Martin Rushent

Martin Rushent

Martin Rushent born 1948 is an English musician and record producer.

Rushent entered the music business in the early 1970s as an engineer working on records by T. Rex, David Essex, Fleetwood Mac and Yes amongst others. However it was after punk that he came into his own as a producer working on records by Buzzcocks, Generation X, XTC, 999 and the Stranglers.

In the early 1980s he started his own record label Genetic, which was going to sign the nascent new romantic acts Visage, Ultravox and Spandau Ballet, but problems at their parent record company scuppered that plan. Meanwhile he invested £250,000 in setting up a state of the art recording studio at his Berkshire home. The first fruits were the debut single by ex-Buzzcock Pete Shelley, "Homosapien", and subsequent album of the same name; however, it was the success of The Human League and their breakthrough 1981 album Dare which cemented his reputation as a producer. He is credited as one of the pioneers of remixing with his cut and paste version of Dare, 1982's Love and Dancing. He also produced other acts at the time including Altered Images and The Go-Go's. In 1983, after experiencing problems working with The Human League (particularly after he was maligned by bandmember Susan Ann Sulley) he resigned as the band's producer. He then sold Genetic Studios and for a short time he worked as a consultant for Virgin Records, but the role involved considerable overseas travel which restricted his family life. As he was a single parent at the time, he then effectively retired from the music industry in order to raise his children.

Some years later, Rushent was briefly involved in the rave scene in the early 1990s with the creation of Gush at Newbury airfield. In 1994/5 he ran "Roundabout", a Thursday-night showcase for unsigned bands at The Nag's Head, High Wycombe.

Recently he has been active again as a producer with Hazel O'Connor's Hidden Heart, is rumoured to be remixing a new Love and Dancing album, and making his 1970s influenced disco album with his wife Ceri. He is also currently producing new band Mama Shamone.

He has also been working closely with the young beatboxer and multivocalist Killa Kela producing several of his tracks. In January 2009 The Pipettes announced that Rushent would be producing their second studio album.

Rushent recently teamed up with new songwriter Meritxell Lavanchy and her band, Phenol.

Rushent currently living in Upper Basildon, near Reading in Berkshire, where he lives with his wife Ceri and their young daughter, Amy.

Awards

• 1982 BRIT Awards - Best British producer (for Dare)

External links

• Template:MySpace
• Martin Rushent Discography
• Martin Rushent laid down three successful Stranglers albums – and then walked out. Strangled interview the one-time, “fifth Strangler” The Burning Up Times - Issue 3, part 1, page 28.
• Interview/Feature (2007)
• Video interview