Since their inception in 2009, the genre-defying Submotion Orchestra have moved seamlessly between deep electronica, jazz, soul and ambient downtempo, mesmerising audiences from Iceland to India. Their unique music is at once delicate and heavy, spacious and dense, highly atmospheric but firmly rooted. Earth-shaking bass and drums combine with lush keyboard and trumpet textures to create the perfect backdrop for the fragile beauty of Ruby Wood’s vocals.

Formed in Leeds in 2009, the band quickly made a splash on the wider scene. Their live gigs left audiences open-mouthed, and their debut EP on Ranking Records drew a rave reaction from Gilles Peterson who quickly gave the band their first Radio 1 session. Their now-legendary weekly residency at the tiny Hukaz Bar in Leeds gave fans the unique opportunity to see the band create new material up close and personal.

The band’s first full-length album Finest Hour became an instant cult classic on its 2010 release, receiving strong support from DJs such as 6 Music's Mista Jam and Trevor Nelson. In 2012, Follow-up album Fragments received heated enthusiasm from fans and critics alike for the variety of its sound. Radio support came from such diverse presenters as Pete Tong, Huey, Lauren Laverne and Don Letts, demonstrating Submotion’s unique cross-genre appeal. Fragments spent a week at number 1 in the iTunes charts, and the supporting tour climaxed with a sold-out show at London’s legendary Koko, while appearances followed at some of Europe’s biggest festivals, including Glastonbury, Bestival, The Big Chill, Pohoda and Outlook.

Demand for the band had never been greater, as their reputation for staging one of the most exciting shows around grew with each appearance they made. 2013 saw them release the 1968 EP on Circus Records, which saw their champions grow to include i-D, Noisey, and Clash, and this was followed by their third album, Alium, a dazzlingly eclectic record that showcased every aspect of the band’s myriad talents. Ninja Tune/Counter Records leapt at the chance to release it, signing the band in summer 2014. Released that autumn, it garnered fantastic support at radio and superb reviews, with Mixmag proclaiming it “drenched in sunshine,” and Clash pointing to a band who seem able “stop time, their uniquely chilled grooves retaining a zen-like peace.”

The group’s reputation for stunning live performances grew with further UK and European tours, headlining the 6000-capacity Pula ampitheatre at the Outlook festival and sold-out shows at the Barbican Theatre (for the London Jazz Festival) and The Forum. Their song ‘Perfection’ was sampled for Young Jeezy’s Seen it All album, which went to number 2 in the US album charts, whilst Bryson Tiller’s monster hit ‘Right My Wrongs’ made memorable use of Submotion’s signature tune ‘All Yours’. Instrumental EP III moved their sound to more electronic realms, whilst critically-acclaimed fourth album Colour Theory found the band collaborating with artists such as Royce Wood Jr., Andrew Ashong and Catching Flies, with their momentum reaching a notable peak with a headline show at the legendary Royal Albert Hall. Fifth album Kites marked a return to their early sound, written and arranged by the band playing together, and recorded live in the studio, featuring their most personal and honest songs yet.

The COVID lockdown saw the band return to basics by recording and releasing their Unplugged collections, featuring fan and band favourites performed in a stripped-back setting, which they brought to rapturous concert audiences in 2023 in collaboration with the Prism String Ensemble. This period of looking back enabled the band to find their next direction forward, which saw its first demonstration with 2024’s Five Points EP, and has culminated in their newest LP Passed Me By, which shows the band continuing to explore new roads for their music, ploughing a path through electronic, jazz, ambient and soul in the singular way that Submotion Orchestra can do.

Glen Hansard

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