One of the vanguard artists in the U.K.'s genre-swirling wonky pop movement, Dan Black brought his combination of pop, rock, dance, and hip-hop flavors to light in 2008 with his hit single "Yours." After spending four years playing guitar in the alt-rock band
the Servant, Black left London for Paris. The 2008 solo track "HYPNTZ" -- a mix of the lyrics from
the Notorious B.I.G.'s "Hypnotize" with a sample of
Rihanna's "Umbrella" underneath -- announced his return home. The funky single "Alone" became his first official release thanks to the Polydor label, and "Yours" landed at the end of the year. Black began 2009 by joining Boy Crisis and
Master Shortie on the U.K. Wonky Pop Tour. In July his debut album, ((Un)), which featured the hit single "Symphonies," was released in the U.K. The album was issued in the U.S in February of 2010 and added a version of "Symphonies" featuring vocals from
Kid Cudi. After spending a few years working with dance acts such as
Bag Raiders, Black returned in 2017 with
Do Not Revenge, which featured collaborations with
Kelis and
Imogen Heap. ~ David Jeffries