electronic

Caribou

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Dan Snaith's dancefloor-facing project, mathematician's precision applied to warm, looping house built from chopped vocals and live drums.

Caribou is the main project of Dan Snaith, born in Dundas, Ontario in 1978, who holds a doctorate in mathematics. He first recorded as Manitoba, but was compelled to change names in 2004 after a lawsuit threat from punk singer Richard "Handsome Dick" Manitoba, prompting reissues of his earlier albums under the Caribou name.

His albums moved from dense psychedelic electronics toward club-facing sound. Andorra won the 2008 Polaris Music Prize, while Swim and Our Love, built from chopped vocal fragments, blurred synth chords and live drumming, were both shortlisted for the same prize and helped define his house-influenced turn.

Snaith also records more overtly dancefloor tracks as Daphni, an outlet he opened in 2011 for material meant for DJ sets rather than albums proper. Daphni has produced three records, Jiaolong, Joli Mai and Cherry, each leaning harder into repetition and groove than the Caribou albums do.

Live, Caribou performs as a four-piece, with Snaith joined by longtime members Ryan Smith on guitar and keyboards, John Schmersal on bass and keyboards, and Brad Weber on drums. Snaith has described the format as a proper band rather than a solo artist backed by hired players.

Our Love was nominated for a Grammy for Best Dance/Electronic Album, and later Caribou albums Suddenly and Honey extended the run of Polaris shortlist nominations. Swim, Our Love and Suddenly each won the Juno Award for Electronic Album of the Year.

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electronic