Music career:
While attending Cherwell Upper School, Lavelle's music career started at 15 when he ran block parties in Oxford. At only 18 he started the Mo' Wax label, taking the name from his club night at the time, Mo' Wax Please. Around the same time he started the That's How It Is night with Gilles Peterson, which went on to become one of London's longest running nights.
In 1996 Mo' Wax released one of electronic music's most celebrated albums, DJ Shadow's seminal Endtroducing...... Soon after this Lavelle started work on an album with DJ Shadow under the name UNKLE. The resulting release Psyence Fiction featured collaborations with Richard Ashcroft, Mike D, Badly Drawn Boy and Thom Yorke. In 2003, he released a follow up to Psyence Fiction, titled Never, Never, Land, though this album saw DJ Shadow replaced by Richard File as the second full time member of UNKLE. It featured collaborations with 3D of Massive Attack and Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age among others.[1]
He is a long time resident at Fabric in London, mixing the inaugural Fabric Live mix album.[2] He has also mixed three progressive house albums for Global Underground.
He has produced a number of film soundtracks, including Sexy Beast. Also an in demand remixer, he has reworked tracks by Garbage, The Verve, Beck and Massive Attack.[3]
In an August 2006 interview with The Skinny, Lavelle revealed that he was working with Chris Goss and Autolux on the follow up to Never, Never, Land, entitled War Stories. Of the album's direction, he said “It’s rawer than '‘Psyence Fiction’' and Never, Never, Land although it’s more in the vein of the traditional singer/songwriter. If the first record was UNKLE does hiphop and the second record was UNKLE does electronic, then this one is like UNKLE does rock, but it’ll hopefully still have its continuity.”[4]
Of other forthcoming projects, he revealed “I’m working on a film with Darren Aronofsky at the moment. It’s a collaboration between me and Clint Mansell who did the score, it’s to remix the score and do a whole new DVD package, the film is unbelievable. I’m working on a documentary about Abel Ferrara as well.”
He has recently finished working alongside his brother Aidan Lavelle on the soundtrack for the movie of the popular sci-fi series The X Files.
Lupe Fiasco mentions Lavelle along with DJ Shadow in the single "Superstar."
In 2010, he released another UNKLE album called Where Did the Night Fall with numerous collaborators such as Gavin Clark and Mark Lanegan.
Quotes:
"I became a DJ because I couldn't breakdance and I was no good at graffiti."
"I'm into a whole concept, it's a whole scene. I'm totally involved in it. We cover hip-hop fused music. We want to do this rock hip-hop thing. We are gonna launch a mad hip-hop/thrash fused band, a young Beastie Boys kind of thing. I'm into the total energy of the Beasties and that whole kind of skate thing. I want that energy and total madness surrounding the whole idea."
"We put out 200 records in 4 or 5 years, I don’t think I’d ever be able to do that again. I don’t think I could ever work like that again, it was just insane."
Wikipedia
No One Knows
James Lavelle Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That and this
These and those
No one knows
We get these pills to swallow
How they stick
In your throat
Oh, what you do to me
No one knows
And I realize you're mine
Indeed a fool am I
And I realize you're mine
Indeed a fool am I
Ah
I journey through the desert
Of the mind
With no hope
I found low
I drift along the ocean
Dead lifeboats in the sun
And come undone
Pleasantly caving in
I come undone
And I realize you're mine
Indeed a fool am I
And I realize you're mine
Indeed a fool I
Ah
Heaven smiles above me
What a gift her below
But no one knows
A gift that you give to me
No one knows
The song No One Knows by James Lavelle is a reflection on the mysteries of life and the contradictions that we encounter as human beings. The song is an exploration of the contradictory nature of existence and the fact that there are no easy answers to the complex questions that we face. At the same time, the song is a celebration of the power of love and the way that it can help us navigate the uncertainties of life.
The first verse of the song sets up the theme of rules and contradictions, with the lines "We get some rules to follow/That and this/These and those/No one knows." This verse is a commentary on the arbitrary nature of the rules that govern our lives and the way that we are often forced to navigate contradictory ideas and messages. The second verse explores the theme of mortality and the impermanence of life, with the lines "I journey through the desert/Of the mind/With no hope/I found low/I drift along the ocean/Dead lifeboats in the sun/And come undone." These lines are a reflection on the idea that we are all on a journey through life, and that sometimes that journey can be painful and difficult.
The chorus of the song, with the lines "And I realize you're mine/Indeed a fool am I," is a celebration of the power of love to help us find meaning and purpose in life. The final verse of the song, with the lines "Heaven smiles above me/What a gift her below/But no one knows/A gift that you give to me/No one knows," is a reflection on the idea that the greatest gifts in life are often the most mysterious and intangible.
Overall, No One Knows is a powerful and thought-provoking song that explores some of the most fundamental questions of human existence. It is a celebration of the power of love and the way that it can help us find meaning and purpose in life, even in the face of uncertainty and contradiction.
Line by Line Meaning
We get some rules to follow
There are expectations and guidelines placed upon us
That and this
Many different things to consider and take into account
These and those
Even more things to consider and take into account
No one knows
Despite all the rules and considerations, the future is ultimately unknown and uncertain
We get these pills to swallow
We are given substances or tasks to endure, despite the difficulty they may cause
How they stick
These pills or tasks could be very unpleasant and difficult to handle
In your throat
The physical discomfort and emotional discomfort is difficult to ignore and overcome
Tastes like gold
Despite the discomfort, there may be value to these struggles or tasks, yet it's not a given or guaranteed
Oh, what you do to me
The artist is emotionally affected by an unknown entity or situation
And I realize you're mine
The artist discovers ownership over someone or something unexpected
Indeed a fool am I
The singer feels foolish for being unaware of their ownership or attachment to this entity or situation
I journey through the desert
The artist is on a mental/emotional journey within themselves
Of the mind
This journey is entirely within the realm of mental thought and introspection
With no hope
The singer is feeling discouraged and hopeless about their journey and its outcome
I found low
The singer hits rock-bottom or hit a point of emotional/mental numbness
I drift along the ocean
The artist is on another journey, this time through the vast unknown waters of life's uncertainty
Dead lifeboats in the sun
The artist is surrounded by reminders of potential danger and failure
And come undone
The singer is struggling to hold themselves together amidst all the danger and uncertainty
Pleasantly caving in
Despite the challenges, the singer experiences a strange sense of contentment or acceptance
Heaven smiles above me
The artist feels as though the universe is favoring them in some way
What a gift her below
The artist recognizes a gift or positive presence in their life, possibly connected to the ownership they felt earlier in the song
But no one knows
Despite the artist's recognition of this gift, there is still an underlying sense of uncertainty and unpredictability
A gift that you give to me
In connection with earlier lines, the singer is acknowledging an unknown source of support or positivity in their life
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG Rights Management
Written by: JOSH HOMME, NICK S. OLIVERI, MARK WILLIAM LANEGAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind