Ian Simmonds

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Ian Simmonds
Ian simmonds 2009.jpg
Ian Simmonds in 2009
Background information
Birth nameIan Simmonds
Also known asJuryman
Born (1966-03-22) March 22, 1966 (age 59)
Wales
Genres Electronic, trip hop [1]
Occupation(s)Disc jockey
music producer
singer
Years active1987–present
Labels Acid Jazz, FFRR, Open Toe Records, Orange Egg Records, All That's Left, Pussyfoot Records, Ntone, SSR Records, Crammed Discs, !K7, Musik Krause, Goldmin Music
Website www.ian-simmonds.com

Ian Simmonds (born 1966), also known as Juryman, is a Welsh-born electronic musician. He is one of a few talents "to successfully breach the chasm that keeps DJ culture from more tangible, organic realms." [2] His complex musical landscapes are often accompanied by his deep calm voice, making poetic, political and social statements at the same time. He is a self-taught musician, singing and playing trumpet, bass guitar, piano and is a producer with numerous releases, contributions and co-productions.

Contents

Biography

Background

Simmonds spent part of his childhood following his trumpet-playing dad around the world. When he turned 18, he moved to London and formed a collective called Sandals with three other friends. This collective came together in the late 1980s to start a club in London Soho called "Violets", a response to the emerging acid house scene and early rave culture. Events in several other clubs followed. In the onset of the 1990s, the "Sandals" were formed in that humus and had little success, suddenly publishing for London Records. Simmonds started publishing his own deep, vibrant music in 1995 first under his pseudonym Juryman, later on under his real name Ian Simmonds.

Music

In the mid-1990s, Simmonds began recording a series of EPs. He also produced his tracks for the then-unknown Leftfield and Pressure Drop, which would later influence his own work. During these recordings, he met musician Luke Gordon, also known as Spacer. In 1997, SSR published a collaboration LP Juryman vs Spacer: Mailorder Justice. His solo debut LP published in 1999 by !K7 Ian Simmonds: Last States of Nature was well perceived and consolidated his reputation as an innovative producer. It was soon followed by the LP Juryman: The Hill, published in 2000 by SSR Records. In 2001, Ian Simmonds: Return to X released at !K7; another Juryman LP got released in 2002, Escape to Where.

Since the mid-1990s, he has worked with several other artists such as Leftfield, Goldfrapp, and Pressure Drop on various collaborations, remixes, and accompanied by appearances on dozens of compilations. He also composed music for Adam Smith's Channel 4 documentary A.I.P.S.

In 2005, Simmonds moved to Germany to work with local musicians on his jazz project Wise in Time. Since then, he has released music under his own name through Musik Krause, a sublabel of Freude am Tanzen, where five EPs were released and his recent LP, Ian Simmonds: Burgenland Dubs.

Discography

Albums

The Sandals

  • Rite to Silence (Acid Jazz), 1994
  • Yesterdays Tomorrow (Rudiment Records, Japan), 2009

Juryman

  • Juryman vs Spacer: Mailorder Justice (SSR Records), 2000
  • The Hill (SSR Records), 2000
  • Escape to Where (SSR Records), 2002

Ian Simmonds

  • Last States of Nature (!K7), 1999
  • Return to X (!K7), 2000
  • Burgenland Dubs (Musik Krause), 2009
  • The Right Side of Kind (Goldmin Music), 2015

Wise in Time

  • The Ballad of Den the Men (Crammed Discs), 2006
  • Know The Words? (All That's Left), 2009

Singles and EPs

Sandals

  • "A Profound Gas", Maxi (Acid Jazz), 1992
  • "We Wanna Live", Maxi (Open Toe Records), 1992
  • Cracked EP, EP (Open Toe Records), 1994
  • "Feet", Maxi (Open Toe Records), 1994
  • "Nothing", Maxi (FFRR), 1998

Juryman

  • One, 12" (Orange Egg Records), 1995
  • Two, 12" (All That's Left), 1995
  • 3, 12" (Ntone), 1997
  • 4, 12" (SSR Records), 1997
  • Remixes from the Hill, 12" (SSR Records), 2001
  • Overstretchin, Maxi, (SSR Records), 2002

Ian Simmonds

  • Hidden Witness EP, 12" (!K7), 1999
  • Man with No Thumbs, 12" (!K7), 1999
  • Return to X (The Spacer & Slop Shop Remixes), 10" (!K7), 2001
  • Swinging Millie EP, 12" (!K7), 2001
  • International Songs, 12" (Musik Krause), 2005
  • Standing Man EP, 12" (Musik Krause), 2006
  • The Wendelstein Variantions EP, EP" (Musik Krause), 2008
  • The Woodhouse EP, 12" (Musik Krause), 2008

Wise in Time

  • Slowfall, 10" (Electric Tones), 2001

Remixes

Juryman

  • "Barbara Gogan – Made on Earth (Remixes)" Dangerous (Juryman Mix), SSR Records, 1997
  • "Statik Sound System – Remix Selection" Free to Choose (Juryman Mix), Cup of Tea Records, 1997
  • "Suba – Felicidade Remixes" Felicidade (Juryman's Ocean Hill Rework, Crammed Discs, 2000
  • "So Blue It's Black" So Blue It's Black (Juryman Mix), Blue (Island), 2000
  • "Clubber's Guide to Breaks" So Blue It's Black (Juryman Mix), Ministry of Sound, 2002
  • "Suba – Tributo" Felicidade (Juryman Mix), Crammed Discs, 2002
  • "The Underwolves – Under Your Sky (Remixes)" So Blue It's Black (Juryman Mix), Jazzanova Compost Records, 2002
  • "Crammed Global Soundclash 1980–89 The Connoisseur Edition" Aksak Maboul's Saure Gurke (Juryman Mix), Crammed Discs, 2003
  • Electrix Gypsyland Juryman reconstruction of Taraf de Haidouks Cind Eram La'48, Crammed Discs, 2004

Ian Simmonds

  • "Silent Poets – Drawing" The Children of the Future (Turnpike Blues Mix) (Ian Simmonds Remix), Toys Factory, 1995
  • "Sofa Surfers – Constructions: Sofa Surfers Remixed And Dubbed" If It Were Not For You (Ian Simmonds Remix), Klein Records, 1995
  • "A Guy Called Gerald – Humanity" Humanity (Ian Simmonds Remix), !K7, 2000
  • "Polar – Mind Of A Killer" Mind Of A Killer (Ian Simmonds Mix), Certificate 18, 2000
  • "Peace Orchestra – Shining Repolished Versions" Shining (Ian Simmonds Rework), G-Stone Recordings, 2000
  • "Beanfield – The Season / Catalpa" Catalpa (Ian Simmonds Rework), Compost Records, 2000
  • "Various: Inside 03" Slop Shop – Gone (Ian Simmonds Rework), Poets CLub Records, 2001
  • "Beth Hirsch – Nest Sensation" Nest Sensation (Full Vox Repo), !K7, 2001
  • "Various: Electronic Resistance" Peace Orchestra – Shining (Ian Simmonds Rework), Poets CLub Records, 2001

Tracks on compilations, soundtracks and miscellaneous releases

Contributions

References

  1. Cooper, Sean. "Juryman – Artist Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
  2. (XLR8R, USA) Archived 22 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine

Interviews