Gorillaz - Gorillaz

Parlophone

March 26th marks the 20th anniversary of the groundbreaking Gorillaz debut album. Hailed by the Guinness Book of records as the most successful virtual band, Damon Albarn and partner in crime Jamie Hewlett manifested a feat in music culture that hasn't been equaled since.

Perfecting a craft to the point where it's pretty much a futile task to try and emulate it is the ultimate artistic endpoint. A virtual band could only be undertaken by a man like Albarn. With his curator, cultivator and conductor ways wrapped in a pop sensibility The Gorillaz was always going to unearth unprecedented success. Nobody, and I mean nobody, pulls together features and contemporary artists like Albarn. His sixth sense for what suits and fits is second to none.

The debut is raw compared to where the likes of Demon Days and Plastic Beach would end up. A definite ode to punk ethos resides within. Influence from the early 90's Bristol sound can be heard throughout in tracks like 'New Genious' and 'Gravity'. Portishead and Massive Attack are two acts that clearly shaped the space between The Gorillaz world and the listener. New York, the birthplace of Hip-Hop has to be mentioned also. Tomorrow Comes Today, my favorite Gorillaz track, harks back to the likes of DJ Shadow and his sense for downtrodden tempo's.

The seeds were sown back in the mid-90's as Blur would experiment, leading to interesting results. These experiments would go on to form the foundations for what we now know as The Gorillaz. Hindsight makes it obvious but knowing that The Gorillaz were on the horizon was relatively impossible.

Many a morning was spent watching MTV in my pyjamas waiting for Murdoc and co. to travel the highway in their beat up transport. Even at a young age you could feel something special was in the works.

20 years of one of the finest pop acts of all time.

March 26th, 2001.