James Ford | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | James Ellis Ford |
Born | Leek, Staffordshire, England | 11 December 1978
Genres | |
Occupations | |
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.
In 2024 Ford produced The Last Dinner Party's debut album Prelude to Ecstasy and Fontaines D.C.'s fourth studio album Romance.
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; original bassist and co-founder Andy Nicholson left the band in 2006.
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.
Suck It and See is the fourth studio album by English rock band Arctic Monkeys, released on 6 June 2011 by Domino Recording Company. The album's songs were written by frontman Alex Turner in 2010 on an acoustic guitar in his, at the time, Brooklyn home. It was produced in Los Angeles at Sound City Studios by the band's longtime collaborator James Ford in early 2011, using mostly live takes. The album's title, a British phrase meaning "give it a try", was viewed as provocative in the United States due to being misinterpreted as referencing fellatio, and was subsequently censored in some locations. The artwork features the album title in black over a cream coloured background.
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.
"Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair" is a song by the English rock band Arctic Monkeys, released as the lead single from their fourth album Suck It and See on 12 April 2011 through digital download. A "limited-edition white-label seven-inch vinyl version" was released on 16 April, followed by the formal release "on standard seven – and 10-inch vinyl single formats" on 30 May. The song was first played on Zane Lowe's BBC Radio 1 show on 11 April. The band did not consider the track to be the first single until the label suggested it to them.
"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.
What Went Down is the fourth studio album by British rock band Foals, released on 28 August 2015 via Transgressive Records in the United Kingdom. The album is produced by James Ford, known for his work with Simian Mobile Disco, The Last Shadow Puppets and Arctic Monkeys amongst others. Frontman Yannis Philippakis called it their loudest and heaviest record to date. What Went Down debuted at number 3 on the UK Albums Chart and at number 58 on the Billboard 200, making it their highest charting album in the United States to date.
Everything You've Come to Expect is the second studio album by English supergroup the Last Shadow Puppets, released on 1 April 2016 by Domino Recording Company. It was written by band co-frontmen Alex Turner and Miles Kane in 2014 between London, Paris and Los Angeles. Production was done in Malibu by fellow member James Ford, alongside guest musician Matt Helders, new bass player, Zach Dawes and featuring once again string arrangements by Owen Pallett. The album artwork features a photo of singer Tina Turner dancing, as photographed by Jack Robinson Jr. in November 1969; the original picture was modified by illustrator Matthew Cooper, who gave it a gold tint.
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.
The Car is the seventh studio album by English rock band Arctic Monkeys, released on 21 October 2022 by Domino Recording Company. The album's songs were primarily written by frontman and guitarist Alex Turner in his Los Angeles home and Paris. It was produced in Suffolk, Paris and London by frequent Arctic Monkeys collaborator James Ford, alongside frequent guest musicians Tom Rowley, Loren Humphrey and Tyler Parkford, and arranged by Bridget Samuels, Ford and Turner. Drummer Matt Helders took the picture on the album cover, which depicts a white Toyota Camry in an otherwise empty parking garage on a Los Angeles rooftop. Its title refers to said cover and the abundance of vehicular references in the lyrics.
"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.
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.