Thievery Corporation is on the Eighteenth Street Lounge record label named after the DC club owned by Eric Hilton, but several of their singles and EP's appear on the 4AD and !K7 labels.
Formed in the summer of 1995 at D.C.’s Eighteenth Street Lounge. Rob Garza and Lounge co-owner Eric Hilton bonded over club life, dub, bossa nova and jazz records, then decided to see what would come of mixing all these in a recording studio. From this, the duo was born and their self started label Eighteenth Street Lounge Music began to emerge on an international level.
The duo caught the ears of underground DJ’s with their first two 12" offerings, Shaolin Satellite and 2001: a Spliff Odyssey. Their 1997 debut LP, Sounds from the Thievery Hi-Fi began to both define a new genre of electronic music and connect with an international community of like-minded souls. Though the terminology has varied (downtempo, chill out, left field and a myriad of other permutations), they have maintained their unique musical standards for the duration of their popularity.
In 2002, they released The Richest Man in Babylon on their ESL label. This fifteen track album is similar in sound and timbre to their earlier 2000 release, The Mirror Conspiracy, and features performances by vocalists Emiliana Torrini, Pam Bricker, and Loulou.
In 2005 they released The Cosmic Game, which has a darker, more psychedelic sound than The Richest Man in Babylon. The album also featured more high-profile guest singers on it, including Perry Farrell, David Byrne, and Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips.
In 2006, the group released Versions, a selection of remixes done by Thievery Corporation for other artists and toured the United States, playing at Lollapalooza.
The group released their fifth studio album, Radio Retaliation, on 23 September 2008.
The language of the group's lyrics are as diverse as English, Spanish, French, Persian, Portuguese, Romanian and Hindi. This reflects the group's global feel and collaborative structure.
They were the opening act on August 1, 2009 for Sir Paul McCartney at FedExField in Landover, Maryland.
On July 27, 2010, Babylon Central, the cinematic directorial debut of founding member Eric Hilton, was released. Set (and shot) in Washington, D.C., the film follows tripwire events in the interconnected lives of its characters, each influencing power brokers' schemes to manipulate international currencies.
In June 2011, Thievery Corporation released their sixth album, Culture of Fear.
In January 2012, Thievery Corporation launched a remixes contest in conjunction with Dubspot.
Firelight
Thievery Corporation Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In firelight, dancing with no pulse
I broken in shadows, rising from the walls
Another groove without a name, carried through the floor
Memory recalls visions of lust
All my dreams attended, and then farewell, my love
The train is gone, deep fog remains
Under the sun, sweet sounds remain
A fire ice falling from the sky
Chased by the deep claws
Rising from the heart
Another groove without a name, carried through the floor
Memory recalls visions of lust
All my dreams attended, and then farewell, my love
The train is gone, deep fog remains
Another groove without a name, carried through the floor
Memory recalls visions of lust
All my dreams attended, and then farewell, my love
The train is gone, deep fog remains
The lyrics of Thievery Corporation’s “Firelight” describe a moment suspended in time, with the singer lost in a dance amidst the flickering flames of a fire. The image of the firelight creates a dreamlike atmosphere, with the dancing and shadows conjuring a sense of surreal motion. The singer seems to be haunted by memories of past desires, recalling “visions of lust” and a departed love. Despite this, the “sweet sounds” of the present moment remain, providing some sense of comfort amidst the melancholy fog that lingers on.
The song’s second verse takes a more ominous turn, with the reference to “fire ice falling from the sky” adding to the overall sense of disorientation and unease. The phrase “chased by the deep claws” suggests a foreboding danger lurking just beyond the firelight’s reach. However, even in the midst of this uncertain landscape, there is a persistent sense of rising up and moving forward, with the shadows “rising from the walls” and the singer’s dreams attended to before saying farewell.
Overall, the lyrics to “Firelight” create a vivid and atmospheric image of a moment suspended in time, with the singer grappling with memories of past desires and an uncertain future looming darkly ahead.
Line by Line Meaning
Until the light faded away
As the light slowly disappeared, I was left in darkness.
In firelight, dancing with no pulse
The dance was hot and passionate, yet there was a lack of life in it.
I broken in shadows, rising from the walls
I was in the shadow, but still managed to emerge and be seen.
Another groove without a name, carried through the floor
Another song with a tune unique but nameless, permeating the dance floor.
Memory recalls visions of lust
I'm revisiting thoughts of intense desire I've had before.
All my dreams attended, and then farewell, my love
All my desires had been fulfilled but had to say goodbye to a loved one.
The train is gone, deep fog remains
As the train leaves, a thick haze of uncertainty and sadness lingers.
Under the sun, sweet sounds remain
In pleasant weather, music still prevails.
A fire ice falling from the sky
Burning passion and cold detachment falling from above.
Chased by the deep claws
Being desperately pursued by something or someone with claws like grips.
Rising from the heart
Feeling something intensely in the center of one's being.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: LOU LOU GHELICKHANI, RICHARD ERIC HILTON, ROBERT MANUEL GARZA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@aaron-n
Listening to this on a daily basis will shift your mind in a constantly positive direction.
@fuser5007
This Song blows my Mind ❤️
@HereinLA213
Oh shoot... I'm 1st to comment on this song?!?! It blows my mind that there are still billions of people out there who have yet to discover the sounds and colors of Thievery Corporation.
@kevanchong4082
My very first brush with them was is it over, and since then it has been masterpieces all the way
@markwenz7043
I’m with you. I’ve been fortunate enough to see them play live twice—once with the incomparable Lou Lou as one of six vocalists—and I was dancing on cloud nine for several hours both times.
@gordonswanson1142
@Mark Wenz lucky you! - would love to see/hear them live
@HereinLA213
@@gordonswanson1142 highly recommend!!#
@Achievehollic
This album is a sweet tenderness, but it marks a significant place in my own life. I was a waitress and in my wildest days of drinking and confusion of the self, when I broke up with my boyrfiend, classifying him as something that wouldn't spark my interest in the long run. He was devastated and constantly came to my bar., begging to find a way to work it out, so, I had to fake a relationship to chase him away, because he was starting to make problems. I succeeded, he found someone else instantly, just to forget the wounds I caused. It was in this bar, after this fake sunshine of seamingless sex in both our lives, in the midst of the cold-ass winter, listening to this album in the morning silence, when there was just me, the bar and the soundsystem that i have realised he was the one that will stick. I invited him over on his name day, but it took some time to erase this stormy period and the wounds from our separation. We are married, we have a son and we're crazy in love each day more and more, buddies through parties, paying bills, and raising the boy. Thank you Theivery Corporation, thank you, for I have indeed discovered the meaning behind the word SAUDADE in the perfect moment without my lover. You saved two lives <3
@snizz6
Thievery Corporation will forever be at the top of my playlist..I get drunk on their music
@ericbader
Beautiful!!!!!!