Introducing the entrancing pop of the electronic duo known as Them&Us. Comprised of lee Michael (aka acclaimed beat-boxer pioneer Killa Kela) and former Basement Jaxx vocalist Ami Carmine. their sound has been described as a 'Game Of Tones' which, with their highly distinctive style, perfectly encapsulates their capacity to blend the ethereal, beautiful and melodic, with heavy beats, soaring synths and rumbling bass. I wanted "us" to get to know a little more about "them" (see what i did there... lol) and was fortunate enough to do so when I got the opportunity to interview them.which you can read about further below:
MHB: How did the two of you first come together/meet? How was Them&Us formed?
Lee : We met 7 years ago through a mutual friend. At first we didn't work together, but it happened pretty naturally around 3 years later after knowing each other. We just thought 'why not?!'
MHB: Growing up did you both always want to be musicians? Can you recall your earliest musical memory?
Ami: I was always a performer from a really young age, it was definitely in my blood! I'd always put on a show in my house as a child and always wanted ballet & tap shoes for Christmas! As far as my first musical memory, it is probably in my mums living room using a big cardboard box as my set, and dancing in and out of it like I was in some kind of theatre production! Ha-ha!
MHB: How would you describe the music scene where you are from?
Lee: It's definitely eclectic. It's London, so the scene is very varied.
Ami: Where I'm originally from in the North of England, it’s a very cool scene... more typically very 'band-based' music, but there are some really great musicians from the North, like our friend JP Cooper, who's doing really great right now, and has got the most unbelievable voice!
MHB: Who are some of your favorite artists & musical influences? What bands continue to inspire you and your music?
Ami: I love artists Like Bjork, Peter Gabriel, David Bowie. I love how they pushed boundaries. More current acts I like are Sigur Ros, MO, & Son Lux.
Lee: Motorhead all day. Lemmy was a legend.
MHB: How would you describe YOUR sound to a new listener? What would you say makes your music unique?
Ami: I think it could be described as electronic, synth, dance pop.
Lee: It has heavier elements which makes some of our stuff a little more left field but, it’s definitely big & electronic.
Ami: I think its unique because we both come from different musical worlds. Lee grew up more on Hip hop and rock, whereas I definitely came more from a commercial world, but with a real love for pioneering electronic music and 80s synths! I think you hear both of our musical personalities in our music.
MHB: Let's talk about your new single 'Icarus'... How did it come together? What was the inspiration behind it?
Ami: We actually wrote it in 2013 and got it back out of the vault last year. We knew it was a great tune, but the timing was wrong to releases it within our first two EPs. It needed a bit of an overhaul on the production, but we knew we wanted to release it this summer as it had such a summery vibe!
MHB: What's on the horizon for you? What can we expect to see from you in the coming months? Where do you see this project in a year from now?
Ami: We're still working hard behind the scenes and working on new music. We are completely independent, so things can take a little longer to move forward when there’s only two people doing all the jobs that need to be done! Although, we have things in the pipeline that are still surfacing which is exciting! We are heading to Indie Week Canada mid -November, to perform 3 shows which we are looking forward to.
Lee: We just keep moving… our goals are always changing, but we would like to be performing at some of the big festivals next year.
MHB: If you had the chance, who would you love to work with?
Ami: We'd love to work with MNEK & Paul Epworth (both great UK producers) as whatever they've worked on we've always really enjoyed.
MHB: For each one of you, if you were stuck on an island with only one record forever, what would it be?
Ami: Joga by Bjork
Lee: Guns n Roses - Appetite for Destruction
MHB: At the end of the day, what do you hope listeners take away from your music?
Ami: I think that is a tough question as music speaks to everyone differently, and especially at different times in peoples lives. I really love when people contact us and say that our music has helped them through a hard time in their lives. That’s really fulfilling, as we know that we put our heart into what we do, so for people to resonate with that and it help them in some way is amazing!
MHB: What does music mean to you?
Ami: It’s everything! It's literally our life every day!
MHB: Is there anything else you would like to share about yourself & your music?
Ami: You can check out all of our music online at www.themandusofficial.com, but there are lots more exciting things to come so watch this space!
Their recently released summertime dance single 'Icarus' which, since its release in August, has been gaining steady solid support with over 150K Spotify streams, can be heard below:
Them&Us also recently took the time to do a live recorded session of 'Icarus' at Relentless Studio in London with special guests Dave Budgen from Dub Pistols and Clarissa Land of Crystal Fighters which you can check out below:
To hear more from Them&Us visit their Soundcloud page at