Mark Ralph | |
|---|---|
| Born | Mark Ralph (1974-05-02)2 May 1974 (age 51) Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England |
| Genres | Pop,electronic,reggae fusion, rock |
| Occupation(s) | Record producer, songwriter, musician,remixer |
| Years active | 1992–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 includingYears & 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 theUK Singles andAlbums 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]
Born inStoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England,[16] Ralph started his career at the age of 18 as asession guitarist, playing and recording with a long list of artists includingPet Shop Boys,Ringo Starr,Sly & Robbie,Screaming Lord Sutch,Edwyn Collins,Gwen Stefani,Ronnie Wood, andRoy 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 theFilthy Dukes.[18] Releasing their only albumNonsense in the Dark in 2009, Ralph, as a member of Filthy Dukes, remixed the likes ofBloc Party,Florence and the Machine,the Temper Trap,Lady Gaga andPassion Pit, allowing him to develop an understanding of various sounds and genres.[19]
In 2010, Ralph continued his move into music production, producing and mixing chart albums for artists includingHot Chip,Franz Ferdinand andHot Natured.[20]
Ralph continued to develop his production style across multiple genres throughout the 2010s. In 2014, he began his extensive creative relationship withYears & Years, co-producing their single "Desire" alongsideTwo 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 anIvor Novello Award nomination for "PRS Most Performed Work".[3]
Ralph's relationship with Years & Years continued into 2015 with the release of their debut albumCommunion,[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 includingClean Bandit,Pete Tong[24][25] andTIEKS.[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 the2017 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" andJax 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 producedRudimental's UK number one single "These Days" featuringJess Glynne,Macklemore andDan Caplen,[32] as well asFriendly Fires' "Heaven Let Me In", andRaye's "Friends". In November of the same year, Ralph wrote, produced and mixed the Jax Jones and Years & Years single "Play".
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, includingAitch,[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 aBRIT Award Nomination for Best British Single, "Starstruck" by Years & Years featuringKylie Minogue, "Where Did You Go" by Jax Jones andMNEK, a global hit,[34] andSam Ryder's "Spaceman", which was performed at the2022 Eurovision Song Contest, coming second to Ukraine.
Ralph worked onShania Twain's 2023 albumQueen of Me, which was also number one on the UK Albums Chart.[35]
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]
Remixes |
|---|
|
Guitar credits |
|---|
|
