Ben Watt
Encyclopedia
Benjamin Brian Thomas Watt (born 6 December 1962, Barnes, London) is a British musician, DJ, and record producer, best known as one half of the duo, Everything but the Girl
.
and has four half brothers and sisters. He is the youngest of the family. Watt lives with his spouse and creative partner Tracey Thorn
in Hampstead
, North London. They met at Hull University in 1981 and after 28 years as a couple, in 2009, they married at the Chelsea Registry Office. They have twin daughters, Jean and Alfie, born in 1998, and a son, Blake, born in 2001.
- and went on to make the album North Marine Drive
, a collection of folk-jazz solo recordings in 1983. He then joined forces with vocalist Tracey Thorn
. For 18 years they wrote and recorded together - creating nine studio albums as Everything but the Girl (EBTG), signing to Warners
in 1984, and then Virgin
in 1995. These albums and many of their singles achieved UK and US chart success, the song "Missing
" reaching number two on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
in 1995. In the mid-nineties, the band shifted focus from alt-pop towards electronica, charting with Walking Wounded
, Protection (with Massive Attack
), Temperamental and other work.
In 1984 Watt and Thorn also guested as "Honorary Councillors" on The Style Council
's official debut album Cafe Bleu. Aside from backing vocals and other musical duties Watt played lead guitar on the instrumental title track and Thorn sang lead vocals on 'The Paris Match'.
Sunday club and compilation series, "Lazy Dog" with Jay Hannan. The tiny Notting Hill Arts Club
in west London, hosted it twice-monthly and they attracted a cult following. Watt moved away from EBTG's mainstream eclecticism and into club-oriented dance music production, producing a string of dance remixes for Sade
, Sunshine Anderson
, Zero 7
, Maxwell
, Meshell Ndegeocello and Sandy Rivera
. Lazy Dog ended on 16 May 2003 with a farewell closing party at their second home, The End
, in central London. They made two compilation CDs from that time: Lazy Dog Volumes 1 and 2.
and techno record label, Buzzin' Fly (named after the Tim Buckley
song). It went on to foster the careers of young producer/DJs such as Justin Martin, Mademoiselle Caro & Franck Garcia and Rodamaal. The label hosted Watt's own club productions such as Lone Cat, Pop A Cap In Yo' Ass (with Estelle) and defining work from remixers such as Ame, Radio Slave, Charles Webster
and John Tejada
. Buzzin' Fly won Best Breakthrough Label in the House Music Awards in 2004 and Runner-Up Best British Label from DJ Magazine Awards in 2007 and 2008.
' official debut show. At Neighbourhood, Watt brought in artists such as Groove Armada
and many international DJs to guest at his own in-house club nights, hosting Rough Trade Records
25th Anniversary and the inaugural House Music Awards. He resigned in June 2005.
, and the Hungarian trio The Unbending Trees. In 2010 the label released and globally distributed the third solo album Love And Its Opposite by Watt's wife Tracey Thorn
. Watt also hosts the weekly Buzzin' Fly Radio Show that recently broadcast its 150th edition. It has seen lengthy stints on both the Galaxy Network and the Kiss Network
as well us several internet restreams and global syndications. Watt remains a central figure on London's club scene and continues to DJ internationally.
(Penguin, 1996), details his battle with the rare life-threatening auto-immune disease (Churg-Strauss syndrome
). Watt's website states that it was listed as a New York Times Notable Book of the Year, Sunday Times Book Of The Year, Village Voice Literary Supplement Favorite Book of the Year, and was a finalist for the Esquire-Waterstones (UK) Best Non-Fiction Award.
Everything but the Girl
Everything but the Girl was a two-person English band, formed in Hull during 1981, consisting of lead singer and occasional guitarist Tracey Thorn and guitarist, keyboardist, and singer Ben Watt . They are currently inactive although vocalist Tracey Thorn hinted that they may reform someday...
.
Family
Watt is the son of British bandleader Tommy WattTommy Watt
Tommy Watt was a Scottish jazz bandleader.Watt was hired as a pianist by Carl Barriteau at age 17, and served in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. He moved to London following the war, where he played with Ambrose, Harry Roy, and Ken Mackintosh...
and has four half brothers and sisters. He is the youngest of the family. Watt lives with his spouse and creative partner Tracey Thorn
Tracey Thorn
Tracey Anne Thorn is an English pop singer and songwriter. She is best known as being one half of the duo Everything but the Girl, which is currently on extended hiatus.-Personal life:...
in Hampstead
Hampstead
Hampstead is an area of London, England, north-west of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Camden in Inner London, it is known for its intellectual, liberal, artistic, musical and literary associations and for Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland...
, North London. They met at Hull University in 1981 and after 28 years as a couple, in 2009, they married at the Chelsea Registry Office. They have twin daughters, Jean and Alfie, born in 1998, and a son, Blake, born in 2001.
Recording artist
Watt began recording in 1981 on the indie label Cherry RedCherry Red
Cherry Red is a London-based independent record label formed in 1978.-History:Cherry Red grew from the rock promotion company founded in 1971 to promote rock concerts at the Malvern Winter Gardens...
- and went on to make the album North Marine Drive
North Marine Drive
North Marine Drive is the debut album and only solo effort as a recording artist to date of Ben Watt. The album was released on Cherry Red in 1983, prior to Watt's success in Everything but the Girl, and reached number one in the UK Indie Chart the same year...
, a collection of folk-jazz solo recordings in 1983. He then joined forces with vocalist Tracey Thorn
Tracey Thorn
Tracey Anne Thorn is an English pop singer and songwriter. She is best known as being one half of the duo Everything but the Girl, which is currently on extended hiatus.-Personal life:...
. For 18 years they wrote and recorded together - creating nine studio albums as Everything but the Girl (EBTG), signing to Warners
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
in 1984, and then Virgin
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
in 1995. These albums and many of their singles achieved UK and US chart success, the song "Missing
Missing (Everything but the Girl song)
"Missing" is a song written and recorded by British pop music duo Everything but the Girl. The song was released as a single from the band's 1994 album Amplified Heart...
" reaching number two on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
in 1995. In the mid-nineties, the band shifted focus from alt-pop towards electronica, charting with Walking Wounded
Walking Wounded
Walking Wounded is a 1996 album by Everything but the Girl, their ninth studio release. It is their highest charting album to date, reaching number 4 in the UK and number 37 in the U.S....
, Protection (with Massive Attack
Massive Attack
Massive Attack are an English DJ and trip hop duo from Bristol, England consisting of Robert "3D" Del Naja and Grant "Daddy G" Marshall. Working with co-producers, as well as various session musicians and guest vocalists, they make records and tour live. The duo are considered to be of the trip...
), Temperamental and other work.
In 1984 Watt and Thorn also guested as "Honorary Councillors" on The Style Council
The Style Council
The Style Council were an English band, formed in 1983 by the ex-The Jam singer and guitarist Paul Weller, with keyboardist Mick Talbot. The permanent line-up grew to include drummer Steve White and Weller's then-wife, vocalist Dee C. Lee. Other artists such as Tracie Young and Tracey Thorn also...
's official debut album Cafe Bleu. Aside from backing vocals and other musical duties Watt played lead guitar on the instrumental title track and Thorn sang lead vocals on 'The Paris Match'.
Lazy Dog
In 1998, Ben Watt established the London deep houseDeep house
Deep house is a subgenre of house music that fuses elements of Chicago house into the 1980s jazz-funk and touches of soul music. In the early compositions , influences of jazz music were most frequently brought out by using more complex chords than simple triads which are held for many bars and...
Sunday club and compilation series, "Lazy Dog" with Jay Hannan. The tiny Notting Hill Arts Club
Notting Hill Arts Club
The Notting Hill Arts Club is a music and arts venue in Notting Hill, central London, England. The club holds clubnights every night of the week. Its range of events covers everything from interactive crafts to themed Soviet nights, but perhaps most famous is its Death Disco clubnight, which is run...
in west London, hosted it twice-monthly and they attracted a cult following. Watt moved away from EBTG's mainstream eclecticism and into club-oriented dance music production, producing a string of dance remixes for Sade
Sade Adu
Helen Folasade Adu OBE , is a British singer-songwriter, composer, and record producer. She first achieved success in the 1980s as the frontwoman and lead vocalist of the Brit and Grammy Award winning English group Sade.-Biography:Sade was born in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria...
, Sunshine Anderson
Sunshine Anderson
Sunshine Anderson is a female American R&B and soul singer and songwriter.-Beginnings:Anderson was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and later moved to Charlotte as a child and became friends with Narisha Foxx...
, Zero 7
Zero 7
Zero 7 is a British musical duo consisting of Henry Binns and Sam Hardaker. The group members began their musical careers as studio engineers and in 1997 formed the group Zero 7. Their debut album, Simple Things was released in 2001 and received critical acclaim...
, Maxwell
Maxwell (musician)
Maxwell , is an American R&B, funk and neo soul musician. He played an important role in the development of the soul sub-genre, neo-soul.-Early life:...
, Meshell Ndegeocello and Sandy Rivera
Sandy Rivera
Sandy Rivera is an American record producer, House music DJ and label owner. Born in New York City, he is now based in New Jersey.-Biography:...
. Lazy Dog ended on 16 May 2003 with a farewell closing party at their second home, The End
The End (club)
The End was a nightclub in the West End of London, England. Started in December 1995 by DJs Layo Paskin and Mr C, The End was world-renowned. It was also responsible for the label End Recordings....
, in central London. They made two compilation CDs from that time: Lazy Dog Volumes 1 and 2.
Buzzin' Fly
In April 2003, Watt launched his own independent deep houseDeep house
Deep house is a subgenre of house music that fuses elements of Chicago house into the 1980s jazz-funk and touches of soul music. In the early compositions , influences of jazz music were most frequently brought out by using more complex chords than simple triads which are held for many bars and...
and techno record label, Buzzin' Fly (named after the Tim Buckley
Tim Buckley
Timothy Charles Buckley III was an American vocalist, and musician. His music and style changed considerably through the years; his first album was mostly folk oriented, but over time his music incorporated jazz, psychedelia, funk, soul, avant-garde and an evolving "voice as instrument," sound...
song). It went on to foster the careers of young producer/DJs such as Justin Martin, Mademoiselle Caro & Franck Garcia and Rodamaal. The label hosted Watt's own club productions such as Lone Cat, Pop A Cap In Yo' Ass (with Estelle) and defining work from remixers such as Ame, Radio Slave, Charles Webster
Charles Webster (musician)
Charles Webster is an electronic musician from Sheffield, England, who specialises in producing house music. As well as releasing music under his own name, Webster has also worked under various monikers, including Furry Phreaks, Presence, and Megatonk...
and John Tejada
John Tejada
Normally associated with his peers in techno from Detroit, Europe and elsewhere, John Tejada has embraced electronic music as a personal frontier, expanding on his resume as a techno recording artist as producer, remixer, DJ, and label owner...
. Buzzin' Fly won Best Breakthrough Label in the House Music Awards in 2004 and Runner-Up Best British Label from DJ Magazine Awards in 2007 and 2008.
Neighbourhood and Cherry Jam
Watt helped found and own the West London nightclubs Neighbourhood and Cherry Jam. From 2002 to 2005, under his creative direction, Cherry Jam hosted underground club nights, art exhibitions, the long-running spoken-word night Book Slam and The LibertinesThe Libertines
The Libertines were an English rock band, formed in London in 1997 by frontmen Carl Barât and Pete Doherty . The band, centred on the song-writing partnership of Barat and Doherty, also included John Hassall and Gary Powell for most of its recording career...
' official debut show. At Neighbourhood, Watt brought in artists such as Groove Armada
Groove Armada
Groove Armada is an English electronic music duo from London, England comprising Andy Cato and Tom Findlay. They are perhaps best known for their singles "I See You Baby" and "Superstylin'"...
and many international DJs to guest at his own in-house club nights, hosting Rough Trade Records
Rough Trade Records
Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London. It was formed in 1978 by Geoff Travis who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove...
25th Anniversary and the inaugural House Music Awards. He resigned in June 2005.
2007-2010
In 2007, Watt launched Strange Feeling Records, an alt-indie sub-label of Buzzin' Fly. Early signings included the critically acclaimed Copenhagen band, FigurinesFigurines
Figurines is an indie rock band from Denmark, formed in the mid-1990s. The band released their first EP, The Detour, in 2001 and their first full-length album, Shake a Mountain, in 2004. The band began to receive national attention in Denmark around the time of the full-length release, and began...
, and the Hungarian trio The Unbending Trees. In 2010 the label released and globally distributed the third solo album Love And Its Opposite by Watt's wife Tracey Thorn
Tracey Thorn
Tracey Anne Thorn is an English pop singer and songwriter. She is best known as being one half of the duo Everything but the Girl, which is currently on extended hiatus.-Personal life:...
. Watt also hosts the weekly Buzzin' Fly Radio Show that recently broadcast its 150th edition. It has seen lengthy stints on both the Galaxy Network and the Kiss Network
Kiss Network
Kiss is a brand of a group of dancemusic radio stations, a TV channel and music merchandise in the United Kingdom.-Stations:Radio:Television:*Kiss TV-Former Kiss Stations:Radio:...
as well us several internet restreams and global syndications. Watt remains a central figure on London's club scene and continues to DJ internationally.
Writing
Watt's autobiographical book, PatientPatient (memoir)
Patient is the name of a 192-page memoir by musician Ben Watt. It was published May 1, 1997 by Penguin Books . The book dealt largely with Watt's experience with a rare disease, Churg-Strauss syndrome, and his recovery....
(Penguin, 1996), details his battle with the rare life-threatening auto-immune disease (Churg-Strauss syndrome
Churg-Strauss syndrome
Churg–Strauss syndrome is a medium and small vessel autoimmune vasculitis, leading to necrosis. It involves mainly the blood vessels of the lungs , gastrointestinal system, and peripheral nerves, but also affects the heart, skin and kidneys. It is a rare disease that is non-inheritable and...
). Watt's website states that it was listed as a New York Times Notable Book of the Year, Sunday Times Book Of The Year, Village Voice Literary Supplement Favorite Book of the Year, and was a finalist for the Esquire-Waterstones (UK) Best Non-Fiction Award.
Singles
- "Cant" (Cherry Red RecordsCherry RedCherry Red is a London-based independent record label formed in 1978.-History:Cherry Red grew from the rock promotion company founded in 1971 to promote rock concerts at the Malvern Winter Gardens...
) - June 1981 - "Summer Into Winter EP" (Cherry Red Records) with Robert WyattRobert WyattRobert Wyatt is an English musician, and founding member of the influential Canterbury scene band Soft Machine, with a long and distinguished solo career...
- March 1982 - "Some Things Don't Matter" (Cherry Red Records) - February 1983
- "Lone Cat" (Buzzin' Fly]) - April 2003
- "A Stronger Man" with Sananda MaitreyaSananda MaitreyaSananda Francesco Maitreya , better known by his former stage name Terence Trent D'Arby, is an American singer-songwriter who came to fame with his album Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby, released in July 1987, which included the singles "Wishing Well" and "Sign Your Name"...
(Buzzin' Fly) - Jan 2004 - "Outspoken Part 1" (Buzzin' Fly) - Jan 2005 (feat "Pop A Cap In Yo' Ass" with EstelleEstelle (singer)Estelle Fanta Swaray commonly known as Estelle, and formerly as Est'elle, is an English R&B singer-songwriter, rapper and record producer.-Early Life:Estelle was born 18 January 1980 in Hammersmith, London, England...
and "Attack, Attack, Attack" with Baby Blak - "Buzzin' Fly Vol 2 EP" (Buzzin' Fly) - April 2005 feat "Le Boom" by Justin Martin remixRemixA 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 ....
es of "Lone Cat (Holding On)" by Justin Martin, and "Pop A Cap In Yo Ass" by Ben Watt featuring EstelleEstelle (singer)Estelle Fanta Swaray commonly known as Estelle, and formerly as Est'elle, is an English R&B singer-songwriter, rapper and record producer.-Early Life:Estelle was born 18 January 1980 in Hammersmith, London, England...
) - "We Are Silver EP" (Buzzin' Fly) - April 2007 (includes "Old Soul" and "Lone Cat" remix)
- "Just A Blip" (Buzzin' Fly) - June 2007 (features on Buzzin' Fly Vol 4 Sampler EP)
- "Guinea Pig" (Buzzin' Fly) - Oct 2008
Compilations mixed by Ben Watt
- Lazy Dog Vol. 1 (Virgin RecordsVirgin RecordsVirgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
) with Jay Hannan - October 2000 - Back To Mine with Tracey Thorn as Everything But The Girl - May 2001
- Lazy Dog Vol. 2 (Virgin RecordsVirgin RecordsVirgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
) with Jay Hannan - March 2002 - Buzzin' Fly Vol 1: Replenishing Music for the Modern Soul (Buzzin' Fly) - March 2004
- Buzzin' Fly Vol 2: Replenishing Music for the Modern Soul (Buzzin' Fly) - April 2005
- Inthemix.06 with Ivan Gough (Australian release; 2 CDs) - November 2006
- Buzzin' Fly Vol 3 (Buzzin' Fly) - June 2006
- Buzzin' Fly Vol 4 (Buzzin' Fly) - May 2007
- Buzzin' Fly - 5 Golden Years in the Wilderness (Buzzin' Fly) - June 2008