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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]
Mark Ralph | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Mark Ralph |
| Born | 2 May 1974 Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England |
| Genres | Pop, electronic, reggae fusion, rock |
| Occupation(s) | Record producer, songwriter, musician, remixer |
| Years active | 1992–present |
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]
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Early career
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
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
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]
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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".
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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]
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Remixes
Remixes |
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As guitarist
Guitar credits |
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