Mark Brydon

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Mark Brydon
Birth nameMark Errington Brydon
Also known asCaptain Thirdeye, DJ Plankton, The Mole Man, Skymoo
Born (1960-12-22) December 22, 1960 (age 63)
Sunderland, England
Genres Electronic, trip hop, house, acid jazz, alternative dance
Occupation(s) Songwriter, musician, arranger, recording engineer, producer
Instrument(s) Bass guitar, keyboards, guitar, programming
Website http://www.mark-e-brydon.com/

Mark Errington Brydon is an English bassist, guitarist, songwriter, arranger, recording engineer, remixer and producer best known as a member of the group Moloko. [1]

Contents

Previous work

He comes from Sunderland, England, but established himself in the Sheffield music scene, most notably with the funk band Chakk whose advance from MCA Records financed the building of FON Studios. [1] [2] Before its bankruptcy, Brydon had divested himself of his interests in legendary FON Studios, [3] for which he did everything from designing the studio architecture to hand-choosing equipment.[ citation needed ]

Brydon made significant contributions to the 1987 British pop hit "House Arrest" by Krush. [3] He furthered his career with contributions to records and remixes such as "The Funky Worm" (whose single "Hustle! (To the Music...)" would become a number one hit on Billboard's Dance Club Songs Chart in 1988) and efforts by Yazz, The Human League, [4] Psychic TV, Boy George, Art of Noise, Sly and Robbie, Cabaret Voltaire and other groups. [3] As a bass player / producer, he was a member of Chakk and Cloud Nine. [5] [1]

Moloko

His biggest contribution to British art pop to date would come as a result of meeting Róisín Murphy, with whom he formed Moloko, at a party. The two hit it off immediately after singer Róisín Murphy walked up to Brydon uttering the line, “Do you like my tight sweater? See how it fits my body”. [6] They began working together first as a duo for two albums, then bringing in a full line-up to tour and record the last two Moloko albums.

Moloko went on indefinite hiatus after the release of Statues in 2003, followed by a successful tour and the release of the full length concert video 11,000 Clicks in 2004 (filmed at their final performance in Brixton, at the end of the Statues tour).

Subsequent work

Following Moloko's indefinite break-up, Brydon focused his energies on the design of a new studio. [3]

He also continues a side career as a remixer under such aliases as DJ Plankton. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moloko</span> Anglo-Irish electronica/trip-hop duo

Moloko were an Irish-English electronic music duo formed in Sheffield, England, consisting of vocalist Róisín Murphy and producer Mark Brydon. Blending elements of electronica and dance music, they are best known for their UK top 10 singles "The Time Is Now" (2000) and "Familiar Feeling" (2003), as well as the 1999 Boris Dlugosch remix of "Sing It Back" which became an international hit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Róisín Murphy</span> Irish singer

Róisín Marie Murphy is an Irish singer, songwriter and record producer. She first became known in the 1990s as one half of the pop duo Moloko alongside English musician Mark Brydon. After the breakup of Moloko, she embarked on a solo career and released her debut solo album Ruby Blue to critical praise in 2005. Her second solo album, Overpowered, was released in 2007.

Boris Dlugosch is a German house music producer from Hamburg. Boris is usually known for funky/deep house tracks, mostly produced in conjunction with Mousse T. and Michi Lange, his partners in the Peppermint Jam Records label.

<i>Do You Like My Tight Sweater?</i> 1995 studio album by Moloko

Do You Like My Tight Sweater? is the first album by the electronic/dance duo Moloko, released in October 1995 in the UK and Australia, while being released in March 1997 in the US. The title of the album is derived from the singer Róisín Murphy's chat-up line to Mark Brydon at a party in 1994: "Do you like my tight sweater? See how it fits my body!" Brydon responded with the question, "Would you like to come up to my studio and record that?" A romantic and professional relationship between the two continued for several years after.

<i>I Am Not a Doctor</i> 1998 studio album by Moloko

I Am Not a Doctor is the second album by the English/Irish electronic dance music duo Moloko, released in 1998. The album received critical praise, although it was not a big seller. I Am Not a Doctor was issued in the UK by Echo Records. The songs on the album built upon the electronic pop of Moloko's first album, Do You Like My Tight Sweater?, with further experimentation in drum and bass and synthpop.

<i>Things to Make and Do</i> 2000 studio album by Moloko

Things to Make and Do is the third album by the electronic/dance duo Moloko, released in the UK by Echo Records in 2000. It was a sonic departure for Moloko, with the tracks being less reliant on electronics and more on live musicians. In addition to the change in musical styles, the lead singer, Róisín Murphy, had changed her lyrical style. At time of release, Murphy summed up the previous style of her lyrics, saying, "I was nineteen when I made Tight Sweater, and I knew I was pretending, but if I tried not to, I'd still be pretending. Now, I know myself better," and her lyrics on this album are described as, "Roisin's most direct and emotionally honest lyrics [so far]."

<i>Statues</i> (album) 2003 studio album by Moloko

Statues is the fourth and final studio album by English-Irish electronic music duo Moloko. It was released on 3 March 2003 by The Echo Label.

The Funky Worm was a British dance music studio project, assembled by record producer Mark Brydon. The group took its name from the hit Ohio Players song "Funky Worm."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sing It Back</span> 1999 single by Moloko

"Sing It Back" is a song written and performed by Irish-English electronic music duo Moloko. It first appeared in its original version on Moloko's second album, I Am Not a Doctor (1998); it was released as a single on 8 March 1999, reaching number 45 on the UK Singles Chart. The song experienced chart success after it was remixed by DJ Boris Dlugosch, peaking at number four in the UK in September 1999. Murphy had started writing the lyrics while clubbing in New York City, and knew the song was at heart a dance track, but the group wanted to record it in a different artistic fashion for its album version.

<i>Ruby Blue</i> (album) 2005 studio album by Róisín Murphy

Ruby Blue is the debut solo studio album by Irish singer Róisín Murphy. It was released on 13 June 2005 by Echo. After she and Mark Brydon dissolved their electronic music duo Moloko, Murphy began working with producer and musician Matthew Herbert. The songs were first released through three extended plays and were then compiled into a studio album.

<i>Catalogue</i> (Moloko album) 2006 greatest hits album by Moloko

Catalogue is a greatest hits album by English-Irish electronic music duo Moloko. It was released on 17 July 2006 by The Echo Label. Spanning two discs, Catalogue contains Moloko's singles and a track exclusive to this compilation, "Bankrupt Emotionally". The second disc contains a live recording of a concert recorded in 2003 at Brixton Academy, at the end of the band's eight-month tour performed that year. The US version does not contain the second disc. For US listeners, this was their first time hearing most of the songs on this album, as aside from the entirety of the first album and "Sing it Back," the only other Moloko track released in the US was "Indigo" on the Mystery Men soundtrack.

Krush were a UK dance music group, who had a crossover hit single with "House Arrest" in 1987.

Eddie Stevens is a British keyboardist, record producer, composer and arranger, best known for co-writing, arranging and touring with the UK groups Freakpower ; Moloko ; and Zero 7.

<i>Overpowered</i> 2007 studio album by Róisín Murphy

Overpowered is the second solo studio album by Irish singer and songwriter Róisín Murphy. It was released on 15 October 2007 by EMI Records. Receiving widespread critical acclaim, the album was more commercially successful than its predecessor, Ruby Blue (2005), debuting at number 20 on the UK Albums Chart with 9,656 copies sold in its first week. Overpowered was shortlisted for the 2007 Choice Music Prize in Murphy's native Ireland. As of May 2015, the album had sold 65,532 copies in the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Róisín Murphy discography</span>

Irish singer and songwriter Róisín Murphy has released six studio albums, one live album, one remix album, five extended plays, 33 singles and 18 music videos. Murphy debuted in 1995 as lead singer of the electronic music duo Moloko. The duo achieved success in the United Kingdom, producing four top 20 singles. Moloko broke up in 2003 after Murphy had ended her relationship with musical partner Mark Brydon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Time Is Now (Moloko song)</span> 2000 single by Moloko

"The Time Is Now" is a song by Irish-English electronica-pop duo Moloko, released as the lead single from their third album, Things to Make and Do (2000). Members Mark Brydon and Róisín Murphy conceived the song as an acoustic dance recording, not wanting to turn it into a loud, drum-heavy track, unlike much of their earlier work. Characterised as a "disco anthem", "The Time Is Now" has been described as one of Moloko's least electronic efforts and a musical standout of the 3rd millennium's outset, receiving positive reviews from music critics. The song's multiple cover artworks were designed by Lizzie Finn and photographed by Barnaby & Scott.

Eric Kupper is an American keyboardist, arranger, songwriter, remix artist, DJ, and record producer of French descent.

"Off & On" is a pop song released by British recording artist Sophie Ellis-Bextor as the fifth overall single from her fourth studio album, Make a Scene. It was released on 11 April 2011, exclusively in the Russian Federation as a digital download, a week before the release of the album there. Ellis-Bextor appeared on various talk shows in the United Kingdom to promote the song, including The Rob Brydon Show, despite it not being released as a single there.

Chakk were an industrial funk band from Sheffield, who existed from 1981 until 1987. Members were Alan Cross, Mark Brydon, Dee Boyle, Sim Lister, Jake Harries and Jon Stuart. The band never achieved commercial success, but have been noted for their wide influence on later British dance music, particularly via Fon Studios. Mark Brydon later went on to form and achieved success with Moloko.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Never Enough (Boris Dlugosch song)</span> 2001 single by Boris Dlugosch

Never Enough is a song by German electronic musician Boris Dlugosch featuring the vocals of Róisín Murphy from Moloko. Dlugosch and Murphy had previously collaborated on the Moloko track "Sing It Back", which became a hit in 1999 after Dlugosch remixed it. Released in June 2001, the song reached number 16 in the United Kingdom, number 26 in Ireland, number 73 in the Netherlands, and number 95 in Germany. In the United States, it reached number three on the Billboard Dance Club Play chart.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Phares, Heather. "Moloko - Biography". AllMusic . Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  2. Kellman, Andy. "Chakk - Biography". AllMusic . Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Interview #122: Moloko". I Like Music. 17 July 2006. Archived from the original on 15 June 2014. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  4. "The Human League - Romantic?". Inter Records. Archived from the original on 15 June 2014. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  5. "Mark Brydon - Songs". AllMusic . Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  6. "RÓISÍN MURPHY: FROM TRIP-HOP STAR TO DISCO SIREN". DEAN MAYO DAVIES.
  7. "DJ Plankton". Discogs . Retrieved 13 June 2014.