Maribou State

Biography

Maribou State is a British electronic music duo consisting of Chris Davids and Liam Ivory from Hertfordshire.[1] The pair initially collaborated in a traditional band setup when Liam asked Chris to play bass, but when they moved north to attend university, the band dissolved and they pivoted to creating electronic music in their home studio.[1] In the summer of 2011, they were discovered by Fat! Records and released their debut 'Olivia' EP, establishing their signature bass-heavy, melodic sound.[1] Their early momentum was fueled by viral bootleg remixes and critical acclaim—notably, their remix of Crookers' 'Hummus' topped the Hype Machine chart in spring 2012, and their track 'The Look' from the 'Native' EP received a 10/10 rating and Tune of the Month from Mixmag.[1]

The duo achieved significant recognition with their 2015 debut album 'Portraits,' which showcased a sophisticated blend of electronics and live instrumentation inspired by British music history, drawing from 80s soul-funk, 90s trip-hop, and contemporary artists like James Blake, Mount Kimbie, and Burial.[4] They have since performed at major venues worldwide, including Glastonbury and the Sydney Opera House, with their 2019 Glastonbury performance at the West Holts stage marking one of the most significant shows of their career.[2] Their third album, 'Hallucinating Love,' released in January 2025 on Ninja Tune, represents their most personal work to date, conceived during a challenging period from 2020 onwards when both members dealt with various physical and mental health issues that ultimately informed the album's emotional depth and hopeful sonic palette.[2][4]

Fun Facts

• The duo's name 'Maribou State' is derived from the Irvine Welsh novel 'Maribou Stork Nightmares,' showing their literary inspirations.[4]
• Their bootleg remix of Lauryn Hill's 'Doo Wop' went viral on YouTube, accumulating thousands of plays and earning radio support from major UK stations including Radio 1, 1Xtra, and XFM.[1]
• Chris Davids underwent surgery during the 'Hallucinating Love' album cycle, which slowed his recovery process while the band was simultaneously managing the demanding album release schedule.[5]
• Maribou State discovered their long-term collaborator Jack Sibley (North Downs) through SoundCloud, despite the fact that they lived only twenty minutes away from each other at the time.[4]

Members

• Christopher Davids
• Liam Ivory

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Diplo - Early supporter who provided radio airtime for their bootleg remix of Lauryn Hill's 'Doo Wop' (Lauryn Hill 'Doo Wop' bootleg remix) [2011-2012]
• Pete Tong - Key tastemaker who gave Essential Tune status to 'Scarlett Groove' ('Scarlett Groove' (featuring Saint Saviour)) [2012]

Key Collaborators

• Holly Walker - Long-term creative collaborator and vocalist on multiple projects (Multiple album tracks including work on 'Hallucinating Love') [2015-2025]
• North Downs (Jack Sibley) - Long-term creative collaborator initially connected via SoundCloud despite living twenty minutes apart (Multiple collaborative projects) [2010s-2025]
• Gaidaa - Vocalist collaborator on 'Hallucinating Love' album ('Hallucinating Love' (2025)) [2024-2025]
• Andreya - Vocalist collaborator on 'Hallucinating Love' album ('Hallucinating Love' (2025)) [2024-2025]
• Pedestrian - Collaborator on bootleg remix production (Lauryn Hill 'Doo Wop' bootleg remix) [2011-2012]

Artists Influenced

• Bonobo - Stylistic influence for creating organic dance music with field recordings and live instrumentation (General artistic direction) [2013 onwards]
• Four Tet - Stylistic influence for creating organic dance music with broken house rhythms and sub-bass (General artistic direction) [2013 onwards]
• Massive Attack - British music influence that inspired their sound during album creation (General artistic influence on 'Hallucinating Love') [2020-2025]
• Portishead - British trip-hop influence on their musical palette (General artistic influence) [2015 onwards]
• James Blake - Contemporary influence on their electronic and live instrumentation approach (General artistic influence on 'Portraits' and beyond) [2015 onwards]

External Links

• Spotify
• [Wikipedia](Not found in search results)
• MusicBrainz

Tags: #downtempo, #electronic, #electronic-duo