Chris Hughes (record producer)
Encyclopedia
Chris Hughes is a music producer
and a former drum
mer for Adam and the Ants
.
Hughes, also known as "Merrick", was educated at Emanuel School
in London, and was a member of Adam and the Ants, also producing their album
s, Kings of the Wild Frontier
and Prince Charming
. Hughes was awarded Music Week
’s "Producer of the Year" award for his work on the album, Kings of the Wild Frontier. He co-wrote Tears for Fears
' hit song "Everybody Wants to Rule the World
", and produced their first two albums, The Hurting
and the platinum
selling album Songs from the Big Chair
. Hughes also produced The Electric Soft Parade
's debut album, Holes in the Wall
, which was nominated for the Mercury Prize
, and Propaganda
's 1234. Hughes was also a member of Dalek I Love You
, is credited as LinnDrum
programmer on Peter Gabriel
's single
, "Shock the Monkey
" and co-produced Gabriel's "Red Rain
".
In February 1994 Hughes released Shift, his first solo album, which was re-released in July 2008. Shift was a tribute to American
minimalist
composer
, Steve Reich
. In 1972, Hughes' father took him to London to see Reich's performance of Drumming
. Hughes credits Reich as a driving influence in his career. Shift uses fragments of Reich's work and "subjects it to subtle manipulations using the technology of recorded sound."
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
and a former drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
mer for Adam and the Ants
Adam and the Ants
Adam and the Ants were a British rock band active during the late 1970s and early 1980s. The original group, which existed from 1977 to 1980, became notable as a cult band marking the transition from the late-1970s punk rock era to the post-punk and New Wave era...
.
Hughes, also known as "Merrick", was educated at Emanuel School
Emanuel School
Emanuel School is a co-educational independent school in Battersea, south-west London. The school was founded by Lady Dacre and Elizabeth I in 1594. Today it has some 710 pupils, aged between ten and eighteen.-History:...
in London, and was a member of Adam and the Ants, also producing their album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
s, Kings of the Wild Frontier
Kings of the Wild Frontier
Kings of the Wild Frontier is a New Wave album by Adam and the Ants, released in 1980 . This album introduced the new Burundi drum sound. After having his previous backing band wooed away by producer Malcolm McLaren, who used them to form Bow Wow Wow, Adam Ant recorded Kings of the Wild Frontier...
and Prince Charming
Prince Charming (album)
Allmusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine rated Prince Charming three-and-a-half out of five stars. He explained that it was "a markedly different record than [Kings of the Wild Frontier], intentionally so", and that "the songs just aren't there." However, he concluded by stating that it "simply has style...
. Hughes was awarded Music Week
Music Week
Music Week is a trade paper for the UK record industry.Founded in 1959 as Record Retailer, it was relaunched on 18 March 1972 as Music Week . On 17 January 1981 the title was again changed, owing to the increasing importance of sell-through videos, to Music & Video Week...
’s "Producer of the Year" award for his work on the album, Kings of the Wild Frontier. He co-wrote Tears for Fears
Tears for Fears
Tears for Fears are an English new wave band formed in the early 1980s by Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith.Founded after the dissolution of their first band, the mod-influenced Graduate, they were initially associated with the New Wave synthesiser bands of the early 1980s but later branched out into...
' hit song "Everybody Wants to Rule the World
Everybody Wants to Rule the World
"Everybody Wants to Rule the World" is a song by the British New Wave band Tears for Fears.It was the band's ninth single release in the United Kingdom and seventh UK Top 40 chart hit, peaking at number two in April 1985...
", and produced their first two albums, The Hurting
The Hurting
The Hurting is the debut album by the British pop band Tears for Fears. It was released on 7 March 1983, and peaked at no. 1 on the UK Album Chart...
and the platinum
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
selling album Songs from the Big Chair
Songs from the Big Chair
Songs from the Big Chair is the second album by the British rock band Tears for Fears. It was released in 1985 on Phonogram Records, and remains their highest selling album to date. The album peaked at no.2 in the UK and reached no.1 in the US...
. Hughes also produced The Electric Soft Parade
The Electric Soft Parade
The Electric Soft Parade are an English psych-pop band from Brighton, comprising brothers Alex and Thomas White, the creative core of the band, as well as a number of other musicians with whom they record and perform live, most recently including Andrew Mitchell and Damo Waters, as well as...
's debut album, Holes in the Wall
Holes in the Wall
Holes in the Wall is an album by The Electric Soft Parade, released in February 2002. The album was released on DB Records and was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize...
, which was nominated for the Mercury Prize
Mercury Prize
The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize and currently known as the Barclaycard Mercury Prize for sponsorship reasons, is an annual music prize awarded for the best album from the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was established by the British Phonographic Industry and British...
, and Propaganda
Propaganda (band)
Propaganda is a German synthpop group, formed in 1982. They were one of the initial roster of acts signed to Trevor Horn's ZTT label, between 1984 and 1986, during which they released the critically acclaimed album A Secret Wish....
's 1234. Hughes was also a member of Dalek I Love You
Dalek I Love You
Dalek I Love You may refer to:* Dalek I Love You, a synthpop group* Dalek I Love You , the group's self-titled album* Dalek I Love You , an audio play broadcast on BBC Radio...
, is credited as LinnDrum
LinnDrum
The LinnDrum is a drum machine manufactured by Linn Electronics. It was released in 1982 as a successor to the Linn LM-1. The LinnDrum has 15 drum sounds sampled from real drums, a sequencer for programming rhythm patterns and five trigger inputs....
programmer on Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel
Peter Brian Gabriel is an English singer, musician, and songwriter who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock group Genesis. After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career...
's single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, "Shock the Monkey
Shock the Monkey
"Shock the Monkey" is a 1982 song by Peter Gabriel. It was released as a single and peaked at number 29 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 1 on the Billboard Top Tracks chart. The song was Gabriel's first Top 40 hit in the US. In the UK, the song charted at number 58. It was included on...
" and co-produced Gabriel's "Red Rain
Red Rain (song)
"Red Rain" is the first track on Peter Gabriel's 1986 solo album So. In the USA, it reached #3 on Billboard magazine's Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. Stewart Copeland from The Police played the hi-hat for the rain-like background sound; the rest of the drumming was handled by Jerry Marotta.The song...
".
In February 1994 Hughes released Shift, his first solo album, which was re-released in July 2008. Shift was a tribute to American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
minimalist
Minimalist music
Minimal music is a style of music associated with the work of American composers La Monte Young, Terry Riley, Steve Reich, and Philip Glass. It originated in the New York Downtown scene of the 1960s and was initially viewed as a form of experimental music called the New York Hypnotic School....
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, Steve Reich
Steve Reich
Stephen Michael "Steve" Reich is an American composer who together with La Monte Young, Terry Riley, and Philip Glass is a pioneering composer of minimal music...
. In 1972, Hughes' father took him to London to see Reich's performance of Drumming
Drumming (Reich)
Drumming is a piece by minimalist composer Steve Reich, dating from 1970-1971. Reich began composition of the work after a short visit to Africa and observing music and musical ensembles there, especially under the Anlo Ewe master drummer Gideon Alorwoyie in Ghana. His visit was cut short after...
. Hughes credits Reich as a driving influence in his career. Shift uses fragments of Reich's work and "subjects it to subtle manipulations using the technology of recorded sound."
External links
- Official Site
- "Shift", Chris Hughes' Shift CD Web Site