Luke Smith (record producer)
Luke Smith (born 4 May 1978) is an English record producer, musician and songwriter. He was the co-founder, song-writer, guitarist and vocalist of the band Clor. His production and writing credits include Foals, Depeche Mode, Everything Everything, Slow Club, Crystal Fighters, Shitdisco, FrYars, Theme Park, Is Tropical, Crystal Fighters, Panes and Petite Noir. He has worked on such popular and critically acclaimed albums as Total Life Forever and Sounds of the Universe.
Career
Clor
From 2003 to 2005, Smith founded with Barry Dobbin and provided lead guitars and vocals for the band Clor.[1] He co-wrote and produced their eponymous sole album which was released in 2005[2] to critical acclaim.[3][4][5] In May 2006, Smith and his co-founder announced Clor had split up.[6] Later, in 2010, their album was voted number 1 topping NME's “100 greatest albums you've never heard".[7][8]
Production and Writing
In 2007 to present, Smith has produced a number of critically acclaimed releases.[9] Of his work, Smith’s most noted is his production of the seminal second album Total Life Forever by Foals in Gothenburg in 2010[10] and programming of the twelfth studio album Sounds of the Universe by Depeche Mode in 2009.[11][12] Amongst others, Smith also produced the debut album Kingdom of Fear by Shitdisco in 2007 which was awarded 9/10 by NME,[13] the second Slow Club album, Paradise, in 2012[14][15] which was given 8 out of 10 by Drowned in Sound magazine,[16] produced the second album I’m Leaving by Is Tropical in 2013[17][18] which received 8/10 on the popular music blog, The 405.[19] Most recently, in 2014, Smith produced the much-lauded debut King of Anxiety EP by Petite Noir [20] on Domino records which received outstanding reviews in i-D magazine and The Guardian.[21][22]
Smith also produced the 2007 EP The Ides by FrYars,[23] the 2009 single Photoshop Handsome by Everything Everything,[24] 2009 album New Worlds for Charlotte Hatherley,[25] the Champion Sound single for Crystal Fighters[26][27] in 2011, the 2012 fourth album of Eugene McGuinness titled Invitation to the Voyage,[28] the 2013 debut album Theme Park by Theme Park[29][30] and FrYars’ second album Power in 2014.[31][32]
Production work took place in 2014 and 2015 on the third album by Is Tropical which is awaiting release.
He has writing credits on a number of these recordings, he has co-written the debut EP by Petite Noir, [33], and the as yet to be released 2015 album by Is Tropical [34][35].
His recordings have been released on labels Mute, Parlophone, Domino, Pias, Moshi Moshi, Kitsune, Transgressive, Geffen.[36]
Remixing
Smith is well known for his remix work and has put his name to remixes of Hotride by The Prodigy[37][38] and After Dark by Le Tigre[39][40] in 2004, Perfume by Sparks[41][42] in 2006, Nothing But Green Lights by Tom Vek[43][44] and Sister In Love by Envelopes[45][46] in 2005, X-ray by The Macabees,[47][48][49] Behave by Charlotte Hatherley[50][51] and Reactor Party by Shitdisco[52][53][54] in 2006, Benedict Arnold by FrYars[55][56] in 2008. Smith going under the name Lagos Boys Choir also remixed the hit singles Focker by Late Of The Pier, Bullet Proof by La Roux and Miles Away by Depeche Mode throughout 2008 and 2009.[57][58]
Nominations & Awards
In 2010, the album Sounds of The Universe was nominated and shortlisted for the Best Alternative Music Album award in the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards.[59]
In 2010, the album Total Life Forever was nominated for the prestigious Mercury Prize.[60]
His work Spanish Sahara, the lead single off the album, won the ‘Best Song’ award at the NME Awards in 2011.[61]
References
- ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/artists/dd760531-7bd3-4053-9968-5bc3e646ff2a
- ^ http://www.discogs.com/Clor-Clor/release/5558532
- ^ http://www.allmusic.com/album/clor-mw0000705168
- ^ http://www.nme.com/reviews/7720
- ^ http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/1814-clor/
- ^ http://www.nme.com/news/clor/23037
- ^ http://www.nme.com/blogs/nme-blogs/100-greatest-lost-albums-this-weeks-nme
- ^ http://drownedinsound.com/community/boards/music/4275307
- ^ http://www.discogs.com/artist/392955-Luke-Smith-3
- ^ http://www.nme.com/news/foals/49888
- ^ Sounds of the Universe (CD liner notes). Depeche Mode. Mute Records. 2009. CDSTUMM300
- ^ http://modefan.com/sounds-of-the-universe-album/
- ^ http://www.nme.com/reviews/shitdisco/8428
- ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/xmb6
- ^ http://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/11284/1/slow-club
- ^ http://drownedinsound.com/releases/16484/reviews/4143524
- ^ https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/im-leaving/id642845442
- ^ http://www.purplesneakers.com.au/2013/05/is-tropical-release-new-album-im-leaving/
- ^ http://www.thefourohfive.com/review/article/is-tropical-i-m-leaving
- ^ http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-king-of-anxiety-mw0002791765
- ^ https://i-d.vice.com/en_gb/article/generation-noirwave-say-hello-to-yannick-ilunga-aka-petite-noir
- ^ http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/jan/31/petite-noir-king-of-anxiety
- ^ http://drownedinsound.com/releases/11386
- ^ http://www.miloco.co.uk/interviews/everything-everything/
- ^ http://siloelevatedcuisine.com/charlotte-hatherley-new-d581e-worlds-85d09
- ^ http://www.last.fm/music/Crystal+Fighters/_/Champion+Sound+(Luke+Smith+Mix)
- ^ http://www.last.fm/music/Crystal+Fighters/_/Champion+Sound+(Luke+Smith+Mix)
- ^ http://www.qobuz.com/es-en/album/the-invitation-to-the-voyage-eugene-mcguinness/5034202024651
- ^ http://lovemusiclovelife.com/theme-park-announce-debut-album-release/
- ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/dz4z
- ^ http://www.roughtrade.com/events/2014/11/808
- ^ http://soundofbrit.fr/2014/12/23/review-fryars-power/
- ^ https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/the-king-of-anxiety-ep/id940217699
- ^ http://www.discogs.com/artist/392955-Luke-Smith-3
- ^ http://www.lsmth.com/
- ^ http://www.lsmth.com/
- ^ http://drownedinsound.com/community/boards/music/832284
- ^ http://www.moopy.org.uk/forums/showthread.php?33371-Clor-split-up
- ^ http://drownedinsound.com/community/boards/music/832284
- ^ http://www.moopy.org.uk/forums/showthread.php?33371-Clor-split-up
- ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZa-It1vcbk
- ^ https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/perfume/id279815173
- ^ http://www.discogs.com/Tom-Vek-Nothing-But-Green-Lights/release/553825
- ^ http://www.last.fm/music/Tom+Vek/_/Nothing+But+Green+Lights+(Clor+Remix)
- ^ http://www.discogs.com/Envelopes-Sister-In-Love-Re-Mixes/release/1263419
- ^ http://www.last.fm/music/Envelopes/_/Sister+In+Love+(Clor+Remix)
- ^ http://www.discogs.com/Maccabees-Precious-Time-X-Ray/release/1434513
- ^ http://www.last.fm/music/The+Maccabees/_/X-ray+(Luke+Smith+Remix)
- ^ http://www.dmcworld.net/reviews/entry/leftfield/the-maccabees-precious-time--x-ray-vision-remixes-5134.html
- ^ http://www.discogs.com/Charlotte-Hatherley-Behave/master/602374
- ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FV62YO_NV3Q
- ^ http://www.discogs.com/Shitdisco-Reactor-Party/release/1511364
- ^ http://www.last.fm/music/Shitdisco/_/Reactor+Party+(Luke+Smith+MPC+Remix)
- ^ http://www.residentadvisor.net/news.aspx?id=8808
- ^ http://www.discogs.com/frYars-The-Perfidy-EP/release/2744565
- ^ http://drownedinsound.com/news/2887003
- ^ http://www.last.fm/music/Depeche+Mode/_/Miles+Away+%2F+The+Truth+Is+(Lagos+Boys+Choir+Remix)
- ^ http://www.last.fm/music/La+Roux/_/Bulletproof+(Lagos+Boys+Choir+Remix)
- ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8392665.stm
- ^ http://www.nme.com/news/various-artists/52132
- ^ http://www.nme.com/news/foals/55121