Mike Howlett
Encyclopedia
Mike Howlett is a Fiji
an-born musician
, Grammy Award winning producer
and teacher
based in the United Kingdom
and Australia
.
In the late 1960s Howlett was the bassist
in Sydney
pop band The Affair, which included, vocalist Kerrie Biddell. The group travelled to England
after winning a prize in the Hoadley's Battle of the Sounds
band competition. Howlett settled in London
and in 1973 joined renowned British progressive rock
group Gong
, which had been founded by another Australian expatriate
, Daevid Allen
. He remained with Gong until 1977, recording several albums with them and co-writing much of their material later in this period with drummer Pierre Moerlen
.
After leaving Gong, Howlett formed the short-lived band Strontium 90
, which consisted of himself, Sting, Stewart Copeland
, and Andy Summers
. In addition to being the band's lead bassist and chief songwriter, Howlett performed most of the lead vocals at live performances. The band recorded several demos and played at a Paris Gong reunion concert in May 1977, but disbanded when Summers left to join Copeland and Sting's other project, The Police
. An archival collection of Strontium 90 material was released two decades later as Strontium 90: Police Academy
.
A few months after the breakup of Strontium 90, Howlett served as bassist for the one-off studio band The Radio Actors, which also included Gong bandmate Steve Hillage
on lead guitar and Strontium 90 bandmate Sting(who came to the group by way of Howlett's recommendation) on lead vocals. The band's single, "Nuclear Waste" b/w "Digital Love", was reissued on CD in 1995 with liner notes and three bonus tracks, though none of the bonus tracks involved Howlett.
In the 1980s Howlett became an in-demand producer, with a string of notable credits. He produced many hit singles and albums for leading New Wave music
acts including A Flock of Seagulls
(Grammy winner), Martha & The Muffins, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
, Gang of Four
and Comsat Angels
.
Gong performs occasional reunion gigs around the world, and Howlett usually joins them. In 1993 he launched a record label, Mauve, which released albums by singer-songwriters Rafa Russo, Debbie Cassell and Jay Fisher. From 2005 to 2009 Howlett was chairman of the Music Producers Guild
(MPG).
Howlett was awarded a PhD on the subject of record production in 2009 and has lectured in music technology at several universities, including the University of Glamorgan
(Pontypridd
, Wales
) and Thames Valley University
(Ealing
, England). Since 2009 he has been Head of Music at Queensland University of Technology
in Brisbane
, Australia.
Howlett is married and has three adult children.
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
an-born 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....
, Grammy Award winning producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
and teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
based in the United Kingdom
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...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
In the late 1960s Howlett was the 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...
in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
pop band The Affair, which included, vocalist Kerrie Biddell. The group travelled to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
after winning a prize in the Hoadley's Battle of the Sounds
Hoadley's Battle of the Sounds
Hoadley's Battle of the Sounds was an annual national rock/pop band competition held in Australia from 1966 to 1972.-History:Australia's Battle of the Sounds was originally established by Australian tabloid magazine Everybody’s in 1965 as a talent quest for new unsigned bands in Sydney, Melbourne...
band competition. Howlett settled in London
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...
and in 1973 joined renowned British progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
group Gong
Gong (band)
Gong is a Franco-British progressive/psychedelic rock band formed by Australian musician Daevid Allen. Their music has also been described as space rock. Other notable band members include Allan Holdsworth, Tim Blake, Didier Malherbe, Pip Pyle, Gilli Smyth, Steve Hillage, Francis Moze, Mike Howlett...
, which had been founded by another Australian expatriate
Expatriate
An expatriate is a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country and culture other than that of the person's upbringing...
, Daevid Allen
Daevid Allen
Daevid Allen , sometimes credited as Divided Alien, an Australian poet, guitarist, singer, composer and performance artist is co-founder of psychedelic rock groups Soft Machine and Gong .-Biography:In 1960, inspired by the Beat Generation writers he had discovered...
. He remained with Gong until 1977, recording several albums with them and co-writing much of their material later in this period with drummer Pierre Moerlen
Pierre Moerlen
Pierre Moerlen was a French drummer and percussionist, best known for his work with Gong and Mike Oldfield.-Biography:...
.
After leaving Gong, Howlett formed the short-lived band Strontium 90
Strontium 90 (band)
Strontium 90 was the name of a short-lived 1977 British band with members Mike Howlett , Sting , Stewart Copeland , and Andy Summers...
, which consisted of himself, Sting, Stewart Copeland
Stewart Copeland
Stewart Armstrong Copeland is an American musician, best known as the drummer for the band The Police. During the group's extended hiatus from the mid-1980s to 2007, he played in other bands and composed soundtracks...
, and Andy Summers
Andy Summers
Andy Summers is an English guitarist born in Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire, England. Best known as the guitarist for rock band The Police, he has also recorded twelve solo albums, collaborated with many other artists, toured extensively under his own name, published several books, and composed...
. In addition to being the band's lead bassist and chief songwriter, Howlett performed most of the lead vocals at live performances. The band recorded several demos and played at a Paris Gong reunion concert in May 1977, but disbanded when Summers left to join Copeland and Sting's other project, The Police
The Police
The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For the vast majority of their history, the band consisted of Sting , Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland...
. An archival collection of Strontium 90 material was released two decades later as Strontium 90: Police Academy
Strontium 90: Police Academy
Strontium 90: Police Academy is a music album by Strontium 90, released by Mike Howlett in 1997. This album consists of live tracks recorded at Gong's reunion concert in Paris on 28 May 1977, five studio tracks recorded in London just before the concert, and Sting's solo demo of "Every Little Thing...
.
A few months after the breakup of Strontium 90, Howlett served as bassist for the one-off studio band The Radio Actors, which also included Gong bandmate Steve Hillage
Steve Hillage
Steve Hillage is an English musician, best known as a guitarist. He is associated with the Canterbury scene and has worked in experimental domains since the late 1960s...
on lead guitar and Strontium 90 bandmate Sting(who came to the group by way of Howlett's recommendation) on lead vocals. The band's single, "Nuclear Waste" b/w "Digital Love", was reissued on CD in 1995 with liner notes and three bonus tracks, though none of the bonus tracks involved Howlett.
In the 1980s Howlett became an in-demand producer, with a string of notable credits. He produced many hit singles and albums for leading New Wave music
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
acts including A Flock of Seagulls
A Flock of Seagulls
A Flock of Seagulls are an English New Wave band originally formed by brothers Michael "Mike" Score and Alister "Ali" James Score , with Frank Maudsley , Michael Kuby , H.J...
(Grammy winner), Martha & The Muffins, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark are a synthpop group whose founding members are originally from the Wirral Peninsula, England...
, Gang of Four
Gang of Four (band)
Gang of Four are an English post-punk group from Leeds. Original personnel were singer Jon King, guitarist Andy Gill, bass guitarist Dave Allen and drummer Hugo Burnham. They were fully active from 1977 to 1984, and then re-emerged twice in the 1990s with King and Gill...
and Comsat Angels
Comsat Angels
The Comsat Angels were a post-punk band from Sheffield and Doncaster, England, active from 1978 to 1995. Their music has been described as "abstract pop songs with spare instrumentation, many of which were bleak and filled with some form of heartache." They have been credited as being an influence...
.
Gong performs occasional reunion gigs around the world, and Howlett usually joins them. In 1993 he launched a record label, Mauve, which released albums by singer-songwriters Rafa Russo, Debbie Cassell and Jay Fisher. From 2005 to 2009 Howlett was chairman of the Music Producers Guild
The Music Producers Guild
The Music Producers Guild promotes and represents all individuals in the music production and recording professions. It is a professional organisation that embodies collective and individual creative contributions to the production and recording of all genres of music and media related...
(MPG).
Howlett was awarded a PhD on the subject of record production in 2009 and has lectured in music technology at several universities, including the University of Glamorgan
University of Glamorgan
The University of Glamorgan is a university based in Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales with campuses in Treforest, Glyntaff, Merthyr Tydfil, Tyn y Wern and Cardiff...
(Pontypridd
Pontypridd
Pontypridd is both a community and a principal town of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales and is situated 12 miles/19 km north of the Welsh capital city of Cardiff...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
) and Thames Valley University
Thames Valley University
The University of West London is a public university based in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in Ealing and Brentford, London, and Reading, Berkshire....
(Ealing
Ealing
Ealing is a suburban area of west London, England and the administrative centre of the London Borough of Ealing. It is located west of Charing Cross and around from the City of London. It is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. It was historically a rural village...
, England). Since 2009 he has been Head of Music at Queensland University of Technology
Queensland University of Technology
Queensland University of Technology is an Australian university with an applied emphasis in courses and research. Based in Brisbane, it has 40,000 students, including 6,000 international students, over 4,000 staff members, and an annual budget of more than A$750 million.QUT is marketed as "A...
in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Australia.
Howlett is married and has three adult children.
Production credits
- Fischer-ZFischer-ZFischer-Z were a British rock band formed in 1976 by John Watts and Steve Skolnik at Brunel University. The original line-up consisted of John Watts , David Graham , Steve Skolnik , and Steve Liddle .-History:...
- Word Salad (1979)
- Going Deaf for a LivingGoing Deaf for a LivingGoing Deaf for a Living is a 1980 album by Fischer-Z. This was the second album by Fischer-Z featuring the "classic line-up". The guitar on this album was made more prominent, after their rather keyboard prominent debut. This album, as well the following Red Skies Over Paradise, are considered by...
(1980)
- Martha & The Muffins
- "Insect Love" (1979)
- Metro MusicMetro MusicMetro Music was Martha and the Muffins' first album, released in 1979. It contained the international hit single "Echo Beach", which reached #3 in Canada, #1 in Portugal, #5 in Australia and #10 in the UK charts in March 1980. It also reached #37 in the U.S. on the Club Play Singles chart. ...
(1979) - Trance and DanceTrance and DanceTrance and Dance was Martha and the Muffins' 1980 second album, and like the previous Metro Music was produced by Mike Howlett...
(1980)
- The Teardrop ExplodesThe Teardrop ExplodesThe Teardrop Explodes were an English post-punk/neo-psychedelic band formed in Liverpool in 1978. Best known for their Top Ten UK single "Reward" the group originated as a key band in the emerging Liverpool post-punk scene of the late 1970s, the group also launched the career of group frontman...
- "When I Dream" (1980)
- Orchestral Manoeuvres in the DarkOrchestral Manoeuvres in the DarkOrchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark are a synthpop group whose founding members are originally from the Wirral Peninsula, England...
- "MessagesMessages (OMD song)"Messages" is the third single of the synthpop group Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark . The single has a re-recorded version of the song found on their debut album Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. The single provided OMD with their first top 40 hit in the UK, reaching number 13...
" (1980) - "Enola GayEnola Gay (song)"Enola Gay" is a song by British synthpop band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark . It was written by frontman Andy McCluskey, and appears on the band's second album, Organisation . It was released as a 7" single on 26 September 1980...
" (1980) - "SouvenirSouvenir (song)"Souvenir" is a song written by Paul Humphreys and Martin Cooper of Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark and released as the first single from their 1981 album Architecture & Morality...
" (1981)
- "Messages
- Sniff 'n' the TearsSniff 'n' the TearsSniff 'n' the Tears is a British rock band best known for their 1978 song "Driver's Seat", a hit in many countries . The exception was the UK itself where a problem with EMI's pressing plant meant that the single was not available following the band's appearance on Top of the Pops and it peaked...
- Love/Action (1981)
- Ride Blue Divide (1982)
- Thompson TwinsThompson TwinsThe Thompson Twins were a British pop group that were formed in April 1977 and disbanded in May 1993. They achieved considerable popularity in the mid 1980s, scoring a string of hits in the United Kingdom, the United States and around the globe. The band was named after the two bumbling detectives...
- "Perfect Game" and "Politics" from A Product of ... (Participation)A Product of ... (Participation)A Product of … is the first album by the English pop group Thompson Twins. It was released in June 1981 on the T Records imprint, a label created by the band and distributed through the Fame/EMI label...
(1981)
- "Perfect Game" and "Politics" from A Product of ... (Participation)
- Tears for FearsTears for FearsTears for Fears are an English new wave band formed in the early 1980s by Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith.Founded after the dissolution of their first band, the mod-influenced Graduate, they were initially associated with the New Wave synthesiser bands of the early 1980s but later branched out into...
- "Pale ShelterPale Shelter"Pale Shelter" is a song by the British band Tears for Fears. Written by Roland Orzabal and sung by bassist Curt Smith, it was originally the band's second single release in early 1982 - called at that time "Pale Shelter " - but would not find chart success until a reissue the following year...
" (1982)
- "Pale Shelter
- Gang of FourGang of Four (band)Gang of Four are an English post-punk group from Leeds. Original personnel were singer Jon King, guitarist Andy Gill, bass guitarist Dave Allen and drummer Hugo Burnham. They were fully active from 1977 to 1984, and then re-emerged twice in the 1990s with King and Gill...
- Songs of the FreeSongs of the FreeSongs of the Free is the third studio album by Gang of Four, released in 1982. In 1996, Infinite Zero Archive/American Recordings label issued it on CD, with two bonus tracks, and with a slightly changed song order , and mistitling "I Love a Man in a Uniform" as "I Love a Man in Uniform." EMI...
(1982)
- Songs of the Free
- BlancmangeBlancmange (band)Blancmange are a British synthpop band who came to prominence with a string of hits in the early to mid 1980s.-Biography:Blancmange was formed in Harrow, Middlesex in 1979 by singer Neil Arthur and instrumentalists Stephen Luscombe and Laurence Stevens...
- Happy FamiliesHappy Families (album)Happy Families is the debut album by Blancmange.-Side one:# "I Can't Explain" – 4:00# "Feel Me" – 5:07# "I've Seen the Word" – 3:00# "Wasted" – 4:17# "Living on the Ceiling" – 4:11-Side two:# "Waves" – 4:07# "Kind" – 3:56...
(1982)
- Happy Families
- A Flock of SeagullsA Flock of SeagullsA Flock of Seagulls are an English New Wave band originally formed by brothers Michael "Mike" Score and Alister "Ali" James Score , with Frank Maudsley , Michael Kuby , H.J...
- A Flock of SeagullsA Flock of Seagulls (album)A Flock of Seagulls is the eponymous debut album by the Liverpudlian New Wave band A Flock of Seagulls. It was released in 1982 on Jive , and featured the international hit single "I Ran ," which reached the Top 10 in the U.S. and New Zealand, as well as #1 in Australia. The song "Space Age Love...
(1982) - Listen (1983)
- The Story of a Young HeartThe Story of a Young HeartThe Story of a Young Heart is the third album by A Flock of Seagulls, released in 1984. It was the last to feature the entire original lineup as Paul Reynolds left shortly after the album's release.The album was reissued in 2008 by Cherry Red Records with bonus tracks.-Track listing:# "The Story...
(1984)
- A Flock of Seagulls
- Hunters & CollectorsHunters & CollectorsHunters & Collectors were an Australian rock music band formed in Melbourne in 1981, fronted by singer-songwriter and guitarist Mark Seymour, they developed a blend of pub rock and art-funk...
- Hunters & Collectors (1982)
- Payload (EP, 1982)
- Comsat AngelsComsat AngelsThe Comsat Angels were a post-punk band from Sheffield and Doncaster, England, active from 1978 to 1995. Their music has been described as "abstract pop songs with spare instrumentation, many of which were bleak and filled with some form of heartache." They have been credited as being an influence...
- LandLand (Comsat Angels album)Land was released in 1983 on Jive Records. It was The Comsat Angels' fourth album. The album was reissued on CD with 5 b-sides as bonus tracks in 2001 for Jive's Connoisseur Collection....
(1983) - 7 Day Weekend (1985, not all songs)
- Land
- China CrisisChina CrisisChina Crisis is an English pop/rock band. They were formed in 1979 in Kirkby, near Liverpool, Merseyside with a core of vocalist/keyboardist Gary Daly and guitarist Eddie Lundon...
- Working with Fire and Steel – Possible Pop Songs Volume Two (1983)
- John FoxxJohn FoxxJohn Foxx is an English singer, artist, photographer and teacher. He was the original lead singer of the band Ultravox before being replaced by Midge Ure, when he left to embark on a solo career in 1979...
- "Twilight's Last Gleaming" from The Golden SectionThe Golden SectionThe Golden Section is a 1983 album by English musician John Foxx. A progression from the sound of The Garden , Foxx called The Golden Section "a roots check: Beatles, Church music, Psychedelia, The Shadows, The Floyd, The Velvets, Roy Orbison, Kraftwerk, and cheap pre-electro Europop".The album was...
(1983)
- "Twilight's Last Gleaming" from The Golden Section
- BerlinBerlin (band)Berlin is an American New Wave/Synthpop band. The group was formed in Los Angeles in 1978 by John Crawford . The band contained Crawford, Terri Nunn , David Diamond , Ric Olsen , Matt Reid and Rod Learned . Learned left during the first EU tour and was replaced by Rob Brill...
- Love Life (1984, not all songs)
- Joan ArmatradingJoan ArmatradingJoan Anita Barbara Armatrading, MBE is a British singer, songwriter and guitarist. Armatrading is a three-time Grammy Award-nominee and has been nominated twice for BRIT Awards as Best Female Artist...
- Secret Secrets (1985)
- The AlarmThe AlarmThe Alarm are an alternative rock band that emerged from North Wales in the late 1970s. They started as a mod band and stayed together for over ten years. As a rock band, they displayed marked influences from Welsh language and culture...
- StrengthStrength (The Alarm album)Strength is the second studio album from The Alarm. It was released in 1985 on IRS Records. The single "Strength" was released before the album, reaching No.40 in the UK singles chart. This was followed after the album release by "Spirit of '76", which reached No.22 and saw the band on Top of the...
(1985)
- Strength
External links
- Official website
- 1997 interview on Calyx: the Canterbury website
- Biography on Calyx: the Canterbury website
- Mike Howlett discography at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...