Chris Hughes Shift CD

Antmusic to Phase music

As a former member of Adam & The Ants and one of the most distinctive and successful pop producers of the last decade, his recording of a series of Steve Reich compositions might seem surprising, even improbable. On the contrary, Shift CD is a work that has been gestating for many years and possesses an inner logic of its own.

Chris' multi-faceted career began in the late 70s with his production of the Dalek I's groundbreaking Compass Kum'pas , one of the first albums to realise the full potential of a marriage between pop and electronic rhythms.

In a roundabout way this led to his joining Adam & The Ants where, at the height of their success, he was involved as both drummer and producer. He was instrumental in forging the band's distinctive drum sound, which propelled records like Dog Eat Dog and Antmusic to the upper reaches of the UK chart and made the Ants one of the most successful bands of their era.

Chris' unique production style was equally acclaimed, resulting in him being voted 1981's Album Producer Of The Year by Music Week for his work on the best-selling Kings of the Wild Frontier .

After leaving the ants in 1982, Chris concentrated his energies on production. Consequently, his list of successes over the intervening years is huge...

Aside from two hugely successful Tears For Fears albums The Hurting and Songs From The Big Chair. Chris has an impressive CV which includes work with Paul McCartney (tracks on the number one album Flowers In The Dirt), Ric Ocasek (This Side of Paradise), Wang Chung (Dancehall Days, top 20 single), Red Box (Lean On Me, top 3 single), Robert Plant (Fate Of Nations ) and various Howard Jones and Propaganda releases.

While all this has made Chris Hughes one of the most respected and sought-after producers on the block, his own attitude to the art of production has remained coolly unaffected.

"The role of the modern day producer is fair loathsome," he explains. "On the one hand there are great records where the greatness lies in the production, and on the other hand there are great songs or great performances that produce themselves. 'Production' seems to spend too much time pissing about in the middle."