Custom Blue is a British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 band who have recorded and produced for Island Records

Island Records

Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...

, V2

V2 Records

V2 Records is a record label that is owned by Universal Music Group as of October 2007. The label was founded in 1996 by Richard Branson, five years after he sold Virgin Records to EMI....

, Far Out Recordings

Far Out Recordings

Far Out Recordings is a UK-based record label specializing is the music of Brazil.The label released a Milton Nascimento performance of two ballets.-Artists:*Aleuda*Antonio Adolfo*Arthur Verocai*Azymuth*Binario*Celia Vaz*Clara Moreno*Danny Wheeler...

 and !K7 Records prior to releasing with Ho Hum Records

Ho Hum Records

Ho Hum Records is an independent record label specialising in acoustic folk / electronica music. Founded in 2007 in Crystal Palace, South London by Alex Pilkington and Mark Tucker, who between them have worked as songwriters, producers and engineers in a wide variety of genres; and influenced by...

 in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

.

Career

Originating from South London

South London

South London is the southern part of London, England, United Kingdom.According to the 2011 official Boundary Commission for England definition, South London includes the London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Southwark, Sutton and...

, Alex Pilkington and Simon Shippey met at Alleyn's School in Dulwich

Dulwich

Dulwich is an area of South London, England. The settlement is mostly in the London Borough of Southwark with parts in the London Borough of Lambeth...

, and started the band in 1995 with originally Crispin Weir on guitar and Max Tundra

Max Tundra

Ben Jacobs, more commonly known by the stage name Max Tundra, is an English multi-instrumental musician, singer and music producer. His work is predominantly electronic music but incorporates non-electronic styles and instruments...

 on bass, along with a succession of drummers. Following non-stop gigging in London throughout the 1990s the band started to attract both managers and record label

Record label

In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...

s keen to sign them.

In 2000 Custom Blue released "Hazel's Groove" / "Sitting by my Stream", followed by "EPOne".

In 2002, Custom Blue issued their debut album

Album

An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...

, All Follow Everyone on DJ Ross Allen's Island Blue imprint on Universal Records

Universal Records

Universal Records was a record label owned by Universal Music Group, and it is now owned by Manny Patino and Michael Jackson, and operated as part of the Universal Motown Republic Group.-History:...

. Their single "So Low" featured remix

Remix

A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....

es from Mark Pritchard and the Cinematic Orchestra and appeared on the film

Film

A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...

, The Transporter

The Transporter

The Transporter is a 2002 French action film directed by Louis Leterrier and Corey Yuen and written by Luc Besson, who was inspired by BMW Films' The Hire series....

. All Follow Everyone was produced

Record producer

A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...

 by Custom Blue with help from Spacek

Spacek

Špaček is a common Czech surname:* Jaroslav Špaček, hockey player* Sissy Spacek, American actress- Spatzek : , Austrian actres , Austrian actorSpacek may also refer to:...

 and Mark Pritchard.

Following their departure from Universal Records

Universal Records

Universal Records was a record label owned by Universal Music Group, and it is now owned by Manny Patino and Michael Jackson, and operated as part of the Universal Motown Republic Group.-History:...

 in 2003, Custom Blue produced an album for the American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 artist, Beth Hirsch

Beth Hirsch

Beth Hirsch is a singer-songwriter from Tampa, Florida, born in . Hirsch is best known for her collaboration with Air on their critically acclaimed album Moon Safari. Her first solo album, Early Days, was released in 1999, followed by Titles & Idols in 2001...

, forming the production and studio name Bluesound for the project. In 2003 Custom Blue also released an album of electronica

Electronica

Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...

 under the alias Hoighty Beaver on Blank Page Records.

In 2007 Custom Blue released a single on Far Out Recordings

Far Out Recordings

Far Out Recordings is a UK-based record label specializing is the music of Brazil.The label released a Milton Nascimento performance of two ballets.-Artists:*Aleuda*Antonio Adolfo*Arthur Verocai*Azymuth*Binario*Celia Vaz*Clara Moreno*Danny Wheeler...

 entitled "Under the Counter" / "You're On Your Own", followed by "When It Burns" / "Without You" on Ho Hum Records

Ho Hum Records

Ho Hum Records is an independent record label specialising in acoustic folk / electronica music. Founded in 2007 in Crystal Palace, South London by Alex Pilkington and Mark Tucker, who between them have worked as songwriters, producers and engineers in a wide variety of genres; and influenced by...

 in 2008. In 2009, "Cobblestones" plus their album All Will Be Well, appeared on Ho Hum Records

Ho Hum Records

Ho Hum Records is an independent record label specialising in acoustic folk / electronica music. Founded in 2007 in Crystal Palace, South London by Alex Pilkington and Mark Tucker, who between them have worked as songwriters, producers and engineers in a wide variety of genres; and influenced by...

.

Singles and EPs

• "Hazel's Groove" / "Sitting By My Stream" (2000)
• "EPOne" (2002)
• "So Low" (2002)
• "Under the Counter" / "You're On Your Own" (2006)
• "When It Burns" / "Without You" (2008)
• "Cobblestones" (2009)
• "EP3 'The Tree'" (2011)