Disclosure: The Life Story Behind the Dance Duo
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Disclosure make dance music that sounds clean, warm and human, even though it is made with computers and synthesisers. Their songs have strong beats, deep bass and voices that sing about love with an honesty that makes people dance and feel at the same time. When their song Latch, featuring Sam Smith, became a hit around the world, it showed that a dance song could also be a love song, and that two young brothers from a small town in Surrey could make music that filled clubs on every continent.
The duo is made up of brothers Guy and Howard Lawrence, from Reigate in Surrey, England. Guy is the older brother, and Howard is the younger, and they began making music together while they were still teenagers. Their father was a musician, and their home was full of instruments and records. The brothers grew up listening to many kinds of music, from soul and garage to house and electronic sounds, and they learned to play instruments before they learned to produce music on a computer. That musical training gave their electronic songs a warmth that many dance records do not have.
Their journey took them from a bedroom studio in Reigate to the top of the British charts. Their debut album, Settle, arrived in 2013 and reached number one in Britain. It included Latch, White Noise and You and Me. Their second album, Caracal, came in 2015. Later albums, Energy in 2020 and Alchemy in 2023, showed a duo that kept growing, kept working with new singers, and kept the dance floor moving. Through all of it, they have stayed brothers first and bandmates second, and that closeness is at the heart of their story.
Two Brothers in Reigate
Guy and Howard Lawrence grew up in Reigate, a town in Surrey, south of London, in a home where music was always present. Their father played in bands, and the house had guitars, keyboards and drums. The brothers learned to play instruments as children, and they listened to their father’s records, which included soul, funk and jazz. That early training gave them a musical ear that many electronic producers do not have. They understood melody, harmony and rhythm before they ever touched a computer.
As teenagers, the brothers began to make music together in their bedroom. Guy was interested in house music and garage, the dance sounds of London, while Howard was interested in soul and R and B. They put those two interests together, and the result was a sound that was both danceable and soulful. They made beats on a computer, they played keyboards and bass, and they sang their own early songs. The work was fun, and it was also serious. They were learning how to make a record, one small step at a time.
Reigate was a quiet place compared to London, and the brothers had time to practise without distraction. They were not part of a big music scene, and they did not have many other young musicians around them. That isolation helped them, because it meant they had to find their own sound instead of copying the sound of their neighbours. They listened to records, they tried new ideas, and they built a style that was theirs alone. When they finally shared their music online, people noticed the difference at once.
By 2010, the brothers had a name and a clear idea of what they wanted to be. They called themselves Disclosure, a name that pointed to the idea of revealing something hidden, of opening up. They began to release singles, and they began to play DJ sets in London clubs. The audiences were small at first, but the people who heard them remembered them. Here were two young brothers making dance music that sounded warm, musical and human, and that was a rare thing.
Settle, Latch and a Number One Album
Disclosure’s breakthrough came with a series of singles in 2012 and 2013, each one featuring a different singer. Latch, featuring Sam Smith, was the most famous of them. Smith was then a young singer with a powerful voice, and the song gave him his first big hit as well. Latch is a song about holding on to someone you love, about the fear of letting go, and Smith sang it with a tenderness that made the words feel personal. The song became a hit in Britain, and then a hit in America, where it was played on the radio for a long time.
White Noise, featuring AlunaGeorge, was another hit from the same period. It was a faster and more playful song, with a beat that made people dance and a vocal that sounded bright and modern. You and Me, featuring Eliza Doolittle, was a softer and more romantic track, and it showed that Disclosure could write a love song as well as a dance song. Each single had a different singer, a different feeling, and a different sound, but all of them had the same clean and warm production that became the duo’s signature.
Their debut album, Settle, was released in 2013, and it reached number one in Britain. The album brought together the singles with new songs, and it showed the full range of the brothers’ sound. It was praised by critics as one of the best dance albums of the year, and it was nominated for the Mercury Prize. For two brothers who had started in a bedroom in Reigate, it was a remarkable achievement. They had made a record that was both a dance album and a pop album, and it worked in clubs and on the radio at the same time.
Touring for Settle took the brothers around the world, and their live shows became famous for their energy. They played as DJs, with decks and mixers, and they also played live instruments on stage. The shows were joyful, with the brothers smiling and dancing as they played, and the audiences danced along. Disclosure learned how to bring their studio sound to a large stage without losing its warmth, and they became one of the most loved dance acts in the world.
Caracal and the Second Album Test
The band’s second album, Caracal, was released in 2015, and it was a bigger and more polished record than the first. The album was named after a wild cat, and it had a sleek and confident sound. It included songs like Omen, featuring Sam Smith, Holding On, featuring Gregory Porter, and Magnets, featuring Lorde. Each song had a different singer, and each one showed a different side of the brothers’ sound.
Caracal showed Disclosure growing up. The songs were about love, about desire, about the feeling of being young and free, and they were sung by some of the most famous voices in music. Working with Lorde, a young singer from New Zealand, was a highlight, and Magnets became one of their most loved songs. The album reached the top of the charts in Britain, and it was praised by critics, even though some people felt it was less surprising than Settle. That is the hard test of a second album: it must be as good as the first, but it must also be different, and Caracal passed that test in its own way.
The tour for Caracal took the brothers to even bigger stages, including festivals and arenas around the world. They were now one of the biggest dance acts in the world, and their shows were full of light, sound and energy. But the success also brought pressure, and the brothers began to think about what they wanted to do next. They had been working without a break, and they needed time to rest, to listen to new music, and to find new ideas.
The years after Caracal were quieter. The brothers took a break from touring, they worked on their own projects, and they spent time in the studio trying new sounds. That break was important. It gave them space to grow, and it gave them the freedom to make their next album in their own way, without the pressure of following a hit. When they returned, their music had changed, and the change showed a duo that was still curious and still willing to try new things.
Energy, Alchemy and a New Chapter
Energy was released in 2020, and it was a return to the dance floor. The album was made during a time when clubs were closed and people were dancing at home, and the songs carried a longing for the club, for the crowd, and for the feeling of being together in a room full of music. The album included songs like Energy, featuring Channel Tres, My High, featuring Aminé and Slowthai, and Douha (Mali Mali), featuring Fatoumata Diawara, a singer from Mali. The album showed the brothers working with singers from many countries, and it had a warm and worldwide feeling.
The album was praised for its energy and its variety, and it showed that Disclosure could still make dance music that felt fresh after ten years. The brothers had not lost their touch. They still knew how to make a beat that made people move, and they still knew how to choose the right singer for each song. The album was a reminder that dance music is not just about sound. It is about feeling, about community, and about the joy of moving together.
Alchemy, their fourth album, was released in 2023, and it was a more personal record. The brothers made it without any featured singers, with Howard singing on many of the tracks himself. That was a big change, because their earlier albums had always featured other voices. Alchemy showed a duo that was confident enough to sing their own songs, and it had a warmer and more intimate sound. Songs like Looking for Love, Higher Than Ever Before and Simply Won’t Do showed a band that was still growing, still learning, and still willing to take risks.
The album was made in a small studio, and it had a feeling of closeness that the earlier records did not always have. It was the sound of two brothers making music together, without the pressure of a big guest list, and that simplicity gave the record its charm. Fans who had followed the duo from the start heard a band that had come full circle: from a bedroom in Reigate, to the top of the charts, and back to a small room where two brothers made music for the joy of it.
Brothers, Beats and the Dance Floor
One of the most interesting things about Disclosure is the relationship between the two brothers. Guy is the older brother, and he is known for his calm and focused way of working. Howard is the younger brother, and he is known for his energy and his love of singing. Together, they balance each other. Guy keeps the music tight and clean, Howard brings the feeling and the melody, and the result is a sound that is both precise and warm. That balance is the heart of their music.
The brothers’ musical training also sets them apart. Many dance producers learn to make beats on a computer and never learn to play an instrument. Guy and Howard learned to play instruments first, and that training shows in their songs. Their melodies are strong, their harmonies are rich, and their bass lines move like a real bass player is playing them. That musicality is why their songs work on the radio as well as in clubs. They are dance songs, but they are also songs, with verses, choruses and feelings.
Their live shows are also part of their story. Disclosure play as DJs, but they also play live instruments, and their shows mix the two in a way that feels natural. The brothers stand behind their decks, they smile, they dance, and they make the crowd feel like part of the music. That joy is infectious, and it is the reason their shows are loved around the world. A Disclosure concert is not a distant performance. It is a party, and the brothers are the hosts.
Their influence can be heard in many younger dance artists who learned from them that a dance song can also be a pop song, and that a pop song can also be a dance song. Disclosure showed that the two worlds could live together, and that a song could be both a hit on the radio and a favourite in a club. That lesson has helped a new generation of producers to be braver about melody, about singing, and about the feeling of their music.
Still Dancing, Still Brothers
In the years since Alchemy, Disclosure have continued to release new music, to play DJ sets around the world, and to work with new singers. They have stayed together as brothers, and they have kept their base in England. They have not tried to become a different kind of act to chase a trend. They have stayed with the sound they built in Reigate, while letting it grow a little with each new record. That steadiness is part of their story.
Their influence can be heard in younger producers who mix house music with soul, and who write songs that work in clubs and on the radio. Disclosure showed that a dance duo could be both popular and musical, both joyful and honest, and that a song could make people dance and feel at the same time. That is a rare combination, and it is why their music still matters to the people who first heard it more than ten years ago.
Looking back, the story of Disclosure is a story of two brothers who found a sound and protected it. They started in a bedroom in Reigate, they made a number one album with Settle, they worked with some of the biggest singers in the world, and they did it all with a clean, warm and human sound. Their songs are still played in clubs, on the radio and at parties, and they still make people dance. That is a good legacy for a duo that began with a simple idea: that dance music should feel like music, not just noise.
The DJ Set and the Live Show: Two Ways to Dance
Disclosure have two ways of performing, and both of them show a different side of the duo. As DJs, Guy and Howard stand behind decks, mixing records, reading the crowd, and building a night of music that moves from one track to the next without a break. As a live act, they play keyboards, they sing, and they work with singers on stage. Both ways are joyful, but they feel different, and the duo have learned to do both with the same care.
A DJ set is a conversation with the crowd. The DJ plays a track, the crowd responds, and the DJ chooses the next track based on that response. Guy and Howard learned that skill in London clubs, where they played to small crowds who wanted to dance. They learned how to read a room, how to lift it with a fast track, how to calm it with a slow one, and how to keep the energy going for hours. That skill is not about pressing buttons. It is about listening, about paying attention, and about trusting the crowd to tell you what they need.
A live show is a different kind of conversation. The duo play their own songs, with live instruments and singers, and the crowd sings along. The live show is more personal, because the audience can see the brothers, can see them playing keyboards, can see them smiling and dancing. That closeness makes the live show feel like a party with friends, rather than a night in a club. The duo have learned how to do both, and they choose the right form for the right night.
Their live shows have become famous for their energy and their warmth. They play in clubs, in arenas, and at festivals, and each show is a little different, because the crowd is different each night. The brothers watch the audience, they listen, and they change the set to fit the room. That flexibility is part of why their shows are loved. A Disclosure show is not a fixed performance. It is a night that is made in the moment, with the crowd, and that is a rare thing.
There is also a practical side to playing both ways. A DJ set needs only decks and a mixer, and it can be played in a small club. A live show needs keyboards, singers, lights, and a bigger stage. The duo have learned how to scale their performance, from a small club to a large festival, without losing the feeling of their music. That skill comes from years of playing, from listening to the crowd, and from trusting each other on stage.
What I find most interesting about their two ways of performing is that they show the duo’s range. They are DJs and musicians, producers and performers, brothers and bandmates, all at the same time. That range is rare, and it is the reason their music sounds so complete. A duo that can DJ and play live understands dance music from both sides: from the club, where the crowd dances, and from the stage, where the band plays. That understanding makes their records better, and their shows better too.
Their recent DJ sets have also shown how much the crowd still loves them. In a dark club, when the beat drops and the lights flash, the whole room moves together, and the brothers play with a joy that comes from knowing the crowd is with them. That shared feeling is hard to describe, but it is the reason people go to clubs: to feel part of something larger than themselves, to dance with strangers, and to hear a song they love played loud. Disclosure give them that feeling, night after night.
The duo’s songs have also been used in films, in adverts and on television, and each new use carries their music to people who might never have heard it otherwise. A listener who hears Latch in a film may go home and listen to the whole album, and that is how a duo grows, one listener at a time. Disclosure’s music travels well because it is warm, because it is clean, and because it is about feelings that everyone knows: love, longing, and the joy of dancing with people you love.
My Take:
When I listen to Disclosure, the first thing I feel is warmth. Their dance music does not sound cold or mechanical, the way so much electronic music can. It sounds human, with strong melodies, deep bass and voices that sing about love as if they mean it. Latch is a song that makes me want to dance, but it is also a song about holding on to someone you love, and that mix of joy and feeling is what makes them special. I admire music that can do two things at once, and Disclosure do that better than most dance acts I know.
I think the most admirable part of their story is the brotherhood at its centre. Guy and Howard Lawrence grew up together, they learned music together, and they built a career together. That is a rare thing in music, where brothers often fight and split up. The Lawrence brothers have stayed close, they have balanced each other’s strengths, and they have made music that neither one could make alone. When I hear their songs, I hear that balance: Guy’s precision and Howard’s feeling, working together like two hands playing one piano. That is a beautiful thing, and it is the reason their music sounds so complete.
I also admire their musical training. Many dance producers learn to make beats on a computer and never learn to play an instrument, but Guy and Howard learned to play first. That training shows in their songs, which have real melodies, real harmonies and real bass lines. I think that is an important lesson. A good dance song is not just a beat. It is a song, with a verse and a chorus and a feeling, and Disclosure understand that. Their music works on the radio as well as in a club, because it was made by musicians, not just by producers.
There is a sadness in their story, too, and it is the sadness of a duo that is sometimes seen as only a dance act. Disclosure make music that is joyful and danceable, and joyful music is sometimes treated as less serious than sad music. I think that is unfair, because joy is a serious thing. It takes skill to make people dance, it takes skill to make people smile, and it takes skill to make a song that lifts a room. Disclosure have that skill, and they use it with generosity. They do not make music to show off. They make music to bring people together, and that is a kind of seriousness that deserves more respect.
Another thing I notice is how much their music depends on other singers. Sam Smith, AlunaGeorge, Eliza Doolittle, Gregory Porter, Lorde: each one brought a different voice to the duo’s songs, and each song sounds different because of that voice. That way of working is generous, because it shares the spotlight with many people. But it also means that the brothers themselves are sometimes hard to see. People remember the singer, and they forget the two brothers who made the song. I think that is unfair, because Guy and Howard are the heart of Disclosure. Their music is the reason the singers sound so good, and they deserve more credit than they sometimes get.
I find their album Alchemy especially interesting, because it showed the brothers singing their own songs. After years of working with other voices, they made a record with Howard singing on many tracks, and the result was warmer and more personal. I think that change mattered, because it showed a duo that was confident enough to be heard in their own voices. It was a brave step, and it made the album feel like a return to the bedroom in Reigate where they started. I admire that bravery, and I think it makes Alchemy one of their most honest records.
If I have a criticism, it is only that their albums can sometimes feel too polished. The clean production that makes them special can also make their songs sound similar to each other, and a listener who hears three of their songs in a row may find it hard to tell them apart. That is not a real fault, though. It is a sign that the duo has a clear sound, and that sound works. I would not want them to lose the cleanliness that makes them special. I only wish that some of their later songs had taken more risks, the way Settle did, and shown more of the strange and daring side of their writing.
I also think about their live shows, and how joyful they must be. A Disclosure concert is a party, with the brothers behind their decks, smiling and dancing, and the crowd moving together. I would love to be in that crowd, to hear Latch played live, and to feel the joy that the brothers clearly feel when they play. That is a rare feeling in music, where so many shows are polished and distant. Disclosure feel close and human, and that closeness is part of why people love them.
When I compare Disclosure with other dance acts of their time, what stands out is their musicality. They are not just DJs. They are musicians who understand melody, harmony and rhythm, and who use that knowledge to make dance songs that are smarter than they sound. That musicality is hidden under a bright and joyful surface, and I think that is the best kind of cleverness: the kind that makes you dance first, and think later. A song that is both fun and smart is a rare thing, and Disclosure make many such songs.
For a young reader, I think the clearest lesson is about working with family. Guy and Howard are brothers, and they have built a career together without letting the work destroy their relationship. That takes patience, respect and a willingness to listen. Many people are afraid to work with family, because they worry it will end in a fight. Their story says that if you respect each other, if you balance each other’s strengths, and if you remember that the relationship matters more than the work, then working with family can be a gift. That is a hopeful thought, and it is one I will carry with me.
I also take a personal lesson from their patience. They started in a bedroom in Reigate, they made singles one by one, they built their sound slowly, and they did not become famous overnight. They became famous after years of work, and the fame lasted because the work was good. That tells me that slow work, done with care, can still win. I do not need to rush. I can build something piece by piece, and if it is honest, people will find it.
In the end, I think Disclosure matter because they prove that dance music can be both joyful and musical. Their songs make people dance, and they also make people feel. When I hear Latch today, I still feel the beat, I still feel the love, and I still feel the warmth that the brothers put into the song. That is a good dance song, and it is a good legacy for a duo that started as two brothers in a bedroom in Reigate.
One more thought stays with me, and it is about the future. I do not know what their next album will sound like, and I do not need to know. I trust that when it comes, it will sound like them: clean, warm, and full of beats and voices. That trust is something a duo earns over many years, and Disclosure have earned it. I will keep listening, not because they are the loudest dance act in the world, but because they are one of the most musical, and musicality in dance music is rarer than it should be.
I also think about what I would say to a friend who had never heard Disclosure. I would start with Latch, because it is their most famous song, and then I would play White Noise, and then You and Me, and I would let the friend hear how the duo work with different singers. That is the best way to meet this band: through the voices first, and then through the beats that hold those voices together.
There is another lesson in their story that I keep coming back to, and it is about the value of learning an instrument first. Guy and Howard learned to play before they learned to produce, and that training shows in their songs. That tells me that a person who learns the basics well will always have a stronger foundation than a person who skips them. It is a simple lesson, but it is a hard one to learn in a world that rewards speed, and a duo that lives it in public makes it easier for others to learn it too.
I also wonder what their next album will sound like, and I find that I do not mind not knowing. Some duos make me want to guess, to predict, to follow every rumour. Disclosure make me want to wait. I trust that when the record comes, it will be clean, it will be warm, and it will sound like them. That trust is a rare thing to feel about a duo, and it is the result of many years of good work. A duo that has never let me down earns the right to be waited for.
When I think about Howard’s singing on Alchemy, I think about how it has changed over the years. On the early albums he stayed behind the decks, letting other singers take the lead. On Alchemy he sang himself, with a warmth that made the songs feel personal. That change is not about technique. It is about courage, and courage grows slowly, through years of making music, through years of listening, through years of learning that your own voice is worth hearing. I find that growth hopeful, because it shows that a person, like a duo, can become braver with time.
I also think about the listeners who found this duo during hard times. Many people discovered Disclosure in a club, dancing, and the songs became part of their happiest memories. Those listeners did not find the duo in a quiet room. They found them in a crowd, moving together, and the songs stayed with them when they went home. That is a special kind of success: not a hit that everyone hears at once, but a song that becomes part of a person’s life, and stays.
If I could ask the brothers one question, I would ask them how they balance each other, how Guy’s calm and Howard’s energy work together in the studio. I suspect the answer would be simple: they listen, they respect each other, and they trust the music. That simplicity is the heart of their story, and it is the reason their music still sounds fresh. A duo that listens to itself will always sound honest, and honesty is the rarest sound in popular music.
In the end, what I carry from Disclosure is a feeling of warmth. Their music does not shout, it does not beg, and it does not try to be everything at once. It is a clean, human sound, made by two brothers who listen to each other, and it reaches people all over the world. That is enough, and it is more than enough. It is a reminder that warm work, done with care, can still be heard, even in the noisiest of times.
I also think about the quieter songs in their catalogue, the ones that do not get played in clubs as often. A song like White Noise, with its bright vocal and its playful beat, shows a different side of the duo, while a track like You and Me shows their romantic side. Those varied songs are just as important as Latch, because they show that Disclosure can be playful and tender as well as powerful. A listener who only knows Latch is missing half the duo, and I would tell them to listen to the whole album, because those songs are where the duo’s heart really lives.
There is one more thing I want to say about their warmth, and it is that warmth is not softness. Disclosure’s warmth is a form of strength: the strength to make a clean and honest record, to sing about love without shame, and to trust the audience to listen. When the beat drops and the voice begins, the brothers are telling the audience that tonight matters, that dancing matters, and that feeling matters. That is a generous message, and it is one that I carry with me long after the song has ended.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who are the members of Disclosure?
Disclosure are brothers Guy and Howard Lawrence from Reigate in Surrey, England. Guy is the older brother and Howard is the younger, and they began making music together as teenagers in their bedroom.
What is Disclosure’s most famous song?
Latch, featuring Sam Smith, is their most famous song, a hit around the world about holding on to someone you love. White Noise, featuring AlunaGeorge, and You and Me, featuring Eliza Doolittle, are also well known songs from the same period.
What albums has Disclosure released?
Their studio albums are Settle from 2013, Caracal from 2015, Energy from 2020, and Alchemy from 2023. Settle reached number one in Britain, and Alchemy was made without featured singers, with Howard singing many tracks himself.
What kind of music does Disclosure make?
They make house and electronic dance music with strong melodies, deep bass and soulful vocals. Their sound is clean and warm, built on the brothers’ training as musicians, and it works in clubs and on the radio at the same time.
Why is Sam Smith linked to Disclosure?
Sam Smith sang on Latch, the song that gave both Disclosure and Smith a big hit in 2013. The song was Smith’s first major success, and it helped both the duo and the singer to become famous around the world.
Where is Disclosure from?
The brothers are from Reigate, a town in Surrey, south of London. They grew up in a musical home, learned instruments as children, and began making electronic music together as teenagers in their bedroom.
Is Disclosure still making music?
Yes, the brothers have continued to release new music and play DJ sets around the world in the years since Alchemy. They still work as a duo, and their live shows remain known for their energy, warmth and joyful crowds.
