The Shapeshifters

Shapeshifters are a house music production duo based in London, England. They have a recording contract with Defected Records, and were previously signed to Positiva. Max Reich is originally from Gothenburg, Sweden, while Simon Marlin is British.

They are known in the United States as Shape:UK, in part due to a conflict with the Los Angeles based hip-hop act The Shape Shifters. However, the UK duo still uses "The Shapeshifters" name when they are releasing material in other countries outside the US.

Biography

The Shapeshifters are best known for their single "Lola's Theme" which went to #1 in the UK Singles Chart in July 2004. The track was originally released as an instrumental promo in 2003 and was inspired by Simon's wife, Lola.

Their second single, "Back to Basics", was released in March 2005 and reached #10 in the UK chart, while the third single "Incredible" reached #12. Their debut album, Sound Advice, was released in March 2006 and peaked at #76 in the UK Albums Chart, before being released in the United States on Ultra Records in September 2006. The fourth single which featured Nile Rodgers of Chic, was called "Sensitivity" and charted at #40 on July 2006.

+/- (band)

+/-, or Plus/Minus, is an American indietronic band formed in 2001. The band makes use of both electronic and traditional instruments, and has sought to use electronics to recreate traditional indie rock song forms and instrumental structures. The group has released two albums on each of the American indie labels Teenbeat Records and Absolutely Kosher, and their track "All I do" was prominently featured in the soundtrack for the major film Wicker Park. The group has developed a devoted following in Japan and Taiwan, and has toured there frequently. Although many artists append bonus tracks onto the end of Japanese album releases to discourage purchasers from buying cheaper US import versions, the overseas versions of +/- albums are usually quite different from the US versions - tracklists can be rearranged, artwork with noticeable changes is used, and tracks from the US version can be replaced as well as augmented by bonus tracks.

History

Band

Band or BAND may refer to:

Science and technology

Computing and electronics

Organizations

Bandō

Bandō may refer to:

People

Other

See also

Bando (disambiguation)

Shapeshifting

In mythology, folklore and speculative fiction, shapeshifting, or metamorphosis is the ability of an entity to physically transform into another being or form. This is usually achieved through an inherent faculty of a mythological creature, divine intervention, or the use of magic spells or talismans.

The idea of shapeshifting has been present since antiquity and may be common in all cultures. It is present in the oldest forms of totemism and shamanism, as well as the oldest extant literature and epic poems, including works such as the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Iliad, where the shapeshifting is usually induced by the act of a deity. The idea persisted through the Middle Ages, where the agency causing shapeshifting is usually a sorcerer or witch, and into the modern period. It remains a common trope in modern fantasy, children's literature, and works of popular culture.

The most common form of shapeshifting myths is that of therianthropy, which is the transformation of a human being into an animal or conversely, of an animal into human form. Legends allow for transformations into plants and objects, and the assumption of another human countenance (e.g. fair to ugly).

Shapeshifter (Anita Blake mythology)

Numerous different types of shapeshifters exist in the Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter universe, including werewolves and wererats. Anita distinguishes between lycanthropes, which include solely persons infected by contact with another lycanthrope's bodily fluids, and shapeshifters, a class that includes both lycanthropes and persons who are able to shapeshift as a result of magic, such as a personal or family curse.

In the Anitaverse, lycanthropes are barred from certain professions and can in fact still be killed on sight in some states. The status of non-lycanthrope shapeshifters, being far more rare, is less clear. To what extent, if any, human society recognizes the authority of lycanthrope social groups (packs, pards, etc.) -- whether criminal acts undertaken at the order of one's alpha might be regarded as actions taken under duress, for instance—is similarly unclear.

Shapeshifter attributes

Shape change

Lycanthropes can assume at least two forms - human and animal. Powerful shifters can also assume a "hybrid" form that is bipedal with animal characteristics or even transform a small part of their body at will (for example, "growing" fingers into claws).