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John Metcalfe (born 6 August 1964 [1] ) is a British-based composer, arranger and violist, member of the Duke Quartet and a former member of the band The Durutti Column.
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John Metcalfe (born 6 August 1964 [1] ) is a British-based composer, arranger and violist, member of the Duke Quartet and a former member of the band The Durutti Column.
Metcalfe was born in New Zealand and moved to the United Kingdom as a child. [1] Metcalfe studied viola at the Royal Northern College of Music and later at the Hochschule in Berlin.[ clarification needed ] During this period he joined Vini Reilly in The Durutti Column. [2]
Metcalfe's unique style is a result of his extensive experience in classical, pop and electronica. As violist with the Duke Quartet he released many CDs and toured worldwide. Metcalfe's string arrangements played by the Dukes feature on many albums by pop artists including Morrissey, Simple Minds, The Pretenders, Coldplay and Blur.
Metcalfe was instrumental in the formation of the record label Factory Classical, an offshoot of Tony Wilson's Factory Records. He released an album of his own, The Inner Line, to positive reviews. In 2004, another album, Scorching Bay, was released, followed by A Darker Sunset in 2008. The Appearance of Colour was released in April 2013 as part of Bowers and Wilkins Society of Sound subscription series. [3]
Commissions include a set of pieces for the guitarist Tom Kerstens and an album of electronic/acoustic music for 'cellist Matthew Barley. His music has also been used by various contemporary dance companies.
He also collaborated with Peter Gabriel, writing arrangements for his "song-swap" album, Scratch My Back , and for the tour following it. [4] For New Blood (2011), which he co-produced with Gabriel, he arranged and orchestrated versions of Gabriel's songs. He and Gabriel continued collaborating on Gabriel's album i/o , released on 1 December 2023.
In 2015, Metcalfe released a solo album titled Kites and Echos on Bowers & Wilkins Society of Sound and The Appearance of Colour on Real World Records. [5] [6]
Peter Brian Gabriel is an English singer, songwriter and human rights activist. He was the original lead singer of the progressive rock band Genesis. After leaving the band in 1975, he launched a solo career with "Solsbury Hill" as his first single. His fifth studio album, So (1986), is his best-selling release and is certified triple platinum in the UK and five times platinum in the US. The album's most successful single, "Sledgehammer", won a record nine MTV Awards at the 1987 MTV Video Music Awards and, according to a report in 2011, it was MTV's most played music video of all time.
Factory Records was a Manchester-based British independent record label founded in 1978 by Tony Wilson and Alan Erasmus.
The Durutti Column are an English post-punk band formed in 1978 in Manchester, England. The band is a project of guitarist and occasional pianist Vini Reilly who is often accompanied by Bruce Mitchell on drums and Keir Stewart on bass, keyboards and harmonica. They were among the first acts signed to Factory Records by label founder Tony Wilson.
James Martin Hannett was a British record producer, musician and an original partner/director at Tony Wilson's Factory Records. Hannett produced music by artists including Joy Division, the Durutti Column, Magazine, John Cooper Clarke, New Order, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark and Happy Mondays. His distinctive production style embraced atmospheric sounds and electronics.
Gerald Rydel Simpson, better known as A Guy Called Gerald, is a British record producer and musician. He was an early member of the electronic group 808 State, contributing to their debut LP Newbuild (1988) and hit single "Pacific State" (1989). He also achieved solo success with his 1988 hit single "Voodoo Ray", which became a touchstone of Manchester's acid house scene and reached No. 12 in the UK charts. He embraced breakbeat production in the 1990s, with his 1995 album Black Secret Technology becoming a "much-touted candidate for 'best jungle album ever.'" He also ran the London-based independent record label Juice Box Records from 1991 to 1998.
Cara Elizabeth Dillon is a Northern Irish folk singer. In 1995, she joined the folk supergroup Equation and signed a record deal with Warners Music Group. After leaving the group, she collaborated with Sam Lakeman under the name Polar Star. In 2001, she released her first solo album, Cara Dillon, which featured traditional songs and two original Dillon/Lakeman compositions. The album was an unexpected hit in the folk world, with Dillon receiving four nominations at the 2002 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards.
Tom Kerstens is a Dutch classical guitarist active in the UK.
Bowers & Wilkins, commonly known as B&W, is a British company that produces consumer and professional loudspeakers and headphones. The company was founded in 1966 in Worthing, West Sussex, England. In October 2020, it was acquired by Sound United, a holding company who owns several other audio brands.
The Mothmen were a short-lived post-punk band from England, formed around 1979 by Dave Rowbotham, Chris Joyce and Tony Bowers, shortly after they left The Durutti Column, including ex-Alberto Y Lost Trios Paranoias singer Bob Harding.
Day One is an English band from Bristol, formed in 1998, and consisting of Phelim Byrne and Matthew Hardwidge. The band was originally signed to Virgin/Melancolik, the record label started by Massive Attack. Their début album, Ordinary Man, was released in 2000. Music from the LP was used in film soundtracks such as Cruel Intentions, The Big Tease and TV productions such as Six Feet Under, Trigger Happy TV and advertising campaigns including Adidas and Caterpillar.
Gabriel Kahane is an American composer and singer-songwriter.
Quartet San Francisco is a non-traditional and eclectic string quartet led by violinist Jeremy Cohen. The group played their first concert in 2001 and has recorded five albums. Playing a wide range of music genres including jazz, blues, tango, swing, funk, and pop, the group challenges the traditional classical music foundation of the string quartet.
New Blood is the ninth studio album by the English rock musician Peter Gabriel, released on 10 October 2011. The album consists of orchestral re-recordings of various tracks from Gabriel's career.
Madam is a five-piece London based band, fronted by Sukie Smith. Their music is often described as possessing a smoky, nocturnal quality with a pop sensibility that has led to comparisons to artists such as Portishead, The Velvet Underground, PJ Harvey and Cat Power, as well as more mainstream artists such as Goldfrapp and Fleetwood Mac.
Live Blood is the third live album by the English rock musician Peter Gabriel. Recorded at the HMV Hammersmith Apollo, London on 23 and 24 March 2011, the concert featured Gabriel singing with the New Blood Orchestra and vocalists Ane Brun, Melanie Gabriel, Sevara Nazarkhan and Tom Cawley.
All the Ghosts, the fifth album by British singer-songwriter Gwyneth Herbert, was released by Naim Edge in the United Kingdom in 2009 and in the United States in 2010. It was critically acclaimed, and received four-starred reviews from The Daily Telegraph, The Guardian and Metro.
Ten Lives, the fourth album by British singer-songwriter and jazz musician Gwyneth Herbert, was released on 1 July 2008.
David John Sydney Rhodes is an English guitarist, singer, songwriter and long-time collaborator of Peter Gabriel. He was the guitarist and vocalist for the British rock band Random Hold from 1979 to 1982, and has been the principal studio and touring guitarist for Gabriel since 1980. Rhodes has released two solo albums.
Without Mercy is the fourth studio album by English band The Durutti Column, released in October 1984 on Factory Records. After the band and label boss Tony Wilson were unanimous in their dislike of Another Setting (1983), Wilson pushed the band towards progressing to a new, classical-inspired sound. The band went on to record Short Stories for Pauline, which went unreleased when Wilson refused to release it, though one track, "Little Mercy", kept Wilson's attention. He asked the band to use it as the foundation for a different album, ultimately becoming Without Mercy.
Timothy Ridout is a British violist and 1st Prizewinner of the prestigious Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition.
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