36-435: Christopher Anthony Corner (born 23 January 1974) is an English record producer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, singer and video artist. He was a founding member of the band Sneaker Pimps alongside Liam Howe , and is now active with his solo project IAMX . To date, Chris Corner has released thirteen studio albums, four with Sneaker Pimps – Becoming X (1996), Splinter (1999), Bloodsport (2002) and Squaring
72-401: A Cone . They were signed to Clean Up Records . The duo also worked as DJs and producers under the name Line of Flight. Howe and Corner launched Sneaker Pimps as a recording group in 1994. The following year, they recruited Ian Pickering to help write lyrics for what would become Sneaker Pimps' debut album, Becoming X . Corner recorded vocals for several demo tracks, but the band decided
108-825: A big change of scenery. I had a few friends in Los Angeles and it seemed like the most relevant place for me, so I got on a boat and sailed over to the States." He now lives in a remote location in Southern California. Corner is autistic . Sneaker Pimps Sneaker Pimps are an English electronic music band, formed in Hartlepool in 1994. They are best known for their debut album, Becoming X (1996), and its singles " 6 Underground " and " Spin Spin Sugar ". The band takes its name from an article
144-521: A faddish female-fronted trip-hop act, Ali was fired and Corner took over on lead vocals. This significant lineup change caused Virgin Records to drop the band. Their second album Splinter was released in the UK on Clean Up Records in 1999, and failed to match the commercial success of Becoming X . New songs were premiered during a 2001 European tour opening for Placebo . Their third album Bloodsport
180-441: A flexible sole, appropriate tread for the function, and ability to absorb impact. As the industry and designs have expanded, the term "athletic shoes" is based more on the design of the bottom of the shoe than the aesthetics of the top of the shoe. Today's designs include sandals, Mary Janes , and even elevated styles suitable for running, dancing, and jumping. The shoes themselves are made of flexible compounds, typically featuring
216-433: A sole made of dense rubber. While the original design was basic, manufacturers have since tailored athletic shoes for their specific purposes. An example of this is the spiked shoe developed for track running. Some of these shoes are made up to unusually large sizes for athletes with large feet. Sneakers intended for running come in a range of shapes suited to different purposes. Generally, they are divided by running style:
252-460: A traditional look with increased comfort rapidly achieved wide popularity and by 2010 was displacing sales of leather shoes for adults in a parallel with the post-1950 success of sneakers among children. The shift was especially noticeable in combination with business-casual clothing. From 1970 (five models), to 1998 (285 models), to 2012 (3,371), the number of sport shoe models in the U.S. has grown exponentially. Sneakers intended for sports have
288-628: A trio featuring Howe, Corner, and Ali; while bassist Joe Wilson and drummer Dave Westlake were added as supporting musicians. Released in 1996, Becoming X sold over one million copies. The band toured for two years to support the album, including gigs alongside Aphex Twin . A "grueling" tour of the US strained relations within the band, and Howe left the tour prematurely. A remix album, Becoming Remixed , followed in 1998. Howe and Corner then developed their own studio, also called Line of Flight after their earlier production work, and began sessions for
324-462: Is often attributed to American Henry Nelson McKinney, who was an advertising agent for N. W. Ayer & Son . In 1917, he used the term because the rubber sole made the shoe's wearer stealthy. The word was already in use at least as early as 1887, when the Boston Journal made reference to "sneakers" as "the name boys give to tennis shoes." The name "sneakers" originally referred to how quiet
360-697: Is referred to in fan circles as SP4 . Corner then launched the solo project IAMX , which included several songs from the SP4 project. After some additional cancelled projects, in 2006 Howe and Corner recorded some new demo tracks with an unidentified female singer; the tracks turned up on a MiniDisc found in a bar in Russia and are now commonly referred to as SP5 demos . The tracks were leaked online and were later confirmed to be legitimate new Sneaker Pimps songs. After several years of side projects, Howe hinted in 2015 that Sneaker Pimps may reform. Corner confirmed
396-569: The Beastie Boys published in their Grand Royal magazine about a man they hired to track down classic sneakers . The band was founded by electronic musician Liam Howe and guitarist Chris Corner . They later recruited Kelli Ali (then known as Kelli Dayton) as lead singer, plus guitarist Joe Wilson and drummer Dave Westlake as backup musicians. After Becoming X , the band decided to replace Ali with Corner on vocals. Wilson and Westlake departed in 2002. In 2016 Howe and Corner revived
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#1732798275672432-901: The NPD Group , one in four pairs of running shoes that were sold in the United States in 2016 were bought from an online retailer . As of 2020 , brands with global popularity include: Sneakers have been an important part of hip hop (primarily Pumas, Nike, and Adidas) and rock 'n roll (Converse, Vans) cultures since the 1970s. Hip hop artists sign million dollar deals with major brands such as Nike, Adidas, or Puma to promote their shoes. Sneaker collectors, called " sneakerheads ", regard sneakers as fashionable items. Sneaker companies encourage this trend by producing rare sneakers in limited numbers, often at very high retail prices. Artistically-modified sneakers can sell for upwards of $ 1000 at exclusive establishments like Saks Fifth Avenue. In 2005,
468-726: The interwar period , athletic shoes began to be marketed for different sports, and differentiated designs were made available for men. Athletic shoes were used by competing athletes at the Olympics , helping to popularise them among the general public. In 1936, a French brand, Spring Court, marketed the first canvas tennis shoe featuring signature eight ventilation channels on a vulcanised natural rubber sole. Adolf "Adi" Dassler began producing his own sports shoes in his mother's wash kitchen in Herzogenaurach , Bavaria , after his return from World War I , and went on to establish one of
504-503: The 1990s, shoe companies perfected their fashion and marketing skills. Sports endorsements with famous athletes grew larger, and marketing budgets went through the roof. Sneakers became a fashion statement and were marketed as a definition of identity and personality rather than simply athletic aids. Also during the 1990s, various vendors began producing "walking shoes" for adults using the construction technology of sneakers but visually resembling traditional leather shoes. The combination of
540-733: The Circle (2021) and eleven as IAMX – Kiss and Swallow (2004), The Alternative (2006), Kingdom of Welcome Addiction (2009), Volatile Times (2011), The Unified Field , (2013) Metanoia (2015), Everything Is Burning (2016), Alive in New Light (2018), Fault Lines¹ (2023), and Fault Lines² (2024) and an acoustic rework album – Echo Echo (2020), as well as two experimental albums – Unfall (2017) and Machinate (2021) and two live albums – Live in Warsaw (2008) and Mile Deep Hollow Tour (2022). All albums under
576-573: The Czech footwear company Botas , whose produce was one of the few foreign brands of sneakers available during the Soviet occupation . These shoes acquired the nickname ' plimsoll ' in the 1870s, derived according to Nicholette Jones' book The Plimsoll Sensation , from the colored horizontal band joining the upper to the sole, which resembled the Plimsoll line on a ship's hull. Alternatively, just like
612-479: The IAMX moniker have been released independently and were written and produced solely by Corner with the exception of the fifth studio album The Unified Field , which was co-produced by Jim Abbiss , the experimental album Unfall which also features co-production and co-writing by Abbiss, and the acoustic album Echo Echo , which was co-produced by David Bottrill. Two more studio albums have been announced for release in
648-594: The Plimsoll line on a ship, if water got above the line of the rubber sole, the wearer would get wet. Plimsolls were widely worn by vacationers and also began to be worn by sportsmen on the tennis and croquet courts for their comfort. Special soles with engraved patterns to increase the surface grip of the shoe were developed, and these were ordered in bulk for the use of the British Army . Athletic shoes were increasingly used for leisure and outdoor activities at
684-468: The first rubber-soled shoes in the country, sparking a surge in demand and production. The first basketball shoes were designed by Spalding as early as 1907. The market for sneakers grew after World War I , when sports and athletics increasingly became a way to demonstrate moral fiber and patriotism . The U.S. market for sneakers grew steadily as young boys lined up to buy Converse All Stars sneakers endorsed by basketball player Chuck Taylor . During
720-519: The group after a lengthy hiatus. In 2021, they began releasing new music. Chris Corner and Liam Howe met as teenagers in the 1980s, both taking an interest in recording and studio experimentation. They banded together under the name F.R.I.S.K. and produced the Soul of Indiscretion EP , an early example of what became known as trip hop . The mix of beats and acoustic folk sounds was further explored on two more instrumental EPs: F.R.I.S.K. and World as
756-404: The kind of music they were writing would better suit a female voice. At their manager's suggestion, they saw Kelli Ali (then known as Kelli Dayton) performing in a pub with her band The Lumieres, and invited her to sing on some demos, including an early version of "6 Underground". She soon joined the band, and the demos won the group a contract with Virgin Records . The group was presented as
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#1732798275672792-1407: The latter term also used in Hiberno-English . Tennis shoes and kicks are other terms used in Australian and North American English . The British English equivalent of sneaker in its modern form is divided into two separate types: predominantly outdoor and fashionable trainers, training shoes or quality 'basketball shoes' and in contrast cheap rubber-soled, low cut and canvas-topped plimsolls , daps , or flats . In Geordie English , sneakers may also be called sandshoes , gym boots , or joggers . Several terms for sneakers exist in South Africa, including gym shoes , sports shoes and takkies . Other names for sneakers includes rubber shoes in Philippine English , track shoes in Singapore English , canvas shoes in Nigerian English , camboo ("camp boot") in Ghana English, and sportex in Greece. In Latvia any sneakers are still called botas after
828-537: The leading athletic shoe manufacturers, Adidas . He also successfully marketed his shoes to athletes at the 1936 Summer Olympics , which helped cement his good reputation. Business boomed and the Dasslers were selling 200,000 pairs of shoes each year before World War II. During the 1950s, leisure opportunities greatly expanded, and children and adolescents began to wear sneakers as school dress codes relaxed. Sneaker sales rose so high, they began to adversely affect
864-552: The majority are for heel-toe joggers/runners which are further subdivided into ' neutral ', ' overpronation ' and ' underpronation '. However, most evidence-based comparisons show no reduction in lower-limb running injuries from prescribing different types of shoe for different foot types. The shoes are constructed with a complex structure of "rubber" with plastic/metal stiffeners to restrict foot movement. More advanced runners tend to wear flatter and flexible shoes , which allow them to run more quickly with greater comfort. According to
900-870: The mid 20th century. Like other parts of the global clothing industry, shoe manufacturing is heavily concentrated in Asia with nine in ten shoes produced there. Sneakers have gone by a variety of names, depending on geography and changing over the decades. The broader category inclusive of sneakers is athletic shoes . The term 'athletic shoes' is typically used for shoes utilized for jogging or road running and indoor sports such as basketball , but tends to exclude shoes for sports played on grass such as association football and rugby football , which are generally known in North America as " cleats " and in British English as "boots" or "studs". The word "sneaker"
936-775: The name Orphic) was founded in 2021 by Chris Corner and Janine Gezang to be a service for fiercely independent musicians. UNFALL is a record label, music video production company, and music photography service. Born and raised in Middlesbrough , Corner moved to London in the mid-90s to pursue his education at Goldsmiths, University of London then at Queen Mary University before changing his focus to creating music full time. After Sneaker Pimps went on hiatus, he moved from London to Berlin in 2006, where he set up an IAMX studio for music and visual work until 2014. However, after battling chronic insomnia and depression, IAMX left Berlin and moved to California, later stating: "I needed
972-583: The reunion in 2016, and as of early 2019 they were reportedly working on a new album. Deluxe box sets of previous albums and two new studio albums were announced to be released variously across 2021. In May 2021, the band announced a new album entitled Squaring the Circle . The album was produced at Sawtooth Studios in Pioneertown, California and The Tower Studios in London. Main vocals are shared by Corner and "featured artist" Simonne Jones . Five of
1008-756: The rubber soles were on the ground, in contrast to noisy standard hard leather sole dress shoes . Someone wearing sneakers could "sneak up", while someone wearing standards could not. Earlier, the name "sneaks" had been used by prison inmates to refer to warders (guards) because of the rubber-soled shoes they wore. The term "sneakers" is most commonly used in Northeastern United States , Central and South Florida , Australia, New Zealand, and parts of Canada. However, in Australian , Canadian , and Scottish English , running shoes and runners are synonymous terms used to refer to sneakers, with
1044-530: The sales of conventional leather shoes, leading to a fierce advertising war for market share in the late '50s. In the 1970s, jogging for exercise became increasingly popular, and trainers designed specifically for comfort while jogging sold well. Companies also started to target some of their products at the casual fashion market. Soon, shoes were available for football, jogging, basketball, running , etc. Many sports had their relevant shoe, made possible by podiatrist development of athletic shoe technology. During
1080-480: The seat. Gone are the days where it’s like 'You’re the drummer, I’m the synth player." When playing live, however, their roles were more fixed: Athletic shoe Sneakers ( US ) or trainers ( UK ), also known by a wide variety of other names , are shoes primarily designed for sports or other forms of physical exercise but which are also widely used for everyday casual wear . They were popularized by companies such as Converse , Nike and Spalding in
1116-460: The second Sneaker Pimps album. Kelli Ali had taken a break after the Becoming X tour and was away traveling, so Corner sang on the new demos. When Ali returned, she was told by Howe and Corner that her voice was no longer considered suitable for their new music, and that Corner's voice was a better fit. Due to other ongoing personality conflicts and the band's concern about being stereotyped as
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1152-683: The songs originate from the SP5 demos, "Lifeline" (originally "Samaritan"), "Child in the Dark" (originally "Satellite"), So Far Gone (originally "Sun Ate the Moon"), "Come Like the Cure" (originally "Elias") and "No Show" (originally "Rush"). In the studio, the band regularly swapped instruments. As Corner explained during the recording sessions for Bloodsport , "we tend towards jobs, but generally we can mix and match. If we get bored of one aspect, someone else jumps in
1188-457: The spring and fall of 2023. Corner also composed and produced the soundtrack for the film Les Chevaliers du Ciel (2005) , which included features from Sue Denim of Robots in Disguise and the band Placebo . He has also directed, filmed, and edited music videos both for his own projects, IAMX and Sneaker Pimps, and for other musicians such as Gary Numan . UNFALL (formerly creating under
1224-490: The turn of the 20th century - plimsolls were even found with the ill-fated Scott Antarctic expedition of 1911. Plimsolls were commonly worn by pupils in schools' physical education lessons in the UK from the 1950s until the early 1970s. British company J.W. Foster and Sons designed and produced the first shoes designed for running in 1895; the shoes were spiked to allow for greater traction and speed. The company sold its high-quality handmade running shoes to athletes around
1260-536: The world, eventually receiving a contract for the manufacture of running shoes for the British team in the 1924 Summer Olympics. Harold Abrahams and Eric Liddell won the 100 m and 400 m events, kitted out with Foster's running gear. This style of footwear also became prominent in America at the turn of the 20th century, where they were called 'sneakers'. In 1892, the U.S. Rubber Company introduced
1296-437: Was released on Tommy Boy Records in 2002. Howe and Corner also gained notice by writing and producing for other artists, including Natalie Imbruglia , and for remixing songs under the name Line of Flight. In 2002, Joe Wilson and Dave Westlake left Sneaker Pimps. In 2003, a fourth Sneaker Pimps album was demoed but shelved. The album, which started as the soundtrack for an abandoned indie film project called Blind Michael ,
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