Maribou State

Maribou State are Chris Davids and Liam Ivory, the UK duo giving electronic music a
much-needed shot of soul. Since 2011, they’ve established themselves as major
players on the global dance music circuit, melding a genre-fluid range of influences into
a distinctly organic sound, redefining downtempo electronica for a new generation.
They’ve become a hugely acclaimed live act who’ve performed roadblock shows from
Glastonbury to the Sydney Opera House, as well as back-to-back sold-out UK, EU and
North American tours.
Over three albums – including a new, forthcoming release – Maribou State have honed
a delicate balance of intricacy, intimacy and electronic expansiveness. Their vast sonic
universe pulls on UK club music, vintage soul and evocative samples to create
something completely unique. Their 2015 debut, Portraits, was written and recorded in
the shed at the bottom of Liam’s parents’ garden in leafy Hertfordshire, just outside of
London, where the duo both grew up. Building on Portrait’s success, Maribou State
relocated to the UK capital but looked further afield for inspiration: 2018’s Kingdom of
Colour wove together a sonic collage of ideas and field recordings from their travels
across India, Australia, Morocco, America and beyond. Lead single ‘Feel Good’, a
collaboration with Texan trio Khruangbin, was a runaway success, while the album itself
was released to widespread acclaim. It led dance music bible Mixmag to crown Maribou
State one of their artists of the year.
The duo have always stayed true to their club roots: they started DJing together in the
mid-2000s and pay homage to the lineage of UK dance music throughout their
productions, such as the much-loved single ‘Turnmills’, named for the legendary former
London club. They followed it with 2019’s Kingdoms In Colour Remixed, featuring
reworkings from the likes of HAAi, Maceo Plex and DJ Tennis and, in 2020, an
instalment of Fabric’s esteemed Fabric Presents series. The compilation evidenced their
wide-reaching music tastes and linked soul, disco and bumpier house grooves with UK
jazz and even neo-classical.
Maribou State’s live show has simultaneously evolved to the next level, where they
have become must-see headliners. Their band has come to its fullest realisation on their
new and third album, Hallucinating Love. It’s a beacon of hopefulness after a turbulent
past few years both personally and professionally, where Chris has been coming to
terms with a major brain condition, bringing the duo closer together than ever before.
The hotly-anticipated release brings together a host of impressive talents, including
vocalists Holly Walker and Andreya Triana, and incredibly talented producer Jack
Sibley, for a celebration of community, togetherness and triumphing against the odds.
Hallucinating Love is preceded by two exceptional singles, and soothing balms for
tempestuous times. ‘Blackoak’ typifies Maribou State’s earthy blend of folk, epic strings,
elastic funk bass and earworm vocal hooks, plus ‘Otherside’ which features long-term
collaborator and vocalist Holly Walker. It’s a complex tapestry of sound, but one that
always brings heart and soul to the forefront.