Junior Boys

A Hamilton, Ontario-based electronic pop group, Junior Boys began as a duo with its duties split between Jeremy Greenspan and Johnny Dark. Influenced by a number of music sectors -- including arty synth pop, minimal techno, U.K. garage, and contemporary hip-hop -- the two made a demo with no positive results. Dark opted to leave the group (he would go on to release solo material and form one half of the duo Stereo Image), but former Warp employee Nick Kilroy heard the songs and became interested enough to start the KIN label with Junior Boys as its first artist. Engineer Matt Didemus joined Greenspan, and together they recorded enough material for a full-length. Prior to the 2004 release of the resulting album, titled Last Exit, a pair of 12" singles were released; one included a remix from Fennesz, while the other featured a remix from Manitoba. Three months after Last Exit's initial U.K. release, Domino picked up the album for distribution in the U.S. The Domino version added a bonus disc with B-sides and remixes from the 12" releases. The relatively slick So This Is Goodbye followed in 2006. Two years later, they provided the sixth volume of the Get Physical label's Body Language mix series, and Begone Dull Care -- inspired by illustrator and director Norman McLaren and jazz pianist Oscar Peterson's collaboration of the same name -- followed in 2009. It's All True, the JBs' lightest and most playful album (from a sonic standpoint), was released two years later. It's closing track, "Banana Ripple," was remixed by the Field and disco pioneer Tom Moulton. ~ Andy Kellman, Rovi