The Shapeshifters Explained

The Shapeshifters
Background:	group_or_band
Origin:	London, England
Genre:	House, nu-disco, dance-pop
Years Active:	2004–present
Associated Acts:	Faithless, Moby, Frankie Knuckles, Christina Aguilera, George Michael, Cee Lo Green
Current Members:	Simon Marlin
Past Members:	Max Reich

The Shapeshifters is the current alias of English house producer Simon Marlin and a former duo comprising Marlin and Swedish producer Max Reich, from Gothenburg.^[1] The Shapeshifters have been signed to Defected Records since 2008, and the duo were previously signed to Positiva. They are best known for their debut single "Lola's Theme", which went to No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart in July 2004.

Formerly producing and touring as a duo with Max Reich, Marlin has continued working and performing under the Shapeshifters moniker as a solo act since 2017.

His physical releases in the United States fell under the name Shape:UK, in part due to a trademark conflict with the Los Angeles-based hip hop group the Shape Shifters.

Biography

The Shapeshifters are best known for their debut single "Lola's Theme", which went to number 1 on the UK Singles Chart in July 2004. The track was originally released as an instrumental promo in 2003 and was inspired by Marlin's ex-wife, Lola.

Their second single, "Back to Basics", was released in March 2005 and reached number 10 on the UK chart,^[1] while the third single "Incredible" reached number 12.^[2] Their debut album, Sound Advice, was released in March 2006 and peaked at number 76 in the UK Albums Chart, before being released in the United States on Ultra Records in September 2006. The fourth single which featured Nile Rodgers of Chic, was called "Sensitivity" and charted at number 40 in July 2006.^[2]

In 2008, after four years with Positiva Records, the Shapeshifters signed to Defected Records. Their first release for Defected was "Treadstone" in April 2008, and this was subsequently followed by "Chime", a re-work of the Orbital track. "Chime" was also notably remixed by Martijn ten Velden. In September 2008, the Shapeshifters released The Shapeshifters – In the House—a mix album was part of the In the House series. In September 2008, the Shapeshifters also released "Lola's Theme ('08 Re-Edit)". This was originally an exclusive remix that the Shapeshifters used in their own DJ sets, but due to major demand and exposure, this title was released as a digital download through their own Nocturnal Groove record label. Upon its release this title spent seven weeks at number 1 on the Beatport sales chart.

In July 2009, the Shapeshifters released the Young Dubs EP which included "Sideways" and "Nocturnal". Throughout 2009, the Shapeshifters also remixed Natalie Imbruglia's single ("Want") and collaborated with Frankie Knuckles on "The Ones You Love" which was released on Nocturnal Groove. They also remixed Candi Staton ("Musical Freedom") and compiled the digital compilation, Nocturnal Grooves: Vol. 2 – Mixed by the Shapeshifters as well as working alongside Empire of the Sun and Kleerup remixing "We Are the People" and "Longing for Lullabies". The Shapeshifters first release of 2010 was Summerdayze 2010 – Mixed by the Shapeshifters—a compilation album released to coincide with their Australian tour in January 2010 and further singles such as "Helter Skelter" and "She Freaks" followed. Within the year, both "Helter Skelter" and "She Freaks" gained over 1,000,000 views on YouTube. In 2010, the Shapeshifters remixed "Broken Arrow" by Pixie Lott and "Looking Forward" by Jason Chance. In April 2010, the Shapeshifters began the Nocturnal Groove Radio Show, a weekly radio show broadcast through a range of international radio stations across the world, which is also available as a podcast on iTunes and is available to stream from the Nocturnal Groove website and the Shapeshifters' pages on social networks like Facebook and SoundCloud.

The Shapeshifters have also worked on productions and remixes for George Michael, Faithless, Frankie Knuckles, Christina Aguilera, Moby, Leona Lewis, Todd Terry and Danny Howells. In 2011, the Shapeshifters released "Waiting for You" – their first collaboration with Shermanology – and remixed "I'll Take You There" from Frankie Knuckles's Director's Cut project. As well as remixing Human Life's "In It Together", the Shapeshifters also released another remix album titled Nikki Beach – In the House: Mixed by the Shapeshifters via Defected Records.

In the summer of 2013, the duo released the album Analogue to Digital...And Back Again, with digital (download) and physical (CD) versions, which contains productions remixed by other producers in part one and remixes in part two. This album contains a huge part of their production work from the years 2008 to 2013.

In the late 2010s, as DJs, the Shapeshifters continue to release records and tour the world and return to Ibiza for a 12th consecutive year at the Pacha and Space nightclubs in 2016. In 2017, the group played for Glitterbox at the new Hi Ibiza.

During the summer of 2017, Max Reich stepped away from the outfit, leaving long term studio partner Marlin to carry on producing and touring. In 2017, the Shapeshifters released a new remix package of their hit "Lola's Theme", notably including a remix of "Purple Disco Machine".

In the late 2010s, Marlin released the singles "When Love Breaks Down" (2017) and "Try My Love (On for Size)" (2018), both successfully acclaimed by fans, other producers and DJs. Moreover, in 2018, according to official sources, Marlin continues to tour under the Shapeshifters name mainly in Europe.

The Shapeshifters collaborated with Chic's lead singer Kimberly Davis in 2019 and 2020 on the tracks "Life is a Dancefloor" (2019) and "Second Chance" (2020) which were released on Glitterbox, a sublabel of Defected Records.

In 2022, Marlin released the studio album "Let Loose". The Deluxe Edition of the album was released in 2023.^[3]

On 18 July 2024, the duo were featured on the single "Different", by British rapper ArrDee.^{[4] [5]}

Awards and nominations

Award	Year	Category	Nominee(s)	Result
Brit Awards	2005	British Single of the Year	"Lola's Theme"		^[6]
Hungarian Music Awards	2007	Best Foreign Dance Album	Sound Advice		^[7]
International Dance Music Awards	2005	Best Underground Dance Track	"Lola's Theme"		^[8]
Best House/Garage Dance Track
Best New Dance Artist (Group)		Themselves
2007	Best House/Garage Dance Track	"Sensitivity"		^[9]
Popjustice £20 Music Prize	2005	Best British Pop Single	"Lola's Theme"		^[10]
Smash Hits Poll Winners Party	2004	Best Dance Act	Themselves		^[11]
World Music Awards	2006	World's Best DJ			^[12] Discography Albums 2004: Shapeshifters Present House Grooves (Virgin) 2005: Shapeshifters Present House Grooves Vol. 2 (Newstate) 2006: Sound Advice – No. 76 UK (Positiva) 2008: The Shapeshifters – In the House (Defected) 2009: Nocturnal Grooves: Vol. 1 – Mixed by the Shapeshifters (Nocturnal Groove) 2009: Summadayze 2010 – Mixed by the Shapeshifters (EQ Recordings) 2010: Nocturnal Grooves: Vol. 2 – Mixed by the Shapeshifters (Nocturnal Groove) 2011: Nikki Beach – In the House: Mixed by the Shapeshifters (Defected) 2013: Analogue to Digital...And Back Again (Nocturnal Groove) 2022: Let Loose (Glitterbox Recordings) Singles Year Title Peak chart positions Certifications Album UK ^[13] AUS ^[14] BEL ^[15] FIN ^[16] GER ^[17] IRE ^[18] ITA ^[19] NED ^[20] NZ ^[21] SCO ^[22] SWI ^[23] 2004 "Lola's Theme" 1 35 19 9 23 7 18 18 11 2 31 UK: Platinum^[24] Sound Advice 2005 "Back to Basics" 10 62 29 5 74 23 — 33 — 14 49 2006 "Incredible" 12 62 42 2 73 31 — 30 — 13 73 "Sensitivity" (featuring Chic) 40 — — 18 — — — 46 — 38 — 2007 "Pusher" 56 — — 15 — — — 89 — 33 — align="left" rowspan="21" "New Day" 72 — — — — — — 96 — 46 — 2008 "Chime" — — — — — — — — — — — "Treadstone" — — — — — — — — — — — "Lola's Theme" ('08 re-edit) — — — — — — — — — — — 2009 "The Ones You Love" (with Frankie Knuckles) — — — — — — — — — — — 2010 "Helter Skelter" — — — — — — — — — — — "She Freaks" — — — — — — — 95 — — — 2011 "The Ones You Love" (DJ Meme remix) — — — — — — — — — — — "Waiting for You" (with Shermanology) — — — — — — — — — — — 2012 "Shake, Shake" — — — — — — — — — — — "Only You" — — — — — — — — — — — 2014 "Heartache" (with Calvin Lynch) — — — — — — — — — — — 2015 "It's You" (with River)" — — — — — — — — — — — "The Chase" (with Kisch) — — — — — — — — — — — 2017 "When Love Breaks Down" (with Teni Tinks) — — — — — — — — — — — 2018 "Try My Love (On for Size)" (with Teni Tinks) — — — — — — — — — — — 2019 "Life Is a Dancefloor" (with Kimberly Davis) — — — — — — — — — — — 2020 "Second Chance" (with Kimberly Davis) — — — — — — — — — — — "Finally Ready" (featuring Billy Porter) — — — — — — — — — — — 2021 "You Ain't Love" (featuring Teni Tinks) — — — — — — — — — — — 2024 "Different" (with ArrDee) — — — — — — — — — — — "—" denotes items that did not chart or were not released in that territory. Remixes 2003: Mr Mike – "Do It Again" (Peppermint Jam) 2004: Danny Howells and Dick Trevor featuring Erire – "Dusk Till Dawn" (Cr2 Records) 2004: Patrick L – "Things We Wanna Do" (Onephatdeeva) 2005: We Deliver featuring Erire – "Breathe Again" (Nocturnal Groove) 2005: George Michael – "Flawless" (Sony) 2005: Candi Staton – "You Got the Love" (Positiva) 2006: G-Club featuring Haze – "Faith" (G-Club) 2006: Frankie Knuckles – "I've Had Enough" (Noice Music) 2007: Christina Aguilera – "Ain't No Other Man" (Sony) 2007: Leona Lewis – "Bleeding Love" (Sony/BMG) 2008: We Deliver featuring Erire – "Supernatural'" (Nocturnal Groove) 2008: Todd Terry All Stars – "Get Down" (Strictly Rhythm) 2008: Moby – "I'm in Love" (Mute) 2009: Kleerup featuring Titiyo – "Longing for Lullabies" (Positiva) 2009: Natalie Imbruglia – "Want" (Universal-Island) 2009: Empire of the Sun – "We Are the People" (Virgin/EMI) 2009: Candi Staton – "Musical Freedom" (Nocturnal Groove) 2010: Pixie Lott – "Broken Arrow" (Mercury) 2010: Jason Chance featuring Michelle Weeks – "Looking Forward" (Stealth) 2011: Frankie Knuckles presents Director's Cut featuring Jamie Principle – "I'll Take You There" (Nocturnal Groove) 2011: Frankie Knuckles & Director's Cut – "Your Love" 2011: Human Life – "In It Together" (Defected) 2011: Cee Lo Green – "Bright Lights Bigger City" (Elektra) 2012: Something Good feat. Sansa – "Before Dawn" 2013: Soulmagic – "Someone Like You" 2013: Little Boots – "Broken Record" 2013: East & Young – "Starting Again" (Ultra Music) 2014: Lovebirds featuring Lisa Shaw – "Holdin On" (Defected) 2015: IDQ – "Where Are You" (Love Inc) 2015: Cee Lo Green – "Music to My Soul" 2016: Full Intention – "Just Go Back" See also List of number-one dance hits (United States) List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart External links The Shapeshifters Facebook page The Shapeshifters Instagram page

Notes and References

1. Book: Roberts , David . 2006. British Hit Singles & Albums. 19th. Guinness World Records Limited. London. 1-904994-10-5. 494.
2. http://www.everyhit.com/searchsec.php Everyhit.com
3. News: The Shapeshifters unveils deluxe edition of 2022 studio album Let Loose on Glitterbox. 22 June 2024 .
4. Web site: Arrdee - Different feat. the Shapeshifters. Spotify. 18 July 2024. 6 August 2024.
5. Web site: ArrDee talks new single ‘Different’ and a new “big project”: “There are all kinds of flavours”. NME. Williams. Kyann-Sian. 29 July 2024. 6 August 2024.
6. News: BBC NEWS Entertainment Brits 2005: The winners. 9 February 2005 .
7. Web site: Jelöltek 2007. Fonogram.hu. 12 August 2016 . 2020-06-20.
8. Web site: 31st Annual International Dance Music Awards – Winter Music Conference 2016 – WMC 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304023801/http://www.wintermusicconference.com/events/idmas/index.php?wmcyear=2005#idmanominees. dead. 4 March 2016. 4 March 2016. 2020-06-20.
9. Web site: 31st Annual International Dance Music Awards – Winter Music Conference 2016 – WMC 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304083922/http://www.wintermusicconference.com/events/idmas/index.php?wmcyear=2007#idmanominees. dead. 4 March 2016. 4 March 2016. 2020-06-20.
10. Web site: The Popjustice Twenty Quid Music Prize • Popjustice.
11. Web site: smashhits.net – Poll Winner's Party 2004 – Vote. https://web.archive.org/web/20041208150721/http://www.pollwinnersparty.com/pollwinnersparty/2004/. dead. 8 December 2004. 8 December 2004. 2020-06-20.
12. Web site: 2006 World Music Awards, Winners, Clips, TV Schedule . https://web.archive.org/web/20080204051554/http://www.chiff.com/pop-culture/world-music-awards.htm . 4 February 2008 .
13. Web site: UK Singles . Official Charts Company . 2016-07-22.
14. Peaks in Australia:
    • "Lola's Theme": Web site: Discography The Shapeshifters. australian-charts.com. 3 October 2022.
    • "Back to Basics" and "Incredible": 250.
15. Web site: Belgian (Flanders) Singles . ultratop.be . 2016-07-22.
16. Web site: Finnish Singles . finnishcharts.com . 2016-07-22.
17. German Singles:
    • Web site: The Shapeshifters – Lola's Theme . German . GfK Entertainment . 2016-07-22.
    • Web site: The Shapeshifters – Back to Basics . German . GfK Entertainment . 2016-07-22.
    • Web site: The Shapeshifters – Incredible . German . GfK Entertainment . 2016-07-22.
18. Web site: Irish Singles . irishcharts.ie . 2016-07-22.
19. Web site: Italian Singles . italiancharts.com . 2016-07-22.
20. Web site: Netherlands Singles . dutchcharts.nl . 2016-07-22.
21. Web site: New Zealand Singles . charts.nz . 2016-07-22.
22. Scottish Singles:
    • Web site: The Shapeshifters – Lola's Theme . Official Charts Company . 2016-07-22.
    • Web site: The Shapeshifters – Back to Basics . Official Charts Company . 2016-07-22.
    • Web site: The Shapeshifters – Incredible . Official Charts Company . 2016-07-22.
    • Web site: The Shapeshifters – Sensitivity . Official Charts Company . 2016-07-22.
    • Web site: The Shapeshifters – Pusher . Official Charts Company . 2016-07-22.
    • Web site: The Shapeshifters – New Day . Official Charts Company . 2016-07-22.
23. Web site: Swiss Singles . hitparade.ch . 2016-07-22.
24. Web site: Certified Awards . . 10 September 2020 . enter "Shapeshifters" into the "Keywords" box, then select "Search".