Richard Walters | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Born | 1982 (age 41–42) Oxford, England |
Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist |
Labels | Cooking Vinyl, Big Scary Monsters, Kartel, Pilotlights Music, Nettwerk Records |
Website | Official website |
Richard Walters (born 1982) is an English singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He was born in Oxford. [1] Walters received a Grammy nomination in November 2023 for his vocal performance, songwriting and production work on the Kx5 album, nominated for Best Dance/Electronic Music Album. [2]
Walters was brought up in Oxfordshire and fronted a number of bands in his teens before signing to Warner Chappell Music Publishing as frontman of Theremin in 2001. [3] The band released one double A-side single—"In the Barn/Minor Planets"—through Oxford 'singles club' label Shifty Disco in 2001, before disbanding in late 2002. [4] Walters was then taken on as a solo artist by both Warner Chappell Music and Radiohead's Courtyard Management in 2003, recording the Umbrella Songs EP at the companies' Oxfordshire studios in 2004. The EP gained support on both sides of the Atlantic, catching the ear of KCRW presenter Nic Harcourt, who repeatedly played tracks from the EP on his Morning Becomes Eclectic show. "All at Sea", a short 2-minute piano-led track from the EP, was used in a closing scene of American television show CSI: Miami in 2005. [5]
Walters was diagnosed with epilepsy [6] in 2005 and took a short break from writing and recording around this time. He eventually returned to the studio in 2006 and released the resulting Guy Sigsworth (Frou Frou, Madonna, Björk) produced Pilotlights EP in 2007 on British label Big Scary Monsters. [7]
Walters signed with London record label Kartel in 2008, putting out several singles before releasing the (partly) David Kosten produced album The Animal in 2009. [1] The album was met with critical acclaim and strong radio support in the United Kingdom, with several songs being placed in prominent American television shows including So You Think You Can Dance? and Grey's Anatomy .[ citation needed ] Chrysalis Music Publishing signed Walters in early 2010. Walters moved to Paris around this time.
In late summer 2010, Walters began writing with songwriter, producer and Britpop guitarist Bernard Butler (notable for co-writing the first two albums by Suede and his work with Duffy) and The Cranberries guitarist Noel Hogan, the result was the 10-track album 'Pacing' released in spring 2011 via Kartel.
Moving back to the United Kingdom in early 2011, Walters began writing new songs, self-releasing a download-only EP of 'sketches' in December 2011 entitled Young Trees. [8] A full-length album, Regret Less, was released in October 2012. The album received critical praise [9] throughout Europe and a number of songs from the album (and EP) were placed on American TV shows including Revenge, Criminal Minds and Private Practice . Walters toured extensively in support of the album.
In August 2013, Walters released a new four track EP, Two Birds.
In late 2015, Walters recorded a cover of the Peter, Bjorn & John song 'Young Folks', which featured in the Christmas advertising campaign for Polish soft drinks brand Tymbark. [10]
Walters released the 11-track album A.M. on his own label, Pilotlights Music, in October 2016. Produced by Aidan O'Brien, the album includes the song 'July Bones', which featured on an episode of US TV show Bones. The album received notable support from BBC Radio 2 DJ Dermot O'Leary and BBC 6 Music DJ Lauren Laverne. Following the album, Walters released a number of stand-alone digital singles, including 'Nervous Energy', 'This Fire', 'Already Home' & 'I Won't'. These songs featured on TV shows including Station 19, Queen Sugar, Magnum PI and Grey's Anatomy.
Walters signed to UK label Cooking Vinyl in late 2019. [11] His fifth album Golden Veins was announced soon after, with lead single This is Where it Ends receiving a digital release in November 2019. The album was eventually released in June 2020. [12] A track from the album, The Dawn Chorus on Tape, featured on a November 2019 episode of Grey's Anatomy. [13] Produced by Patrick Pearson, the album title was inspired by Japanese art-form Kintsugi. [14] An independently released 4-track EP, 'Devon or Las Vegas', was released in Spring 2021, again produced by Patrick Pearson. [15] The 'Pale June' EP followed in early 2022. [16]
Walters signed to Canadian label Nettwerk Records in early '23 and announced a new album - 'Murmurate' - for a November release. [17] The album was preceded by several singles and music videos, a number of which gained UK radio support from Jo Whiley and Dermot O'Leary at BBC Radio 2. Walters performed a 'Sofa Session' for Jo Whiley on December 20, which included a solo rendition of 'Silent Night'. [18]
Walters has collaborated with The Cranberries guitarist and songwriter Noel Hogan a number of times since 2005, first appearing on Hogan's Mono Band album, and later as part of the Arkitekt project. [19]
In 2007, Walters co-wrote and performed the track "Cool is the Night" for the Between Voices album by Anti Atlas, a studio project by Radiohead manager Chris Hufford and classical composer Ned Bigham. [20]
In 2010, Walters co-wrote several songs with Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Joe Henry, one of which – "Eyes Out For You" – featured on Henry's 2011 album, Reverie. [21]
Walters collaborated with American house producer Morgan Page in 2011, two tracks "The Actor" and "Light Years", appearing on Page's 2012 In the Air album. [22]
In 2014, Walters launched a new band project called Liu Bei, releasing one single ("Infatuation" b/w "Atlas World") on the British record label Trangressive. An independently released EP, 'Goodness', followed in February 2015, which included a collaboration with Slowdive's Rachel Goswell called 'Fields'. [23] The band released one further single via Famous Friends Records in September 2015 before announcing their split. [24] Walters has continued to use the Liu Bei alias for a number of features and collaborations, including releases with German DJ Solomun. [25]
Walters is a member of the UK band LYR, alongside current UK poet laureate Simon Armitage and producer Patrick Pearson (a former member of Liu Bei). The band released their debut album, Call in the Crash Team, in 2020 via Decca Records imprint Mercury KX. [26] During the Covid-19 UK lockdown in spring 2020, the band released a collaborative single with English actress Florence Pugh entitled "Lockdown", raising funds for the domestic abuse charity Refuge. [27] In 2021, the band released a single called "Winter Solstice" which featured Wendy Smith from Prefab Sprout. [28] [29] [30] [31] [32] [33] [34] The band were commissioned by Durham Brass Festival 2022 to create a new work based on the history of County Durham's 'Category D' villages. The resulting 'Firm As a Rock' EP was released and then performed live at Durham Cathedral with Easington Colliery Brass Band in July 2022. [35] The band released a full-length studio album via Universal imprint EMI North, 'The Ultraviolet Age', in June 2023. [36]
Since 2015, Walters has co-written songs with a number of artists, including Declan J. Donovan, 3LAU, Semisonic, Alison Moyet, Way Out West, Sultan + Shepard, Apocalyptica, the Deadmau5 and Kaskade project Kx5, and Ferry Corsten's FERR project.
In November 2022, Walters and Canadian electronic artist Jeff Hartford, better known as Attlas, debuted a collaborative project called Sun Lo. The duo released their first single "Factory Gates" later that month, [37] [38] which was eventually followed by several other singles and a full album titled Shapes in My Head. [39] edm.com said this of the album: "The dazzling album is the byproduct of countless online sessions throughout the pandemic and a strong collaborative spirit, which is evident in spades throughout its 10 indietronica gems. ATTLAS and Walters effortlessly combine their respective styles into a stunning latticework of aching lyricism and chill, languid downtempo music." [40]
Album Information |
---|
The Animal
|
Pacing
|
Regret Less
|
Lightship EP
|
A.M.
|
Golden Veins
|
Murmurate
|
Album Information |
---|
LYR - Call in the Crash Team
|
Sun Lo - Shapes in My Head
|
LYR - The Ultraviolet Age
|
Album information |
---|
Umbrella Songs
|
Pilotlights EP
|
Young Trees
|
Two Birds
|
Devon or Las Vegas EP
|
Pale June EP
|
Elf Power is an American indie rock band that originated in Athens, Georgia, United States. The line-up consists of guitarist/vocalist Andrew Rieger, keyboardist Laura Carter, guitarist Dave Wrathgabar, bassist Bryan Poole, and drummer Peter Alvanos. They are part of the Elephant Six Collective.
Nettwerk Music Group is the umbrella company for Nettwerk Records, Nettwerk Management, and Nettwerk One Publishing.
Thomas Edward Walter is an American musician, best known for his alternative rock band Abandoned Pools and as the former bassist and one of the founding members of Eels.
Remission is a 1984 EP by Canadian electro-industrial band Skinny Puppy, their record label debut and first release with Nettwerk. The 12-inch EP originally featured six tracks, then, a year later in 1985, it was released on cassette with five additional songs that lengthened the release to a full album. This expansion became the default version of Remission.
Hem is a musical group from Brooklyn, New York. Band members include Sally Ellyson (vocals), Dan Messé, Gary Maurer, Steve Curtis, George Rush, Mark Brotter (drums), Bob Hoffnar, and Heather Zimmerman (violin). The group sometimes expands to include other musicians and orchestral accompaniments.
Gob is a Canadian punk rock band from Langley, British Columbia, formed in 1993. The band consists of Tom Thacker, Theo Goutzinakis, Gabe Mantle and Steven Fairweather. They were nominated for a Juno Award for best new group in 2000, and received another Juno nomination for best video in 2002. Gob's most successful album is World According to Gob. Their best-selling songs to date are "I Hear You Calling", "Soda", and "Banshee Song". They have been featured in movies, TV shows, and many sporting video games such as NHL 2002, NHL 2003, NHL 2004 and Madden NFL 2004 with songs such as "Oh! Ellin", "I've Been Up These Steps", "Sick With You", "I Hear You Calling" and "Give Up the Grudge". The band has appeared at several music festivals, the most well-known being the Vans Warped Tour. Thacker is also a lead and rhythm guitarist for fellow Canadian rock band Sum 41.
Ryan Gary Raddon, better known by his stage name Kaskade, is an American DJ, music producer and remixer. DJ Times voted Kaskade "America's Best DJ" in 2011 and 2013. DJ Mag named Kaskade fifty-first on its 2009 list of Top 100 DJs.
Great Lake Swimmers is a Canadian folk rock band from Wainfleet, Ontario, and currently based in Toronto.
Mark Stephen Gardener is an English rock musician, and a singer and guitarist with the shoegazing band Ride.
Joel Thomas Zimmerman, known professionally as Deadmau5, is a Canadian electronic music producer and DJ. He mainly produces progressive house and electro house music, though he also produces and DJs other genres of electronic music, including techno under the alias Testpilot. Zimmerman has received six Grammy Award nominations for his work.
Madi Diaz is an American singer-songwriter and musician.
Rebecca Hill is an English singer and songwriter. She rose to prominence after appearing on the first series of The Voice UK, auditioning with John Legend's "Ordinary People". She joined Jessie J's team and reached the semi-final of the competition.
X Ambassadors is an American pop rock band from Ithaca, New York that consists of lead vocalist Sam Harris, keyboardist Casey Harris, and drummer Adam Levin. Russ Flynn is a touring member who plays guitar and bass. Their most notable songs include "Jungle", "Renegades", and "Unsteady". The band's debut full-length album, VHS, was released on June 30, 2015. Their second album, Orion, came out on June 14, 2019. Their third album, The Beautiful Liar, was issued on September 24, 2021.
Together Pangea is an American rock band from Santa Clarita, California that is based in Los Angeles, California. The group has released five full-length albums and are currently signed to Nettwerk Records.
As It Is were a British-American rock band based in Brighton, England. The band was formed in 2012, and signed to Fearless Records in 2014. The group consists of lead vocalist Patty Walters and lead guitarist Ronnie Ish.
Jeff Hartford, better known by his stage name Attlas, is a Canadian DJ, electronic music producer and musician. Hartford is known for his progressive house and electronica releases on the electronic label mau5trap and has often appeared the label's We are Friends album series. He has released three albums, five extended plays, and several other singles and has received two Juno Award nominations over the course of his career. He is also half of the group Sun Lo with Richard Walters.
River Matthews is an English singer/songwriter from Woking, Surrey, England. He is signed to songwriter/producer Jamie Scott’s label ‘Catherine Records’ in partnership with Nettwerk Music Group.
Wendy Smith is an English musician. She was a singer and guitarist in the band Prefab Sprout from 1983 until 2001. In 2015, she became the director of creative learning at The Sage in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, England.
Matt Lange is an American DJ and producer based in Los Angeles. He is best known for co-producing "Goodbye" with DJ Glenn Morrison, together with soundtracks for movies including Blade Runner 2049 and Ready Player One. His use of modular synthesis and isorhythms in his musical productions have brought him notice. Lange produced progressive house and deep house early in his career, before moving into techno production from 2015 onwards. Lange found his own label, Isorhythm, in 2011 as a platform to release his own music. He released his debut studio album, Ephemera, in 2015 through Mau5trap, which was later followed up with Isolated in 2020.
Orbit Culture is a Swedish melodic death metal band from Eksjö, formed in 2013. The band includes vocalist/guitarist Niklas Karlsson, guitarist Richard Hansson, bassist Fredrik Lennartsson, and drummer Christopher Wallerstedt. Former band members are lead guitarist Maximilian Zinsmeister, bassist Christoffer Olsson and drummer Markus Bladh. The band has released four studio albums and four EPs.