A Guy Called Gerald
Encyclopedia
A Guy Called Gerald is the stage name for the musician, record producer and DJ Gerald Simpson (born 16 February 1967, Moss Side
, Manchester, England).
He is best known for his early work in the Manchester acid house
scene in the late 1980s and the track "Voodoo Ray
". At that time, he specialised in techno music produced using equipment such as the Roland TB-303
bass synthesiser and the TR-808
drum machine.
; his father's blue beat
, ska
and Trojan reggae
record collection, his mother's Pentecostal
church sessions and the Jamaican sound system parties in Manchester's Moss Side area where he grew up.
He absorbed jazz fusion
at clubs such as Legends in Manchester, where the dancefloor in the early 1980s inspired him to study contemporary dance. Around 1983 with electro
booming and early hip hop
, breakdancing and b-boy culture making its way from the US, he left dance college to immerse himself in electronic music. At this time music from Detroit and Chicago – from producers such as Juan Atkins
, Derrick May, Kevin Saunderson
was being played by Stu Allen on Piccadilly Radio and imported directly into Manchester's specialist record shops.
Inspired, Simpson began experimenting with tape editing and drum machines and the regular jams in the attic of his house led to forming the Scratchbeat Masters. Using cut up beats, samples
and turntables they would challenge other crews and their sound systems
. They released a 12" single called "Wax On The Melt", a collaboration between a number of crews and Graham Massey and Martin Price together with whom he would later form 808 State
. Their first album, Newbuild
, was released in 1988, but he soon left the group to concentrate on his solo work.
a year later. It was one of the first acid house
tracks produced in the UK, and released on a small Merseyside independent label (Rham! Records) based in Liscard
, Wallasey
. "Voodoo Ray" entered the UK record chart in 1989 rising to number 12. It was also the best selling independently released single of that year.
At the same time a track Simpson started before leaving 808 State, "Pacific State", was released and hit the charts. However, according to Simpson, they had finished and released the track without his permission. Although Simpson was credited on its first release on the album Quadrastate both as a writer and co-producer, the dispute escalated as Simpson claimed to have written the entire track. The dispute was eventually settled out of court.
In 1991, after CBS / Sony released Automanikk, he started his own label
, Juice Box Records, releasing a string of 12" singles – the seeds of what became known as jungle
and later drum and bass
. The first singles were compiled and released on his third album 28 Gun Bad Boy
(1992). In 1995, his next album, Black Secret Technology
was released. He released a remastered version in June 2008.
In 1997, he moved to New York and, in 2000, released Essence on the independent label !K7 Records. Essence was Simpson's first song-based rather than dance/club album, featuring guests such as Lou Rhodes
, David Simpson
, Lady Miss Kier
and Wendy Page. In January 2005, he released a more ambient album To All Things What They Need, also on !K7 Records.
In August 2006, Proto Acid / The Berlin Sessions was released on the German label, Laboratory Instinct. A continuous mix album, it was recorded live in Berlin. It was followed up by Tronic Jazz / The Berlin Sessions in 2010.
in the United Kingdom established by Simpson in 1992, after he left Sony Records, and closed in 1998. It took its name from the sound system that Simpson operated with MC Tunes
. The label provided an outlet for seven years for Simpson's work, with thirty three titles released under various other pseudonyms such as The K.G.B. and Ricky Rouge, and collaborations between Simpson and artists including Lisa May, DJ Tamsin, Goldie
(as 'The 2 G's'), and Finley Quaye
.
The label has been identified as being responsible for influential releases that provided the blueprint for what was to become jungle
then drum n bass, with early singles on the label described as "genre-defining". The early singles on the label were compiled on the LP 28 Gun Bad Boy
, of which Simon Reynolds
of Melody Maker
stated in a review of the album, "If there was a blueprint for what would transform rave into jungle/techno, then this is it." Reynolds also stated in a Melody Maker article in October 1994, about Simpson's Juice Box-era music, "Gerald's tracks take the jungle mesh of polyrhythms, cross-rhythms and counter-rhythms to new levels of insane detail." Gerald's Black Secret Technology
LP was released in 1995, including contributions from Goldie and Finley Quaye
, and is regarded as the first full-length Jungle album ever released. In 1998, the label closed, with Simpson relocating to New York.
Moss Side
Moss Side is an inner-city area and electoral ward of Manchester, England. It lies south of Manchester city centre and has a population of around 17,537...
, Manchester, England).
He is best known for his early work in the Manchester acid house
Acid house
Acid house is a sub-genre of house music that emphasizes a repetitive, hypnotic and trance-like style, often with samples or spoken lines rather than sung lyrics. Acid house's core electronic squelch sounds were developed around the mid-1980s, particularly by DJs from Chicago who experimented with...
scene in the late 1980s and the track "Voodoo Ray
Voodoo Ray
"Voodoo Ray" is a 1988 Acid House single by Gerald Simpson, recording under the name A Guy Called Gerald. The single was released the UK in 1988, in the 7" and 12" vinyl formats, on the Rham! label. It reached number 12 in the UK singles chart, and was the best selling independently released single...
". At that time, he specialised in techno music produced using equipment such as the Roland TB-303
Roland TB-303
The Roland TB-303 Bass Line is a bass synthesizer with built-in sequencer manufactured by the Roland corporation from late 1981 to 1984 that had a defining role in the development of contemporary electronic music.-History:...
bass synthesiser and the TR-808
Roland TR-808
The Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer was one of the first programmable drum machines . Introduced by the Roland Corporation in early 1980, it was originally manufactured for use as a tool for studio musicians to create demos. Like earlier Roland drum machines, it does not sound very much like a real...
drum machine.
Early influences and music
Simpson was influenced by his Jamaican rootsMusic of Jamaica
The music of Jamaica includes Jamaican folk music and many popular genres, such as mento, ska, rocksteady, reggae, dub music, dancehall, reggae fusion and related styles. Jamaica's music culture is a fusion of elements from the United States , Africa, and neighboring Caribbean islands such as...
; his father's blue beat
Blue Beat
Blue Beat Records was a record label that released Jamaican rhythm and blues and ska music in the United Kingdom in the 1960s. It led to the creation of the term bluebeat as a generic term to describe all styles of early Jamaican music from R&B to Ska, Rocksteady and early Reggae, including music...
, ska
Ska
Ska |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
and Trojan reggae
Trojan Records
Trojan Records is a British record label founded in 1968. It specialises in ska, rocksteady, reggae and dub music. The label currently operates under the Sanctuary Records Group. The name Trojan comes from the Croydon-built Trojan truck that was used as Duke Reid's sound system in Jamaica...
record collection, his mother's Pentecostal
Pentecostalism
Pentecostalism is a diverse and complex movement within Christianity that places special emphasis on a direct personal experience of God through the baptism in the Holy Spirit, has an eschatological focus, and is an experiential religion. The term Pentecostal is derived from Pentecost, the Greek...
church sessions and the Jamaican sound system parties in Manchester's Moss Side area where he grew up.
He absorbed jazz fusion
Jazz fusion
Jazz fusion is a musical fusion genre that developed from mixing funk and R&B rhythms and the amplification and electronic effects of rock, complex time signatures derived from non-Western music and extended, typically instrumental compositions with a jazz approach to lengthy group improvisations,...
at clubs such as Legends in Manchester, where the dancefloor in the early 1980s inspired him to study contemporary dance. Around 1983 with electro
Electro (music)
Electro is a genre of electronic dance music directly influenced by the use of TR-808 drum machines, Moog keytar synthesizers and funk sampling...
booming and early hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
, breakdancing and b-boy culture making its way from the US, he left dance college to immerse himself in electronic music. At this time music from Detroit and Chicago – from producers such as Juan Atkins
Juan Atkins
Juan Atkins is an American musician. He is widely credited as the originator of techno music, specifically Detroit techno along with Derrick May and Kevin Saunderson...
, Derrick May, Kevin Saunderson
Kevin Saunderson
Kevin Saunderson is an American electronic music producer. At the age of nine he moved to Belleville, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit where he attended Belleville High School and befriended two students, Derrick May and Juan Atkins...
was being played by Stu Allen on Piccadilly Radio and imported directly into Manchester's specialist record shops.
Inspired, Simpson began experimenting with tape editing and drum machines and the regular jams in the attic of his house led to forming the Scratchbeat Masters. Using cut up beats, samples
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
and turntables they would challenge other crews and their sound systems
Sound system (DJ)
A sound system is a group of DJs and engineers contributing and working together as one, playing and producing music.-Origin:The sound system concept originated in the 1950s in Kingston, Jamaica. DJs would load up a truck with a generator, turntables, and huge speakers to set up street parties...
. They released a 12" single called "Wax On The Melt", a collaboration between a number of crews and Graham Massey and Martin Price together with whom he would later form 808 State
808 State
808 State are a British electronic music outfit, formed in 1987 in Manchester, taking their name from the Roland TR-808 drum machine and their common state of mind...
. Their first album, Newbuild
Newbuild
Newbuild is the first album of the band 808 State, released in 1988 on the independent label Creed Records.Aphex Twin saluted this album as a major influence.- Track listing :# "Sync/Swim" – 6:20# "Flow Coma" – 6:01...
, was released in 1988, but he soon left the group to concentrate on his solo work.
Success and releases
The result of heading back into his bedroom studio was "Voodoo Ray", played first at the Hacienda in 1988 and then the underground clubs before entering the UK Singles ChartUK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
a year later. It was one of the first acid house
Acid house
Acid house is a sub-genre of house music that emphasizes a repetitive, hypnotic and trance-like style, often with samples or spoken lines rather than sung lyrics. Acid house's core electronic squelch sounds were developed around the mid-1980s, particularly by DJs from Chicago who experimented with...
tracks produced in the UK, and released on a small Merseyside independent label (Rham! Records) based in Liscard
Liscard
Liscard is an area of the town of Wallasey, in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England. The most centrally located of Wallasey's townships, it is the main shopping area of the town, with many shops located in the Cherry Tree Shopping Centre...
, Wallasey
Wallasey
Wallasey is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, in Merseyside, England, on the mouth of the River Mersey, at the northeastern corner of the Wirral Peninsula...
. "Voodoo Ray" entered the UK record chart in 1989 rising to number 12. It was also the best selling independently released single of that year.
At the same time a track Simpson started before leaving 808 State, "Pacific State", was released and hit the charts. However, according to Simpson, they had finished and released the track without his permission. Although Simpson was credited on its first release on the album Quadrastate both as a writer and co-producer, the dispute escalated as Simpson claimed to have written the entire track. The dispute was eventually settled out of court.
In 1991, after CBS / Sony released Automanikk, he started his own label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
, Juice Box Records, releasing a string of 12" singles – the seeds of what became known as jungle
Oldschool jungle
Jungle is a genre of electronic music that incorporates influences from genres including breakbeat hardcore, and reggae/dub/dancehall. There is debate as to whether jungle is a separate genre from drum and bass as many use the terms interchangeably...
and later drum and bass
Drum and bass
Drum and bass is a type of electronic music which emerged in the late 1980s. The genre is characterized by fast breakbeats , with heavy bass and sub-bass lines...
. The first singles were compiled and released on his third album 28 Gun Bad Boy
28 Gun Bad Boy
28 Gun Bad Boy is the third album by house music and drum and bass pioneer A Guy Called Gerald, released in 1992. This was the first full length Drum and bass artist albums released. The track "28 Gun Bad Boy" is one of the very first examples of drum & bass/old school jungle music.-Track listing:...
(1992). In 1995, his next album, Black Secret Technology
Black Secret Technology
Black Secret Technology is the fourth album by house music and drum and bass pioneer A Guy Called Gerald, released in February 1995 to widespread critical acclaim....
was released. He released a remastered version in June 2008.
In 1997, he moved to New York and, in 2000, released Essence on the independent label !K7 Records. Essence was Simpson's first song-based rather than dance/club album, featuring guests such as Lou Rhodes
Lou Rhodes
Lou Rhodes is an English singer and songwriter from Manchester, now living in Wiltshire. In addition to providing vocals and lyrics for the band Lamb, Rhodes has released three solo albums: Beloved One, Bloom and One Good Thing...
, David Simpson
David Simpson
David Simpson is a Democratic Unionist politician and proponent of intelligent design in the United Kingdom.-Early life:...
, Lady Miss Kier
Lady Miss Kier
Kierin Magenta Kirby , better known by her professional name Lady Miss Kier, is an American singer and DJ.-Personal life:Kirby was born in Youngstown, Ohio and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
and Wendy Page. In January 2005, he released a more ambient album To All Things What They Need, also on !K7 Records.
In August 2006, Proto Acid / The Berlin Sessions was released on the German label, Laboratory Instinct. A continuous mix album, it was recorded live in Berlin. It was followed up by Tronic Jazz / The Berlin Sessions in 2010.
Juice Box Records
Juice Box Records was an independent record labelIndependent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...
in the United Kingdom established by Simpson in 1992, after he left Sony Records, and closed in 1998. It took its name from the sound system that Simpson operated with MC Tunes
MC Tunes
MC Tunes is a British rapper from the suburb of Moss Side in Manchester. His name was legally changed to Lockett in 1981. Tunes was one of the big promoters of the Madchester-era during the 1980s and 1990s.-808 State:Tunes first worked with 808 State on the 1990 album, The North At Its Heights...
. The label provided an outlet for seven years for Simpson's work, with thirty three titles released under various other pseudonyms such as The K.G.B. and Ricky Rouge, and collaborations between Simpson and artists including Lisa May, DJ Tamsin, Goldie
Goldie
Clifford Joseph Price, better known as Goldie is an English electronic music artist, disc jockey, visual artist and actor. He is well known for his innovations in the jungle and drum and bass music genres, having previously gained exposure for his work as a graffiti artist...
(as 'The 2 G's'), and Finley Quaye
Finley Quaye
Finley Quaye is a British musician. He won the 1997 Mobo Award for best reggae act, and the 1998 BRIT Award for Best British Male Solo Artist.-Life:...
.
The label has been identified as being responsible for influential releases that provided the blueprint for what was to become jungle
Oldschool jungle
Jungle is a genre of electronic music that incorporates influences from genres including breakbeat hardcore, and reggae/dub/dancehall. There is debate as to whether jungle is a separate genre from drum and bass as many use the terms interchangeably...
then drum n bass, with early singles on the label described as "genre-defining". The early singles on the label were compiled on the LP 28 Gun Bad Boy
28 Gun Bad Boy
28 Gun Bad Boy is the third album by house music and drum and bass pioneer A Guy Called Gerald, released in 1992. This was the first full length Drum and bass artist albums released. The track "28 Gun Bad Boy" is one of the very first examples of drum & bass/old school jungle music.-Track listing:...
, of which Simon Reynolds
Simon Reynolds
Simon Reynolds is an English music critic who is well-known for his writings on electronic dance music and for coining the term "post-rock". Besides electronic dance music, Reynolds has written about a wide range of artists and musical genres, and has written books on post-punk and rock...
of Melody Maker
Melody Maker
Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody...
stated in a review of the album, "If there was a blueprint for what would transform rave into jungle/techno, then this is it." Reynolds also stated in a Melody Maker article in October 1994, about Simpson's Juice Box-era music, "Gerald's tracks take the jungle mesh of polyrhythms, cross-rhythms and counter-rhythms to new levels of insane detail." Gerald's Black Secret Technology
Black Secret Technology
Black Secret Technology is the fourth album by house music and drum and bass pioneer A Guy Called Gerald, released in February 1995 to widespread critical acclaim....
LP was released in 1995, including contributions from Goldie and Finley Quaye
Finley Quaye
Finley Quaye is a British musician. He won the 1997 Mobo Award for best reggae act, and the 1998 BRIT Award for Best British Male Solo Artist.-Life:...
, and is regarded as the first full-length Jungle album ever released. In 1998, the label closed, with Simpson relocating to New York.
Albums (A Guy Called Gerald)
- Hot Lemonade (Rham! Records 1989)
- The John Peel Sessions (Strange Fruit 1989)
- Automanikk (Columbia/CBS, 1990) – UKUK Albums ChartThe UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
#68 - Hi Life, Lo Profile (Columbia/CBS, 1990—Unreleased)
- 28 Gun Bad Boy28 Gun Bad Boy28 Gun Bad Boy is the third album by house music and drum and bass pioneer A Guy Called Gerald, released in 1992. This was the first full length Drum and bass artist albums released. The track "28 Gun Bad Boy" is one of the very first examples of drum & bass/old school jungle music.-Track listing:...
(Juice Box Records 1992) - Black Secret TechnologyBlack Secret TechnologyBlack Secret Technology is the fourth album by house music and drum and bass pioneer A Guy Called Gerald, released in February 1995 to widespread critical acclaim....
(Juice Box Records 1995) – UK #64 - The John Peel Sessions – A Guy Called Gerald (Strange Fruit 1999)
- Cryogenix MP3.com 1999 (Unavailable)
- Essence (!K7 Records 2000)
- To All Things What They Need (!K7 Records 2005)
- Proto Acid – The Berlin Sessions (Laboratory Instinct 2006)
- Tronic Jazz – The Berlin Sessions (Laboratory Instinct 2010)
Singles / 12" (A Guy Called Gerald unless specified)
- "Voodoo RayVoodoo Ray"Voodoo Ray" is a 1988 Acid House single by Gerald Simpson, recording under the name A Guy Called Gerald. The single was released the UK in 1988, in the 7" and 12" vinyl formats, on the Rham! label. It reached number 12 in the UK singles chart, and was the best selling independently released single...
" Single (Rham! Records 1988) – UKUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
#12 - "Voodoo RayVoodoo Ray"Voodoo Ray" is a 1988 Acid House single by Gerald Simpson, recording under the name A Guy Called Gerald. The single was released the UK in 1988, in the 7" and 12" vinyl formats, on the Rham! label. It reached number 12 in the UK singles chart, and was the best selling independently released single...
" EP (Rham! Records 1988) - "Voodoo RayVoodoo Ray"Voodoo Ray" is a 1988 Acid House single by Gerald Simpson, recording under the name A Guy Called Gerald. The single was released the UK in 1988, in the 7" and 12" vinyl formats, on the Rham! label. It reached number 12 in the UK singles chart, and was the best selling independently released single...
Remixes" (Warlock USA 1988) - "Voodoo RayVoodoo Ray"Voodoo Ray" is a 1988 Acid House single by Gerald Simpson, recording under the name A Guy Called Gerald. The single was released the UK in 1988, in the 7" and 12" vinyl formats, on the Rham! label. It reached number 12 in the UK singles chart, and was the best selling independently released single...
Remixes" (Rham! Records 1988) - "Hot Lemonade" (Rham! Records 1989)
- "Hot Lemonade Youth Remixes" (Rham! Records 1989)
- "The Peel Sessions" EP (Strange Fruit 1989)
- "Trip City" (1989)
- "FX" / "Eyes of Sorrow" (1989) – UK #52
- "FX Mayday Mix" (CBS / Sony 1989)
- "FX Elevation Mix" (CBS / Sony 1989)
- "The Peel Sessions" EP (USA 1990)
- "Automannik (Just 4 U Gordon Mix" EP USA 1990)
- "Automannik (Bass Overload Mix" EP USA 1990)
- "Automannik (Bass Overload Mix" EP USA 1990)
- "Emotions Electric" (Juice Box Records 1990)
- "Disneyband / Anything" (Juice Box Records 1991)
- "Nowhere to Run" – Inertia (Black Out Records 1991)
- "Digital Bad Boy" (Juice Box Records 1992)
- "Cops" (Juice Box Records 1992)
- "Ses Makes You Wise" (Juice Box Records 1992)
- "The Musical Magical Midi Machine" (Juice Box Records 1992)
- "Changing" (Juice Box Records 1992)
- "I Feel The Magic" (Juice Box Records 1993)
- "Strange Love" – Ricky Rouge (Juice Box Records 1993)
- "Strange Love Remixes" – Ricky Rouge (Juice Box Records 1993)
- "When You Took My Love" – Ricky Rouge (Juice Box Records 1993)
- "De Ja Vu" – Ricky Rouge (Juice Box Records 1993)
- "Song For Every Man" – Ricky Rouge (Juice Box Records 1993)
- "Satisfaction" – Inertia (Juice Box Records 1993)
- "Fragments" – Inertia (Juice Box Records 1993)
- "Too Fucked to Dance" – Inertia (Juice Box Records 1993)
- "The Glok" (Juice Box Records 1993)
- "Nazinji-zaka" (Juice Box Records 1993)
- "Darker Than I Should Be" (Juice Box Records 1993)
- "Finley's Rainbow" (Juice Box Records 1995)
- "Finley's Rainbow Remixes" (Juice Box Records 1995)
- "So Many Dreams" (Juice Box Records 1996)
- "The Curse Of Voodoo Ray" Promo Only (Juice Box Records 1996)
- "Radar Systems" (Juice Box Records 1998)
- "Fever" (!K7 2000)
- "Humanity" (!K7 2000)
- "First Try" (!K7 2005)
- "Flo-ride" (Sugoi 2005)
- "Is Man In Danger" (Protechshon 2005)
- "Sufistifunk" (Sugoi 2006)
- "Time to Jak" (Sender 2006)
- "Proto Acid / The Berlin Sessions 1" (Laboratory Instinct 2006)
- "Proto Acid / The Berlin Sessions 2" (Laboratory Instinct 2006)
- "In Ya Head" (featuring Mia) (Perlon Records PERL71 2008)
- "Tronic Jazz / The Berlin Sessions 1" (Laboratory Instinct 2010)
- "Tronic Jazz / The Berlin Sessions 2" (Laboratory Instinct 2010)
- "Tronic Jazz / The Berlin Sessions 3" (Laboratory Instinct 2010)
- "Tronic Jazz / The Berlin Sessions 4" (Laboratory Instinct 2010)
Albums (collaborations)
- Newbuild – 808 State (Creed 1988)
- Prebuild – 808 State (Rephlex 2005)
Singles (collaborations)
- "Let Yourself Go" – 808 State (1988)
- "Dream 17" – Annette (Deconstruction 1988)
- "Massage-A-Rama" – Lounge Jays (1989)
- "Born In The North" – US (Wooden 1989)
- "Energy" – The Two G'$ (Juice Box Records 1995)
- "Black Gravity" – with Herbie Hancock / Bill Laswell (2001)
Sources
- Bidder, Sean; Rough Guides (1999) The Rough Guide to House ISBN 1-85828-432-5
- Carlisle, Colin (1995) Fly | Global Music Culture
- Kabuubi, Maxine (2000) Knowledge Magazine
- Shapiro, Peter; Rough Guides (1999) The Rough Guide to Drum n Bass ISBN 1-85828-433-3
- Eshun, Kodwo (1998) More Brilliant Than The Sun: Adventures in Sonic Fiction ISBN ?