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Where do you start with A Guy Called Gerald? A hidden gem, the
gateway between Chicago house / Detroit Techno and the UK dance
music explosion in the late 80s. He is one of a few special
producers who entered dance music in the jacking zone. He is the
first UK acid house producer and probably the first producer to
have two instrumental dance tracks in the UK charts at the same.
He formed 808 State with a drum machine, a 303, 2 Roland SH101s
and 2 other humans. His collaborations stem from Frankie Knuckles,
Goldie, Finley Quaye and Derrick May through to Herbie Hancock,
remixed for David Bowie, Lamb, Stone Roses, Black Uhuru, Can,
Tricky, Roman Fluegel and The Orb and toured with New Order,
Tricky and Bebel Gilberto.
When the history of postmodern
dance music is written he is ubiquitous: his visions, his
stylistic versatility and open mindedness had a huge influence on
the development of global dance culture. Very early on, he
experimented with acid house and helped pioneer the style that was
later called jungle and drum n bass. Fiercely independent he is
preparing himself for a string of new releases, the launch of his
online shop and touring worldwide.
The Manchester scene in
the late 80s radiated from the Hacienda. It was a place which grew
to be a breeding ground for the likes of Laurent Garnier and
Chemical Brothers and in the Summer of Love the Hacienda had a
theme tune called Voodoo Ray. It was A Guy Called Geralds first
release in 1988 and became a seminal classic that put British
house music firmly on the map. As part of 808 States first
incarnation he co-produced another Hacienda classic, Pacific
State. He soon decided to concentrate on his solo project and
toured worldwide (and with a quarter of a ton of equipment!)
performing live.
In the early 90s he launched his own label
Juice Box and released a series of 12"s that were the blueprint to
what would become jungle. In 1992 he compiled these releases into
the proto jungle classic "28 Gun Bad Boy" album. In 1995 he
followed up with the definitive "Black Secret Technology" to
critical acclaim. Black Secret Technology featured Finleys Rainbow
with vocals by Finley Quaye and a collaboration with Goldie.
Finleys Rainbow featured Finley Quaye who later re-released the
tune on his debut album. In 2005 Knowledge Magazine ranked "28 Gun
Bad Boy" EP was as the No. 1 jungle single of all time. His sound
was an inspiration to many - Goldie, LTJ Bukem and DJ Krust have
all stated his influence.
But never wanting to be
stereotyped into any particular style of music his sound continued
to develop. In 2000 he signed with !K7 Records and released
"Essence" with guest vocals from singer/songwriter Wendy Page,
Lady Kier and Finley Quaye. In 2005 the down tempo "To Al I Things
What They Need". In 2005 he launched his Sugoi and Protechson
labels. His latest album "Proto Acid/ The Berl in Sessions",
released on Berlins Laboratory Instinct, is an infectious 71
minute continuous mix recorded live.
2008 marks 20 years of
A Guy Called Gerald in dance music and to celebrate a definitive
collection of A Guy Called Geralds back catalogue is planned for
release featuring rare and unreleased tracks and remixes. In July
a remaster of 1995s jungle classic "Black Secret Technology" was
reissued. And in August "In Ya Head feat. Mia" came out on Berlins
favourite Perlon Records.
He continues to tour bringing his
studio into the clubs worldwide playing anywhere from 2 to now
legendary 14 hour LIVE sets – no DJ software, no gimmicks, just
raw, pure, undiluted AGCG riddums strictly for the dancefloor.
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DISCOGRAPHY ALBUMS: 2006 Proto Acid / The Berlin Sessions
(Laboratory Instinct) 2005 To All Things What They Need - AGCG
(K7) 2000 Essence - AGCG (K7) 1999 The John Peel Sessions –
AGCG (Strange Fruit) 1995 Black Secret Technology – AGCG
(Juicebox) 1992 28 Gun Bad Boy – AGCG (Juicebox) 1989
The John Peel Sessions– AGCG (Strange Fruit) 1989
Automanikk – AGCG (CBS/Sony) 1988 Hot Lemonade – AGCG (Rham)
COLLABORATIONS: 808 STATE 2004 New Order Remixes – 808 State
(Rephlex) 2004 Prebuild - 808 State (Rephlex) 1989 Newbuild – 808
State (Creed) 1989 Pacific State – 808 State (Creed / ZTT) HERBIE
HANCOCK /BILL LASWELL /A GUY CALLED GERALD 2001 Black Gravity – from
the album Future 2 Future THE TWO G$ (A GUY CALLED GERALD AND
GOLDIE) 1995 Energy / Reno – The Two G$ (JB) US (A GUY
CALLED GERALD / EDWARD BARTON / CHAPTER & THE VERSE) 1988 Born In
The North – US (Wooden) THE HIT SQUAD 1987 Wax on the Melt
– The Hit Squad
TIMELINE: 1967 Born
Manchester helped Jimmy Hendrix write Purple Haze 1977 Builds
first speaker boxes for sound system 1979 Starts editing radio
recordings and going to parties at youth clubs 1980 Frequents the
original Legends with Greg Wilson, The Reno, Dungeons, British
Legion, Longsight Old Library and St Alfonso.s clubs 1981 Moves
to Frank Hatton Kids Home 1983 Studies Contemporary Dance @
Manchester Dance Centre Sheena Simon College and buys first drum
machine 1985 Leaves school and studies Dance @ Arden College
Manchester 1986 Sends demos to Stu Allan.s show on Piccadilly
Radio Frequents Hacienda 1987 Forms Hit Squad MCR with Graham
Massey, Martin Price, MC Tunes, Darren Partington and Andy Barker
and Altringham Rap Crew, Gigs in Manchester Performs as "Thermo
Kings" with Hit Squad Moves to Charles Barry, Hulme . . .
2006 Release – A Guy Called Gerald – Sufistifunk MP3 (Sugoi) June Release –
A Guy Called Gerald – Time To Jak (Sender Records Germany) June
Release – A Guy Called Gerald – Blow Your House Down Remixes (Split
UK) Aug Release – A Guy Called Gerald – Proto Acid album (Laboratory
Instinct Germany) Live Tour – Electric City Dublin, Puma Party
Canvas London, Inkonst Malmo Sweden, Digital Jigits @ M12 Berlin,
Ocean Rooms Brighton, Tilted Disco @ Mass Brixton, Sequence
Warehouse Session Manchester, Golden Pudel Hamburg, Bang Face
London, Robert Owens Journeys @ Egg London, Tech House @ Inside
Toronto Canada, Piknic Electronic Festival Montreal, Robert Johnson
Frankfurt, The Underground Ibiza, Plastic People London, Bar 25
Berlin, Synch Festival Athens, Glade Festival UK, Dance Valley
Festival Holland, PS1 MOMA New York, Fusion Festival Berlin, BBC
1Xtra @ Icon Berlin (Live Jungle), Halleluja A Celebration of
Madchester @ Madchester Academy, Glasgow School of Art, Weekend Club
Berlin, Split @ The Key London, Beatstreet Berlin DJ Gigs – Sweet
45s @ Herbal London 2007 Apr Release – A Guy Called Gerald –
Bodecka (Beatstreet Germany) May Release – A Guy Called Gerald –
Proto Acid 2 12” (Laboratory Instinct Germany) Live Gigs – Bar Vinyl
London, Ginglik London, Holodeck Cardiff, Beatstreet Kassel, Between
US Moscow, Hacienda Party @ Club Air Tokyo, Arena Club Berlin,
Corsica Studios London, Sender Night @ Sage Club Berlin, SE1 London,
Eclectica Festival Estonia, Glastonbury Festival UK, Club Maria
Berlin, Loch Lomond Festival Scotland, Wird Sind Arg Berlin, Mondo
Madrid, Movement Festival Detroit, Rebel New York, Nova Brancaleone
Rome, Fabric London, Womb Tokyo, Blumengold Cologne, Paard van Troje
The Hague, Cookies Berlin, NonStop Kino Graz Austria, Waagenbau
Hamburg, Vooruit Gent Belgium, B1 Maximum Club Moscow, Stiff Kitten
Belfast, Club 11 Amsterdam, Kingpin Bristol, Berghain Berlin DJ Gigs
– Bar 25 Berlin 2008 Jul Release – A Guy Called Gerald –
Remastered Black Secret Technology (AGCG Records) Aug Release – A
Guy Called Gerald – In Ya Head feat. Mia (Perlon) Live Gigs
– Wire Festival Japan, Get Perlonized @ Panorama Bar Berlin, Tuning
Spork Party @ Watergate Berlin, Unit 7 London, Retox London,
Picknick Berlin, Fabric London, Mittwoch @ Watergate Berlin, Bloc
Weekend UK, Hacienda Warehouse Party @ Warehouse Project Manchester,
Urban Gorilla Sheffield, Lost Souls London, Mulletover London, I Am
Festival Turin Italy, Golden Gate Berlin, Tenax Club Florence Italy,
Quattrocento Milan Italy, Club Colloseum Skopje, Macedonia, A Guy
Called Gerald feat. Jungle Drummer, Glastonbury Festival - A Guy
Called Gerald, Stamina MC and Jungle Drummer, Mittwoch @ Weekend,
Hacienda 25th Anniversary Tour. The Junction Cambridge, 103 Club
Berlin, A Guy Called Gerald feat. Diane Charlemagne LIVE @ Red Zone
Italy, Mondo Madrid, Eden Ibiza, Zen Club Barcelona, Streamfest
Galatina Italy, Solas Festival Ireland, Wang London, Arena Club
Berlin, Monza Privilege Ibiza
mehr unter:
http://www.guycalledgerald.com oder
http://www.myspace.com/aguycalledgerald
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