Zero 7 is a London, UK downtempo duo, consisting of Henry Binns & Sam Hardaker.
They began as studio engineers at Mickie Most's RAK recording studio in London, engineering music for British groups like the Pet Shop Boys, Young Disciples, and Robert Plant. In 1997 they were asked by a college friend, Nigel Godrich (who was busy producing OK Computer), to remix Radiohead's "Climbing Up the Walls". They called the mix "the Zero 7 Mix" which stuck.
In January 2000, they released an EP of original material called EP 1 under the name Zero 7. The release was limited to 1000 copies. A second EP, titled EP 2, was released in September of that same year.
In April 2001, they released their debut album, Simple Things, which featured collaborations with vocalists Mozez, Sia, and Sophie Barker. The album peaked at number 28 on the UK albums chart and went platinum. It was later nominated for the Mercury Music Prize and won the "Best Newcomer" Muzik Award. Live appearances after the album's release consisted of Binns and Hardaker along with guest vocalists and other musicians, with as many as 20 performers on stage at once.
In March 2004, they released their second album, When It Falls. In addition to the three vocalists from their first album, it featured a collaboration with Danish singer-songwriter Tina Dico. It peaked at number 3 on the UK albums chart, their highest charting to date, and became a certified platinum record. That same year, Binns co-wrote the Emma Bunton track "Breathing".
The Garden, their third record, was released in May 2006. Containing vocals performed by Binns as well as guest vocalists Sia and Swedish folk musician José González. The album was named after the collage that artist and friend Gideon London produced for its cover.
