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Mark Ralph (record producer)

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Mark Ralph
Birth nameMark Ralph
Born (1974-05-02) 2 May 1974 (age 50)
Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England
GenresPop, electronic, reggae fusion, rock
Occupation(s)Record producer, songwriter, musician, remixer
Years active1992–present

Mark Ralph (born 2 May 1974) is a British record producer,[1][2] mixer and songwriter.[3] Spanning a wide range of genres, he is known for his contributuions to records from artists including Years & Years,[4] Jax Jones,[5] Clean Bandit,[4] Aitch,[6] Georgia,[7] Sub Focus,[8] Rudimental,[9] Plan B,[10] the Snuts, Gryffin, Zara Larsson,[11] George Fitzgerald, Tom Walker,[12] Eats Everything, A1 x J1, DJ Regard, Sam Ryder,[13] Jess Glynne, Becky Hill, Rag'n'Bone Man[14] and more.[5]

As of December 2022, Ralph has 12 number one records across the UK Singles and Albums Charts,[10] and was the inaugural recipient of the Producer of the Year award at the 2016 A&R Awards,[15] for which he has been nominated a total of five times, most recently in 2022.[10]

Career

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Early career

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Born in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England,[16] Ralph started his career at the age of 18 as a session guitarist, playing and recording with a long list of artists including Pet Shop Boys, Ringo Starr, Sly & Robbie, Screaming Lord Sutch, Edwyn Collins, Gwen Stefani, Ronnie Wood, and Roy Ayers.[17]

Having collaborated with artists across a wide range of genres, Ralph had a desire to cross into the world of music production, with his first producer cut coming as a member of the critically acclaimed electronic trio the Filthy Dukes.[18] Releasing their only album Nonsense in the Dark in 2009, Ralph, as a member of Filthy Dukes, remixed the likes of Bloc Party, Florence and the Machine, the Temper Trap, Lady Gaga and Passion Pit, allowing him to develop an understanding of various sounds and genres.[19]

2010–2019

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In 2010, Ralph continued his move into music production, producing and mixing chart albums for artists including Hot Chip, Franz Ferdinand and Hot Natured.[20]

Ralph continued to develop his production style across multiple genres throughout the 2010s. In 2014, he began his extensive creative relationship with Years & Years, co-producing their single "Desire" alongside Two Inch Punch. His production and songwriting work on the band's single "King" saw him secure his first UK number one single in 2015 as well as an Ivor Novello Award nomination for "PRS Most Performed Work".[3]

Ralph's relationship with Years & Years continued into 2015 with the release of their debut album Communion,[21] with production credits across the record including the number 2 single "Shine" and top-20 single "Eyes Shut".[22] Communion hit the top of the charts in 13 countries, including number one on the UK Albums Chart.[23]

In 2016, Ralph cemented his position in the world of dance music through collaborations with artists including Clean Bandit, Pete Tong[24][25] and TIEKS.[26] He co-produced and mixed Clean Bandit's international hit single "Rockabye", which spent nine weeks at number one on the UK Singles Chart and received nominations for both Best British Single and British Artist Video of the Year at the 2017 BRIT Awards.[27]

Ralph's work with Pete Tong saw him collaborate with a 60-piece contemporary orchestra to create an album of dance music classics, which was released to critical acclaim in November 2016.[28] The album was Pete Tong's first release to hit the top spot on the UK Albums Chart.[29]

Ralph worked on three of the UK Official Charts' Top 40 Biggest Songs of 2017, with both Clean Bandit's "Symphony" and Jax Jones' "You Don't Know Me" making the top ten. Clean Bandit's "Rockabye" reached number 23 in the year-long chart.[30][31]

Off the back of his success in the mid-2010s, Ralph's involvement in British recorded music continued to increase into 2018. He produced Rudimental's UK number one single "These Days" featuring Jess Glynne, Macklemore and Dan Caplen,[32] as well as Friendly Fires' "Heaven Let Me In", and Raye's "Friends". In November of the same year, Ralph wrote, produced and mixed the Jax Jones and Years & Years single "Play".

2020–present

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In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ralph based himself within his studio complex Club Ralph to continue working on music remotely. His musical output increased as a result, with multiple critically acclaimed releases hitting shelves throughout the course of the year.

Since 2020, Ralph has worked with a wide range of acts, including Aitch,[6] Tom Grennan,[33] Georgia,[7] 220 Kid, Clean Bandit,[4] Years & Years,[4] Jax Jones, Bad Boy Chiller Crew, Eats Everything, George Fitzgerald, Zara Larsson, the Snuts, Sub Focus, Becky Hill, Sam Ryder, Rita Ora, Kawala, Sea Girls, Sigala, James Arthur and more across production, songwriting and mixing.

Further collaborations in recent years include 220 Kid & Gracey's "Don't Need Love" which received a BRIT Award Nomination for Best British Single, "Starstruck" by Years & Years featuring Kylie Minogue, "Where Did You Go" by Jax Jones and MNEK, a global hit,[34] and Sam Ryder's "Spaceman", which was performed at the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest, coming second to Ukraine.

Ralph worked on Shania Twain's 2023 album Queen of Me, which was also number one on the UK Albums Chart.[35]

Club Ralph

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Club Ralph is a recording studio complex with five studios under one roof in West London. The complex has a focus on developing new talent, producers and songwriters under Ralph's supervision.[2]

Ralph, and in turn Club Ralph, is fully certified to work in spatial audio through Dolby Atmos. Recent work with Atmos includes Years & Years' "Outside", "Montero" and "100% Pure Love".

Awards

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  • A&R Awards 2016 - Producer of the Year - won[36]
  • A&R Awards 2017 - Producer of the Year - nominated[37]
  • A&R Awards 2018 - Producer of the Year - nominated[38]
  • A&R Awards 2019 - Producer of the Year - nominated[39]
  • A&R Awards 2022 - Producer of the Year - nominated[10]
  • Ivor Novello - PRS Most Performed Work - ‘King - Years & Years’ - nominated[20]

Discography

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Main article: Mark Ralph production discography

Remixes

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Remixes

As guitarist

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Guitar credits

[19]

References

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  1. ^ Lambert, Samuel (21 March 2014). "In the Studio with: Mark Ralph". DJ Mag.
  2. ^ a b "Mark Ralph renovates vacant Beethoven Street". Psneurope.com.
  3. ^ a b "Nominations announced for the Ivor Novello Awards 2016". PRS for Music (Press release).
  4. ^ a b c d "Communion - Years & Years - Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic.
  5. ^ a b "Mark Ralph | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  6. ^ a b Rasmin - @sjrasmin, Sam (20 May 2022). "NEW: Aitch - 1989 - Prod by. WhyJay & Mark Ralph - Directed by. Kelvin Jones - #CloseToHome". CGuk2.0. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  7. ^ a b "TN:51 Georgia & Mark Ralph reveal how 'Seeking Thrills' was recorded and produced". Tape Notes. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  8. ^ Sub Focus Feat. Alma - Don't You Feel It, retrieved 18 December 2022
  9. ^ "Sony/ATV extends global deal with British songwriter and producer Mark Ralph". Music Business Worldwide. 8 December 2020. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  10. ^ a b c d "The A&R Awards: Producer of The Year - Mark Ralph". Abbey Road. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  11. ^ "Record of the Day - In tune. Informed. Indispensable". www.recordoftheday.com. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  12. ^ "TN:35 Friendly Fires & producer Mark Ralph reveal how Inflorescent was recorded and produced". Tape Notes. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  13. ^ Sam Ryder - Space Man, retrieved 18 December 2022
  14. ^ "Human - Rag 'n' Bone Man - Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic.
  15. ^ "The A&R Awards: All The Winners From The Big Night - NHAM". Notting Hill Academy Of Music. 4 November 2016. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  16. ^ "findmypast.co.uk". Search.findmypast.co.uk.
  17. ^ "IN THE STUDIO WITH: MARK RALPH". DJMag.com. 21 March 2014. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  18. ^ Lester, Paul (9 October 2008). "New band of the day - No 406: Filthy Dukes". The Guardian.
  19. ^ a b "Mark Ralph - Credits". AllMusic.
  20. ^ a b "Production Masterclass with Mark Ralph". ICMP. 7 November 2017. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  21. ^ "YEARS & YEARS TO RELEASE DEBUT ALBUM, COMMUNION, 10 JULY". Umusic.ca.
  22. ^ [1] [dead link‍]
  23. ^ "Years And Years score their first Number One album with debut 'Communion'". NME. 17 July 2015.
  24. ^ "Pete Tong pairs iconic dance tracks with classical music on 'Classic House'". Mixmag.net.
  25. ^ "Mark Ralph". ARTISTdirect.
  26. ^ "Release "Chilled House: Ibiza 2016" by Various Artists". MusicBrainz.org.
  27. ^ "BRIT Awards - British Single 2017 Nominees". Capital.
  28. ^ Shkrobor, Stan (27 April 2018). "NIC FANCIULLI REMIXES 'PROMISED LAND' feat. DISCIPLES". Pete Tong. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  29. ^ Sexton, Paul (26 October 2017). "Pete Tong's Orchestral 'Ibiza Classics' To Follow No. 1 'Classic House'". uDiscover Music. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  30. ^ "Release "Rockabye" by Clean Bandit feat. Sean Paul & Anne‐Marie". MusicBrainz.org.
  31. ^ "Mark Ralph claims three songs in Top 40 biggest songs of 2017 - MACHINE MANAGEMENT". Machinemanagement.co.uk. 8 January 2018.
  32. ^ "Mark Ralph renews deal with Sony/ATV". www.musicweek.com. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  33. ^ "Tom Grennan New Single 'Little Bit Of Love'". Latest Music News + Gig Tickets From Get To The Front - Music News Magazine. 8 January 2021. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  34. ^ Jax Jones Featuring MNEK - Where Did You Go?, retrieved 18 December 2022
  35. ^ Levine, Nick (1 March 2023). "Shania Twain: "I'm probably most proud of not giving up on my voice"". NME. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  36. ^ "Inaugural A&R Awards winners revealed - M Magazine". M-magazine.co.uk. 3 November 2016.
  37. ^ "The A&R Awards 2017". The Music Producers Guild. 2 November 2017. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  38. ^ "The A&R Awards 2018 finalists… revealed!". Music Business Worldwide. 27 September 2018. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  39. ^ "The A&R Awards 2019: The Finalists Revealed!". Music Business Worldwide. 24 September 2019. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
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