembles and collaborating with visual artists and institutions across Europe and North America.

Musical style and influences

Coldcut's production fuses techniques from hip hop production and electronic dance music, integrating breakbeats, acid house basslines, dub reggae delay, and ambient textures. Their sample-based approach references a wide range of sources: jazz records, soul music 45s, soundtrack snippets, and field recordings, echoing influences from producers and artists such as King Tubby, Kraftwerk, Brian Eno, and DJ Shadow. Structural experiments in their tracks draw on postmodernism in music and the collage methods popularized in plunderphonics and cut-up technique traditions. They have cited inspirations from the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, Pierre Schaeffer, and the global reggae and Jamaican sound system cultures that shaped UK dance scenes.

Discography

Coldcut's core studio albums include "What's That Noise?" (1990), "Some Like It Cold" (1997), and later works and compilations on Ninja Tune and affiliated labels. Their prolific output spans singles, EPs, remixes, DJ mixes, and collaborative albums with artists from hip hop, dancehall, electronic and pop spheres. Notable releases and remix credits feature reinterpretations of tracks by Madonna, Yazoo, De La Soul, Ultravox, and Roots Manuva, alongside compilation appearances on Ninja Cuts and mix albums associated with clubs like Ralphs and London venues. Their discography includes soundtracks, production work, and archival collections reflecting decades of remix culture.

Live performances and DJing

As DJs and live performers, the duo have appeared at major clubs and festivals such as Glastonbury Festival, Coachella, Sonar, Glastonbury's dance stages, and boutique venues across Japan, Australia, Europe, and the United States. Their DJ sets blend house, breakbeat, drum and bass, and edits, while live A/V shows incorporate bespoke software and hardware controllers. They collaborated with club promoters, radio stations like BBC Radio 1, and sound-system operators to stage immersive events that emphasized interactive visuals and crowd participation. Residency and guest slots at iconic London venues linked them to scenes around Rough Trade, The End, and early acid house gatherings.

Collaborations and side projects

Coldcut members have produced, remixed, and performed with a broad array of artists across genres, including Maia Hirasawa, The Orb, Tricky, Laurie Anderson, DJ Shadow, De La Soul, and Roots Manuva. Side projects and associated acts on Ninja Tune include DJ Food, Hexstatic, The Cinematic Orchestra, and Amon Tobin, while members engaged in scoring, sound design, and curatorial roles with music festivals and galleries. Their collaborative ethos extended to remix commissions for film and television productions and partnerships with cultural institutions like the Southbank Centre and contemporary art spaces.

Visual art, video and A/V work

Coldcut were early adopters of audiovisual performance, commissioning and creating interactive video works with artists from the VJing community and technology developers. Projects included innovative software tools for real-time video mixing, collaborations with Hexstatic on audiovisual releases, and exhibitions in galleries and festivals such as Transmediale, Ars Electronica, and ICA (Institute of Contemporary Arts). They developed bespoke installations combining sampling, live coding, and projection mapping techniques used in media art circuits and worked with designers and programmers from London's digital arts scenes and academic labs.

Legacy and influence

Coldcut's impact is evident across electronic music production, independent label culture, and multimedia performance practices. Ninja Tune nurtured generations of producers including Bonobo, Amon Tobin, DK, and The Cinematic Orchestra, while Coldcut's sample-based methods influenced trip hop acts, turntablism DJs, and remix culture broadly. Their integration of visual art with DJing helped establish the modern VJ scene and informed audiovisual programming at festivals and clubs worldwide. Museums, music historians, and contemporary producers cite their work when tracing the evolution of electronic and dance music in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

Category:English electronic music groups Category:British musical duos