As individual producers and artists they’ve scored over 200 hit singles and albums, now they’ve come together to get back to basics and write and perform in their own right. The Producers are:
· Chris Braide (keyboards and vocals)
· Lol Creme (guitars and vocals)
· Trevor Horn (bass and vocals)
· Stephen Lipson (guitars)
· Ash Soan (drums)
Since Christmas 2006 the band have performed a series of secret London gigs, ramming the likes of the Camden Barfly to the rafters, and bringing on guest vocalists including Will Young and Jamie Cullum. And in summer 2007 they release a debut single – Barking up the Right Tree – and album on Stiff Records.
As a songwriter and producer, CHRIS BRAIDE’s credits include American Idol Clay Aiken’s This Is The Night (US #1), Diana DeGarmo’s Dreams (US #1) and Will Young’s Anything Is Possible (UK #1). The latter became the eleventh biggest selling single in UK music history and earned him an Ivor Novello along with co-writer Cathy Dennis.
Recognised by GQ magazine in 2005 as one of the most successful UK musicians under the age of 40, Chris’ collaborators have included Thomas Dolby, Mick Hucknall and Dave Stewart, and his songs have been performed by the likes of Kylie Minogue, Beverley Knight, Lisa Stansfield, Simon Webbe and S Club 7 (Have You Ever, UK #1). As a solo artist, his work includes the 1996 album Life In A Minor Key and 2005’s The Upside released as Malmõ.
As a founder member of 10cc, LOL CREME scored a string of top ten singles in the early 70s including Producers’ live favourite Rubber Bullets and I’m Not In Love, both UK #1s. In 1976 he split from the band and formed Godley & Creme with songwriting partner Kevin Godley (Wedding Bells, UK #3).
As directors of over 50 pop videos Godley & Creme’s work defined the look of the 80s, their classics including The Police (Every Breath You Take), Duran Duran (Girls on Film), Herbie Hancock (Rockit), Frankie Goes to Hollywood (Two Tribes), and their own single Cry. Lol has most recently collaborated with Kate Bush (Aerial, 2006) and Pet Shop Boys (Concrete, 2007).
One of TREVOR HORN’s first brushes with the pop charts was Baby Blue, a 1979 single for Dusty Springfield, written with Geoff Downes with whom he then formed The Buggles. The duo scored three hit singles including Video Killed The Radio Star (UK #1) before Trevor moved to Yes, where he co-wrote and fronted their 1980 album, Drama. He returned to the band in 1984 to co-write and produce their biggest ever hit, Owner of a Lonely Heart (US #1).
From Yes to the present day, Trevor has favoured production over performance, his classic works including ABC, Frankie Goes To Hollywood (three UK #1s), tATu (two UK #1s), Pet Shop Boys (Left to my Own Devices, and 2006’s Fundamental), Simple Minds (Belfast Child, UK #1), Seal (Kiss from a Rose, US #1), Rod Stewart, Boyzone, Charlotte Church, Leann Rimes (US #1) and Belle & Sebastian.
Trevor and Lol have worked on a variety of projects together from Tom Jones’ If I Only Knew to Art of Noise’s The Seduction of Claude Debussy. And this is the fourth time Trevor has appeared on Stiff Records, his previous outings including the Belle Stars’ World Domination, Mint Juleps (Only Love Can Break Your Heart) and a legendary 10-minute remix of Dr Feelgood.
STEPHEN LIPSON collaborated with Trevor Horn on many classic 80s productions, defining the music and sound of ZTT Records with artists including Propaganda, FGTH, Grace Jones and ACT. Working in his own right since the late 80s, he has produced a string of pop hits for the likes of Geri Halliwell (It’s Raining Men, UK #1), S Club 7 (three UK #1s), Will Young (Leave Right Now, UK #1), Natalie Imbruglia (Shiver) and Rachel Stevens.
Outside of the pop arena, Steve has produced Sandi Thom, Jamie Cullum, Alexis Strum, Paul McCartney (Flowers in the Dirt), all four solo albums by Annie Lennox and engineered the Rolling Stones’ Undercover. The ‘Lipson Service Guitar’ can also be heard on various tracks by Grace Jones, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, and – before The Producers came together – on stage at Trevor Horn’s Wembley concert for The Princes Trust in 2004.
ASH SOAN is one of the UK’s busiest drummers. In the last twelve months alone he’s worked with Natasha Bedingfield, Siobhan Donaghy and Sandi Thom. He spent the bulk of the 90s drumming with Del Amitri, playing US, European and UK tours and Woodstock 94. He left in 1997 to join Squeeze and stayed with them until the band split up in 1999 and has since drummed at the Montreux Jazz Festival with Marianne Faithful, at Glastonbury with Squeeze, and at Party in the Park with Tom Jones.
In the 00s, Ash has played in Cuba with Rik Wakeman, in Russia with Lisa Stansfield, South Africa with Belinda Carlisle, as well as two Womad festivals (with Chris Difford and Electralow). And in the dance area, he’s toured the world with Faithless, played Glastonbury with MJ Cole, and MTV’s Spanking New Music with Natasha Bedingfield.
