Simon Raymonde
Encyclopedia
Simon Philip Raymonde (born 3 April 1962, London
) is an English
musician
and record producer. He is the son of the late arranger and composer
, Ivor Raymonde
.
, filling the void left by the departed bassist
Will Heggie
. He remained as a core writer in the band
until its dissolution in 1997. As well as his work with the Cocteau Twins, he also contributed to the first two albums by This Mortal Coil
, another 4AD
project.
Raymonde's debut solo album, Blame Someone Else, was released in 1997, and featured contributions from Elizabeth Fraser
of Cocteau Twins.
Raymonde runs the Bella Union
record label
, which has released music by Fleet Foxes
, Treefight For Sunlight, I Break Horses
, John Grant
, Laura Veirs
, Midlake
, Lift to Experience
Howling Bells
, Stephanie Dosen
, Beach House
, Dirty Three
, Marques Toliver, The Low Anthem
, Veronica Falls
, Vetiver
, Andrew Bird
, J Tillman, Wavves
, Abe Vigoda
, Peter Broderick
, Department of Eagles
, Zun Zun Egui, Lanterns on the Lake
, Alessi's Ark
, Sleeping States
, The Dears
, Explosions in the Sky
, Fionn Regan
, Cashier No 9, Jonathan Wilson
and Philip Selway.
Raymonde has acted as producer on many records, including Clearlake
's Cedars, James Yorkston
's Moving Up Country, the first two albums by The Czars
, The Duke Spirit
's Cuts Across The Land The Open
's Silent Hours and co-produced the posthumous album from Billy Mackenzie
. He also mixed the Fionn Regan
album The End of History
, which was nominated for the 2007 Mercury Music Prize and remixed tracks for Archive
, Tristeza
, Departure Lounge
and mixed and co-produced the debut album by Lift to Experience
.
His more recent output includes work with Snowbird
, Anthony Reynolds
, Lucas Renney, Duke Spirit, Archie Bronson Outfit
and Stephanie Dosen
, and in 2007 he made an appearance in the documentary film
Scott Walker: 30 Century Man
. In 2010 Raymonde formed the group Snowbird with Stephanie Dosen. In 2011, he was asked to be Music Supervisor on Jonathan Caouette
's documentary Walk Away Renee
which was accepted for Cannes Film Festival
2011.
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...
) is an English
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....
and record producer. He is the son of the late arranger and 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...
, Ivor Raymonde
Ivor Raymonde
Ivor Raymonde was a British musician, songwriter, arranger and actor, best known for his distinctive rock-orchestral arrangements for Dusty Springfield and others in the 1960s.-Life and career:...
.
Career
In 1984, Raymonde joined Cocteau TwinsCocteau Twins
Cocteau Twins were a Scottish alternative rock band active from 1979 to 1997, known for innovative instrumentation and atmospheric, non-lyrical vocals...
, filling the void left by the departed bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
Will Heggie
Will Heggie
Will Heggie is a Scottish musician. He co-founded the Cocteau Twins in 1980 with Robin Guthrie, and served as the bassist for them until 1983 . Immediately after departing the Cocteau Twins, he helped form Lowlife and played bass with them from 1983–1997....
. He remained as a core writer in the band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
until its dissolution in 1997. As well as his work with the Cocteau Twins, he also contributed to the first two albums by This Mortal Coil
This Mortal Coil
This Mortal Coil was a gothic dream pop supergroup led by Ivo Watts-Russell, founder of the British record label 4AD. Although Watts-Russell and John Fryer were technically the only two official members, the band's recorded output featured a large rotating cast of supporting artists, many of whom...
, another 4AD
4AD
4AD is a British independent record label that was started in 1979 by Ivo Watts-Russell and Peter Kent, funded by Beggars Banquet Records, and is still active today...
project.
Raymonde's debut solo album, Blame Someone Else, was released in 1997, and featured contributions from Elizabeth Fraser
Elizabeth Fraser
Elizabeth Davidson Fraser is a Scottish singer best known as the vocalist for the pioneer alternative rock group Cocteau Twins...
of Cocteau Twins.
Raymonde runs the Bella Union
Bella Union
Bella Union is an independent record label that was started up by Simon Raymonde and Robin Guthrie in 1997.After releasing records with 4AD for a large part of their career, Cocteau Twins decided to take a step towards independence and started up the Bella Union record label, through which they...
record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
, which has released music by Fleet Foxes
Fleet Foxes
Fleet Foxes are a folk rock band which formed in Seattle, Washington. They are signed to the Sub Pop and Bella Union record labels. The band came to prominence in 2008 with the release of their second EP, Sun Giant, and their debut full length album Fleet Foxes...
, Treefight For Sunlight, I Break Horses
I Break Horses
I Break Horses is an Swedish indie band composed of Maria Lindén and Fredrik Balck.-Reviews:The Guardian music critic Hermione Hoby described their music as "heady, sumptuously textured soundscapes", while Pitchfork music critic Ian Cohen comments that they "immerse themselves in homemade shoegaze,...
, John Grant
John Grant
John Grant may refer to:*John Grant , Screenwriter, wrote for Abbott and Costello*Johannes Grant, engineer, believed by some scholars to have been Scottish, who fought in the Siege of Constantinople*John Gaston Grant , U.S...
, Laura Veirs
Laura Veirs
Laura Pauline Veirs is an American singer-songwriter.Veirs was raised in Colorado, studied geology and Mandarin Chinese at Carleton College, worked as a translator for a geological expedition in China, and now lives in Portland, Oregon.While growing up, she heard folk-country, classical, and pop...
, Midlake
Midlake
Midlake is an American rock band from Denton, Texas. The band first gained popularity in Europe, signing to Bella Union Records and playing at festivals such as Les Inrockuptibles, Wintercase, End Of The Road Festival and South by Southwest.-History:...
, Lift to Experience
Lift to Experience
Lift to Experience was a band from Denton, Texas that formed in 1996 with vocalist and guitarist Josh T. Pearson, drummer Andy "The Boy" Young and bassist Josh "The Bear" Browning...
Howling Bells
Howling Bells
Howling Bells are an indie rock band that formed in Sydney in 2004. The band obtained moderate popularity in the United Kingdom following the release of its 2006 self-titled debut album...
, Stephanie Dosen
Stephanie Dosen
Stephanie Dosen is an American singer-songwriter. She was raised in Wisconsin. Her songs have been featured on the soundtracks of Dawson's Creek, NUMB3RS and Party of Five....
, Beach House
Beach House
Beach House is a dream pop duo formed in 2004 in Baltimore, Maryland, consisting of French-born Victoria Legrand and Baltimore native Alex Scally. Their self-titled debut, Beach House, released in 2006, was critically acclaimed. This was followed by their second release, Devotion, in 2008...
, Dirty Three
Dirty Three
Dirty Three are an instrumental trio consisting of Warren Ellis , Mick Turner and Jim White , originating from Melbourne, Australia. Since the Dirty Three formed in 1992, they have spent a lot of time overseas...
, Marques Toliver, The Low Anthem
The Low Anthem
The Low Anthem is an American indie folk band from Providence, Rhode Island, formed in 2006. The band consists of multi-instrumentalists Ben Knox Miller, Jeff Prystowsky and Jocie Adams, and rose to prominence with the re-release of its third studio album, Oh My God, Charlie Darwin, in 2009.In...
, Veronica Falls
Veronica Falls
Veronica Falls are an indie pop band which formed in London, United Kingdom, in 2009. The band consists of Roxanne Clifford and James Hoare both on vocals and guitar, Marion Herbain on bass guitar and Patrick Doyle on drums and back vocals. The members of the band were formerly in the bands The...
, Vetiver
Vetiver
Chrysopogon zizanioides, commonly known as vetiver , is a perennial grass of the Poaceae family, native to India. In western and northern India, it is popularly known as khus. Vetiver can grow up to 1.5 metres high and form clumps as wide. The stems are tall and the leaves are long, thin, and...
, Andrew Bird
Andrew Bird
Andrew Bird is an American musician, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist.- Early life and the Bowl of Fire :...
, J Tillman, Wavves
Wavves
Wavves is an American surf pop/noise punk band based out of San Diego, California.-History:Wavves started in 2008 as the recording project of Nathan Williams. Wavves released several 7"s as well as a cassette leading up to the first two releases 'Wavves' and 'Wavvves'...
, Abe Vigoda
Abe Vigoda
Abe Vigoda is an American movie and television actor. Vigoda is well known for his portrayal of Sal Tessio in The Godfather, and for his portrayal of Detective Sgt. Phil Fish on the sitcom television series Barney Miller from 1975–1977 and on its spinoff show Fish that aired from February 1977 to...
, Peter Broderick
Peter Broderick
Peter Broderick is an American musician and composer from Carlton, Oregon. He has released solo material under his own name, been a member of Efterklang, and played with several ensembles as a session musician.-Biography:...
, Department of Eagles
Department of Eagles
Department of Eagles is a band formed in 2000 by friends and New York University roommates Daniel Rossen and Fred Nicolaus...
, Zun Zun Egui, Lanterns on the Lake
Lanterns on the Lake
Lanterns On The Lake are a six-piece indie rock band from Newcastle-upon-tyne, United Kingdom.-History:Lanterns On The Lake formed in 2007. The band is composed of Hazel Wilde, Paul Gregory, Sarah Kemp, Oliver Ketteringham and brothers Adam and Brendan Sykes....
, Alessi's Ark
Alessi's Ark
Alessi's Ark is the musical project of Alessi Laurent-Marke , a singer-songwriter from Hammersmith in West London.-Career:...
, Sleeping States
Sleeping States
Sleeping States is a musical solo project of British musician Markland Starkie .Started in 2004 in London, Sleeping States falls predominantly in the songwriter genre...
, The Dears
The Dears
-History:The band formed in 1995 and released their first album, End of a Hollywood Bedtime Story, in 2000. Their orchestral, dark pop sound and dramatic live shows cemented The Dears at the foundation of the then-emerging Canadian indie renaissance...
, Explosions in the Sky
Explosions in the Sky
Explosions in the Sky is an American post-rock band from Texas. The band has garnered popularity beyond the post-rock scene for their elaborately developed guitar work, narratively styled instrumentals, what they refer to as "cathartic mini-symphonies," and their enthusiastic and emotional live shows...
, Fionn Regan
Fionn Regan
Fionn Regan is an Irish singer-songwriter and artist from Bray, County Wicklow, who came to prominence in 2006 with the release of his Mercury-nominated debut album, The End of History...
, Cashier No 9, Jonathan Wilson
Jonathan Wilson
Jonathan Wilson is the name of:* Jonathan Wilson , American Psychedelic Folk musician* Jonathan Wilson, former member of the band Eisley* Jonathan Wilson , British sports journalist and author...
and Philip Selway.
Raymonde has acted as producer on many records, including Clearlake
Clearlake (band)
Clearlake are an indie rock band, based in Brighton, England. The members of the band are:*Jason Pegg *David 'Woody' Woodward *Toby May *Jim Briffett -History:...
's Cedars, James Yorkston
James Yorkston
-Music career:A native of Fife, James Yorkston was an integral early member of the Fence Collective whose reach across contemporary music continues to lengthen: King Creosote, The Aliens, KT Tunstall, The Beta Band...
's Moving Up Country, the first two albums by The Czars
The Czars
The Czars was an alternative rock band, formed in 1994 in Denver by John Grant and Chris Pearson. They released six studio albums, one EP, and three singles in the duration of their career. After the release of Goodbye in 2004, five of the six members of The Czars left the band over the span of...
, The Duke Spirit
The Duke Spirit
The Duke Spirit are an English rock band based in London. Their sound has been seen as a melding of many influences ranging from the alternative noise of 1980s/90s guitar bands such as My Bloody Valentine, Sonic Youth and Spacemen 3, the tremulous rock n roll of bands such as The Gun Club and The...
's Cuts Across The Land The Open
The Open (band)
The Open were an English five-piece indie rock band who were signed to Loog Records. Their sound was heavily influenced by Talk Talk , Cocteau Twins, and early U2, as well as latterly incorporating jazz, such as Miles Davis and Tommy-era The Who...
's Silent Hours and co-produced the posthumous album from Billy Mackenzie
Billy Mackenzie
William MacArthur "Billy" Mackenzie was a Scottish singer, with a distinctive falsetto voice best known as a member of The Associates.- Biography :...
. He also mixed the Fionn Regan
Fionn Regan
Fionn Regan is an Irish singer-songwriter and artist from Bray, County Wicklow, who came to prominence in 2006 with the release of his Mercury-nominated debut album, The End of History...
album The End of History
The End of History (album)
The End of History is the debut album from Irish singer-songwriter Fionn Regan, released in 2006. The album was nominated for the 2007 Mercury Prize, and was also named Best Irish Album of 2006 by the Irish Independent.- Track listing :...
, which was nominated for the 2007 Mercury Music Prize and remixed tracks for Archive
Archive
An archive is a collection of historical records, or the physical place they are located. Archives contain primary source documents that have accumulated over the course of an individual or organization's lifetime, and are kept to show the function of an organization...
, Tristeza
Tristeza
Tristeza is a post-rock band from San Diego, California. The band has performed in 19 countries.Tristeza is a California-based band, with most members currently living in Oakland, CA....
, Departure Lounge
Departure Lounge
Departure Lounge may refer to:* Departure Lounge, the area of an airport where passengers may wait after check-in and security procedures before boarding their flight.* Departure Lounge, a British television series;...
and mixed and co-produced the debut album by Lift to Experience
Lift to Experience
Lift to Experience was a band from Denton, Texas that formed in 1996 with vocalist and guitarist Josh T. Pearson, drummer Andy "The Boy" Young and bassist Josh "The Bear" Browning...
.
His more recent output includes work with Snowbird
Snowbird
Snowbird may refer to:*"Snowbird" , recorded by Anne Murray in 1970*Snowbird , people from Canada and the northern United States who spend winter in warmer climates of the southern United States*Snowbird , a Marvel Comics character...
, Anthony Reynolds
Anthony Reynolds
Anthony Reynolds is a Welsh musician. He has worked as a solo artist, and also in collaboration with others in his bands Jack and Jacques.-Jack:...
, Lucas Renney, Duke Spirit, Archie Bronson Outfit
Archie Bronson Outfit
Archie Bronson Outfit are an English rock band. They met at Kingswood School, Bath .After leaving their native Somerset, the band moved to London where they were discovered by Laurence Bell, boss of Domino Records. The band were playing in Bell's local bar, "The Cat's Back" in Putney. The band...
and Stephanie Dosen
Stephanie Dosen
Stephanie Dosen is an American singer-songwriter. She was raised in Wisconsin. Her songs have been featured on the soundtracks of Dawson's Creek, NUMB3RS and Party of Five....
, and in 2007 he made an appearance in the documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
Scott Walker: 30 Century Man
Scott Walker: 30 Century Man
Scott Walker: 30 Century Man is a 2006 documentary film about Scott Walker. The film gets its title from the Scott 3 song "30 Century Man". It is directed and co-produced by Stephen Kijak, with Grant Gee serving as director of photography...
. In 2010 Raymonde formed the group Snowbird with Stephanie Dosen. In 2011, he was asked to be Music Supervisor on Jonathan Caouette
Jonathan Caouette
Jonathan Caouette is an American film director, writer, editor and actor. Caouette is the director and editor of Tarnation , an autobiographical documentary, and director of All Tomorrow's Parties about a cult music festival.-Films:...
's documentary Walk Away Renee
Walk Away Renee
"Walk Away Renée" is a song made popular by the band The Left Banke in 1966 , composed by the group's then 16-year-old keyboard player Michael Brown and Tony Sansone...
which was accepted for Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
2011.
Albums
- Blame Someone Else (1997)
- Luminus Love in 23 (1998) with Nanaco
- "Snowbird" (2012) TBD