Ashley Beedle
There aren’t many producer / DJs around who can claim to have had as much influence on the UK’s dance music scene as Ashley Beedle.
Any DJ who likes good music will have a record in their collection that he has been involved in, and it gives us huge pleasure to welcome him to Futureboogie.
Ashley Beedle has had a prolific career to date, which is continually growing with a plethora of activity happening over the next 12 months.
Ashley has always been the loving pulse of the London music scene – he brought house music to Notting Hill Carnival and produced one of the first British garage tunes. His initial production as Black Science Orchestra on Junior Boys Own broke him internationally. X-Press 2’s massive hit, ‘Lazy’, an inspired collaboration with former Talking Head David Byrne, and other number one hits has meant X-Press 2’s albums have traveled the globe.
Ashley’s remixes have ranged from pop and rock bands, little house labels; hip hop mixes, house mixes; as a solo remixer, and as part of X-Press 2. There really are too many to mention, though Elton John’s number one hit ‘Are You Ready for Love?’ and Bob Marley’s ‘Get Up Stand Up’ spring to mind. But then don’t forget his moments with The Streets ‘Weak Become Heroes’ and Bent’s ‘Always’.
Other projects worthy of mention include: Delta House Of Funk, Disco Evangelists with protégé David Holmes (Ocean’s 11, 12 and 13 Hollywood score master), Roots Revolution on Roger Sanchez’ label, the demon dub-house of Jamayka Boys (championed by many as the first Dub Step production), Black Jazz Chronicles, the London Heavy Disco Revue, Afro Art, and, of course, the Ballistic Brothers. Similarly there are too many compilations to fit within this word count but Strut’s Grass Roots series that Ashley launched has earned its place in history as well as most discerning DJs boxes.
Ashley’s ability to always stay ahead of the pack continues with his futuristic reggae inspired Warbox project (which has included chart smashing remixes for the likes of Lilly Allen), a rock techno inspired project with the Filthy Dukes’ Mark Ralph, called Ralph und Beedle, a blue eyed soul project called Mavis which is to be released on !K7 in Feb 2010 (featuring Lambchop’s Kurt Wagner, Cerys Matthews, Ed Harcourt plus many more) and his new moniker, Space Programme.
Ashley has also joined forces with the legendary Cosmo ‘Colleen’ Murphy’ as Dark Star – with events, remixes and an album all in the pipeline — and of course, more disco output from on his label, Out Hear Audio, which is boasting an exciting release schedule with the first Out Hear Audio and Dark Star compilations due out Jan/Feb 2010.
Ashley has also released an album with the great Horace Andy, ‘Inspiration Information’, on Strut Records is a fresh album of roots, fusions and rasta messages.
