There are supergroups, and then there are Producers. Behold, arguably the most successful line up of musicians and producers ever, coming to a university/college near you!
Four hugely successful individuals in the music industry, Lol Crème, Trevor Horn, Stephen Lipson and Ash Soan are putting their years of expertise into play and creating an exciting new collective, ready to embark on a new adventure. The group, who over the past forty years have racked up more than 200 hit singles and albums, are setting out on a series of live performances and interactive sessions across British Universities and colleges this March, ahead of their debut album, Made In Basing Street.
So for those who aren't familiar with these prestigious producers, (shame on you!), you'll more than likely recognise the work they have been responsible for. Lets take a look:
Lol Creme is one of the few musicians whose career straddles the Merseybeat era and the art-techno 21st century. He was in a series of beat combos in the 60s and between 1972 and 1976, he enjoyed a stint with the pioneering 10cc, whose singles included, The Dean And I, Wall Street Shuffle, Life Is A Minestrone, Rubber Bullets and I’m Not In Love, the latter of which scored a UK number one. 10cc's landmark albums (10cc, Sheet Music, The Original Soundtrack, How Dare You!) made them the greatest British art-pop group between The Beatles and Blur thanks to their technological invention and longevity. In 1976 Lol and his main 10cc songwriting partner Kevin Godley left the band to form Godley & Creme, and they enjoyed a run of hits (Wedding Bells, Under Your Thumb, Cry) as well as a parallel career as video directors whose promos for The Police (Every Breath You Take), Duran Duran (Girls on Film), Herbie Hancock (Rockit), Frankie Goes To Hollywood (Two Tribes) and their own single, Cry, were innovative examples of the form that helped define the look of the 80s.
The Police - Every Breath You Take:
Trevor Horn CBE is the greatest British record producer since Sir George Martin. Some of his outstanding credits include Dollar, ABC, Malcom McLaren, Art Of Noise, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Propaganda and Grace Jones. If that hadn't earned Horn his place in the history books, his later work as a member of the proto-synth duo, Buggles (Video Killed The Radio Star)and Prog rockers, Yes - co-writing and producing their biggest ever single, Owner Of A Lonely Heart. His roster also includes everyone from Seal and Simple Minds, to tATu, Pet Shop Boys, Boyzone, Charlotte Church, Rod Stewart and Robbie Williams. The list is endless, with his reputation still growing as one of the most prolific producers of his generation.
Buggles - Video Killed The Radio Star:
Stephen Lipson, a guitarist, engineer and producer, was Trevor Horn's right-hand-man in the 80s. He worked at Sarm Studios for the ZTT label (for acts including Propaganda, FGTH, Grace Jones and ACT) and helped define the sound of that decade. Since then, Lipson has built a career in his own right, producing acts such as Sandi Thom, Jamie Cullum, Paul McCartney's Flowers in the Dirt, four solo albums by Annie Lennox and engineered the Rolling Stones' Undercover. He has also produced hits for the likes of Geri Halliwell (It’s Raining Men, UK number 1), S Club 7 (three UK number 1s), Will Young (Leave Right Now, UK number 1), Natalie Imbruglia (Shiver) and Rachel Stevens. In 2011 he was nominated for a Grammy Award for his work on the Jeff Beck album, Emotion and Commotion.
Will Young - Leave Right Now:
Ash Soan is one of the UK’s most prolific drummers. Recently, his credits have included work recording with Adele, Cee Lo Green, James Morrison and the last Seal album. He has played on 27 Top 10 albums, eleven of which reached the number one spot, and seven of them were number one singles. As well as collaborating with the likes of Natasha Bedingfield, Siobhan Donaghy and Sandi Thom, he spent most of the 90s drumming with Del Amitri, as well as joining Squeeze until the band split in 1999. Since then he has performed at some of the biggest music events in the world, including the Montreux Jazz Festival, Glastonbury and Party In The Park. Ash has also branched into the dance arena, touring the world with the genre-defining, Faithless.
Squeeze - Domino:
So if that isn't impressive enough, this diverse mix of talent will be undertaking a unique tour of Universities and Colleges across the UK, with the added bonus of Q&A sessions with students from each institution. These multimedia events will take place before the group take to the stage to showcase tracks from their upcoming album, and their greatest hits of course! Every performance is to be produced and promoted in association with the students at the universities and all news and footage will be available via the Producers' YouTube channel. Ash Soan has recently spoken about the scheduled tour:
"I'm looking forward to the Uni gigs personally because I remember when I was studying music and the likes of George Martin visited, it really stayed with me. I hope our shows can do the same".
Dates for Producers’ Spring 2012 UK tour are as follows:
- 1st March - WEST LONDON Tech Music School
- 2nd March - GUILDFORD ACM
- 5th March - SOUTHAMPTON Solent University
- 6th March - BIRMINGHAM South Birmingham College
- 7th March - LEEDS College of Music
- 8th March - HIGH WYCOMBE Buckinghamshire New University
Have a listen to the first track from Made In Basing Street, Freeway:
To find out more, just go to their official website, or visit their Twitter or Facebook Page.