Baby Ford

Last updated

Baby Ford
Born
Peter Frank Adshead
Occupation(s)Record producer, musician
Known for acid house music

Peter Frank Adshead, better known as Baby Ford, is a British electronic music record producer, [1] known particularly for his contributions to the birth of acid house. He has also released material under aliases with Mark Broom (Casino Classix, El Mal, Solcyc, & Perbec), Thomas Melchior (Soul Capsule & Sunpeople), and Eon (Minimal Man). [2]

Contents

Career

Ford is influenced by Chicago musicians such as Marshall Jefferson, Ron Trent, Armando, and Larry Heard, and was one of the founders of the acid house scene in the United Kingdom. [3] His early work was released on Rhythm King, including the club tracks "Oochy Koochy (F.U. Baby Yeah Yeah)" (a No. 58 UK Singles Chart hit seen as the first British acid house record), [4] and "Chikki Chikki Ahh Ahh" (UK No. 54). [1] These two first singles appeared on the 2x12" EP "Ford Trax" (BFORD3.) [2]

Both appeared in remixed form on the EP, and the original singles were remixed on a variety of different formats (12" and CD) and energized the burgeoning UK acid-house scene. Sire Records in the US signed Baby Ford, as well as several other artists, on the Rhythm King label. Sire had been impressed with the label, but reportedly had concerns about how to effectively market Rhythm King artists in the US, as acid house had not broken into the US mainstream. The second album Oooh, the World of Baby Ford contained three singles, the most popular of which was a cover of Marc Bolan & T. Rex's "Children of the Revolution" (a UK No. 53 hit in 1989). [1] It was also a club hit across the globe, as was 1990's "Beach Bump" (UK No. 68). [1] The US released the "Let's Talk It Over" EP in 1990, with exclusive live tracks. The tracks were recorded on Baby Ford's tour of the US, where he opened for Depeche Mode on several dates of their Violator tour.

The BFord9 album in 1992 revealed a different side of Ford's electronic influences. The release incorporated minimal techno with trance-like elements, long before these genres became popular later in the decade.[ citation needed ] CJ Bolland contributed a mix of "In Your Blood" on BFord9 and "Fetish" was a club hit in both the UK and the US. Several of the songs on BFord9 were re-released by Aphex Twin on his Re-Phlex label in the late 1990s in a remixed format on "Normal EP". Many of these remixes were recorded in 1992.

Baby Ford, Eon, and Mark Broom continued their explorations into minimal electronic music throughout the 1990s and well into the next decade through the iFach, Pal-SL and Trelik Record labels. iFach Vol. 1 contained the first five releases on the iFach label.

Releases appeared on Sire, Source, and Insumision/Transglobal. He co-managed the labels Trelik and iFach, and worked with Trelik's Ian Loveday. His remixing work includes tracks by Stefan Robbers and S'Express.

Discography

Albums

Singles and EPs

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bananarama</span> British pop group

Bananarama are a British-Irish pop group formed in London in 1980. The group, originally a trio, consisted of friends Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, and Keren Woodward. Fahey left the group in 1988 and was replaced by Jacquie O'Sullivan until 1991, when the trio became a duo. Their success on both pop and dance charts saw them listed in the Guinness World Records for achieving the world's highest number of chart entries by an all-female group. Between 1982 and 2009, they had 30 singles reach the Top 50 of the UK Singles Chart.

Altern 8 is a British electronic music act, comprising Mark Archer and Chris Peat, until Peat left the group in 1994. Best known in the early 1990s, their trademark was electronic rave music with a heavy bass line. Notable Altern 8 tracks included "Activ 8", "E-Vapor-8", "Frequency", "Brutal-8-E", "Armageddon", "Move My Body", "Hypnotic St8" and "Infiltrate 202".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A Guy Called Gerald</span> British musician

Gerald Rydel Simpson, better known as A Guy Called Gerald, is a British record producer and musician. He was an early member of the electronic group 808 State, contributing to their debut LP Newbuild (1988) and hit single "Pacific State" (1989). He also achieved solo success with his 1988 hit single "Voodoo Ray", which became a touchstone of Manchester's acid house scene and reached No. 12 in the UK charts. He embraced breakbeat production in the 1990s, with his 1995 album Black Secret Technology becoming a "much-touted candidate for 'best jungle album ever.'" He also ran the London-based independent record label Juice Box Records from 1991 to 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Armand van Helden</span> American DJ (born 1970)

Armand van Helden is an American DJ, record producer, remixer and songwriter from Boston. He is considered one of house music's most revered figures, with a career spanning three decades.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Todd Terry</span> American DJ and house producer

Todd Norton Terry is an American DJ, record producer and remixer in the genre of house music. His productions helped define the New York house scene in the 1990s and used extensive samples that blend the sounds of classic disco, the Chicago house sound, and elements of hip-hop. He has remixed a wide variety of artists.

Will to Power is an American dance-pop group that originated in South Florida in the mid-1980s founded by Miami producer Bob Rosenberg. The group recorded a number of hit singles on the Billboard dance and pop charts in the late 1980s and early 1990s, most notably "Baby, I Love Your Way/Freebird Medley", a medley of 1970s hits by Peter Frampton and Lynyrd Skynyrd that reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart in December 1988. A second band hit was "I'm Not in Love", a cover of 10cc's 1975 hit, number 7 on Billboard Hot 100 in 1990.

Hani is a Kuwaiti / American record producer and remixer based in New York, notable for his restructurings of hits by artists ranging from Michael Jackson to Alicia Keys, as well as his original productions. His 1999 release, "Baby Wants to Ride", reached number 1 on the US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. His work has led to a collaboration with DJ Frankie Knuckles, as well as vocalists Jason Walker, Andrea Martin, Faith Trent, and others.

Sheep on Drugs are a British techno/industrial music group, formed by Duncan X (vocals) and Lee Fraser (guitar/keyboards), and currently composed of Fraser and Johnny Borden (vocals/keyboards).

Mark Moore is a British dance music record producer and DJ. He was founder of the dance / sampling pioneers S'Express, and runs the London nightclubs, 'Electrogogo' and 'Can Can'.

Klubbheads is a team of dance music producers and DJs from the Netherlands. They have more than 40 aliases for their recordings, including Hi_Tack, DJ Disco and Drunkenmunky.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet (Bachman–Turner Overdrive song)</span> Song by Bachman-Turner Overdrive

"You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" is a song by Canadian rock band Bachman–Turner Overdrive (BTO). The song was written by Randy Bachman for the band's third studio album Not Fragile (1974). It was released as a single in 1974, with an instrumental track "Free Wheelin'" as the B-side. It reached the number one position on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and the Canadian RPM chart the week of November 9, 1974, as well as earning the band their only major hit single in the United Kingdom, peaking at number 2 on the UK Singles Chart. The follow-up single, "Roll on Down the Highway", was also a minor UK hit.

Rhythm King Records Ltd was a British independent record label, founded in the mid-1980s by Martin Heath, Adele Nozedar, DJ Jay Strongman and James Horrocks. It was based in Chiswick, London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chocolate Puma</span> DJ and music production duo

Chocolate Puma are a DJ and music production duo from Haarlem, North Holland, consisting of René ter Horst and Gaston Steenkist ("Dobre"). Their stage names include "Zki & Dobre", "The Good Men", and "Riva".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A Little Respect</span> 1988 single by Erasure

"A Little Respect" is a song written and recorded by English synth-pop duo Erasure, released in September 1988 by Mute. It was written by Vince Clarke and Andy Bell. The lyrics are a plea to a lover to show compassion and respect. The heavily synthesized instrumentation is accentuated by acoustic guitar and Bell's vocal falsetto in the chorus. It was their tenth single and was taken from their third studio album, The Innocents (1988). Known as one of their signature songs, the single reached number four on the UK Singles Chart and was Erasure's second consecutive top-20 hit on the US Billboard Hot 100, where it made number 14, and reached number two on the US Hot Dance Club Songs chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hey! Baby</span> 1961 single by Bruce Channel

"Hey! Baby" is a song written by Margaret Cobb and Bruce Channel, first recorded at Clifford Herring Studios in Ft. Worth Tx, and recorded by Channel in 1961, first released on LeCam Records, a local Fort Worth, Texas label. After it hit, it was released on Smash Records for national distribution. Channel co-produced the song with Major Bill Smith and released it on Mercury Records' Smash label. It reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks, starting the week ending March 10, 1962.

K-Klass are a British electronic music group from Wrexham, Wales and Chester, England, who are based in Manchester, England. Its original members were Andy Williams, Carl Thomas, Russ Morgan and Paul Roberts.

<i>Deep Heat</i> (compilation album) 1989 compilation album

The first volume of Telstar Records' Deep Heat compilation series was released 4 March 1989 and contained 26 tracks. It was hugely successful and reached No. 1 on the Compilations Chart. It achieved a UK gold disc for album sales in excess of 100,000 copies.

Rezonance Q is an English electronic group from Liverpool formed by producers Mike Di Scala, Lee Butler and Les Calvert. Di Scala also produces and remixes songs solo using the name Rezonance Q.

Acid house is a subgenre of house music developed around the mid-1980s by DJs from Chicago. The style is defined primarily by the squelching sounds and basslines of the Roland TB-303 electronic bass synthesizer-sequencer, an innovation attributed to Chicago artists Phuture and Sleezy D circa 1986.

<i>BFORD 9</i> 1992 studio album by Baby Ford

BFORD 9 is the third studio album by English house producer Baby Ford, released in 1992 by Insumision Records in the United Kingdom and by Sire Records in the United States. Ford co-produced the album with Richard Salt. Dispirited by hardcore music and the contemporary house scene, Ford decided to create an album that explored moods and emotions, while combining elements of his acid house work. The resulting album is eclectic and explores styles of techno, funk and disco, as well as featuring Ford's soft vocals.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 37. ISBN   1-904994-10-5.
  2. 1 2 Colin Larkin, ed. (1998). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Dance Music (First ed.). Virgin Books. p. 23. ISBN   0-7535-0252-6.
  3. Baby Ford at AllMusic
  4. Bradwell, David (December 1988). "Acid Radical (MT Dec 1988)". Music Technology (Dec 1988): 82–84.