Rollo

Publicity-shy Rollo is best-known as one-third of stadium dance act Faithless and the producer behind sister Dido's world-dominating success. Born Rowland Constantine O'Malley Armstrong in Kensington, London in 1966, to an Irish publisher father and French poet mother who restricted any access to popular culture, he went on to study philosophy at York University before deciding to pursue a career in dance music. His first production, Felix's "Do You Want Me," was released in 1992, and was followed by several club anthems by the likes of Gloworm, Kristine W, and the O.T. Quartet. In 1996, he teamed up with Maxi Jazz, Sister Bliss, and Jamie Catto to form Faithless, who became one of the most successful bands in U.K. dance history, with ten million sales from six studio albums, many of which were released through Rollo's own Cheeky label, which he later sold to Sony BMG. An in-demand remixer for the likes of U2, Bjork, and Robbie Williams, Rollo also formed left-field electronic duo Dusted with Mark Bates, wrote the World Cup themes for both ITV and the BBC, and co-produced sister Dido's No Angel and Life for Rent, two of the biggest albums of the early noughties. During a break from Faithless duties, Rollo published a children's fantasy novel, Safe from Harm, and founded another label, Field Recordings, which is due to release new material from Rollo under the guise of All Thieves. In 2011, he was nominated for an Oscar for his work on Dido's "If I Rise," the closing theme from Danny Boyle's 127 Hours. ~ Jon O'Brien, Rovi