UNKLE is a British musical outfit founded in 1994 by school friends James Lavelle and Tim Goldsworthy. The first release was the EP “The Time Has Come”, created by Lavelle and Goldsworthy with Kudo and T. Nakanishi of the Japanese Hip Hop crew “Major Force”. Only one year later, Goldsworthy decides to start working on another project and his place in the band line-up will be occupied by DJ Shadow.
Lavelle and Shadow released the new album, “Psyence Fiction” in 1998, on which they collaborated with an all-star lineup including Thom Yorke (Radiohead), Mike D (Beastie Boys), Kool G. Rap, Jason Newsted (Metallica), Badly Drawn Boy and Richard Ashcroft (The Verve). Shadow left the group after touring “Psyence Fiction” and was replaced by turntablist group the Scratch Perverts.
In 2003, Lavelle, together with Richard File, co-produced, played and sang on 2003's “Never, Never, Land”. The album featured another stellar lineup which included Ian Brown, Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age), Robert Del Naja (Massive Attack) and Mani (The Stone Roses, Primal Scream) among others. Al this time, Lavelle and File continued mixing under the “UNKLESounds” name.
In 2007 UNKLE started their first world tour, releasing also a new album: „War Stories” which again featured a number of guests including Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone) and Ian Astbury (The Cult). The tour started in London, on the 5th of July 2007, at Islington Academy, with a sold out show! This was UNKLE's first live performance with the new member: Pablo Clements. After that show, the band became one of the “festival favorites” worldwide, performing at MELT! in Germany, Benicassim in Spain, Sziget in Hungary, Summer Sonic in Japan, Reading in UK and alsi in Romania, at Delta Music Fest.
