Lindy Layton
Encyclopedia
Lindy Layton was a founding member of, and vocalist for, Beats International
. She has released a number of solo albums and singles, and worked with other musicians, more recently including Hardknox
and Dub Pistols
.
, had a couple of hit single
s in the early 1990s in the UK
, including the #1
, "Dub Be Good to Me
". Beats International released a debut album which sold moderately, Let Them Eat Bingo.
Following the success of the singles with Beats International, in 1990, Layton signed a solo
deal with Arista
, and released her version of Janet Kay
's hit, "Silly Games". The single was a notable hit, and further releases followed from her debut album, Pressure (released in 1991). However, these decreased in popularity with each release. Pressure was mostly produced by Norman Cook
and the dance
-soul
-funk
outfit Driza Bone. The album's second single
, "Echo My Heart" narrowly missed out on a UK
Top 40 placing in January 1991. Whilst "Wait For Love" produced by Norman Cook failed to reach the UK Singles Chart
altogether, in April of that year.
Layton's summer 1991 release of "Without You (One and One)" followed, again produced by Driza Bone. Although "Without You (One and One)" sold better than Layton's previous single, it still failed to reach the Top 40. Layton then released a one-off single for Debut Records in 1992. "I'll Be a Freak for You" was not a chart hit. The following year, Layton re-emerged with a new deal with PWL. The new material was more commercial, and two single releases of minor chart success were released in the UK: "We Got the Love" and "Show Me". Without the expected profitable return Layton parted company with PWL.
In Japan, she released a pop-reggae album, entitled, No Other Star in 1996, and went on to release other work as Hardknox
with fellow DJ Steve Proctor the same year. They were signed to Skint Records and released their debut single "Coz I Can" which was given "Single of the Week" honours by NME
. The group's second effort, the "Psychopath" EP
, received the same recognition. After various performing remixes for artists such as Orgy
, Crystal Method, and Faith No More
, plus appearing on a various compilations and mixes, a self-titled LP was released in 1999 by Jive Electro
.
Layton guested on three tracks on the 2009 Groove Diggerz album, Money for Good Times: "Weirdness", "Just Be Good to Me" (a reworking of her Beats International
hit "Dub Be Good to Me
"), and "Body Flow" for which she also shared a writing
credit.
She guested with the Dub Pistols
in May 2009, reprising "Dub Be Good to Me", at their support slot to The Specials
at the O2 Academy, Brixton. She guested again with the Dub Pistols at Rock the River 2009, a wakeboard and music festival held on the quay of World Heritage Site, Conwy. She also appeared with the Dub Pistols at the last Glade Festival in 2009.
Beats International
Beats International was a British electronic music band, formed in the late 1980s by Norman Cook , after his departure from The Housemartins.-Career:...
. She has released a number of solo albums and singles, and worked with other musicians, more recently including Hardknox
Hardknox
Hardknox is a big beat duo from the United Kingdom, consisting of Steve Proctor and Lindy Layton. They have released two singles and a self-titled album. Their style of electronica features hard beats with powerful vocal samples and unusual loops....
and Dub Pistols
Dub Pistols
Dub Pistols are a London based dub music and big beat band, founded by ex-club promoter, Barry Ashworth, in 1996. The other members of the band were record producer and bassist Jason O'Bryan, Brooklyn producer and lyricist, T. K. Lawrence on vocals, Jap Slut guitarist John King, and turntablist DJ...
.
Career
Layton attended the Barbara Speake Stage School in the 1980s. Her group, Beats InternationalBeats International
Beats International was a British electronic music band, formed in the late 1980s by Norman Cook , after his departure from The Housemartins.-Career:...
, had a couple of hit single
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...
s in the early 1990s in the UK
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...
, including the #1
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
, "Dub Be Good to Me
Dub Be Good to Me
"Dub Be Good to Me" is a popular single by the club music group Beats International, released in 1990. It is generally considered the band's signature song.-Song information:Written by Norman Cook aka...
". Beats International released a debut album which sold moderately, Let Them Eat Bingo.
Following the success of the singles with Beats International, in 1990, Layton signed a solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
deal with Arista
Arista Records
Arista was an American record label. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment and operated under the RCA Music Group. The label was founded in 1974 by Clive Davis, who formerly worked for CBS Records...
, and released her version of Janet Kay
Janet Kay
Janet Kay is a British singer of Jamaican parentage best known for her lovers rock songs of the late 1970s - "Silly Games" and a cover of Minnie Riperton's "Lovin' You". She has also had roles as a theatre and television actress...
's hit, "Silly Games". The single was a notable hit, and further releases followed from her debut album, Pressure (released in 1991). However, these decreased in popularity with each release. Pressure was mostly produced by Norman Cook
Fatboy Slim
Norman Quentin Cook better known by his former stage name Fatboy Slim, is a British DJ, electronic dance music musician, and record producer. He is a pioneer of the big beat genre that achieved mainstream popularity in the 1990s...
and the dance
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
-soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
-funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
outfit Driza Bone. The album's second single
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...
, "Echo My Heart" narrowly missed out on a UK
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...
Top 40 placing in January 1991. Whilst "Wait For Love" produced by Norman Cook failed to reach the UK Singles Chart
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 ...
altogether, in April of that year.
Layton's summer 1991 release of "Without You (One and One)" followed, again produced by Driza Bone. Although "Without You (One and One)" sold better than Layton's previous single, it still failed to reach the Top 40. Layton then released a one-off single for Debut Records in 1992. "I'll Be a Freak for You" was not a chart hit. The following year, Layton re-emerged with a new deal with PWL. The new material was more commercial, and two single releases of minor chart success were released in the UK: "We Got the Love" and "Show Me". Without the expected profitable return Layton parted company with PWL.
In Japan, she released a pop-reggae album, entitled, No Other Star in 1996, and went on to release other work as Hardknox
Hardknox
Hardknox is a big beat duo from the United Kingdom, consisting of Steve Proctor and Lindy Layton. They have released two singles and a self-titled album. Their style of electronica features hard beats with powerful vocal samples and unusual loops....
with fellow DJ Steve Proctor the same year. They were signed to Skint Records and released their debut single "Coz I Can" which was given "Single of the Week" honours by NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
. The group's second effort, the "Psychopath" 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...
, received the same recognition. After various performing remixes for artists such as Orgy
Orgy (band)
Orgy is an American synth rock band formed in 1996, from Los Angeles, California. Orgy described their music as "death pop".-History:Orgy was formed in 1996 by vocalist Jay Gordon and guitarist Ryan Shuck. Bassist Paige Haley, guitarist Amir Derakh, and drummer Bobby Hewitt soon completed the line-up...
, Crystal Method, and Faith No More
Faith No More
Faith No More is an American rock band from San Francisco, California, formed originally as Faith No Man in 1981 by bassist Billy Gould, keyboardist Wade Worthington, vocalist Michael Morris and drummer Mike Bordin. A year later when Worthington was replaced by keyboardist Roddy Bottum, and Mike...
, plus appearing on a various compilations and mixes, a self-titled LP was released in 1999 by Jive Electro
Jive Electro
Jive Electro was a sublabel of the Zomba Group's Jive Records noted for releasing albums by Groove Armada, Hardknox, and Tangerine Dream as well as few remixes for the Madchester band The Stone Roses.The label was largely active between 1984 and 1987...
.
Layton guested on three tracks on the 2009 Groove Diggerz album, Money for Good Times: "Weirdness", "Just Be Good to Me" (a reworking of her Beats International
Beats International
Beats International was a British electronic music band, formed in the late 1980s by Norman Cook , after his departure from The Housemartins.-Career:...
hit "Dub Be Good to Me
Dub Be Good to Me
"Dub Be Good to Me" is a popular single by the club music group Beats International, released in 1990. It is generally considered the band's signature song.-Song information:Written by Norman Cook aka...
"), and "Body Flow" for which she also shared a writing
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...
credit.
She guested with the Dub Pistols
Dub Pistols
Dub Pistols are a London based dub music and big beat band, founded by ex-club promoter, Barry Ashworth, in 1996. The other members of the band were record producer and bassist Jason O'Bryan, Brooklyn producer and lyricist, T. K. Lawrence on vocals, Jap Slut guitarist John King, and turntablist DJ...
in May 2009, reprising "Dub Be Good to Me", at their support slot to The Specials
The Specials
The Specials are an English 2 Tone ska revival band formed in 1977 in Coventry, England. Their music combines a "danceable ska and rocksteady beat with punk's energy and attitude", and had a "more focused and informed political and social stance" than other ska groups...
at the O2 Academy, Brixton. She guested again with the Dub Pistols at Rock the River 2009, a wakeboard and music festival held on the quay of World Heritage Site, Conwy. She also appeared with the Dub Pistols at the last Glade Festival in 2009.
External links
- Discogs.com Profile
- [ Allmusic.com Profile for Hardknox]
- Pitchforkmedia.com Review of Hardknox Debut LP
- GrooveDiggerz page on Breakin Even Records