Artist
Shapeshifters
Why we feature this artist The players behind Lola's Theme Lola's Theme has an immediately welcoming surface, but the original credits show how deliberately its instrumental and vocal parts were assembled. The Shapeshifters' 2004 recording is the work of Simon…
- From
- United Kingdom
- Sound
- House, nu-disco, dance-pop
- Active
- 2004–present
Start with the music
Tracks to explore
The artist, in context
The story of Shapeshifters
Why we feature this artist
The players behind Lola's Theme
Lola's Theme has an immediately welcoming surface, but the original credits show how deliberately its instrumental and vocal parts were assembled. The Shapeshifters' 2004 recording is the work of Simon Marlin and Max Reich, with Cookie supplying the vocal.
The original division of roles
The artist-controlled release credits Marlin on keys and bass and Reich on keys and drums, with both producing and mixing. Its original versions were joined by treatments from Eric Prydz, Norman Jay, ATFC, Victor Calderone and High Society, extending the same song into several different club settings.
Warmth made from specific parts
The refrain's openness depends on a foundation whose details remain easy to follow. Keys, bass and drums each give the vocal another point of contact, allowing the arrangement to feel generous without becoming vague. That instrumental clarity is especially useful when the song returns after a longer passage. The listener recognises more than a title or a famous melodic figure; the whole rhythmic and harmonic setting has become familiar enough to feel like a place to come back to.
Essential releases
Lola's Theme
Cookie's vocal sits inside Marlin and Reich's original instrumental and production partnership.