Baby Ford
Encyclopedia
Peter Ford, better known as Baby Ford, is a British
electronic music
record producer
, known particularly for his contributions to the birth of acid house
. He has also released material under the aliases Cassino Classix, El Mal, Solcyc, and Simprini Risin'.
musicians such as Marshall Jefferson
, Ron Trent
, Armando
, and Larry Heard
, and was one of the founders of the acid house
scene in the United Kingdom
. His early work was released on Rhythm King, including the club tracks "Oochy Koochy (F.U. Baby Yeah Yeah)" (UK
#58), and "Chikki Chikki Ahh Ahh" (UK #54). These two first singles
appeared on the 2x12" EP
"Ford Trax" (BFORD3.)
Both appeared in remixed form on the EP, and the original singles were remix
ed on a variety of different formats (12" and CD) and energized the burgeoning UK acid-house scene. Sire Records
in the US
signed Baby Ford, as well as several other artists, on the Rhythm King label. Sire had been impressed with the label, but reportedly had concerns about how to effectively market Rhythm King artists in the US, as acid house had not broken into the US mainstream. The second album
Oooh, the World of Baby Ford contained three singles, the most popular of which was 1989's "Children of the Revolution" (UK #53). It was also a club hit across the globe, as was 1990's "Beach Bump" (UK #68). The US released the "Let's Talk It Over" EP in 1990, with exclusive live tracks. The tracks were recorded on Baby Ford's tour of the US, where he opened for Depeche Mode
on several dates of their Violator tour.
The BFord9 album in 1992 revealed a different side of Ford's electronic influences. The release incorporated minimal techno with trance-like elements, long before these genres became popular later in the decade. CJ Bolland contributed a mix of "In Your Blood" on BFord9 and "Fetish" was a club
hit in both the UK and the US. Several of the songs on BFord9 were re-released by Aphex Twin
on his Re-Phlex label in the late 1990s in a remixed format on "Normal EP". Many of these remixes were recorded in 1992.
Baby Ford, Eon
, and Mark Broom continued their explorations into minimal electronic music throughout the 1990s and well into the next decade through the iFach, Pal-SL and Trelik Record labels. iFach Vol. 1 contained the first five releases on the iFach label.
Releases appeared on Sire
, Source, and Insumision/Transglobal. He co-managed the labels Trelik and iFach, and worked with Trelik's Ian Loveday. His remix
ing work includes tracks by Stefan Robbers and S'Express
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
electronic music
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
record 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...
, known particularly for his contributions to the birth of 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...
. He has also released material under the aliases Cassino Classix, El Mal, Solcyc, and Simprini Risin'.
Career
Ford was influenced by ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
musicians such as Marshall Jefferson
Marshall Jefferson
Marshall Jefferson is an American musician, working in house music, in particular, the subgenres of Chicago house and deep house.-Biography:...
, Ron Trent
Ron Trent
Ron Trent is an American house music producer.Trent's father was a disco DJ. He recorded the track "Altered States" while still a high schooler, releasing it on Armando's Warehouse Records in 1990. The track became a club hit among devotees of techno, despite Trent's grounding in the Chicago house...
, Armando
Armando (producer)
Armando Gallop , who released material under his first name only, was an American house-music producer and DJ who was an early contributor to the development of acid house....
, and Larry Heard
Larry Heard
Larry Heard is a Memphis, Tennessee-based musician widely known for the Chicago-based house music he produced during the mid-1980s and continues to produce today. He was leader of the influential group Fingers Inc. and has recorded solo under various names, most notably Mr...
, and was one of the founders of the 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 United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. His early work was released on Rhythm King, including the club tracks "Oochy Koochy (F.U. Baby Yeah Yeah)" (UK
UK 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 ...
#58), and "Chikki Chikki Ahh Ahh" (UK #54). These two first singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
appeared on the 2x12" EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
"Ford Trax" (BFORD3.)
Both appeared in remixed form on the EP, and the original singles were remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
ed on a variety of different formats (12" and CD) and energized the burgeoning UK acid-house scene. Sire Records
Sire Records
Sire Records is an American record label, owned by Warner Music Group and distributed through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:The label was founded in 1966 as Sire Productions by Seymour Stein and Richard Gottehrer, each investing ten thousand dollars into the new company. Its early releases as a...
in the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
signed Baby Ford, as well as several other artists, on the Rhythm King label. Sire had been impressed with the label, but reportedly had concerns about how to effectively market Rhythm King artists in the US, as acid house had not broken into the US mainstream. The second album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
Oooh, the World of Baby Ford contained three singles, the most popular of which was 1989's "Children of the Revolution" (UK #53). It was also a club hit across the globe, as was 1990's "Beach Bump" (UK #68). The US released the "Let's Talk It Over" EP in 1990, with exclusive live tracks. The tracks were recorded on Baby Ford's tour of the US, where he opened for Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in 1980 in Basildon, Essex. The group's original line-up consisted of Dave Gahan , Martin Gore , Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke...
on several dates of their Violator tour.
The BFord9 album in 1992 revealed a different side of Ford's electronic influences. The release incorporated minimal techno with trance-like elements, long before these genres became popular later in the decade. CJ Bolland contributed a mix of "In Your Blood" on BFord9 and "Fetish" was a club
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
hit in both the UK and the US. Several of the songs on BFord9 were re-released by Aphex Twin
Aphex Twin
Richard David James , best known under the pseudonym Aphex Twin, is an Irish-born electronic musician and composer described as "the most inventive and influential figure in contemporary electronic music"...
on his Re-Phlex label in the late 1990s in a remixed format on "Normal EP". Many of these remixes were recorded in 1992.
Baby Ford, Eon
Eon (musician)
Ian Loveday, better-known as Eon was a rave pioneer.His tracks made their way to early 1990s pirate radio stations in London, and then out on vinyl through small labels like BAAD and Vinyl Solution...
, and Mark Broom continued their explorations into minimal electronic music throughout the 1990s and well into the next decade through the iFach, Pal-SL and Trelik Record labels. iFach Vol. 1 contained the first five releases on the iFach label.
Releases appeared on Sire
Sire Records
Sire Records is an American record label, owned by Warner Music Group and distributed through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:The label was founded in 1966 as Sire Productions by Seymour Stein and Richard Gottehrer, each investing ten thousand dollars into the new company. Its early releases as a...
, Source, and Insumision/Transglobal. He co-managed the labels Trelik and iFach, and worked with Trelik's Ian Loveday. His remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
ing work includes tracks by Stefan Robbers and S'Express
S'Express
S'Express were a British dance music act from the late 1980s, who had one of the earliest commercial successes in the acid house genre."Theme from S'Express", based on Rose Royce's "Is It Love You're After", was also one of the earliest recordings to capitalize on a resurgence of sampling culture...
.
Albums
- Ford Trax (Rhythm King, 1988, BFORD3)
- Oooh, the World of Baby Ford (SireSire RecordsSire Records is an American record label, owned by Warner Music Group and distributed through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:The label was founded in 1966 as Sire Productions by Seymour Stein and Richard Gottehrer, each investing ten thousand dollars into the new company. Its early releases as a...
, 1989, BFORD5) - BFord9 (Sire, 1992)
- Headphoneasyrider (Blackmarket Records, 1997, BFORD12)
- Sacred Machine (Klang Electronic, 2001)
- Basking in the Brakelights (EFA, 2003)
- Birds (Pal, 2007)
Singles and EPs
- "Oochy Koochy (F.U. Baby Yeah Yeah)" (Rhythm King 1988) (BFORD1) - 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 ...
#58 - "Chikki Chikki Ahh Ahh" (Rhythm King 1988) (BFORD2) - UK #54
- "Children of the Revolution" (Rhythm King 1989) (BFORD4) - UK #53
- "Beach Bump" (Rhythm King 1990) (BFORD6) - UK #68
- "Change" (Rhythm King 1990) (BFORD7)
- "In Your Blood" (Rhythm King 1992) (BFORD8)
- "Fetish" (Rhythm King 1992) (BFORD10)
- "Move-On" (Sire US 1992) (US-only release)
- "Slow Hand" (PAL-SL 1) (BFORD11)
- "Tall Storey" / "Now and Then" (Source Records) (BFORD13)
- "Night D3 Died EP" (PAL-SL 4) (BFORD14)
- "Normal EP" (RephlexRephlex RecordsRephlex Records is a record label started in 1991 by electronic musician Richard D. James and Grant Wilson-Claridge. Rephlex coined the term braindance to describe the otherwise uncategorisable output of Aphex Twin and Rephlex Records...
1999) (BFORD15)