Andy C
 | This article contains wording that promotes the subject in a subjective manner without imparting real information. (July 2025) |
Andy C | |
|---|---|
.jpg?lang=en) Clarke in 2011 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Andrew Michael Clarke[1] |
| Also known as | The Executioner |
| Born | 7 April 1976[2] Walsall West midland |
| Genres | Drum and bass |
| Occupations | |
| Years active | 1991–present |
| Labels | |
| Website | www |
Andrew Michael Clarke (born 7 April 1976) is an English DJ, record producer, and is the co-founder of RAM Records, a label in the drum and bass genre.[5]
Music career
[edit]Early years
[edit]Andy C originally found success from the "Valley of the Shadows" track. It was created and released by Origin Unknown (made up of Andy C and Ant Miles) and is sometimes referred to as "31 Seconds" or "Long Dark Tunnel" because of the samples it incorporates. The song made use of a heavy bassline, bell samples and a rolling drum. The track was released as an EP in 1993[6] and has been remixed and re-released several times.
In 2001, he collaborated with Shimon on the single "Body Rock", which reached number 28 on the UK Singles Chart in January 2002. The single had a mixed reception from fans citing its unusual sound, utilizing a swinging rhythm and "clownish" synthesizer leads. This led to the pejorative term "clownstep" being used to describe similar tracks following its release.[citation needed]
Andy C has continued to produce records released on his label RAM Records throughout the duration of his career. Ram Records has signed other artists as well, including Chase & Status, Loadstar, Sub Focus and Wilkinson. Andy has had headline acts and their own stage at major events including Creamfields, Global Gathering, The Sunbeat Festival and The Electric Daisy Carnival.[7]
2010–2014
[edit]Andy C won the Best DJ title in the 2011 Drum & Bass Arena Awards,[8] and since the awards' inception in 2009, he has won the people's vote in the awards for Best DJ each year.[9] In January 2011, Andy appeared on the Mixmag UK survey list at 4th out of 35 other nominations.[10] He is the only DJ, to receive an excess of 20 annual 'Best DJ' titles in any genre.[2]
In 2012 Andy C launched a new concept – Andy C Alive, where he uses custom made software and settings to mix both audio and create the light and laser visuals used in his shows. Andy C has had bookings at SXSW in Texas, Beyond Wonderland in California, Vooruit in Gent Belgium, and Melkweg in Amsterdam, as well as Brixton Academy and Cambridge Junction.[11]
Andy C played for events run by LTJ Bukem's Good Looking Records, Goldie's Metalheadz, JungleMania, and Desire 2000AD. DMC World DJ Championships Hall of Fame Inductee DJ Craze retains that Andy C is his favorite drum and bass DJ.[12]
On 3 November 2013 he released a promotional double A-side single "Haunting / Workout". It entered the UK Singles Chart at number 188. His next single, "Heartbeat Loud" (with Fiora), was released in November 2014 and entered the UK Singles Chart at number 50.
2015–present
[edit]Andy C released the Singles 'New Era' and 'What Bass?' in 2016 and 2017 respectively. Throughout 2017 he performed at many major festivals.[13]
In 2018 Andy C sold out Wembley Arena in three days, becoming the first Drum and Bass artist to do so.[14][15]
In 2019, Andy C released the singles 'Till Dawn' [16] (which had been featured in his sets since 2015) and 'Back & Forth'.[17]
Awards and nominations
[edit]Andy C ranked #61 in DJ Magazine's 2010 Top 100 DJs annual poll announced 27 October 2010.[18]
On 1 December 2011 Andy C won the Best DJ title in the 2011 Drum and Bass Arena Awards.[8]
On 29 November 2013, Andy C won Ambassador of Bass Music in the 2013 Bass Music Awards, and his label Ram Records was nominated for Best Label.[19]
In 2019, Andy C won the 'DJ Mag Top 100 DJs - Highest Drum and Bass Award', climbing 11 positions on the previous year to no.79.[20]
Musical style and influence
[edit]Andy C specializes in fast mixing, often employing three analogue turntables.[21][22][23] His signature mixing style– what he refers to as "The Double Drop" – lines up two songs so their heaviest bass lines drop at the same time.[24]
Personal life
[edit]Andy C has described himself as a tech freak and is a lifelong fan of West Ham United. [25]
Discography
[edit]Extended plays
[edit]| Year | Release | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Sour Mash[26] | RAM Records |
| 1993 | Bass Logic[27] |
Singles
[edit]| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [28] |
UK Dance [29] |
LAT Air. [30] | ||||
| "Slip N' Slide" / "Bass Constructor" (Remix)[31] | 1993 | — | — | * | Non-album singles | |
| "Sound Control" / "Feel It"[32] (with Randall) |
1994 | — | — | |||
| "Cool Down" / "Roll On"[33] | 1995 | — | — | |||
| "Sound Control" (Remix) / "Feel It" (Remix) (with Randall) |
— | — | ||||
| "Quest" (with Shimon) |
1996 | 95 | — | |||
| "Body Rock" (with Shimon) |
2001 | 28 | 1 | Ram Raiders – The Mix | ||
| "Haunting"[34] | 2013 | — | — | Nightlife 6 | ||
| "Workout" | 188 | 26 | ||||
| "Heartbeat Loud" (with Fiora) |
2014 | 50 | 10 | Non-album singles | ||
| "New Era" | 2016 | — | — | |||
| "What Bass" | 2017 | — | — | |||
| "Till Dawn" | 2019 | — | — | — | ||
| "Back & Forth" | — | — | — | |||
| "Boom" (featuring Tonn Piper) |
2021 | — | — | — | ||
| "Ghost" (featuring DJ Rae) |
— | — | — | |||
| "Indestructible" (with Becky Hill) |
2024 | 66 | 9 | 7 | Believe Me Now? | |
| "Positions"[36] | — | — | — | |||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. "*" denotes the chart did not exist at that time. | ||||||
Mix CDs
[edit]| Year | Release | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Pure Rollers | Sub Base Records USA |
| 2001 | RAM Raiders – The Mix | RAM Records |
| 2002 | World Dance: XPRS YRSLF | Ministry of Sound |
| 2002 | Nightlife | RAM Records |
| Andy C – Drum & Bass Arena | React | |
| Andy C – Drum & Bass Arena, Version 2 | ||
| 2004 | FabricLive.18 (with DJ Hype) | Fabric |
| Nightlife 2 | RAM Records | |
| 2006 | Nightlife 3 | |
| 2007 | Andy C – Drum & Bass Arena: Babylon | Mixmag |
| Andy C & Grooverider – Drum & Bass Arena | Resist Music | |
| 2008 | Nightlife 4 | RAM Records |
| 2010 | Nightlife 5 | |
| 2013 | Nightlife 6 |
Remixes
[edit]| Year | Artist | Remix | Appears On |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Shimon | Jazzfreak (Andy C Remix) | |
| 2012 | Major Lazer feat. Amber Coffman | Get Free (Andy C Remix) | Nightlife 6 |
| DJ Fresh feat. Dizzee Rascal | The Power (Andy C Remix) | The Power (Remixes) | |
| Plan B | Deepest Shame (Andy C Remix) | Deepest Shame (Remixes) | |
| Eric Prydz | Every Day (Andy C Remix) | Every Day (Remixes) | |
| 2013 | Mat Zo & Porter Robinson | Easy (Andy C Remix) | Easy (Remixes) |
| Rudimental feat. Foxes | Right Here (Andy C Remix) | Nightlife 6 | |
| Chase & Status feat. Moko | Count on Me (Andy C Remix) | ||
| 2014 | London Grammar | Sights (Andy C Remix) | Drum & Bass Arena: Summer Selection 2014 |
| 2015 | DJ S.K.T feat. Rae | Take Me Away (Andy C Remix) | |
| 2017 | Pegboard Nerds | Speed of Light (Andy C Remix) | |
| 2019 | Tom Walker | Not Giving In (Andy C Remix) | |
| 2020 | The Prodigy | Firestarter (Andy C Remix) |
References
[edit]- ^ "Performance History - Andy C - Andrew Michael Clarke". Party Rock NL. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
- ^ a b "Andy C wins DJ Mag Top 100 DJs 2017 Highest Drum & Bass Award". DJ Mag. 20 October 2017. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
- ^ "RA: Andy C Biography". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
- ^ "6 of the Best: Andy C Tunes". UKF. 6 January 2017. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
- ^ Birchmeier, Jason. "Biography: Andy C". Allmusic. Retrieved 15 April 2010.
- ^ Origin Unknown Discography at Discogs. Discogs.com. Retrieved on 19 January 2016.
- ^ Shop. Ramrecords.com. Retrieved on 19 January 2016.
- ^ a b DNB Arena Awards Winners 2011 Archived 22 December 2011 at the Wayback Machine. IMO Records, London, 2 December 2011. Retrieved on 2 December 2011.
- ^ Winners. Drum and Bass Arena Awards, 2013
- ^ Howe Ruby, Dave. "Tiesto voted 'The Greatest DJ of All Time". 20 January 2011. In the Mix Webzine, Australia. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
- ^ Andyc.cc Archived 5 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ DJ Craze Interview Archived 14 August 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Wordplaymagazine.com (7 July 2014). Retrieved on 2016-01-19.
- ^ "Andy C: "Drum'n'bass is truly universal"". redbull.com. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
- ^ "Andy C makes history as all-night-long event at Wembley sells out". Mixmag. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
- ^ "Andy C at Wembley: 13 insane photos from the drum & bass don's takeover". DJMag.com. 14 November 2018. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
- ^ "ANDY C - Till Dawn". YouTube. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021.
- ^ "ANDY C - Back & Forth". YouTube. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021.
- ^ "DJ Mag". DJ Mag. 23 September 2011. Archived from the original on 9 May 2012. Retrieved 3 February 2012.
- ^ AMBASSADOR OF BASS MUSIC – ANDY C Archived 11 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Bass Music Awards, London, 29 November 2013.
- ^ "ANDY C WINS DJ MAG TOP 100 DJS 2019 HIGHEST DRUM & BASS AWARD". djmag.com. 20 October 2019. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
- ^ "Andy C: Pioneering D-N-B". Archived from the original on 16 November 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
- ^ Si Truss (6 October 2010). "Interview: Andy C on 18 years of drum 'n' bass". MusicRadar.com. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
- ^ "Andy C interview: Double drop". Archived from the original on 16 November 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
- ^ Dancing Astronaut Interview. Simplyneon.com (22 January 2014). Retrieved on 2016-01-19.
- ^ "RealSport Meets... Andy C: West Ham Edition - RealSport – Real People". Archived from the original on 1 February 2016. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
- ^ "Andy C - Sour Mash E.P. (1992, Vinyl)". Discogs.com. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
- ^ "Andy C - Bass Logic E.P. (1993, Vinyl)". Discogs.com. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
- ^ Peak chart positions for singles in the United Kingdom:
- "Quest" and "Body Rock": "Shimon & Andy C" (select "Singles" tab). Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
- "Workout": Zywietz, Tobias. "Chart Log UK – Weekly Sales Updates 2013". zobbel.de. Tobias Zywietz. Archived from the original on 9 November 2015. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
- "Heartbeat Loud": "Andy C & Fiora" (select "Singles" tab). Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
- ^ Peak chart positions for singles on the Dance Chart in the United Kingdom:
- "Body Rock (SClub Version)": "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40 – 06 January 2002 – 12 January 2002". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
- "Workout": "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40 – 10 November 2013 – 16 November 2013". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
- "Heartbeat Loud": "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40 – 23 November 2014 – 29 November 2014". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
- "Indestructible": "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40 – 15 November 2024 – 21 November 2024". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
- ^ "Otrajā nedēļā Latvijas dziesmu topā vislabāk veicas duetiem" [Duets do best in Latvia's song chart in second week] (in Latvian). TV Net. 14 January 2025. Retrieved 14 January 2025.
- ^ Slip N' Slide / Bass Constructor (Media notes). Andy C. RAM Records. 1993. RAMM 006.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Sound Control / Feel It (Media notes). Andy C, Randall. RAM Records. 1993. RAMM 11.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Cool Down / Roll On (Media notes). Andy C. RAM Records. 1993. RAMM 12.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "Haunting / Workout – Single by Andy C". iTunes Store. Apple. Archived from the original on 9 February 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
- ^ "British certifications – Andy C". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 2 April 2023. Type Andy C in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
- ^ "Andy C Releases Highly Anticipated Single 'Positions' Ahead of Drumsheds Headline". Armada Music. 4 November 2024. Retrieved 7 February 2025.
External links
[edit]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
