Reuben Wu

Reuben Wu was born in Liverpool in 1975, the son of Hongkonger immigrants. He trained in industrial design at Sheffield Hallam University, graduating in 1997. Meanwhile, he met Daniel Hunt in Liverpool in 1994; they formed Ladytron in 1999, along with Mira Aroyo and Helen Marnie.{{cite web |url=http://nettskinny.com/release/20110214/329-ladytron-best-00-10 |title=3/29 – Ladytron – 'Best Of: 00 – 10' |work=Nettwerk Press Blog |date=14 February 2011 |accessdate=8 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224110841/http://nettskinny.com/release/20110214/329-ladytron-best-00-10 |archive-date=24 December 2013 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |url=http://www.videovision.org/vv_interviews-ladytron.html |title=Videovision: Ladytron interview|year=2002 |accessdate=8 May 2013}} Wu finished his MSc in 1998 at the University of Liverpool. He worked as an industrial designer until going full-time with the band in 2002.{{cite web|title=Designer Downtime|url=http://www.core77.com/reactor/designer_downtime2.html|publisher=Core77.com|accessdate=2013-03-19}}

Wu and Hunt launched the Liverpool nightclub Evol in 2003 and bar/music venue Korova in 2005.{{cite news|last=Molyneux|first=Jess|title=Lost Liverpool music venue that was 'seen as a rite of passage' in the city|newspaper=Liverpool Echo|publisher=Trinity Mirror|date=2022-06-17|url=https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/nostalgia/lost-liverpool-music-venue-seen-24222366}}

Wu co-wrote and produced two songs "Birds of Prey" and "Little Dreamer" for Christina Aguilera's 2010 album Bionic.{{cite web|author1=Pitchfork|title=Christina Aguilera Working With Goldfrapp, Ladytron? |website=Pitchfork |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/33977-christina-aguilera-working-with-goldfrapp-ladytron/ |date=November 12, 2008}}

Utilizing his skill an artist and designer, Wu illustrated the artwork of the UK edition of Ladytron's first album 604 and was introduced to photography by documenting his travels on tour with the band. His own visual art career began later in 2012 once the band took a sabbatical and he was able to focus full-time on his own creative output.{{cite web|author1=Jacqui Palumbo|title=How this photographer makes sublime landscapes of the American West|website=CNN |url=https://www.cnn.com/style/article/reuben-wu-landscape-photography/index.html|date=January 16, 2023}} Wu has since created artistic content for GE,{{cite web|author1=Erik Oster|title=GE, Barbarians, Ladytron Member Collaborate to Make Freight Logistics Interesting

|url=https://www.adweek.com/agencyspy/ge-collaborates-with-reuben-wu-in-attempt-to-make-freight-logistics-interesting/59025/|website=Adweek|date=December 12, 2013}} Apple's Mac OS Big Sur wallpapers, Mercedes-Benz, Google and Interscope amongst others.{{fact|date=May 2019}}

In 2017, Wu was commissioned to photograph the artwork for Zedd and Alessia Cara's double-platinum single "Stay" and Zedd & Liam Payne's single "Get Low" in collaboration with Samuel Burgess-Johnson.{{fact|date=May 2019}}

Wu became a National Geographic photographer in 2022 after having his first assignment published in the magazine, a cover story on Stonehenge for the August issue. For this story, he used his unconventional drone lighting technique to illuminate the ancient megalith at night.{{cite web|author1=Emily Martin, Sylvia Mphofe|title=How the spirit of ancient Stonehenge was captured with a 21st-century drone

|url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/photography/article/stonehenge-behind-the-cover-august?loggedin=true&rnd=1679283951816|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230320035001/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/photography/article/stonehenge-behind-the-cover-august?loggedin=true&rnd=1679283951816|url-status=dead|archive-date=20 March 2023|website=National Geographic|date=July 19, 2022}} In March 2023, the Stonehenge story won "Online Storytelling Project of the Year" in the Pictures of the Year International Competition, an annual contest for documentary photographers and photojournalists and part of Pictures of the Year International.

In March 2023, Wu announced his departure from Ladytron citing growing commitments to his photography and art career.https://exclaim.ca/music/article/ladytron_keyboardist_reuben_wu_has_left_the_band

During Ladytron's live shows, Reuben Wu played synthesizers. Korg MS-10 was his primary synthesizer for the first four Ladytron tours.

Wu played live the following instruments for the band:

• Korg MS-10, Roland SH-2 (604 tour);
• Korg MS-10, Korg Mono/Poly (Light & Magic tour);
• Korg MS-10, Korg MS2000B (Witching Hour tour);
• Korg MS-10, Korg MS2000B, Minimoog Voyager (Velocifero tour);
• Minimoog Voyager (Best of 00-10 and Gravity the Seducer tours).

On the early part of the Witching Hour tour, Ladytron used to name their four identical Korg MS2000B to enable easier installation on stage. His MS2000B keyboard was named Gloria.{{cite web |url=http://www.korg.com/Artist.aspx?artist=259 |title=Artist Details |publisher=Korg |accessdate=2013-03-19 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100102035202/http://korg.com/Artist.aspx?artist=259 |archivedate=2010-01-02 }}

{{Main|Ladytron discography}}

• 604 (2001)
• Light & Magic (2002)
• Witching Hour (2005)
• Velocifero (2008)
• Gravity the Seducer (2011)
• Ladytron (2019)
• Time's Arrow (2023)

{{reflist}}

• [http://www.reubenwu.com/ Reuben Wu's Website]
• [https://www.instagram.com/reuben/ Reuben Wu's Instagram]
• [https://www.cnn.com/style/article/reuben-wu-landscape-photography/index.html CNN Interview]
• [http://thephotographicjournal.com/interviews/reuben-wu/ Interview with The Photographic Journal]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20160616022102/http://www.nationalgeographic.com/photography/proof/2016/06/lighting-the-night-sky National Geographic: Surreal Desert Landscapes Painted on a Canvas Made of Sky]
• [http://blog.instagram.com/post/142124754222/160402-itsreuben The Adventure Photography of Ladytron Co-Founder Reuben Wu]
• {{Discogs artist}}
• [http://blog.iso50.com/27666/weekend-inspiration-reuben-wu/] ISO50 feature on Reuben Wu's photography

{{Ladytron}}

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Category:1975 births

Category:Living people

Category:Alumni of Sheffield Hallam University

Category:Alumni of the University of Liverpool

Category:British Asian musicians

Category:Photographers from Liverpool

Category:Musicians from Liverpool

Category:Ladytron members

Category:British electronic dance music DJs

Category:English people of Hong Kong descent