Current line up: Louise Rhodes
(vocals), Andrew Barlow (producer/keyboards/remixes)
Andrew Barlow had been interested in rhythm
since the age of nine when he was a drummer in a marching band.
On moving to Philadelphia as a teenager he also became interested
in the beats of hip-hop (although he disliked the rapping) before
returning to Britain and taking a liking for techno.
Andrew
arrived in Manchester in 1993 to study Sound Engineering before
being offered a job in a Manchester studio where he engineered
and co-produced remixes with DJ¹s. He also wrote his own material
under the name of 'the Hipoptimist'. Then one
day, out of the blue, Andy received a phone call from a complete
stranger asking if he'd consider working with her on some ideas...
Vocalist
Louise Rhodes was born into a musical family, her mother was a
folk singer and took her to clubs and festivals where she encouragied
the youngster to get up and sing along too. As she matured, Louise
moved away from her folk roots and became interested in the world
of jazz and soul.
Somehow
the two managed to compliment these different backgrounds and
form Lamb in 1994, an ambient drum'n'bass duo. Lamb were one of
the first groups to add a lyrics-based vocalist to techno and
jungle productions. They stand out from other vocal-based groups
such as Everything But The Girl and Portishead because they mix
contrasting musical styles.Their tunes, although as vocally catchy,
are musically more complex and far more exploratory.
Lamb's
debut single,"Cotton Wool", already included remixes by
drum'n'bass leaders Gerald
Simpson and Fila Brizillia.
Their
second single, "Gold", and the self-titled debut album,
"Lamb", were released in 1996 to widespread acclaim.
The
"Lamb" album, successfully mixes jungle, drum'n'bass and
electro-jazz, a combination which also guaranteed success for
their fantastic 1999 follow-up album "Fear of Fours".
Lou
has also provided vocals for tracks by 808
State and A
Guy Called Gerald, whereas Andy has remixed for Space.