The Grid

The Grid

The Grid are an electronic music group from the United Kingdom formed by Richard Norris and Dave Ball. The group works across ambient house, electronic, house and techno, and its line-up consists of Norris and Ball.

Breakthrough and major releases

The Grid are best known for the 1994 single “Swamp Thing”, which uses banjo lines played by Roger Dinsdale over house rhythms. The track becomes widely popular in the UK and Australia and reaches number 44 in the 1994 Triple J Hottest 100. It appears on the 1994 album Evolver, which reaches number 14 in the UK charts. “Swamp Thing” also appears on Triple J’s Hottest 100 Volume 2 compilation in 1995.

Other songs associated with the group include “Texas Cowboys”, “Rollercoaster” and “Flotation”.

History

The group splits in 1996 as the two members pursue separate musical projects, then reforms in 2003. In early 2006 it performs live under the name GDM with female singer Misty Woods. The group releases Doppelgänger in 2008 and performs live shows.

Related work

Dave Ball is also known for his work as a solo artist and as a former member of Soft Cell. He reunites with Marc Almond for a new Soft Cell album and tour in 2002–03. Richard Norris works with Erol Alkan as Beyond the Wizard’s Sleeve, a project that releases the album Spring of acid rock re-edits.

In 2021, The Grid collaborate with Robert Fripp on a release called Leviathan.