Andy Stott
The Manchester producer whose 2012 album Luxury Problems, built around vocals by his former piano teacher, opens with "Numb".
From dub techno to Modern Love
Andy Stott is a British electronic musician and producer from Manchester, active since 2005, with Modern Love, the label run by Shlom Sviri, as his main home. He also records as Andrea, and with Miles Whittaker, who also records as MLZ and one half of Demdike Stare, as Millie and Andrea, on Modern Love's sublabel Daphne. Stereogum reports that he worked about 18 years as a car refinisher at a Mercedes shop before quitting to make music full time; Textura says fourteen, and we could not resolve the difference.
The early records were EPs, Replace and Demon in the Attic (2005) and a single, "Ceramics", then a debut album, Merciless, in 2006, and more EPs through 2008. In 2011 the EPs Passed Me By and We Stay Together moved him from dub techno toward a much more bass-heavy sound. He also remixed Holy Other's "Know Where" (2011), the Hundred in the Hands (2012), Blondes (2012), Panda Bear's "Boys Latin" (2015) and Martin Gore's "Europa Hymn" (2015).
Luxury Problems and after
Luxury Problems came out on Modern Love in November 2012 and took him, in Stereogum's words, from the club circuit into galleries and museums. It reached 24 on the US Dance/Electronic chart. Faith in Strangers followed on November 18, 2014 (18 on the same chart); for it he rebuilt his setup around analog gear, and Sviri suggested a loop-based way of working. "Science and Industry" uses a steam-engine piston recorded at the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester, and Alison Skidmore sings on the title track. Millie and Andrea's Drop the Vowels came out in March 2014. Too Many Voices (2016, 11 on the Dance/Electronic chart), the It Should Be Us EP (2019) and Never the Right Time (2021) followed.
Stereogum hears his influence in Overmono, Forest Drive West, Daniel Avery, oOoOO and Clams Casino, and critics compare his melodic structure to Cocteau Twins and Dead Can Dance. Setlist.fm lists 86 setlists and 109 attendances, busiest in 2013 (16) and 2014 (14), with Berghain in Berlin, the Empty Bottle in Chicago, Hotel Forum in Krakow and Zukunft in Zurich the top venues.
Albums
- Luxury Problems 2012 · Modern Love
His third album: eight tracks built around a cappella vocals sent by email from his former piano teacher, Alison Skidmore.
Songs
- Numb Luxury Problems · 2012
The opening track of Luxury Problems, Stott's production around a reverb-heavy vocal by Alison Skidmore.
Sources
- Andy Stott, Wikipedia
- Human Feeling: Andy Stott interview, Treble (2014-11)
- Luxury Problems turns 10, Stereogum (2022-10-28)
- Luxury Problems (Andy Stott album), Wikipedia