Aziz Ibrahim
Encyclopedia
Aziz Ibrahim is a British musician. He was born in Longsight
, Manchester to Pakistan
i parents. He is best known for his work as guitarist with Simply Red
, The Stone Roses
(post-John Squire
) and their former vocalist Ian Brown
in whose support band he regularly performs – both in the studio and live. He is also a member of the H Band
with Marillion
's Steve Hogarth
and is involved in the writing of the second H Band album. He has also worked with Asia
and contributed to The Players
' debut album Clear the Decks. At the moment he currently plays guitar for Our Fold.
Our Fold are an indie rock
band from Westhoughton
, Bolton
, Greater Manchester, England. They are signed to Glasgow
label Dset Records and are due to release their debut album Sick of Normal Life in the first quarter of 2011. They are a four piece band which consists of Damien Riley who is the frontman and also plays guitar, bass player Dan McLaren, drummer Ryan Ambler and Aziz.
Ibrahim's first release was the CD EP 'Middle Road
' featuring guest vocals and guitar from Paul Weller
. Ibrahim also provided the vocals for Weller's spoken word song entitled God, on his 2008 album, 22 Dreams
along with guitars for previous Paul Weller releases, e.g. Illumination
. He followed that with his début album entitled Lahore to Longsight
, which he describes as being 'Asian Blues', the album title describes his family journey from Lahore
to Longsight
, Lahore being the second city of Pakistan and Longsight Aziz's birth place in inner city Manchester, where he still lives.
Most notably, Ibrahim was the guitarist for the last Stone Roses performance before they split, at the 1996 Reading Festival
. After their split Ibrahim continued to tour and write with former Stone Roses front man Ian Brown, co-writing songs such as My Star
, Corpses in Their Mouths
, Longsight M13, One Way Ticket to Paradise and numerous other songs from Unfinished Monkey Business
, Golden Greats
, Solarized
and The Greatest.
Ibrahim also scored the music for the Psygnosis PlayStation game Eliminator. The music in the game features electric guitars with wah effects, acoustic and electronic drum kits and percussion, and techno sounds.
Ibrahim co-founded "No Label" – the name initially came from Ibrahim in a rant about major record labels, how he didn't need them and would start his own label and call it 'No Label Records'. The label was initially formed with co-directors John Sherrington, Nova Rehman and employing Ahsan Naeem as A&R scout. After No Label was established in Bolton
, Ibrahim later took a back seat to the set up concentrating on his music. the labels' first release was the début single 'Middle Road
" from Aziz Ibrahim followed by the signing of Mark Coyle group 'Tailgunner'. No Label was liquidated in 2000. After the demise of No Label, Ibrahim founded a Longsight
Manchester
based label Indus Records Ltd.
Longsight
Longsight is an area of Manchester, England, about south of the city centre. Its population is about 16,000.-History:Longsight has been known over the past for its gang related violence, similar to that of nearby Moss Side. Most of the violence came from tensions between 2 gangs; The Longsight...
, Manchester to Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i parents. He is best known for his work as guitarist with Simply Red
Simply Red
Simply Red were a British soul band that sold more than 50 million albums over a 25-year career. Their style drew influences from blue-eyed soul, new romantic, rock, reggae and jazz...
, The Stone Roses
The Stone Roses
The Stone Roses are an English alternative rock band formed in Manchester in 1983. They were one of the pioneering groups of the Madchester movement that was active during the late 1980s and early 1990s...
(post-John Squire
John Squire
John Thomas Squire is an English musician, songwriter and artist.Squire is best known as the guitarist for The Stone Roses, a rock band in which he formed a songwriting partnership with lead singer Ian Brown. After leaving The Stone Roses he went on to found The Seahorses and has since released...
) and their former vocalist Ian Brown
Ian Brown
Ian George Brown is an English musician, best known as the lead singer of the alternative rock band The Stone Roses, which broke up in 1996 but are confirmed to reunite in 2012. Since the break-up of the Stone Roses he has pursued a solo career...
in whose support band he regularly performs – both in the studio and live. He is also a member of the H Band
Steve Hogarth
Steve Hogarth also known as "h", is the lead vocalist and occasional keyboardist/guitarist with the British rock band Marillion. Hogarth was formerly a keyboard player and co-lead vocalist with The Europeans and vocalist with How We Live...
with Marillion
Marillion
Marillion are a British rock band, formed in Aylesbury, England in 1979. Their recorded studio output comprises sixteen albums generally regarded in two distinct eras, delineated by the departure of original vocalist & frontman Fish in late 1988, and the subsequent arrival of replacement Steve...
's Steve Hogarth
Steve Hogarth
Steve Hogarth also known as "h", is the lead vocalist and occasional keyboardist/guitarist with the British rock band Marillion. Hogarth was formerly a keyboard player and co-lead vocalist with The Europeans and vocalist with How We Live...
and is involved in the writing of the second H Band album. He has also worked with Asia
Asia (band)
Asia are an English rock group formed in 1981. The band was labelled a supergroup as it included former members of several veteran progressive rock bands, namely John Wetton , Geoff Downes , Steve Howe and Carl Palmer Asia are an English rock group formed in 1981. The band was labelled a...
and contributed to The Players
The Players
The Players may refer to:* The Players , Edwin Booth's historic actors' club in New York* The Players , an amateur actor's club in Detroit* The Players , a British band* The Players , a Norwegian boyband...
' debut album Clear the Decks. At the moment he currently plays guitar for Our Fold.
Our Fold are an indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band from Westhoughton
Westhoughton
Westhoughton is a town and civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton in Greater Manchester, England. It is southwest of Bolton, east of Wigan and northwest of Manchester....
, Bolton
Bolton
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
, Greater Manchester, England. They are signed to Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
label Dset Records and are due to release their debut album Sick of Normal Life in the first quarter of 2011. They are a four piece band which consists of Damien Riley who is the frontman and also plays guitar, bass player Dan McLaren, drummer Ryan Ambler and Aziz.
Ibrahim's first release was the CD EP 'Middle Road
Middle Road
Middle Road is a road that may refer to*Middle Road, Hong Kong, in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong*Middle Road, Singapore*The Middle Road, Canada, which was renamed as part of the Queen Elizabeth Way in 1939...
' featuring guest vocals and guitar from Paul Weller
Paul Weller
Paul Weller is an English singer-songwriter. Starting with the band The Jam , Weller then went on to branch out musically to a more soulful style with The Style Council...
. Ibrahim also provided the vocals for Weller's spoken word song entitled God, on his 2008 album, 22 Dreams
22 Dreams
22 Dreams is the ninth solo studio album by Paul Weller. It was released on June 2, 2008.The album was released on double LP and single CD, as well as a deluxe edition CD, featuring a bonus CD with outtakes and extra tracks. Oasis stars Noel Gallagher and Gem Archer feature on the album, as does...
along with guitars for previous Paul Weller releases, e.g. Illumination
Illumination (Paul Weller album)
Illumination is the sixth album by English singer-songwriter Paul Weller, released on 16 September 2002. "Call Me No.5" is a duet with Kelly Jones of Stereophonics, and "One X One" features Gem Archer on acoustic guitar and Noel Gallagher of Oasis on drums, percussion and bass.-Reception:Initial...
. He followed that with his début album entitled Lahore to Longsight
Lahore to Longsight
Lahore to Longsight is the debut album of British musician Aziz Ibrahim. Ibrahim describes it as being 'Asian Blues', the album title describes his family's journey from Lahore to Longsight, Lahore being the second largest city of Pakistan and Longsight Aziz's birth place in inner city Manchester,...
, which he describes as being 'Asian Blues', the album title describes his family journey from Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
to Longsight
Longsight
Longsight is an area of Manchester, England, about south of the city centre. Its population is about 16,000.-History:Longsight has been known over the past for its gang related violence, similar to that of nearby Moss Side. Most of the violence came from tensions between 2 gangs; The Longsight...
, Lahore being the second city of Pakistan and Longsight Aziz's birth place in inner city Manchester, where he still lives.
Most notably, Ibrahim was the guitarist for the last Stone Roses performance before they split, at the 1996 Reading Festival
Reading and Leeds Festivals
The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend, sharing the same bill. The Reading Festival is held at Little John's Farm...
. After their split Ibrahim continued to tour and write with former Stone Roses front man Ian Brown, co-writing songs such as My Star
My Star (Ian Brown song)
"My Star" is a song by Ian Brown, released as the first single from his first solo album, Unfinished Monkey Business. It peaked at #5 on the UK singles chart.-Track listing:1-Track Promo CD#"My Star " - 4:29CD Single#"My Star" – 5:13...
, Corpses in Their Mouths
Corpses in their Mouths
"Corpses in Their Mouths" is a song written by The Stone Roses frontman Ian Brown and guitarist Aziz Ibrahim. It was issued as the second single to be taken from Brown's debut album Unfinished Monkey Business in April 1998 and managed to reach #14 on the UK Singles Chart...
, Longsight M13, One Way Ticket to Paradise and numerous other songs from Unfinished Monkey Business
Unfinished Monkey Business
Unfinished Monkey Business is the debut solo album by Ian Brown released in February 1998 via Polydor Records. The album was self-financed and produced by Brown, and was his first album release since the break-up of The Stone Roses in October 1996...
, Golden Greats
Golden Greats (Ian Brown Album)
Golden Greats is the second solo album released by Ian Brown, the ex-frontman of The Stone Roses. Despite the title, the album is not a compilation album, but rather, a studio album...
, Solarized
Solarized
Solarized is the fourth solo album released by Ian Brown, the former lead singer of The Stone Roses. The album was first released in the United Kingdom on 13 September 2004.-Background:...
and The Greatest.
Ibrahim also scored the music for the Psygnosis PlayStation game Eliminator. The music in the game features electric guitars with wah effects, acoustic and electronic drum kits and percussion, and techno sounds.
Ibrahim co-founded "No Label" – the name initially came from Ibrahim in a rant about major record labels, how he didn't need them and would start his own label and call it 'No Label Records'. The label was initially formed with co-directors John Sherrington, Nova Rehman and employing Ahsan Naeem as A&R scout. After No Label was established in Bolton
Bolton
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
, Ibrahim later took a back seat to the set up concentrating on his music. the labels' first release was the début single 'Middle Road
Middle Road
Middle Road is a road that may refer to*Middle Road, Hong Kong, in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong*Middle Road, Singapore*The Middle Road, Canada, which was renamed as part of the Queen Elizabeth Way in 1939...
" from Aziz Ibrahim followed by the signing of Mark Coyle group 'Tailgunner'. No Label was liquidated in 2000. After the demise of No Label, Ibrahim founded a Longsight
Longsight
Longsight is an area of Manchester, England, about south of the city centre. Its population is about 16,000.-History:Longsight has been known over the past for its gang related violence, similar to that of nearby Moss Side. Most of the violence came from tensions between 2 gangs; The Longsight...
Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
based label Indus Records Ltd.