Daniel Victor Snaith (born 1978) is an electronic musician recording under the stage name Caribou. Snaith grew up in Dundas, Ontario (which is also the name of a song from his debut album Start Breaking My Heart) and studied mathematics at the University of Toronto and later at Imperial College London (PhD).
He is the son of Victor Snaith, a mathematics professor at the University of Sheffield, and the brother of Nina Snaith, a reader in mathematics at the University of Bristol. Snaith previously recorded under the stage name Manitoba, but changed his name in 2004 under threat of an American lawsuit by Richard "Handsome Dick" Manitoba, who had used the surname professionally since the 1970s (but had not released any music as a solo artist). As Snaith himself commented, "It's like The Smiths suing John Smith or something". Uninterested in and unable to afford the contest, Snaith opted to rename his project. Snaith is quoted as saying that he chose the name "Caribou" while on an LSD trip with friends in the Canadian wilderness.
Snaith usually performs with a live band when playing gigs, often assuming the role of percussionist (as well as a performer of electronic composition, he is an accomplished drummer). Currently, Snaith's live act is made up of Ryan Smith, Brad Weber (of Winter Equinox and Solitary Extraction), and Andy Lloyd (of Henri Fabergé and the Adorables). Sets also often include complex video projections on a large screen featuring clips from the Racey video "Some Girls", a DVD of which was released in November 2005. "In music I will have an idea to put some different sounds together or a melody that meshes with a chord sequence or a sonic mood," said Snaith in an interview. "I'm not the type of person who takes physical things apart and plays around with them, but I like taking mental ideas apart and playing around with them. That's what appeals to me about what I've spent my life doing."
He completed his Ph.D. in mathematics at Imperial College London in 2005. His thesis, titled Overconvergent Siegel Modular Symbols, was written under the direction of Kevin Buzzard. Snaith currently resides in London, England. His 2007 album Andorra was named the winner of the 2008 Polaris Music Prize. In 2008, music discovery site betterPropaganda named Caribou the 24th Most Influential Artist of the Decade in their Top 100 Artists of the 2000's feature.
Discography
As Manitoba
* People Eating Fruit EP (30 October 2000)
* "Paul's Birthday" CDS (26 February 2001)
* Start Breaking My Heart (26 March 2001)
* give'r EP (26 November 2001)
* If Assholes Could Fly This Place Would Be an Airport 12" (13 January 2003)
* "Jacknuggeted" CDS (24 February 2003)
* Up in Flames (31 March 2003)
* "Hendrix with Ko" CDS (14 July 2003)
* Up in Flames (Special Edition) with bonus disc (29 September 2003)
Most of Snaith's older Manitoba material has been subsequently rereleased under the Caribou name.
As Caribou
* Start Breaking My Heart (re-released 2006)
* Up In Flames (re-released 2006)
* "Yeti" CDS/12" (22 March 2005)
* The Milk of Human Kindness (18 April 2005)
* Tour-Only CD (Super Furry Animals Tour, Fall 2005)
* Marino (DVD) (November 2005)
* Andorra (21 August 2007) - Polaris Prize Winner 2008
* "Melody Day" CDS (August 2007)
* Tour-Only CD (September 2007)
* "She's the One" (March 2008)
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