Rudimental

The London-based electronic outfit Rudimental crafts feel-good dance anthems often bolstered by inspired guest vocalists. From the late 2000s, the quartet issued a steady stream of popular singles, including the chart-topping hits “Feel the Love” with John Newman and “Waiting All Night” with Ella Eyre. They issued their multi-platinum debut album Home in 2013, which was followed by a second consecutive number one, 2015′s We the Generation, home to the international smash “Lay It All on Me” with Ed Sheeran. Their third set, 2018′s Toast to Our Differences, spawned another global hit, “These Days” with Jess Glynne, Macklemore, and Dan Caplen. In 2021, they released their fourth LP, Ground Control, which was followed by the 2022 single “Break My Heart.”
The project originally started out in 2009 as a production duo formed by Piers Agget and Kesi Dryden. Years later, they made their debut as artists with their U.K. number one single “Feel the Love.” Agget’s DJ’ing brought him into contact with DJ Locksmith, who joined the pair, followed later by a chance meeting with Amir Amor at a studio in Hoxton, London. Rudimental’s first release, 2011′s dancehall-inspired “Deep in the Valley,” appeared on garage, grime, and dubstep label Black Butter and was quickly followed by “Speeding” and “Spoons.” Picked up by Asylum Records/Warner Music off the back of their first few singles, 2012 saw the release of the drum’n’bass roller “Feel the Love.” Championed by Zane Lowe on BBC Radio 1, the single reached the top of the U.K. charts the same weekend the four-piece played on their home turf at the Radio 1 2012 Hackney Weekender. In 2013, Rudimental’s debut album Home arrived. Working with some of the U.K.’s finest talent, including the voice of 2012, Emeli Sandé, the album’s mix of dubstep, R&B, house, and drum’n’bass received positive reviews and went straight to the number one spot on the U.K. album chart. Hit singles from the album popped up into 2014, including the U.K. number one “Waiting All Night,” which won a BRIT Award for Best British Single. Rudimental scored another big hit in 2015 with the Ed Sheeran collaboration “Bloodstream,” and geared up for the release of their second full-length, We the Generation, which included collaborations with Dizzee Rascal, Anne-Marie, MNEK, Lianne La Havas, Bobby Womack, and several others. The second Sheeran feature on the album, “Lay It All on Me,” became the duo’s first U.S.-charting song and their eighth U.K. Top 40 track. The song also went platinum in Australia, Denmark, Italy, New Zealand, and the U.K. They closed 2017 by recruiting James Arthur for the single “Sun Comes Up.” The following year, Rudimental issued a handful of high-profile collaborations, including “Let Me Live” with Major Lazer, Anne-Marie, and Mr. Eazi; “Walk Alone” with Tom Walker; “Summer Love” with Rita Ora; and the multi-platinum, chart-topping “These Days” with Jess Glynne, Macklemore, and Dan Caplen. These singles all appeared on their third full-length release, Toast to Our Differences, which landed in early 2019. Another single, “Come Over,” featuring Anne-Marie and Tion Wayne arrived in August 2020. That track would appear on their fourth LP, Ground Control, which landed in 2021. Additional singles on the album included “Be the One” and “So Sorry.” “Break My Heart” appeared in 2022. ~ Rich Wilson