Rob Swire facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Rob Swire |
|
|---|---|
Rob Swire in 2017
|
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Robert Swire-Thompson |
| Also known as | Anscenic |
| Born | 5 November 1982 Perth, Western Australia, Australia |
| Genres |
|
| Occupation(s) |
|
| Instruments |
|
| Years active | 1998–present |
| Labels |
|
Robert Swire-Thompson (born 5 November 1982) is an Australian music producer, singer, songwriter, and DJ. He is best known as the founder and lead singer of the electronic rock band Pendulum. He is also a DJ and co-founder of the electronic music duo Knife Party, which he formed with Gareth McGrillen.
Rob Swire was born in Perth, Western Australia. In 2003, he moved to the United Kingdom with his bandmates Gareth McGrillen and Paul "El Hornet" Harding. In Pendulum, Rob writes songs, produces music, and sings. When performing live, he often uses a special guitar-like device called a MIDI controller (Starr Labs' Ztar Z6S-XPA). He also plays guitar, bass, keyboards, drums, and piano. Sometimes, he uses the stage name Anscenic.
Contents
Early Life and Music
Rob Swire grew up in Perth, Western Australia. For five years when he was a child, his family lived in Harare in Zimbabwe. During that time, he even created a song that was played on a local radio station in Zimbabwe!
He went to Scotch College and finished school in 1999. This is where he first met his future bandmate, Gareth McGrillen. For the next three years, Rob worked as a record producer, helping local bands create their music. He worked with groups that played drum and bass, breakbeat, and metal music.
Music Career
Pendulum
In 2002, Rob Swire started the drum and bass group Pendulum with Gareth McGrillen and DJ Paul "El Hornet" Harding. The band moved to the United Kingdom in 2003. They quickly became well-known in the underground music scene for their songs "Vault" and "Trail of Sevens."
Over the next two years, Rob worked on songs for their first album, Hold Your Colour, which came out in 2005. He was mainly the band's songwriter and producer. When Pendulum started playing live shows in 2006, Rob became the band's lead singer. He also played a Ztar, which is like a guitar that controls electronic sounds.
After their first tour, they started working on their second album, In Silico. Rob was the main singer on this album to make sure it had a consistent sound. He also continued to write and produce the music.
Pendulum's third album, Immersion, was released in 2010. It was their only album to reach number one on the UK Albums Chart.
In 2012, Pendulum announced they were taking a break. Rob explained that he and Gareth were having more fun with their new project, Knife Party. He felt that Pendulum had started to feel like a duty, and he wanted to make music that was more about what they wanted to do.
However, Pendulum reunited for a show at the Ultra Music Festival in Miami, Florida, in 2016. In 2017, they confirmed they would go on a world tour and possibly release new music.
In 2018, Pendulum released an album called "The Reworks." This album featured remixes of their songs by other artists like Skrillex and Knife Party.
In 2020, Pendulum released two new songs, "Driver" and "Nothing for Free." These were their first new songs in ten years! Rob mentioned that Pendulum would likely release new music a few songs at a time, rather than waiting for a full album. This led to their EP (Extended Play) called Elemental in early 2021.
Knife Party
In 2011, Rob Swire and Pendulum co-founder Gareth McGrillen formed the electro house duo called Knife Party. Their first EP, 100% No Modern Talking, came out in December 2011.
The group became very popular after releasing the song "Antidote" with Swedish House Mafia. This song was a top 5 hit in the UK. Their second EP, Rage Valley, was released in 2012. It included popular songs like "Rage Valley," "Bonfire," and "Centipede."
In 2013, they released their third EP, Haunted House. Knife Party is known for their unique style, mixing electro house and dubstep with other sounds like moombahton (a mix of house and reggaeton music).
In late 2014, Knife Party released their album, Abandon Ship. It featured many different styles, including dubstep and house.
In 2015, they released a 4-track EP called Trigger Warning. This EP included three new songs and a remix. In 2016, they released "Battle Sirens" with Tom Morello.
Knife Party also released their own remix of the Pendulum song "Blood Sugar" in 2018. They also collaborated with Pegboard Nerds on a song called "Harpoon."
In July 2019, Knife Party released their new EP, Lost Souls.
Other Music Work
Rob Swire has worked with many other artists. In 2008, he wrote the main melody and sang on Deadmau5's famous song, "Ghosts 'n' Stuff." This song became number one on the US dance music charts.
He also helped write songs for Rihanna, including "Rude Boy" and "Roc Me Out." He played bass guitar and sang backing vocals on these tracks.
In 2016, he sang on Eric Prydz's song "Breathe." More recently, in 2018, he provided vocals for another Deadmau5 song, "Monophobia."
How Rob Makes Music
Production
Rob Swire has been a record producer since 1999. This means he helps artists create their music, from recording to mixing. When he produced Pendulum's album In Silico, he made demo versions, recorded the songs, and mixed the album. He often mixes most of the band's music himself.
To start making songs, Rob sometimes uses old video game emulators, like those for the Commodore 64 and Nintendo. This helps him quickly create basic sounds. When recording an album, the band goes to studios to record live instruments like drums, guitars, bass, and vocals. Rob also records samples of these instruments. If he doesn't like a part, he can then play it himself using a keyboard sampler.
Rob uses special computer software for music production, mainly Steinberg's Nuendo. He uses both physical synthesizers and virtual instruments (software that acts like instruments) to create his tracks.
Performance
When recording music for Pendulum, Rob Swire plays many instruments. He played guitar and electric piano on Hold Your Colour, and synthesiser, bass, and percussion on In Silico. He also played synthesizer and guitar on Immersion.
Since In Silico, he has been the band's main singer. When Pendulum performs live, Rob usually plays a guitar-like MIDI controller called a Starr Labs' Ztar Z6. He also sings the songs where his voice was used in the original recordings. For live shows, he likes to use CME UF70 Master Keyboard and Korg Kontrol 49 MIDI Keyboard.
Discography
Singles
As lead artist
- "Fat American Bitchcore" (with Animal Intelligence) (2002)
As featured artist
- "Ghosts 'n' Stuff" (Deadmau5 featuring Rob Swire) (2009)
- "Breathe" (Eric Prydz featuring Rob Swire) (2016)
- "Monophobia" (Deadmau5 featuring Rob Swire) (2018)
Production credits
- "Nervous (Creep)" by DJ Fresh featuring Mary Byker (2006)
- "End Credits" (Live) by Chase & Status featuring Plan B (2009)
- "Rude Boy" by Rihanna (2009)
- "Play" by Taio Cruz (2011)
- "Roc Me Out" by Rihanna (2011)
- "5 Minutes" by Tinie Tempah (2013)
See also
In Spanish: Rob Swire para niños
