Monday, September 27, 2010

Caribou





Daniel Victor Snaith (born 1978), better known by the stage names Caribou and Manitoba, is a Canadian electronic musician.

Snaith was born in London, Ontario and grew up in Dundas, Ontario. Snaith attended Parkside Secondary School and later studied mathematics at the University of Toronto and later at Imperial College London (PhD). He is the son of Victor Snaith, a mathematics professor at the University of Sheffield, and the brother of Anna and Nina Snaith, a reader in mathematics at the University of Bristol.

Snaith previously recorded under the stage name Manitoba, but changed his name in 2004 under threat of an American lawsuit by Richard "Handsome Dick" Manitoba[1], the stage name of The Dictators frontman Richard Blum. As Snaith himself commented, "It's like The Smiths suing John Smith or something".[2][3]

Snaith usually performs with a live band when playing gigs, often assuming the role of percussionist. Currently, Snaith's live band is made up of himself, Ryan Smith, Brad Weber, and John Schmersal. (Former bassist Andy Lloyd now plays with Born Ruffians and former percussionist Peter Mitton is now a radio producer for CBC.) Sets also often include complex video projections on a large screen, a DVD of which was released in November 2005. "[I]n music I will have an idea to put some different sounds together or a melody that meshes with a chord sequence or a sonic mood," said Snaith in an interview. "I'm not the type of person who takes physical things apart and plays around with them, but I like taking mental ideas apart and playing around with them. That's what appeals to me about what I've spent my life doing."[4]

He completed his Ph.D. in mathematics at Imperial College London in 2005. His thesis, titled Overconvergent Siegel Modular Symbols, was written under the direction of Kevin Buzzard.[5] Snaith currently resides in London, United Kingdom.

His 2007 album Andorra was named the winner of the 2008 Polaris Music Prize,[6] and his 2010 album Swim was on the 2010 Polaris Music Prize shortlist.[7]

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