Alex Lee
Encyclopedia
Alex Lee is an English
musician
. Lee is a multi-instrumentalist who has played guitar
and keyboards
for Goldfrapp
, Strangelove
, Suede
, Placebo
and The Blue Aeroplanes
amongst others. During his tenure with Suede, he was a live session
player during the 1999 Head Music
tour, and was later taken on as a full member of the band for their final album, 2002's A New Morning
, on which he has songwriting
credits.
. He played on the hit album Swagger. He played with The Jazz Butcher and then formed Strangelove with Patrick Duff
in 1991, staying with the band until 1998, and recording three albums.
In 2001 he joined Suede, replacing Neil Codling, and played on the album A New Morning
.
In January 2006 Lee was recruited for Placebo
's live line-up and played shows with them on their Meds
world tour which finished in September 2007. He contributed guitar to five tracks on Seventh Tree
by Goldfrapp
(2008), their fourth album, and three tracks on 2010 album Head First
. He played guitar in the live shows to promote Seventh Tree.
He has worked on numerous soundtrack
s as a composer
for TV
and films, including the score
for Channel 4
's acclaimed, ground-breaking documentary
series Alone in the Wild
in September 2009. Lee has also worked extensively as a session musician
, songwriter
and producer
on a variety of different recordings
ranging from pop music
to more experimental & avant garde projects. In 2009 he recorded a session playing the musical saw
for former Strangelove
singer Patrick Duff's second solo album The Mad Straight Road.
In February/March 2010, Lee worked for The Royal Shakespeare Company
as Musical Director and guitarist
in the play, Dunsinane at Hampstead Theatre
, London
which garnered rave reviews from The Times
, The Independent
& The Daily Telegraph
amongst others. The play is a modern day sequel to Shakespeare's Macbeth
written by David Greig
.
In 2010, he played in the live premiere of a specially commissioned soundtrack for Carl Theodor Dreyer
's classic 1928 film The Passion of Joan of Arc
. The score was composed by Adrian Utley
of Portishead and Will Gregory
of Goldfrapp
and was accompanied by a live performance of the new piece by an eclectic group of musicians including Lee as one of six electric guitarists alongside members of the Monteverdi Choir
, harp, percussion, horns and keyboards.
With co-composer Nick Powell, Alex Lee has written the music for controversial BBC Three
drama Lip Service
which was first aired on Oct 12th 2010.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
. Lee is a multi-instrumentalist who has played guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and keyboards
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
for Goldfrapp
Goldfrapp
Goldfrapp are an English electronic music duo, formed in 1999 in London, England, that consists of Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory ....
, Strangelove
Strangelove (band)
Strangelove were an English alternative rock band, formed in Bristol in 1991 and led by singer Patrick Duff. They released three albums before splitting up in 1998.-History:...
, Suede
Suede (band)
Suede are an English alternative rock band from London, formed in 1989. The group's most prominent early line-up featured singer Brett Anderson, guitarist Bernard Butler, bass player Mat Osman and drummer Simon Gilbert. By 1992, Suede were hailed as "The Best New Band in Britain", and attracted...
, Placebo
Placebo (band)
Placebo are a British rock band from London, England, formed in 1994 by singer and guitarist Brian Molko and bass guitarist Stefan Olsdal. The band was joined by drummer Robert Schultzberg, who was later replaced by Steve Hewitt after conflicts with Molko. Hewitt left the band in October 2007 and...
and The Blue Aeroplanes
The Blue Aeroplanes
The Blue Aeroplanes are an English rock band from Bristol, the mainstays of which: Gerard Langley, brother John Langley and dancer Wojtek Dmochowski originate from the earlier New Wave “Art band” Art Objects .-History:...
amongst others. During his tenure with Suede, he was a live session
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
player during the 1999 Head Music
Head Music
Head Music is the fourth album by English alternative rock band Suede, released by Nude Records in May 1999.Produced and mixed by Steve Osborne, Head Music features a more electronic sound, which was a new approach to their music...
tour, and was later taken on as a full member of the band for their final album, 2002's A New Morning
A New Morning
A New Morning is the fifth studio album by English alternative rock band Suede, released in September 2002. By the time the album was released, public interest in the band had waned, as shown by the poor charting of both the album and singles...
, on which he has songwriting
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
credits.
Biography
Lee joined the Blue Aeroplanes in 1989, around the time that they signed to Ensign RecordsEnsign Records
Ensign Records was started in 1976 by Nigel Grainge, as an independent Phonogram subsidiary.-History:Grainge had been the head of A&R at Phonogram in London for the previous two years and directly signed Thin Lizzy, 10cc, The Steve Miller Band, and a worldwide license for the successful All...
. He played on the hit album Swagger. He played with The Jazz Butcher and then formed Strangelove with Patrick Duff
Patrick Duff
Patrick Duff is an English singer-songwriter, and was the lead singer of the alternative rock band Strangelove.- Biography :Patrick Duff was born in Bristol, England, to an Irish father and a Welsh mother on 30 June 1966...
in 1991, staying with the band until 1998, and recording three albums.
In 2001 he joined Suede, replacing Neil Codling, and played on the album A New Morning
A New Morning
A New Morning is the fifth studio album by English alternative rock band Suede, released in September 2002. By the time the album was released, public interest in the band had waned, as shown by the poor charting of both the album and singles...
.
In January 2006 Lee was recruited for Placebo
Placebo (band)
Placebo are a British rock band from London, England, formed in 1994 by singer and guitarist Brian Molko and bass guitarist Stefan Olsdal. The band was joined by drummer Robert Schultzberg, who was later replaced by Steve Hewitt after conflicts with Molko. Hewitt left the band in October 2007 and...
's live line-up and played shows with them on their Meds
Meds
Meds is the fifth studio album by British alternative rock band Placebo, released in 2006 on Virgin Records. It was released in most countries on 13 March 2006, although it was released three days earlier in Australia and New Zealand...
world tour which finished in September 2007. He contributed guitar to five tracks on Seventh Tree
Seventh Tree
Seventh Tree is the fourth studio album by English electronic duo Goldfrapp, released in the United Kingdom on 25 February 2008 by Mute Records and the day after in the United States....
by Goldfrapp
Goldfrapp
Goldfrapp are an English electronic music duo, formed in 1999 in London, England, that consists of Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory ....
(2008), their fourth album, and three tracks on 2010 album Head First
Head First (Goldfrapp album)
Head First is the fifth studio album by English electronic duo Goldfrapp. It was released in the United Kingdom on 22 March 2010 by Mute Records. The album's lead single, "Rocket", was released on the iTunes Store on 5 March 2010...
. He played guitar in the live shows to promote Seventh Tree.
He has worked on numerous soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
s as a composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
for TV
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
and films, including the score
Film score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
for Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
's acclaimed, ground-breaking documentary
Documentary
A documentary is a creative work of non-fiction, including:* Documentary film, including television* Radio documentary* Documentary photographyRelated terms include:...
series Alone in the Wild
Alone in the Wild
Alone in the Wild is a television series commissioned by Channel 4 and produced by Tigress Productions, a UK independent producer. It was co-produced with the National Geographic Channel. Ed Wardle, an accomplished extreme photographer, created and filmed the series...
in September 2009. Lee has also worked extensively as a session musician
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
, songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
and producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
on a variety of different recordings
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
ranging from pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
to more experimental & avant garde projects. In 2009 he recorded a session playing the musical saw
Musical saw
A musical saw, also called a singing saw, is the application of a hand saw as a musical instrument. The sound creates an ethereal tone, very similar to the theremin...
for former Strangelove
Strangelove (band)
Strangelove were an English alternative rock band, formed in Bristol in 1991 and led by singer Patrick Duff. They released three albums before splitting up in 1998.-History:...
singer Patrick Duff's second solo album The Mad Straight Road.
In February/March 2010, Lee worked for The Royal Shakespeare Company
Royal Shakespeare Company
The Royal Shakespeare Company is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs 700 staff and produces around 20 productions a year from its home in Stratford-upon-Avon and plays regularly in London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and on tour across...
as Musical Director and guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
in the play, Dunsinane at Hampstead Theatre
Hampstead Theatre
Hampstead Theatre is a theatre in the vicinity of Swiss Cottage and Belsize Park, in the London Borough of Camden. It specialises in commissioning and producing new writing, supporting and developing the work of new writers. In 2009 it celebrates its 50 year anniversary.The original theatre was...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
which garnered rave reviews from The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
& The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
amongst others. The play is a modern day sequel to Shakespeare's Macbeth
Macbeth
The Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...
written by David Greig
David Greig (dramatist)
David Greig is a Scottish playwright and theatre director.Greig was born in Edinburgh in 1969 and was brought up in Nigeria. He studied drama at Bristol University. He has been commissioned by the Royal Court Theatre, the Royal National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company amongst others.His...
.
In 2010, he played in the live premiere of a specially commissioned soundtrack for Carl Theodor Dreyer
Carl Theodor Dreyer
Carl Theodor Dreyer, Jr. was a Danish film director. He is regarded by many critics and filmmakers as one of the greatest directors in cinema.-Life:Dreyer was born illegitimate in Copenhagen, Denmark...
's classic 1928 film The Passion of Joan of Arc
The Passion of Joan of Arc
The Passion of Joan of Arc is a silent film produced in France in 1928. It is based on the record of the trial of Joan of Arc. The film was directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer and stars Renée Jeanne Falconetti...
. The score was composed by Adrian Utley
Adrian Utley
Adrian Francis Utley is an English musician and a member of the band Portishead.-Biography:Utley is self-taught on guitar, bass and keyboards, and played professionally from the age of 18 in working men's clubs, night clubs, holiday camps, and in cabaret, backing soul artists...
of Portishead and Will Gregory
Will Gregory
William Owen Gregory is best known as a songwriter, and the lead keyboards/synthesizer player & producer of the electronic music group Goldfrapp. Originally a classical music student at the University of York, Gregory is the son of an actress and an opera chorus-line singer...
of Goldfrapp
Goldfrapp
Goldfrapp are an English electronic music duo, formed in 1999 in London, England, that consists of Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory ....
and was accompanied by a live performance of the new piece by an eclectic group of musicians including Lee as one of six electric guitarists alongside members of the Monteverdi Choir
Monteverdi Choir
The Monteverdi Choir was founded in 1964 by Sir John Eliot Gardiner for a performance of the Monteverdi Vespers in King's College Chapel, Cambridge. A specialist Baroque ensemble, the Choir has become famous for its stylistic conviction and extensive repertoire, encompassing music from the early...
, harp, percussion, horns and keyboards.
With co-composer Nick Powell, Alex Lee has written the music for controversial BBC Three
BBC Three
BBC Three is a television network from the BBC broadcasting via digital cable, terrestrial, IPTV and satellite platforms. The channel's target audience includes those in the 16-34 year old age group, and has the purpose of providing "innovative" content to younger audiences, focusing on new talent...
drama Lip Service
Lip Service
Lip service is an idiom meaning 'giving approval or support insincerely' .Lip service may also refer to:- Television :* Lip Service , a 2010 dramatic series broadcast on BBC Three...
which was first aired on Oct 12th 2010.