Ashley Beedle
Encyclopedia
Ashley Beedle is a British music
DJ, producer and remixer. People often confuse him for being of Asian origin, but his ethnicity is partly Barbadian
.
Beedle first began DJing in the early 1980s but first began making a name for himself during the heyday of acid house
. After hearing Norman Jay
on KISS FM
(a pirate radio
station), he became more interested in deep disco
. In the early 1990s, he teamed up with Rob Mello and John Howard
to form the first incarnation of the Black Science Orchestra
, who released several classic club hits in the 1990s ( "Where Were You?", "Strong", Philadelphia and the "New Jersey Deep").
While working with the Black Science Orchestra (whose debut full-length arrived late in 1994), Beedle also started a project with Dave Hill
, Uschi Classen and Rocky & Diesel, known as The Ballistic Brothers. The resulting LP, 1995's London Hooligan Soul, was a major dance music hit.
Running in tandem with this was X-Press 2
which consisted of Beedle, Rocky and Diesel who had club and chart action through the nineties and noughties with tracks such as Muzik Xpress, London Xpress and a number 2 in the national charts with Talking Heads David Byrne with the track Lazy. X-Press 2 also released two albums, Muzikisum and Makeshift Feelgood.
The Ballistic Brothers returned in 1997 with a second full-length, Rude System, and alongside them Beedle released two solo EP
s.
Beedle continues to remix and produce acts through the 2000s, and headed the labels Soundboy Entertainment, Afroart, and Ill Sun. He now runs the label Out Hear Audio which showcases his own productions.
In 2005, Beedle remixed Bob Marley
's "Get Up, Stand Up
" to create a mashup with Damian "Junior Gong" Marley's "Welcome to Jamrock
" for the Bob Marley
compilation album, Africa Unite: The Singles Collection, released in the United States on November 8, 2005. The Beedle remix is titled, "Stand Up Jamrock (Ashley Beedle Remix)."
Ashley has also released an album on Strut/K7 with legendary singer Horace Andy
in the Inspiration Information series and will be releasing a new album in 2010 on K7 called Mavis.
Beedle is referenced in the Daft Punk
song "Teachers."
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
DJ, producer and remixer. People often confuse him for being of Asian origin, but his ethnicity is partly Barbadian
Barbadian British
Barbadian British people, or Bajan-Brits are citizens or residents of the United Kingdom whose ethnic origins lie fully or partially in the Caribbean island of Barbados...
.
Beedle first began DJing in the early 1980s but first began making a name for himself during the heyday of acid house
Acid house
Acid house is a sub-genre of house music that emphasizes a repetitive, hypnotic and trance-like style, often with samples or spoken lines rather than sung lyrics. Acid house's core electronic squelch sounds were developed around the mid-1980s, particularly by DJs from Chicago who experimented with...
. After hearing Norman Jay
Norman Jay
Norman Jay MBE is an innovative and pioneering British DJ. He first came to prominence playing unlicensed or 'warehouse' parties in the early 1980s, such as Shake 'n' Fingerpop. His diverse and deep musical knowledge and his refusal to be restricted to playing from any single genre distinguishes...
on KISS FM
Kiss 100 London
Kiss is a UK radio station broadcasting on FM and Digital Radio, specialising in hip hop, R&B, urban and electronic dance music. It also broadcasts on DAB Digital Radio around the UK & nationally on Freeview, Sky and TalkTalk TV...
(a pirate radio
Pirate radio
Pirate radio is illegal or unregulated radio transmission. The term is most commonly used to describe illegal broadcasting for entertainment or political purposes, but is also sometimes used for illegal two-way radio operation...
station), he became more interested in deep disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
. In the early 1990s, he teamed up with Rob Mello and John Howard
John Howard
John Winston Howard AC, SSI, was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia, from 11 March 1996 to 3 December 2007. He was the second-longest serving Australian Prime Minister after Sir Robert Menzies....
to form the first incarnation of the Black Science Orchestra
Black Science Orchestra
Black Science Orchestra was a musical project headed chiefly by the British DJ and producer Ashley Beedle, which produced a number of disco and rare groove-inspired house records in the 1990s.-History:...
, who released several classic club hits in the 1990s ( "Where Were You?", "Strong", Philadelphia and the "New Jersey Deep").
While working with the Black Science Orchestra (whose debut full-length arrived late in 1994), Beedle also started a project with Dave Hill
Dave Hill
Dave Hill is an English musician, who is the lead guitarist and backing vocalist in the English glam rock group, Slade. The music journalist, Stuart Maconie, commented "he usually wore a jumpsuit made of the foil that you baste your turkeys in and platforms of oil-rig-derrick height...
, Uschi Classen and Rocky & Diesel, known as The Ballistic Brothers. The resulting LP, 1995's London Hooligan Soul, was a major dance music hit.
Running in tandem with this was X-Press 2
X-Press 2
X-Press 2 is an English electronic and dance music duo. The members are DJ Diesel and DJ Rocky . Ashley Beedle left to pursue solo projects in 2009.-History:...
which consisted of Beedle, Rocky and Diesel who had club and chart action through the nineties and noughties with tracks such as Muzik Xpress, London Xpress and a number 2 in the national charts with Talking Heads David Byrne with the track Lazy. X-Press 2 also released two albums, Muzikisum and Makeshift Feelgood.
The Ballistic Brothers returned in 1997 with a second full-length, Rude System, and alongside them Beedle released two solo 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...
s.
Beedle continues to remix and produce acts through the 2000s, and headed the labels Soundboy Entertainment, Afroart, and Ill Sun. He now runs the label Out Hear Audio which showcases his own productions.
In 2005, Beedle remixed Bob Marley
Bob Marley
Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae band Bob Marley & The Wailers...
's "Get Up, Stand Up
Get Up, Stand Up
"Get Up, Stand Up" is a reggae song written by Bob Marley and Peter Tosh.The song originally appeared on The Wailers' 1973 album Burnin. It was recorded and played live in numerous versions by The Wailers and Bob Marley & The Wailers, along with solo versions by Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer...
" to create a mashup with Damian "Junior Gong" Marley's "Welcome to Jamrock
Welcome to Jamrock (single)
"Welcome to Jamrock" is the first single from Damian Marley's album of the same name.The song was listed at #270 on Pitchfork Media's "Top 500 songs of the 2000's".-Background:...
" for the Bob Marley
Bob Marley
Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae band Bob Marley & The Wailers...
compilation album, Africa Unite: The Singles Collection, released in the United States on November 8, 2005. The Beedle remix is titled, "Stand Up Jamrock (Ashley Beedle Remix)."
Ashley has also released an album on Strut/K7 with legendary singer Horace Andy
Horace Andy
Horace Andy is a roots reggae songwriter and singer, known for his distinctive vocals and hit songs such as "Government Land", "Angel", "Five Man Army" and a cover version of "Ain't No Sunshine"....
in the Inspiration Information series and will be releasing a new album in 2010 on K7 called Mavis.
Beedle is referenced in the Daft Punk
Daft Punk
Daft Punk are an electronic music duo consisting of French musicians Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter . Daft Punk reached significant popularity in the late 1990s house movement in France and met with continued success in the years following, combining elements of house with synthpop...
song "Teachers."