Simon Philip Raymonde (born 3 April 1962) is an English musician and record producer. He is the son of the late arranger and composer Ivor Raymonde. He is best known as the bass guitarist and keyboard player with the Scottish band Cocteau Twins from 1983 to 1997.
Raymonde began his career as bassist for London-based post-punk band Drowning Craze, who released three singles on Situation 2: "Storage Case" (1981), "Trance" (1981) and "Heat" (1982).
In 1984, Raymonde joined Cocteau Twins,[1] filling the void left by the departed bassist Will Heggie. He remained as a core writer in the band until its dissolution in 1997. As well as his work with Cocteau Twins, he also contributed to the first two albums by This Mortal Coil, another 4AD project.
Raymonde's debut solo album, Blame Someone Else, was released on 6 October 1997, and featured Elizabeth Fraser of Cocteau Twins. In 2007, he made an appearance in the documentary film Scott Walker: 30 Century Man. In 2009, Raymonde formed the group Snowbird with Stephanie Dosen.
Bella Union was named the Best Independent Label of the Year in 2010, as voted by the UK's indie retailers, and later won this award again in 2012, 2014 and 2016.
In 2012, Bella Union celebrated its 15th year, and the label was asked to host and curate the Friday line-up at the End of the Road Festival that September.[2]
Between 2012–2015, Raymonde presented a show on Amazing Radio on Monday evenings, and has stood in for John Kennedy on his Xposure show on Radio X.
He was vice-chairman of the board at the Association of Independent Music in 2013, and has spoken regularly around the world about his experiences in the industry. He presented a weekend workshop with music students at QUT in Brisbane, and has also done master classes at Middlesex University, BIMM and the Academy of Contemporary Music at UCO in Oklahoma City. He served as the keynote speaker at Big Sound in Australia, Going Global in New Zealand and Norwich's Sound & Vision (where he was interviewed by John Robb).
On 27 January 2014, he released his first music in 17 years, with the band Snowbird. Their album Moon was issued as a vinyl package with one black vinyl and one white vinyl, with artwork designed by Vaughan Oliver and a bonus electronic dub remix album by RxGibbs called Luna.
In summer 2015, he started a new musical project with musician Richard Thomas (formerly of Dif Juz and the Jesus and Mary Chain), called Lost Horizons. Their album, Ojalá, was released on Bella Union in November 2017. The album was named Rough Trade "Album of the Month"; following this, the band were invited by Perfume Genius to be part of the Le Guess Who festival in Utrecht.
In 2018, Simon and his wife, Abbey Raymonde, started the management side of Bella Union, working with Brighton-based Penelope Isles. In March 2022, Bella Union celebrated its 25th anniversary in Austin at SXSW festival with around 15 bands performing across two stages at the legendary MOHAWK venue, then in May 2022 Simon and his fellow Cocteau Twins Elizabeth and Robin received an Ivors Academy's Visionary Award. In 2023, the "Heaven or Las Vegas" LP received the SAY (Scottish Album Of The Year) Award for Classic Album.
Cocteau Twins were a Scottish rock band active from 1979 to 1997. They were formed in Grangemouth by Robin Guthrie and Will Heggie (bass), adding Elizabeth Fraser (vocals) in 1981 and replacing Heggie with multi-instrumentalist Simon Raymonde in 1983. The group earned critical praise for their ethereal, effects-laden sound and the soprano vocals of Fraser, whose lyrics often eschew any recognisable language. They pioneered the 1980s alternative subgenre of dream pop and helped define what would become shoegaze.
Heaven or Las Vegas is the sixth studio album by Scottish alternative rock band Cocteau Twins, released on 17 September 1990 by 4AD. Despite 4AD president Ivo Watts-Russell proclaiming it one of the best-ever releases on his label, he released the group from their contract at the end of 1990 because his relationship with the band had soured.
Milk & Kisses is the eighth and final studio album by Scottish alternative rock band Cocteau Twins, issued on 15 April 1996 in the UK by Fontana Records and on 14 May 1996 in the US by Capitol Records. It proved to be their last; a meeting two years later to record a new album ended with the breakup of the band.
Elizabeth Davidson Fraser is a Scottish singer. She was the vocalist for the band Cocteau Twins who achieved international success primarily during the fifteen years from the mid-1980s to the late 1990s. Their studio albums Victorialand (1986) and Heaven or Las Vegas (1990) both reached the top ten of the UK Album Charts, as well as other albums including Blue Bell Knoll (1988), Four-Calendar Café (1993) and Milk & Kisses (1996) charting on the Billboard 200 album charts in the United States as well as the top 20 in the UK. She also performed as part of the 4AD group This Mortal Coil, including the successful 1983 single "Song to the Siren", and as a guest with Massive Attack on their 1998 single "Teardrop".
Bella Union is a British independent record label founded in 1997 by Simon Raymonde and Robin Guthrie of Cocteau Twins. It is now run solely by Raymonde.
Four-Calendar Café is the seventh studio album by Scottish band Cocteau Twins, released on 18 October 1993 by Fontana Records. It marks their first release since leaving their former record label, 4AD, and the first album since their 1990 critically acclaimed sixth album Heaven or Las Vegas. Two singles were released to promote the album, "Evangeline" and "Bluebeard". A performance to promote "Bluebeard" on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno marked their debut performance on American television.
Blue Bell Knoll is the fifth studio album by Scottish alternative rock band Cocteau Twins, released on 19 September 1988 by 4AD. This was the band's first album to receive major-label distribution in the United States, as it was originally licensed by Capitol Records from 4AD for North American release. After a period of being out of print while 4AD reclaimed the American distribution rights for their back catalogue, the album was remastered by guitarist Robin Guthrie and reissued in 2003. Vocalist Elizabeth Fraser named the album after a peak in southern Utah called Bluebell Knoll.
Dif Juz were an English instrumental post-punk band, formed in London in 1980 and remaining active until 1986. The band comprised Dave Curtis (guitar), Alan Curtis (guitar), Gary Bromley and Richard Thomas.
The Autumns were an American indie rock band based in Los Angeles, California, comprising Matthew Kelly, Frankie Koroshec (guitar), Dustin Morgan (bass) and Steve Elkins (drums).
Departure Lounge are an English alternative rock group consisting of:
Ivor Raymonde was a British musician, songwriter, arranger and actor, best known for his distinctive rock-orchestral arrangements for Dusty Springfield and others in the 1960s.
"Bluebeard" is a single by the Cocteau Twins. It was released by Fontana Records in February 1994 as the second single to be released from the Four-Calendar Café album. All three members of the band – Fraser, Guthrie and Raymonde – are credited as songwriters as well as producers.
The Czars were an American alternative rock band, formed in 1994 in Denver by John Grant and Chris Pearson. They released six studio albums, one EP, and three singles in the duration of their career. After the release of Goodbye in 2004, five of the six members of The Czars left the band over the span of nine months, leaving John Grant as the sole member of the band. After the exit of the other members, John Grant continued to tour under the name before deciding to pursue a solo career. Members Andy Monley and Roger Green, along with musician David Devine, appear on Sorry I Made You Cry as guitarists.
Stephanie Dosen is an American singer-songwriter, knitwear designer and member of the band Snowbird. She was raised in Wisconsin. Her songs have been featured on the soundtracks of the TV shows Dawson's Creek, NUMB3RS and Party of Five.
"White Winter Hymnal" is the first single from Fleet Foxes' debut 2008 self-titled album. Released by European label Bella Union on July 21, 2008, the single was issued on 7" vinyl as well as digital MP3 format. The B-side is the non-album track "Isles".
"Heaven or Las Vegas" is a song by Scottish band Cocteau Twins. It was released by Capitol Records in October 1990 as the second single from the Heaven or Las Vegas album. The song has been described as dream pop.
The Texas-Jerusalem Crossroads is the debut studio album from Denton, Texas-based indie rock trio Lift to Experience. The double album was released on June 26, 2001, and is thus far the only full-length recording from the band. A concept album about the Second Coming of Jesus Christ that "casts Texas as the Promised Land," it was produced by guitarist/vocalist Josh T. Pearson, and mixing was handled by Simon Raymonde and Robin Guthrie, both of Cocteau Twins fame. The album was released on Guthrie and Raymonde's record label Bella Union. Receiving very little attention upon release, the album gradually found an audience via the internet and has developed a minor cult following.
Drowning Craze was a London-based post-punk band, active from 1980 to 1982.
Snowbird is a British/American band consisting of instrumentalist Simon Raymonde and vocalist Stephanie Dosen. Dosen, originally a member of the 1990s techno band Virus, sang live with Massive Attack in 2008 and later collaborated with The Chemical Brothers. Dosen and Raymonde first worked together on her second solo album, A Lily for the Spectre, released by Bella Union in 2007. The duo's debut album as Snowbird, Moon, was released on 27 January 2014 on Bella Union.
"Carolyn's Fingers" is a single by Scottish alternative rock and dreampop band the Cocteau Twins, released in 1988 from their album Blue Bell Knoll. The song was released through the 4AD record label and credits all three members of the group – Fraser, Guthrie and Raymonde as songwriters and well as producers.
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