James Ford | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | James Ellis Ford |
Born | Leek, Staffordshire, England | 11 December 1978
Genres | |
Occupation(s) | |
Instruments | |
Years active | 2000–present |
Labels | Warp |
Member of | |
Formerly of | Simian |
Website | jamesellisford |
James Ellis Ford (born 11 December 1978) is an English record producer and songwriter, known for being a member of Simian Mobile Disco and the Last Shadow Puppets as well as his production work with Arctic Monkeys, Blur, Depeche Mode, Foals, Florence and the Machine, Haim, Gorillaz, Klaxons, Jessie Ware, Kylie Minogue, Declan McKenna and the Pet Shop Boys.
In 2023 he released a solo album The Hum on Warp Records. [1]
James Ellis Ford was born on 11 December 1978 [2] in Staffordshire. [3] Ford went to Manchester University, along with other members of Simian. [4]
Ford was a founding member of the group Simian and later a member the spin-off duo Simian Mobile Disco. [5]
He produced the Klaxons album Myths of the Near Future in 2007 which won the Mercury Prize. [6] Also that year, he produced the Arctic Monkeys second album. He has done at least part of the production on each of the band's subsequent albums. [6]
In 2008, he formed the Last Shadow Puppets with Miles Kane and Alex Turner, as both drummer and producer. [7] Their debut album, The Age of the Understatement , earned the group a Mercury Prize nomination and also charted at No. 1 in the UK. [6] Their second album, Everything You've Come to Expect , was released in 2016. Ford once again produced, also playing drums, percussion and keys. The record earned the group their second UK No. 1.
Ford produced and played keys on Arctic Monkeys' fifth album, AM , released in 2013.
Ford has produced Depeche Mode's 14th studio album Spirit released on 17 March 2017 as well as their 15th studio album Memento Mori , which was released on 24 March 2023. He also produced the fourth studio album of the UK band Everything Everything under the title A Fever Dream , released on 18 August 2017.
In 2018, Ford co-produced the Arctic Monkeys' sixth studio album Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino , as well as Gorillaz' sixth studio album The Now Now .
On 14 March 2023, it was announced he would be producing Pet Shop Boys' new album. He also produced the Last Dinner Party's first single "Nothing Matters", which was released in April 2023. He also co-produced Fat Dog’s debut single “King of the Slugs” with the band’s lead singer Joe Love, which was released on 21 August 2023. James Ford also produced Blur's ninth studio album, The Ballad of Darren , released in July 2023.
2024 saw Ford lead production on two of the year's most anticipated records from The Last Dinner Party and Fontaines D.C..
See Discography: Simian & Simian Mobile Disco
Arctic Monkeys are an English rock band formed in Sheffield in 2002. The group consists of lead singer Alex Turner, drummer Matt Helders, guitarist Jamie Cook and bassist Nick O'Malley. Former bassist Andy Nicholson left the band in 2006 shortly after their debut album, Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not, was released.
Alexander David Turner is an English musician. He is the front man and lead singer-songwriter of the rock band Arctic Monkeys. Turner is known for his lyricism ranging from kitchen sink realism to surrealist wordplay, which has been praised by music critics and the public. All but one of Turner's studio albums have topped the UK Albums Chart. He has won seven Brit Awards, an Ivor Novello Award, and a Mercury Prize among other accolades.
Simian were an English rock band, formed in Manchester in 2000.
Simian Mobile Disco are an English electronic music duo and production team, formed in 2003 by James Ford and Jas Shaw of the band Simian. Musically, they are known for their analogue production. Ford is also known for his production work.
"A Certain Romance" is a song by English rock band Arctic Monkeys written by frontman Alex Turner and composed by the band. It is a re-recorded version of a 2004 demo, and serves as the closing track of their 2006 debut studio album Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not. It was not released as a standalone single.
The Last Shadow Puppets are an English supergroup consisting of Alex Turner, Miles Kane, James Ford, and Zach Dawes.
The Age of the Understatement is the debut studio album by English supergroup the Last Shadow Puppets, released on 15 April 2008 by Domino Recording Company. It was written between band co-frontmen Alex Turner and Miles Kane in 2006. It was produced in Paris and London by fellow member James Ford, featuring orchestral arrangements composed by Owen Pallett, and performed by the London Metropolitan Orchestra. The album artwork features a 1962 black and white picture, by photographer Sam Haskins, depicting a young woman, named Gill, sitting on the floor.
Miles Peter Kane is an English singer and musician, best known as a solo artist and the co-frontman of the Last Shadow Puppets. He was also the former frontman of the Rascals, before the band announced their break-up in August 2009.
Humbug is the third studio album by English rock band Arctic Monkeys, first released on 19 August 2009 through Domino Recording Company. The band started to write new material for the album towards the end of summer 2008 and finished it entirely in spring 2009. Like their previous release, Favourite Worst Nightmare (2007), Humbug was released first in Japan, followed by Australia, Brazil, Ireland, and Germany, on 21 August 2009. It was then released in the UK on 24 August 2009, in the US the following day, and in Greece on 31 August.
Surfing the Void is the second studio album by British indie rock band Klaxons, released on 23 August 2010 through Polydor Records. The album was produced by Ross Robinson, and was recorded in Los Angeles, California. The album was preceded by lead single "Echoes" on 16 August.
Submarine is the debut solo EP by English musician and Arctic Monkeys lead vocalist Alex Turner, released on 14 March 2011 by Domino Recording Company. It was written by Turner in 2009, on an acoustic guitar, at his New York City home. It was produced in London by frequent collaborator James Ford, alongside guest musician Bill Ryder-Jones, and string arranger Owen Pallett. The EP consists of six original songs that act as the soundtrack of Richard Ayoade's debut feature film, Submarine (2010), based on the novel by Joe Dunthorne. The artwork is a resized version of the film's poster, which depicts lead actor Craig Roberts.
"The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala" is a song by the English rock band Arctic Monkeys. It was released 15 August 2011 by Domino Recording Company as the second single of their fourth album Suck It and See. Produced by James Ford and written by Alex Turner, the song was recorded at Sound City, Los Angeles in early 2011. The song refers to an unknown place frequented by Turner.
Welcome to Sideways is the fifth studio album by British electronic duo Simian Mobile Disco, released on 11 November 2016.
Belladonna of Sadness is the debut studio album by American singer Alexandra Savior, released on April 7, 2017, by Columbia Records. It was written by Savior and English musician Alex Turner in 2014, mainly on acoustic guitar, at his Los Angeles home. It was produced in Hollywood by James Ford and Turner, alongside bass player Zach Dawes. Savior painted the album artwork herself, which depicts an Atropa belladonna with a flower resembling a red button. Its title refers to the 1973 Japanese anime of the same name.
Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino is the sixth studio album by English rock band Arctic Monkeys, released on 11 May 2018 by Domino Recording Company. The album was written by frontman Alex Turner in 2016 on a Steinway Vertegrand piano in his Los Angeles home. It was produced in Los Angeles, Paris and London by frequent Arctic Monkeys collaborator James Ford and Turner, alongside a wide array of guest musicians including Tom Rowley, Loren Humphrey, James Righton, Zach Dawes, Tyler Parkford and Cam Avery. Turner designed the album artwork himself, which depicts the eponymous resort with cardboard cut-outs and a tape recorder. Its title refers to Tranquility Base, the site of the 1969 Apollo 11 Moon landing.
"Four Out of Five" is a song by English indie rock band Arctic Monkeys. It was released as the lead single from their sixth studio album, Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino (2018), on 13 May 2018, with an accompanying music video.
"There'd Better Be a Mirrorball" is a song by English indie rock band Arctic Monkeys released on 29 August 2022, through Domino Recording Company. The song was included on their seventh studio album The Car (2022). Written by lead singer Alex Turner and produced by James Ford, "There'd Better Be a Mirrorball" is a traditional pop and jazz track. While composing it, Turner thought the song felt like the start of the record.
"Sculptures of Anything Goes" is a song by English rock band Arctic Monkeys released on 21 October 2022 by the Domino Recording Company. The song is the third track on their seventh studio album The Car (2022). It was produced by James Ford and written by lead singer Alex Turner and guitarist Jamie Cook.
"Body Paint" is a song by English indie rock band Arctic Monkeys released on 29 September 2022, through Domino Recording Company. The song was included as the second single on their seventh studio album The Car. Written by lead singer Alex Turner and produced by James Ford, "Body Paint" is a baroque pop, orchestral pop, and art rock track.
English record producer and songwriter James Ford has written and produced songs for various musicians, including Arctic Monkeys, Blur, Florence and the Machine, Depeche Mode, Haim, Jessie Ware, among others, also for his bands Simian Mobile Disco and the Last Shadow Puppets.