Colin Newman
Encyclopedia
Colin Newman is an English
musician
, record producer
and record label
owner.
. When the band temporarily split in 1980, Newman pursued a solo
career. His first solo LP
, A-Z, was released in 1980 on the Beggar's Banquet
label
. The album veered from extremely skewed pop
to more mainstream numbers, such as "Order for Order", which was compared by some to Gary Numan
. A track from the demos for this LP (but not included on the original vinyl release), "Not Me", was covered by This Mortal Coil
on their It'll End In Tears LP. Newman's second LP, the entirely instrumental Provisionally Entitled The Singing Fish, in which all the tracks were titled for numbered fish, was released on the 4AD Records label in 1981. A third LP, Not To, which along with original compositions reworked a number of tracks originally written for Wire , was released in 1982 on 4AD.
Following this, Newman took a grant and travelled to India
to collect sound recordings.
Wire reformed in 1984. In 1986 another solo LP, Commercial Suicide was released on the Crammed Discs
label. A massive change in style for Newman, the album is reflective and highly orchestrated. His next LP, It Seems, followed a similar path, albeit with far more use of sequencer
s — something Newman would continue to work with for a number of years. Both Crammed albums featured Malka Spigel
who has been included in all subsequent solo & collaborative work.
Newman's only other de-facto solo outing was the mid-1990s release Bastard, an almost entirely instrumental
release with tracks largely built from guitar
loops and samples
. Released on his own label, Swim ~
, the first pressing of the album was packaged with a free copy of Newman's four track Voice EP
. Despite Newman's name being on the cover, he says these releases, along with several others on Swim ~, are essentially collaborative efforts with wife, and musical partner, Malka Spigel
. Therefore, Spigel's albums and the pair's releases under the name Immersion
could to some extent be considered Newman "solo" efforts as well (see discography).
Colin Newman's song "Alone" made an appearance in the 1991 film The Silence of the Lambs in a scene in which the character Buffalo Bill
is sewing in a basement. This song was also covered by This Mortal Coil
on their Filigree & Shadow
LP.
Newman has produced, arranged and mixed various other artists. These include Virgin Prunes
, Minimal Compact
, Alain Bashung
, Silo & Lobe on the production and arrangement side and Hawkwind
, Dead Man Ray
, Fennesz, Polysics
and Celebricide on the mix side. He has also mixed all new Wire
releases since 2000.
Since 2004, Newman has worked with Githead
, a quartet composed of Newman and long-time collaborator Malka Spigel
, as well as Max Franken
and Robin Rimbaud
. Colin Newman is also a director of PostEverything & runs the Pinkflag label for Wire
.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, record producer
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 record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
owner.
Biography
Newman is a member of the rock band WireWire (band)
Wire are an English rock band, formed in London in October 1976 by Colin Newman , Graham Lewis , Bruce Gilbert , and Robert Gotobed...
. When the band temporarily split in 1980, Newman pursued a solo
Solo album
A solo album, in popular music, is an album headlined by a current or former member of a band. A solo album may feature simply one person performing all instruments, but typically features the work of other collaborators; rather, it may be made with different collaborators than the artist is...
career. His first solo LP
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...
, A-Z, was released in 1980 on the Beggar's Banquet
Beggars Banquet Records
Beggars Banquet is an English independent record label that began as a chain of record shops owned by Martin Mills and Nick Austin, and is part of the Beggars Group of labels...
label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
. The album veered from extremely skewed pop
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
to more mainstream numbers, such as "Order for Order", which was compared by some to Gary Numan
Gary Numan
Gary Numan is an English singer, composer, and musician, most widely known for his chart-topping 1979 hits "Are 'Friends' Electric?" and "Cars". His signature sound consisted of heavy synthesizer hooks fed through guitar effects pedals.Numan is considered a pioneer of commercial electronic music...
. A track from the demos for this LP (but not included on the original vinyl release), "Not Me", was covered by This Mortal Coil
This Mortal Coil
This Mortal Coil was a gothic dream pop supergroup led by Ivo Watts-Russell, founder of the British record label 4AD. Although Watts-Russell and John Fryer were technically the only two official members, the band's recorded output featured a large rotating cast of supporting artists, many of whom...
on their It'll End In Tears LP. Newman's second LP, the entirely instrumental Provisionally Entitled The Singing Fish, in which all the tracks were titled for numbered fish, was released on the 4AD Records label in 1981. A third LP, Not To, which along with original compositions reworked a number of tracks originally written for Wire , was released in 1982 on 4AD.
Following this, Newman took a grant and travelled to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
to collect sound recordings.
Wire reformed in 1984. In 1986 another solo LP, Commercial Suicide was released on the Crammed Discs
Crammed Discs
Crammed Discs is an independent record label whose output blends world music, rock, pop, and electronica. Based in Brussels, Belgium, Crammed was founded in 1980 by Marc Hollander of Aksak Maboul and has since released over 300 albums and 250 singles, working with artists from all over the world...
label. A massive change in style for Newman, the album is reflective and highly orchestrated. His next LP, It Seems, followed a similar path, albeit with far more use of sequencer
Music sequencer
The music sequencer is a device or computer software to record, edit, play back the music, by handling note and performance information in several forms, typically :...
s — something Newman would continue to work with for a number of years. Both Crammed albums featured Malka Spigel
Malka Spigel
Malka Spigel is a founding member of the Israeli rock band Minimal Compact. She has also worked as a solo artist, and as a visual artist, exhibiting in prominent venues such as The Irish Museum of Modern Art and the Royal Festival Hall...
who has been included in all subsequent solo & collaborative work.
Newman's only other de-facto solo outing was the mid-1990s release Bastard, an almost entirely instrumental
Instrumental
An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
release with tracks largely built from guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
loops and samples
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
. Released on his own label, Swim ~
Swim ~
swim~ is a record label founded in 1993, and jointly run, by Wire guitarist and singer Colin Newman, and Minimal Compact bass player and singer Malka Spigel...
, the first pressing of the album was packaged with a free copy of Newman's four track Voice EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
. Despite Newman's name being on the cover, he says these releases, along with several others on Swim ~, are essentially collaborative efforts with wife, and musical partner, Malka Spigel
Malka Spigel
Malka Spigel is a founding member of the Israeli rock band Minimal Compact. She has also worked as a solo artist, and as a visual artist, exhibiting in prominent venues such as The Irish Museum of Modern Art and the Royal Festival Hall...
. Therefore, Spigel's albums and the pair's releases under the name Immersion
Immersion (artists)
Immersion are a sound and art duo composed of Wire & Githead's Colin Newman & Minimal Compact & Githead's Malka Spigel.The duo made 3 albums in the 90's on the swim ~ label and also made video-driven performances in venues such as the Royal Festival Hall in London and the Knitting Factory in New York...
could to some extent be considered Newman "solo" efforts as well (see discography).
Colin Newman's song "Alone" made an appearance in the 1991 film The Silence of the Lambs in a scene in which the character Buffalo Bill
Buffalo Bill
William Frederick "Buffalo Bill" Cody was a United States soldier, bison hunter and showman. He was born in the Iowa Territory , in LeClaire but lived several years in Canada before his family moved to the Kansas Territory. Buffalo Bill received the Medal of Honor in 1872 for service to the US...
is sewing in a basement. This song was also covered by This Mortal Coil
This Mortal Coil
This Mortal Coil was a gothic dream pop supergroup led by Ivo Watts-Russell, founder of the British record label 4AD. Although Watts-Russell and John Fryer were technically the only two official members, the band's recorded output featured a large rotating cast of supporting artists, many of whom...
on their Filigree & Shadow
Filigree & Shadow
Filigree & Shadow is an album released in 1986 by Ivo Watts-Russell's supergroup, This Mortal Coil. The supergroup consists primarily of artists attached to the 4AD label, of which Ivo was the co-founder and the owner and president...
LP.
Newman has produced, arranged and mixed various other artists. These include Virgin Prunes
Virgin Prunes
Virgin Prunes was an Irish gothic rock band formed in 1977. They disbanded in 1986 after the departure of Gavin Friday. The other members continued under the name The Prunes until they split up in 1990.-Career:...
, Minimal Compact
Minimal Compact
Minimal Compact were an Israeli rock band associated with the post punk and indie rock movement of the 1980s.-Biography:Between its foundation in 1981 and its dissolution seven years later, Minimal Compact played a small role in the European rock scene...
, Alain Bashung
Alain Bashung
Alain Bashung was a French singer, songwriter and actor.- Youth :Alain Bashung was the son of a Breton factory worker and French Kabyle father, whom he never knew. His mother remarried, and at the age of one, Bashung was sent to Strasbourg to live with his new stepfather's parents...
, Silo & Lobe on the production and arrangement side and Hawkwind
Hawkwind
Hawkwind are an English rock band, one of the earliest space rock groups. Their lyrics favour urban and science fiction themes. They are also a noted precursor to punk rock and now are considered a link between the hippie and punk cultures....
, Dead Man Ray
Dead Man Ray
Dead Man Ray is a Belgian cult rock band, originating from Berchem near Antwerp. Among its members are Daan Stuyven, Rudy Trouvé , Elko Blijweerdt, Wouter Van Belle and Herman Houbrechts, who was later replaced by drummer Karel De Backer. Their debut Berchem was released in 1998 including the...
, Fennesz, Polysics
Polysics
is a Japanese new wave and rock band from Tokyo, who dubs its unique style as "technicolor pogo punk". It was named after a brand of synthesizer, the Korg Polysix. The band started in 1997, but got their big break in 1998 at a concert in Tokyo...
and Celebricide on the mix side. He has also mixed all new Wire
Wire (band)
Wire are an English rock band, formed in London in October 1976 by Colin Newman , Graham Lewis , Bruce Gilbert , and Robert Gotobed...
releases since 2000.
Since 2004, Newman has worked with Githead
Githead
Githead is a musical collaboration that includes Wire's Colin Newman as well as electronic musician Robin Rimbaud alongside ex-Minimal Compact members Malka Spigel and Max Franken.- Biography :...
, a quartet composed of Newman and long-time collaborator Malka Spigel
Malka Spigel
Malka Spigel is a founding member of the Israeli rock band Minimal Compact. She has also worked as a solo artist, and as a visual artist, exhibiting in prominent venues such as The Irish Museum of Modern Art and the Royal Festival Hall...
, as well as Max Franken
Max Franken
Max Franken was the drummer for Minimal Compact, an Israeli rock band that achieved success outside the country. He is also a member of Githead along with Colin Newman, Robin Rimbaud and fellow Minimal Compact member Malka Spigel.-External links:*...
and Robin Rimbaud
Robin Rimbaud
Robin Rimbaud is an electronic musician who works under the name Scanner due to his use of cell phone and police scanners in live performance...
. Colin Newman is also a director of PostEverything & runs the Pinkflag label for Wire
Wire (band)
Wire are an English rock band, formed in London in October 1976 by Colin Newman , Graham Lewis , Bruce Gilbert , and Robert Gotobed...
.
Solo albums
- A-Z / Beggars BanquetBeggars Banquet RecordsBeggars Banquet is an English independent record label that began as a chain of record shops owned by Martin Mills and Nick Austin, and is part of the Beggars Group of labels...
(1980) - Provisionally Entitled The Singing Fish / 4AD4AD4AD is a British independent record label that was started in 1979 by Ivo Watts-Russell and Peter Kent, funded by Beggars Banquet Records, and is still active today...
(1981) - Not To / 4AD (1982)
- Commercial Suicide / Crammed (1986)
- It Seems / Crammed (1988)
- Bastard / Swim ~Swim ~swim~ is a record label founded in 1993, and jointly run, by Wire guitarist and singer Colin Newman, and Minimal Compact bass player and singer Malka Spigel...
(1997)
Solo singles and EPs
- "B" / Beggars Banquet (1980)
- "Inventory" / Beggars Banquet (1981)
- "We Means We Starts" / 4AD (1982)
- CN1 / 4AD (1982)
- "Feigned Hearing" / Crammed (1986)
- "Interview" / Crammed (1987)
- "Better Later Than Never" / Crammed (1988)
- Voice / Swim ~ (1994)
Collaborative albums and mini albums
- Malka SpigelMalka SpigelMalka Spigel is a founding member of the Israeli rock band Minimal Compact. She has also worked as a solo artist, and as a visual artist, exhibiting in prominent venues such as The Irish Museum of Modern Art and the Royal Festival Hall...
Rosh Ballata Swim ~ (1993) - Oracle Tree Swim ~ (1994)
- immersionImmersion (artists)Immersion are a sound and art duo composed of Wire & Githead's Colin Newman & Minimal Compact & Githead's Malka Spigel.The duo made 3 albums in the 90's on the swim ~ label and also made video-driven performances in venues such as the Royal Festival Hall in London and the Knitting Factory in New York...
Oscillating Swim ~ (1994) - immersionImmersion (artists)Immersion are a sound and art duo composed of Wire & Githead's Colin Newman & Minimal Compact & Githead's Malka Spigel.The duo made 3 albums in the 90's on the swim ~ label and also made video-driven performances in venues such as the Royal Festival Hall in London and the Knitting Factory in New York...
Full Immersion (Remixes) Swim ~ (1995) - Malka SpigelMalka SpigelMalka Spigel is a founding member of the Israeli rock band Minimal Compact. She has also worked as a solo artist, and as a visual artist, exhibiting in prominent venues such as The Irish Museum of Modern Art and the Royal Festival Hall...
Hide Swim ~Swim ~swim~ is a record label founded in 1993, and jointly run, by Wire guitarist and singer Colin Newman, and Minimal Compact bass player and singer Malka Spigel...
(1997) - Malka SpigelMalka SpigelMalka Spigel is a founding member of the Israeli rock band Minimal Compact. She has also worked as a solo artist, and as a visual artist, exhibiting in prominent venues such as The Irish Museum of Modern Art and the Royal Festival Hall...
My Pet Fish Swim ~ (1997) - immersionImmersion (artists)Immersion are a sound and art duo composed of Wire & Githead's Colin Newman & Minimal Compact & Githead's Malka Spigel.The duo made 3 albums in the 90's on the swim ~ label and also made video-driven performances in venues such as the Royal Festival Hall in London and the Knitting Factory in New York...
Low Impact Swim ~ (1999) - Spigel * Newman * Colin * Malka Live Swim ~ (1999)