John Truelove

Last updated

John Truelove (born 06 December 1962) is an English record producer, DJ and music entrepreneur.

Contents

Music production career

Beginnings

Truelove's career as a record producer began with the 'Truelove' bootlegs which fused a cappella vocals with current instrumental dance tracks. The most successful of these, in collaboration with DJ Eren, [1] combined Candi Staton's vocal "You Got the Love" with Jamie Principle's "Your Love" (frequently, but incorrectly, credited to Frankie Knuckles). [2] After distributing the bootleg himself John secured permission from the owners of Candi Staton's vocal performance to legitimise the release. He made various new mixes, including a re-recording of the Jamie Principle element, using the artist name of The Source. [3] Seeking a record company to release the master, a meeting with James Horrocks, formerly founder and director of Rhythm King Records, led to a deal with the newly formed React Music. "You Got the Love" entered the UK Singles Chart at number 30 in February 1991, and reached number 4 after five weeks, earning a silver disk (200,000 sales) in the process.

"You Got the Love" further versions and releases

"You Got the Love" (Now Voyager Mix), was released in February 1997 and reached number 3 in the UK Singles Chart. The Now Voyager mix was slower than the 1991 version and used breakbeats, orchestral strings, piano and a 'wall of sound' mix approach. The Now Voyager mix was also used for the closing credits of the final episode of the HBO series Sex and the City .

"You Got the Love" was re-released by Positiva / EMI in 2006, reaching number 7 in the UK Singles Chart. The radio version of this release was a slower re-arranged version of the Now Voyager Mix, and included live strings scored by David Cullen and performed by the London Session Orchestra, with backing vocals by Beverley Skeete.

The Now Voyager Mix later provided the basis for Florence and the Machine's cover version of "You Got the Love", which featured on their 2009 debut album 'Lungs' and was released as a single, reaching number 5 in the UK Singles Chart in 2010. Following the BRIT Awards ceremony on 16 February 2010, where Florence and the Machine were joined on-stage by Dizzee Rascal for a performance of 'You Got The Love' combined with Dizzee Rascal's 'Dirtee Cash', the mash-up version 'You Got the Dirtee Love' was released as a single by Universal Island, reaching number 2 in the UK Singles Chart. All royalty proceeds from the first month of the single's release were donated to the BRIT Trust charity. [4] Sheet music for the Florence and the Machine version of You Got The Love was published by Wise Publications in the Florence and the Machine 'Lungs' songbook on 3 November 2009.

Further productions

"Rock the House", which sampled the vocals of Miami house artist Nicole, entered the Top 75 of the UK Singles Chart in 1991. Other notable The Source productions include 'Sanctuary of Love', released on Hooj Choons in 1993, and 'Clouds', a cover of the Chaka Khan track, sung by her sister Taka Boom, released on XL Recordings and which reached Number 38 in 1997. John has also released records as Lectrolux and under his own name. [5]

As DJ and performer

From 1997 onwards, Truelove had a couple overseas gigs where he with played records with no DJing skills to speak of, often with his partner of the time, former fashion designer turned DJ and record producer, Rachel Auburn. [6] He played clubs and events in South Africa, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and the UK. In 2003 he developed his electronic solo act 'Lectrolux' for live performance, creating a 60-minute film with filmmaker Dick Jewell, which was projected onto large screens during his set. Debuting at London's Brixton Academy in December 2003, Lectrolux then toured Australia in early 2004.

Business career

Beginnings

He established his own production company, Truelove Limited, followed by his publishing entity, Truelove Music, in 1991. In 1992 John was recruited by Dave Balfe, former manager of The Teardrop Explodes and owner of Food Records, to set up a new electronic dance label funded and distributed by EMI. The partnership resulted in two labels – iT and Synthetic – the former dedicated to acid house and trance, the latter concentrating on more contemporary electronica. [7] Notable artists signed to iT and Synthetic include Sister Bliss (later to form Faithless) who delivered her first remix, 'A Merry Trance' by D: Code for iT in 1991, [8] whilst Synthetic released Goldie's 'Terminator' single under his and Rob Playford's Metalheads alias in 1992. [9] John's relationship with Dave Balfe ended in early 1993 after John released The Source track "Sanctuary of Love" on another label. A court case followed in which Balfe tried to lay claim to ownership to "Sanctuary of Love". [10] The case was resolved in John's favour in 1994.

Truelove Label Collective

The Truelove Label Collective began when John established the Magnetic North label with Dave Clarke in 1994. Signing artists such as Woody McBride and Cristian Vogel alongside Dave Clarke, Magnetic North released 14 12" EPs and the 'Demagnetized' compilation album until Dave's other DJ and recording commitments meant the label was dissolved in 1994. [11] John also set up a new label, Truelove Electronic Communications (TeC) during this period. Following the success of Magnetic North and TeC, John and business partner Steve Simmonds began to set up labels for other artists. This became the Truelove Label Collective, [12] which grew to encompass 18 different labels at its peak. Labels under the Truelove umbrella included Ferox run by Russ Gabriel, Boscaland run by Jon The Dentist and Torema run by Fumiya Tanaka. The Stay Up Forever label joined the Truelove Label Collective in 1995 and spawned its own offshoots such as Cluster, Hydraulix and RAW, and the successful "It's Not Intelligent, It's Not From Detroit, But It's Fuckin' Avin' It!" mix compilation series. When the Truelove Label Collective was dissolved in 1999, the Liberator DJs adapted the Truelove template and infrastructure to form the Stay Up Forever Collective. [13]

Truelove Music Publishing

Company structure and development

Since 2000, Truelove has concentrated his efforts on his music publishing company, Truelove Music. The Truelove Music catalogue currently stands at over 7000 songs, and now focuses primarily on developing music for film, TV and special projects. The roster includes composers like Gui Boratto, Woody McBride and John Graham, and notable films to feature Truelove Music Publishing music include Layer Cake , The Football Factory and The Spirit . TV synchs include music for Sky Sports UK, Damages and Sex and the City . [14]

Memberships and affiliations

He has sat on the panel of the MCPS (Mechanical Copyright Protection Society) – PRS For Music (formerly the Performing Rights Society) Alliance. Truelove Music Publishing is also affiliated with a number of other music industry bodies including PPL and Music Publishers Association [15] in the UK, ASCAP and BMI in the USA, GEMA in Germany, STIM in Sweden, UBC (Brazilian Union of Composers), and BUMA STEMRA in the Netherlands. John is currently a board director at PRS, a board director at IMPEL, chair of the PRS Dance Committee, a PRS Distribution Committee member, a PRS Licensing Committee member, a board of advisers member at the Association For Electronic Music (AFEM) and was a board director at the Music Publishers Association (MPA) from 2012-2018. [16]

Campaigns

Truelove campaigned throughout the 1990s for the Performing Rights Society and the Mechanical Copyright Protection Society to take dance music more seriously, arguing that procedures for collecting royalties at the time unfairly discriminated against dance music by focusing primarily on live performances rather than recorded music played in licensed premises. As a result, a market research company is now commissioned to conduct an ongoing survey of UK premises licensed by the PRS where copyright music may be played, whether from a radio, on a musical instrument or over a soundsystem, and be it in a pub, a hotel lobby, a hair salon or a club. [17] The data collected lists the music played and is used by PRS to pay royalties and ensure a more equitable distribution of income. John also took an active role in a campaign to abolish the Classical Music Subsidy, which subsidised classical music performances with a levy taken from performance income derived from pubs and clubs. He gave evidence to the UK Parliament's Select Committee on Culture, Media and Sport on this issue in 1999. [18] In 2011 John chaired a panel at the International Music Summit in Ibiza. [19] John also chaired another IMS panel on publishing in Ibiza in May 2012. [20]

Tortured Artists

He established the artist management company, Tortured Artists Ltd with Steve Simmonds in 1996. Notable artists to have been managed by Tortured Artists include Mauro Picotto, DJ Rankin, D.A.V.E The Drummer, Micky Modelle, Chris Liberator and Kevin Saunderson alias Inner City.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Death in Vegas</span> English electronic music group

Death in Vegas are an English electronic music group, for which Richard Fearless serves as frontman. The band was formed in 1994 by Fearless and Steve Hellier and signed to Concrete Records under the name of Dead Elvis. Owing to an Irish record label of the same name, Dead Elvis became the title of their first album instead.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andy C</span> British DJ and record producer (born 1976)

Andrew John Clarke is a British DJ and record producer and is co-founder of RAM Records, a label in the drum and bass genre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lynsey de Paul</span> English singer-songwriter

Lynsey de Paul was an English singer-songwriter and producer. After initially writing hits for others, she had her own chart hits in the UK and Europe in the 1970s, starting with UK top 10 single "Sugar Me", and became the first British female artist to achieve a number one with a self-written song. She represented the UK in the 1977 Eurovision Song Contest, scoring another chart-topping hit in Switzerland and had a successful career as a two-time Ivor Novello Award-winning composer, record producer, actress and television celebrity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sonique (musician)</span> British musician (born 1965)

Sonia Marina Clarke, better known by her stage name Sonique, is a British singer, musician and DJ. She came to public attention as a member of dance band S'Express during the early 1990s, but achieved greater success as a solo artist in the early-to mid 2000s. During this period, she achieved UK top 20 hits with "It Feels So Good", "Sky", "I Put a Spell on You" and "Can't Make Up My Mind", and won the 2001 BRIT Award for British female solo artist.

David Russell Lee is an English DJ and house music producer, formerly known by the stage name Joey Negro, which he retired in July 2020 following the George Floyd protests. He has released music under a variety of pseudonyms, including Jakatta, Doug Willis, Raven Maize, and Sessomatto, as well as being part of the Sunburst Band. Lee has scored a number of top 40 hits, among them "American Dream", "So Lonely" and "My Vision", all under the name Jakatta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Howie B</span> Scottish musician

Howard Simon Bernstein is a Scottish musician, producer and DJ who has worked with artists including Björk, U2, Tricky, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Soul II Soul, Robbie Robertson, Elisa, Mukul Deora, Marlene Kuntz and the Gift.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dave Clarke (DJ)</span> Musical artist

David Maurice Clarke is an English electronic music DJ, producer and radio presenter. BBC radio presenter John Peel named Clarke "The Baron of Techno".

Shara Nelson is an English singer and songwriter. She worked with Massive Attack in the early 1990s, and as a solo artist had five UK top 40 hit singles. Her 1993 debut album, What Silence Knows, was shortlisted for the Mercury Music Prize.

The Source was originally an alias for the songwriting team of Anthony B. Stephens, Arnecia Michelle Harris and John Bellamy.

John Fleming is an English trance producer and DJ from Worthing, West Sussex. He has had releases on record labels such as Ministry of Sound, Deconstruction Records, Logic Records, and 3 Beat Music. He also owns and runs Joof Recordings. He has performed at many clubs including Cream, Gatecrasher, Ministry of Sound, and Godskitchen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You Got the Love</span> Single by The Source featuring Candi Staton

"You Got the Love" is a song by British songwriting team the Source featuring American singer-songwriter Candi Staton. Originally released in 1986, the song was remixed and re-released in 1991, 1997, and 2006. It reached number three on the UK Singles Chart, number two on the UK Dance Singles Chart and number one on the UK Club Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Booka Shade</span> German house music duo

Booka Shade is a German house duo. It is made up of Walter Merziger and Arno Kammermeier, described as veterans of the Frankfurt electronic music scene. They have released 7 studio albums, including Memento (2004), Movements (2006), The Sun & the Neon Light (2008), More! (2010), Eve (2013), Galvany Street (2017), Cut the Strings (2018), various EPs and a mix album for DJ-Kicks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calvin Harris</span> Scottish DJ and musician (born 1984)

Adam Richard Wiles, known professionally as Calvin Harris, is a Scottish DJ, record producer, singer, and songwriter. His debut studio album, I Created Disco, was released in June 2007. Its singles "Acceptable in the 80s" and "The Girls" both reached the top 10 in the UK. In 2009, he released second studio album, Ready for the Weekend, which debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart and whose lead single, "I'm Not Alone", became his first song to top the UK Singles Chart.

React Music Limited was a British independent record label, based in London, formed in 1990 by James Horrocks and Thomas Foley. James Horrocks was initially involved with successful dance music independent Rhythm King, and React pursued a similar approach — specifically electronic dance music, house music, acid house, techno and rave, along with newer "dance" oriented subgenres which emerged throughout the 1990s. These included hard house, tech house, trance, hardbag, happy hardcore, drum and bass and chill out.

<i>Provocative</i> (album) 1993 studio album by Johnny Gill

Provocative is the fourth album by American R&B recording artist Johnny Gill. It was his second album for Motown Records and fourth album overall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benga (musician)</span> British musician

Adegbenga Adejumo, known as Benga, is a British musician from Croydon, known for being a pioneer of dubstep record production. He has been featured on a variety of compilations including Mary Anne Hobbs's Warrior Dubz, Tempa's The Roots of Dubstep and the BBC Radio 1Xtra anniversary mix.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J-Break</span> Musical artist

J-Break is an American music producer and DJ.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Newman (singer)</span> English singer, songwriter, musician, DJ, composer and record producer

John William Peter Newman is an English singer, songwriter, musician, DJ, composer and record producer. He is best known for the track "Love Me Again" which peaked at number one on the UK Singles Chart in July 2013 and appeared in FIFA 14, as well as co-writing and singing on Rudimental's 2012 singles "Feel the Love" and "Not Giving In", which peaked at number one and number 14 on the chart, respectively. In 2014, he featured in the Calvin Harris single "Blame", which also topped the UK charts.

Disciples are a British production trio made up of Nathan Vincent Duvall, Gavin Koolmon, and Luke McDermott based in South London.

Mark Ralph is a British record producer, mixer and songwriter. Spanning a wide range of genres, he is known for his contributuions to records from artists including Years & Years, Jax Jones, Clean Bandit, Aitch, Georgia, Sub Focus, Rudimental, Plan B, The Snuts, Gryffin, Zara Larsson, George Fitzgerald, Tom Walker, Eats Everything, A1 x J1, DJ Regard, Sam Ryder, Jess Glynne, Becky Hill, Rag'n'Bone Man and more.

References

  1. ↑ Sam Richards. "You Got The Love … but have you got all the mixes? | Music". The Guardian . Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  2. ↑ "Jamie Principle – Your Love (Vinyl) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  3. ↑ Steve Leggett. "The Source | Biography". AllMusic . Retrieved 27 July 2014.
  4. ↑ "BRIT Awards 2014". Brits.co.uk. Archived from the original on 3 December 2015. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  5. ↑ "John Truelove Discography at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  6. ↑ Rose Rouse (9 April 2006). "The Ex Files | Life and style | The Observer". The Guardian . Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  7. ↑ 'Hitmen's Home For Raveheads' Record Mirror 5/23/92
  8. ↑ "It Records (UK) – CDs and Vinyl at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  9. ↑ "Synthetic – CDs and Vinyl at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  10. ↑ 'Truelove Hits Back As Legal Row Looms' Record Mirror 7/3/93
  11. ↑ "Magnetic North – CDs and Vinyl at Discogs". Discogs.com. 3 February 2014. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  12. ↑ "Truelove". Truelove.co.uk. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  13. ↑ "stayupforever.com". Stayupforever.com. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  14. ↑ "Truelovemusic.com". Truelovemusic.com. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  15. ↑ "Truelove Music - Music Publishers Association (MPA) Online". Archived from the original on 6 January 2009. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  16. ↑ Williams, Paul (28 June 2012). "Truelove among new MPA board arrivals". Music Week. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  17. ↑ "What is the Music Survey?". Prsformusic.com. 1 July 2013. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
  18. ↑ The Committee Office, House of Commons. "House of Commons – Culture, Media and Sport – Fifth Report". Publications.parliament.uk. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  19. ↑ "RA: Events in London, United Kingdom". Residentadvisor.net. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  20. ↑ "IMS Ibiza Video Digest Part 2". Pulse Radio. 28 November 2012. Archived from the original on 18 January 2014. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.