Luke Smith (record producer)

Luke Smith (born 4 May 1978) is an English record producer, musician and songwriter. He was the co-founder, songwriter, guitarist and vocalist of the band Clor. His production and writing credits include Foals, Depeche Mode, Petite Noir, Anna of The North, Everything Everything, Slow Club, Crystal Fighters, Shitdisco, Fryars, Theme Park and Is Tropical. He has worked on such popular and critically acclaimed albums as Total Life Forever and Sounds of the Universe.

Career

Clor

From 2003 to 2005, Smith founded with Barry Dobbin and provided lead guitars and vocals for the band Clor.[1] He co-wrote and produced their eponymous sole album which was released in 2005[2] to critical acclaim.[3][4][5] In May 2006, Smith and his co-founder announced Clor had split up.[6] Later, in 2010, their album was voted number 1 topping NME's “100 greatest albums you've never heard".[7][8]

Production and writing

In 2007 to present, Smith has produced a number of critically acclaimed releases.[9] Of his work, Smith’s most noted is his production of the seminal second album Total Life Forever by Foals in Gothenburg in 2010[10] and programming of the twelfth studio album Sounds of the Universe by Depeche Mode in 2009.[11][12] Amongst others, Smith also produced the debut album Kingdom of Fear by Shitdisco in 2007 which was awarded 9/10 by NME,[13] the second Slow Club album, Paradise, in 2012[14][15] which was given 8 out of 10 by Drowned in Sound magazine,[16] produced the second album I’m Leaving by Is Tropical in 2013[17][18] which received 8/10 on the popular music blog, The 405.[19] In 2014, Smith produced the much-lauded debut EP King of Anxiety by Petite Noir[20] on Domino records which received outstanding reviews in i-D magazine and The Guardian.[21][22] and has gone on to see it's track "Chess" streamed over 1,000,000 times on Spotify. "Chess" also appears on the debut album La Vie Est Belle / Life Is Beautiful by Petite Noir released on Domino Records.

Smith also produced the 2007 EP The Ides by Fryars,[23] the 2009 single Photoshop Handsome by Everything Everything,[24] 2009 album New Worlds for Charlotte Hatherley,[25] the Champion Sound single for Crystal Fighters[26][27] in 2011, the 2012 fourth album of Eugene McGuinness titled Invitation to the Voyage,[28] the 2013 debut album Theme Park by Theme Park[29][30] and Fryars' second album Power in 2014.[31][32]

Production work took place in 2014 and 2015 on the third album by Is Tropical which is awaiting release.

In 2015, Smith also produced the Hype Machine no. 1 single The Dreamer by hottly-tipped Norwegian artist Anna of The North which was released on Different Recordings / PIAS and has been streamed over 2 million times on Spotify. Luke is currently working on Anna’s debut LP.

He has writing credits on a number of these recordings; he co-wrote The King of Anxiety, the debut EP by Petite Noir, from which the song "Chess" has over 1,000,000 streams on Spotify.

2016/17 will see the release of a number of other of Luke’s production work. Part Company, the French indie pop band from Nice, will release their Smith-produced debut album on Label Gum (Woodkid, Herman Dune), the third album by Is Tropical, new album by Crystal Fighters 'Everything Is In My Family' was released in October 2016 on [PIAS], the debut EP by Anna Of The North on Different Records / PIAS, Noémi Wolfs' album on Universal 'Hunts You' and Highs debut album 'Dazzle Camouflage' on Indica Records.

His recordings have been released on labels Mute, Parlophone, Domino, Pias, Moshi Moshi, Kitsune, Transgressive, Geffen.[33]

Performance and music direction

Smith is a multi-instrumentalist and provides guitar and keyboard performances, amongst other instruments played by him, on nearly all of his productions.

In 2014, Smith was appointed and worked as the Musical Director of Lily Allen's Sheezus world tour[34] which played in the UK, Europe, US and Australia.[35] He played guitar live as well as being responsible for the show's music at large.

In 2015, Smith began working on an artist project with Charles Watson of Slow Club. Their song Wind Blows having featured on a BBC Radio 4 series.

Remixing

Smith is well known for his remix work and has put his name to remixes of Hotride by The Prodigy[36][37] and After Dark by Le Tigre[38][39] in 2004, Perfume by Sparks[40][41] in 2006, Nothing But Green Lights by Tom Vek[42][43] and Sister In Love by Envelopes[44][45] in 2005, X-ray by The Macabees,[46][47][48] Behave by Charlotte Hatherley[49][50] and Reactor Party by Shitdisco[51][52][53] in 2006, Benedict Arnold by FrYars[54][55] in 2008. Smith going under the name Lagos Boys Choir also remixed the hit singles Focker by Late Of The Pier, Bullet Proof by La Roux and Miles Away by Depeche Mode throughout 2008 and 2009.[56][57]

Nominations and awards

In 2010, the album Sounds of the Universe was nominated and shortlisted for the Best Alternative Music Album award in the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards.[58]

In 2010, the album Total Life Forever was nominated for the prestigious Mercury Prize.[59]

His work Spanish Sahara, the lead single off the album, won the 'Best Song' award at the NME Awards in 2011.[60]

References

  1. ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/artists/dd760531-7bd3-4053-9968-5bc3e646ff2a
  2. ↑ http://www.discogs.com/Clor-Clor/release/5558532
  3. ↑ http://www.allmusic.com/album/clor-mw0000705168
  4. ↑ http://www.nme.com/reviews/7720
  5. ↑ http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/1814-clor/
  6. ↑ http://www.nme.com/news/clor/23037
  7. ↑ http://www.nme.com/blogs/nme-blogs/100-greatest-lost-albums-this-weeks-nme
  8. ↑ http://drownedinsound.com/community/boards/music/4275307
  9. ↑ http://www.discogs.com/artist/392955-Luke-Smith-3
  10. ↑ http://www.nme.com/news/foals/49888
  11. ↑ Sounds of the Universe (CD liner notes). Depeche Mode. Mute Records. 2009. CDSTUMM300
  12. ↑ http://modefan.com/sounds-of-the-universe-album/
  13. ↑ http://www.nme.com/reviews/shitdisco/8428
  14. ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/xmb6
  15. ↑ http://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/11284/1/slow-club
  16. ↑ http://drownedinsound.com/releases/16484/reviews/4143524
  17. ↑ https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/im-leaving/id642845442
  18. ↑ http://www.purplesneakers.com.au/2013/05/is-tropical-release-new-album-im-leaving/
  19. ↑ http://www.thefourohfive.com/review/article/is-tropical-i-m-leaving
  20. ↑ http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-king-of-anxiety-mw0002791765
  21. ↑ https://i-d.vice.com/en_gb/article/generation-noirwave-say-hello-to-yannick-ilunga-aka-petite-noir
  22. ↑ http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/jan/31/petite-noir-king-of-anxiety
  23. ↑ http://drownedinsound.com/releases/11386
  24. ↑ https://milocostudios.com/interviews/everything-everything/
  25. ↑ http://siloelevatedcuisine.com/charlotte-hatherley-new-d581e-worlds-85d09
  26. ↑ http://www.last.fm/music/Crystal+Fighters/_/Champion+Sound+(Luke+Smith+Mix)
  27. ↑ http://www.last.fm/music/Crystal+Fighters/_/Champion+Sound+(Luke+Smith+Mix)
  28. ↑ http://www.qobuz.com/es-en/album/the-invitation-to-the-voyage-eugene-mcguinness/5034202024651
  29. ↑ http://lovemusiclovelife.com/theme-park-announce-debut-album-release/
  30. ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/dz4z
  31. ↑ http://www.roughtrade.com/events/2014/11/808
  32. ↑ http://soundofbrit.fr/2014/12/23/review-fryars-power/
  33. ↑ http://www.lsmth.com/
  34. ↑ http://www.lsmth.com/?p=61
  35. ↑ http://www.setlist.fm/setlists/lily-allen-3bd6e084.html
  36. ↑ http://drownedinsound.com/community/boards/music/832284
  37. ↑ http://www.moopy.org.uk/forums/showthread.php?33371-Clor-split-up
  38. ↑ http://drownedinsound.com/community/boards/music/832284
  39. ↑ http://www.moopy.org.uk/forums/showthread.php?33371-Clor-split-up
  40. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZa-It1vcbk
  41. ↑ https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/perfume/id279815173
  42. ↑ http://www.discogs.com/Tom-Vek-Nothing-But-Green-Lights/release/553825
  43. ↑ http://www.last.fm/music/Tom+Vek/_/Nothing+But+Green+Lights+(Clor+Remix)
  44. ↑ http://www.discogs.com/Envelopes-Sister-In-Love-Re-Mixes/release/1263419
  45. ↑ http://www.last.fm/music/Envelopes/_/Sister+In+Love+(Clor+Remix)
  46. ↑ http://www.discogs.com/Maccabees-Precious-Time-X-Ray/release/1434513
  47. ↑ http://www.last.fm/music/The+Maccabees/_/X-ray+(Luke+Smith+Remix)
  48. ↑ http://www.dmcworld.net/reviews/entry/leftfield/the-maccabees-precious-time--x-ray-vision-remixes-5134.html
  49. ↑ http://www.discogs.com/Charlotte-Hatherley-Behave/master/602374
  50. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FV62YO_NV3Q
  51. ↑ http://www.discogs.com/Shitdisco-Reactor-Party/release/1511364
  52. ↑ http://www.last.fm/music/Shitdisco/_/Reactor+Party+(Luke+Smith+MPC+Remix)
  53. ↑ http://www.residentadvisor.net/news.aspx?id=8808
  54. ↑ http://www.discogs.com/frYars-The-Perfidy-EP/release/2744565
  55. ↑ http://drownedinsound.com/news/2887003
  56. ↑ http://www.last.fm/music/Depeche+Mode/_/Miles+Away+%2F+The+Truth+Is+(Lagos+Boys+Choir+Remix)
  57. ↑ http://www.last.fm/music/La+Roux/_/Bulletproof+(Lagos+Boys+Choir+Remix)
  58. ↑ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8392665.stm
  59. ↑ http://www.nme.com/news/various-artists/52132
  60. ↑ http://www.nme.com/news/foals/55121
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