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The Presets are an electronic music duo of Julian Hamilton (vocals, keyboards) and Kim Moyes (drums, keyboards). Formed in 2003 and signed to Modular Records, The Presets released two EPs ( Blow Up, Girl and the Sea) in advance of their debut album, Beams, released in 2005 to positive critical response. After two years of touring, including as the Australian support for Daft Punk, the band's 2008 release, Apocalypso, debuted at number one on the ARIA Charts, and went on to win six awards at ARIA Awards 2008, including Album of the Year.
In 2009, Hamilton and Moyes won an APRA Award for Songwriters of the Year and another ARIA Award, this time for Best Dance Release for "Talk Like That". They released their third album, Pacifica, in Australia in September 2012. It reached No. 3 on the ARIA Charts. Their fourth album, Hi Viz, was released in June 2018. The Presets are known for their dynamic live shows.
Aside from the Presets' extensive performance work, the duo has remixed tracks for several other artists including Kings of Leon, Silverchair and Lenny Kravitz. The Presets are recognised as key players in the dance music explosion in Australia in the late 2000s.
Throughout the second half of 2005, the duo toured Australia nationally several times, playing shows with Little Birdy, Paul Mac and Regurgitator, and their own headline tour in October. 2005 also saw the band make their first Australian festival appearances, DJing at Splendour in the Grass, Byron Bay and Come Together Festival in Sydney, as well as closing off the year playing at Falls Festival in Lorne, Australia.
The Presets kicked off 2006 with their first-ever national Australian festival run, playing in the Boiler Room for the Big Day Out. The first half 2006 saw The Presets begin to promote their music more heavily in the UK, Europe and the US. They opened for Australian band Wolfmother on several UK dates in February 2006. They then travelled over to the US in March to play their first New York shows before a handful of showcases at SXSW, Austin, Texas and on to Miami for Winter Music Conference. It was in New York that DJ Hell saw the band play and subsequently licensed Beams to his label International Deejay Gigolo Records for a European release mid-2006. The duo returned to the UK and Ireland as special guest of Soulwax on several dates, before heading back over to the US to open for Ladytron on an extensive national tour. "Down Down Down" received an official release in the UK with remixes by Digitalism, Bumblebeez and Midnight Juggernauts (the song has previously been a promo only single in Australia in 2005).
The next single released for the band was "I Go Hard, I Go Home", again released in the UK only with remixes by DJ Hell, The Juan Maclean and Ascii Disko. As many of the mixes of "Are You the One?", "Down Down Down" and "I Go Hard, I Go Home" had not been readily available in the US, Modular Records released Resets, a bonus disc available only with Beams in limited quantities. It was subsequently released physically and digitally in Australia at the end of the year.
The band returned to Australia mid-year for Infinity 2006, presented by Modular Records featuring The Presets and special guests Digitalism. The tour sold out everywhere and was met with ecstatic reviews. The tour was followed by a triumphant set at Splendour in the Grass, with PopMatters describing the audience's reaction: "It's been a long time since I've seen a crowd go as wild as this."
The touring schedule continued with a run of club dates across the US summer, including playing Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco, then hopping over to Europe for more club dates. The latter half of the year saw the band tour extensively with The Rapture in the UK and the US, including an appearance in New York at Webster Hall as part of CMJ Music Marathon.
After more than four months away The Presets returned to cap off the year, playing Homebake in Sydney and Meredith Music Festival in Victoria.
In April 2007, the Presets released another single only distributed in the UK, "Truth & Lies", which featured two songs and originally appeared as a B-side to "Are You The One?" in Australia. Around the same time the band spent a few weeks at a farm just outside Bryon Bay, where they began work on what would become their second album. In the middle of the year the band relocated to Berlin for several months. During this time they played across Europe on the festival circuit, including Benicàssim in Spain and Global Gathering in the UK. On the way home they performed at Modular Stage at Summer Sonic in Japan. Back in Sydney they continued to work in earnest on the album. By November the bulk of the album was completed.
In December, The Presets performed as the main support act for Daft Punk during their NeverEverLand tour around Australia. The tour proved highly successful with almost 35,000 people attending the Sydney show alone.Rawlans, C (27 December 2007) Coinciding with the NeverEverLand Tour, The Presets released "My People", the lead single from their second album Apocalypso. Paired with a groundbreaking video by Kris Moyes and several remixes, the song was added instantly to the Triple J network, and saw commercial radio networks in Australia give the band their first airplay. Overseas, "My People" kickstarted a renewed interest in the band, becoming The Guardians Pick of the Week, who likened the song to "the brutality of Aussie rules football ... in a good way, obviously."Clarke, B (20 June 2008). "The Presets, Apocalypso". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 September 2013.
Throughout 2008 the band performed at several festivals throughout Europe and the US including 5 Days Off in The Netherlands, Creamfields in the UK, Electric Picnic in Ireland, Exit Festival in Serbia, Famufest in the Czech Republic, Festival Pantiero in France, Get Loaded in the UK, Glastonbury in the UK, Detour Festival in the US, Folsom Street Fair in the US, Les Ardentes in Belgium, Lovebox Weekender in the UK, Monolith Festival in the US, Øyafestivalen in Norway, T in the Park in the UK and V Festival in the UK.
In May 2008, the Presets released an EP, single and a remixed edition of "This Boy's in Love", with the song of the same name still being played on the radio before its release. In October, the band won six ARIA Awards at the 2008 ceremony: Producer of the Year, Best Artwork (artwork by Jonathan Zawada), Best Video ("My People", directed by Kris Moyes), Best Dance Release, Best Group and Album of the Year. They became the first electronic music group to receive the award for Album of the Year. In December, Apocalypso was awarded the J Award for Australian Album of the Year. The Presets appeared in Triple J's Hottest 100 for 2008 three times, with "Yippiyo-Ay" at number 56, "This Boy's in Love" at number 8, and "Talk Like That" at number 6.
In April, the Presets performed at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and in May the duo embarked on their national tour of Australia. Along with their support act Architecture in Helsinki, the band performed for around 70,000 people across Australia.Smith, T (6 March 2009). "The Presets Announce Last Australian Headline Tour". Music Feeds. Retrieved 29 August 2013. At the 2009 APRA Awards in June, Kim Moyes and Julian Hamilton won Songwriter of the Year, "Talk Like That" won the 2009 ARIA Award for Best Dance Release and "If I Know You" won the UK Music Video Award for Best Dance Video (directed by Eva Husson.) APRA Awards--2009 Winners . Australasian Performing Right Association Limited (APRA). Retrieved 29 August 2013. 2012 Winners - ARIA Awards. Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved 5 September 2013.Williams, Eliza (14 October 2009). "UK Music Video Award Winners" . Creative Review. Retrieved 29 August 2013. On New Years Day 2010, the Presets played at the Sydney dance music festival, Field Day, and on 3 January the duo headlined the Summadayze Festival in Perth.
In May, the Presets released a remix of Sarah Blasko's song "Hold on My Heart". The band also remixed "Closer", the opening track for Kings of Leon's fourth album Only by the Night. The Presets' remix of the song "Closer" went on to feature as a bonus track on Kings of Leon's fifth album Come Around Sundown, which was released in October 2010.The Music Network (30 September 2010). "Presets Remix Kings of Leon". Retrieved 29 August 2013.
In February 2011, the Presets headlined the MS Festival at Inveresk (Launceston) and in March they performed at Future Music Festival, which took place in five separate sights around Australia. They also played at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in April for the second time since 2009. During the same month, the Presets performed as one of the headlining acts at Festival Estereo Picnic in Bogota, Colombia.
The Presets have publicly expressed dismay that journalists often rely on the band's Wikipedia page for research purposes. Hamilton stated in a Rolling Stone interview: "We always get the same six questions. We should put on our Wiki page 'we really hate it when journalists check this page to ask us questions.'"
The Presets' third studio album Pacifica was released on 7 September 2012. The album received domestic and international acclaim. Pacifica was the ARIA Charts Album of the Week following its release in September 2012. ARIA described the album's stand out tracks: "'Fall'-- Julian Hamilton's vocals at their haunting best, 'Fast Seconds' will be mind-blowing live and 'Promises' a summer anthem with New Order flavours."
Australian publications The Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian, and the Herald Sun also labelled Pacifica Album of the Week. In an article review on Pacifica, the Sydney Morning Herald stated "it's fair to say that on Pacifica, Moyes and Hamilton have stepped up and out, unafraid and keen to test their boundaries."Zuel, Bernard (1 September 2012). "Testing the Boundaries" Review of the Week. The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 29 August 2013.
Pacifica was nominated for the 2012 J Award for Australian Album of the Year. Triple J described Pacifica as "an album that constantly surprises- while still proving the Presets know how to rip up a dance floor."J Awards 2012. "The Presets 'Pacifica'". abc.net.au/triplej. Retrieved 5 September 2013.
In October 2012, the Presets performed at the CMJ Music Marathon in New York. The CMJ Music Marathon is a music event, which spans over 5 days in 80 different nightclubs across New York City. The Presets performed at the same festival 6 years prior in 2006. They performed at the Treasure Island Music Festival in San Francisco in the same month and headlined the dance festival Parklife, which took place in five cities across Australia in September and October. The Presets were featured in the Hottest 100 of 2012 twice. The single "Promises" was voted in at number 70 while "Ghosts" appeared at number 52.Triple J Hottest 100 2012. "Hottest 100 Countdown". abc.net.au/triplej. Retrieved 5 September 2013. The Presets won Best Live Act in the inthemix Awards for 2012 and the single "Ghosts" was awarded Single of the Year (readers vote) in the Rolling Stone Australia Awards. The Winners of 2012- inthemix Awards . Retrieved 29 August 2013.Dragham, M (17 January 2013). "Rolling StoneAwards announce 2013 Winners" . The AU Review. Retrieved 29 August 2013.
In March the duo played at the Snowball Festival in Colorado, as well as the Sasquatch Music Festival at The Gorge Amphitheatre in Washington in May. The Presets also performed at Dark Mofo in Hobart, SXSW Music Festival in the US, Splendour in the Grass in Byron Bay, Australia, and they headlined the Mardi Gras Festival in Sydney, Australia.Songkick. "The Snowball Music Festival 2013". songkick.com. Retrieved 5 September 2013.
The Presets were nominated for Best Live Act in the inthemix Awards for 2013 and in the Triple J Hottest 100 of the last 20 years "My People" was voted in at number 77. The countdown, hosted by radio station Triple J, had 940,000 voters from Australia and around the world. The countdown was a means of narrowing down the top songs released between 1993 and 2012. The Presets were one of 29 Australian artists, which were recognised in the countdown.abc.net.au/triplej (8 June 2013). "Triple J Hottest 100 of the last 20 Years: the wrap up". Retrieved 5 September.Triple J Hottest 100. "Triple J's Hottest 100 of the last 20 Years-- The Countdown". abc.net.au/triplej. Retrieved 29 August 2013.
Two days before Bali Nine ringleaders Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran were executed in Indonesia for drug trafficking, Kim Moyes condemned the death penalty via Facebook and called for their fans to "stop listening to our music" if they supported the then-impending executions of the Bali Nine pair. He went on to reiterate that their 2007 single "My People" was inspired by the plight of asylum seekers during the John Howard era. The duo later apologised for "getting personal" and posted a tribute after Chan and Sukumaran were executed along with six other prisoners on 29 April 2015.
In October 2023, The Presets featured on 3%'s debut single "Our People", which samples "My People".
|- | rowspan="2"|2006 || Beams || Best Dance Release || |- | "Are You the One?" || Best Video (Directed by Kris Moyes) || |- |rowspan="8"| 2008 || Apocalypso || Album of the Year || |- | Apocalypso || Best Dance Release || |- | Apocalypso || Best Group || |- | Apocalypso || Producer of the Year (Julian Hamilton, Kim Moyes) || |- | Apocalypso || Best Cover Art (Jonathan Zawada) || |- | "My People" || Best Video (directed by Kris Moyes) || |- | "My People" || Single of the Year || |- | Apocalypso || Engineer of the Year (Scott Horscroft) || |- | rowspan="2"|2009 || "Talk Like That" || Best Dance Release || |- | Apocalypso || Highest Selling Album || |- | 2013 || Pacifica || Best Dance Release || |- | rowspan="2"|2014 || "No Fun" || Best Dance Release || |- | The National Tour || Best Australian Live Act || |- | rowspan="2"|2018 || "Do What You Want" || Best Video (directed by Kris Moyes) || |- | Hi Viz || Best Cover Art (Jonathan Zawada) || |- |}
! |- | rowspan="2"| 2009 || Kim Moyes and Julian Hamilton || Songwriters of the Year || |- | "This Boy's in Love" (Julian Hamilton and Kim Moyes) || Dance Work of the Year || || |- | rowspan="2"| 2010 || "If I Know You" (Julian Hamilton and Kim Moyes) || rowspan="2"| Dance Work of the Year || || rowspan="2"| |- | "Talk Like That" (Julian Hamilton and Kim Moyes) || |- | 2013 | "Youth in Trouble" (Julian Hamilton and Kim Moyes) | Song of the Year | | |- | 2014 || "Promises" (Julian Hamilton and Kim Moyes) || Dance Work of the Year || || |}
|- | 2008 || Apocalypso || Australian Album of the Year || |- | 2013 || Pacifica || Australian Album of the Year || |- | 2018 || Hi Viz || Australian Album of the Year || |}
|- |rowspan="2"| 2008 || Apocalypso || J Award || |- | "My People" || J Award || |- | 2012 || Pacifica || J Award || |- | 2023 || "Our People" (with 3%) || Australian Video of the Year || |}
! |- | 2014 | Australian Chamber Orchestra featuring The Presets | Best Australian Contemporary Concert | | |-
|- | 2008|2008 || Apocalypso || Record of the Year || |}
|- | 2018 | The Presets | Live Electronic Act (or DJ) of the Year | |-
|- | 2012 || "Ghosts" || Single of the Year (Readers' Vote) || |}
|- | 2009 || "If I Know You" || Best Dance Music Video || |}
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