About me: See http://www.mikehowlett.co.uk
http://www.myspace.com/houseofthandoy
Born: 27/4/50, Lautoka, Fiji.
During the 70's Mike Howlett played bass and wrote with esoteric space-funk group Gong, who were only the second signing to the nascent Virgin Records. After leaving Gong Mike put together his own group, Strontium-90, with musicians Sting, Andy Summers and Stuart Copeland, who went on to enormous success as The Police. In 1997 the recordings of this group were released on Sting’s own record label Pangaea.
Mike began producing records in the 1980's and had a string of Top 10 UK Hits including:
MARTHA AND THE MUFFINS - ‘Echo Beach’
OMD - ‘Enola Gay’
- ‘Souvenir’
- ‘Messages’
BLANCMANGE - ‘Living on the Ceiling’
A FLOCK OF SEAGULLS - ‘I Ran’ (US Top Ten) - ‘Wishing (If I Had a Photograph...)’
- ‘DNA” (Grammy award winner)
CHINA CRISIS - ‘Wishful Thinking’
and other internationally top-selling albums by:
JOAN ARMATRADING
BERLIN (U.S. Platinum)
THE ALARM (US Gold)
GANG OF FOUR
JULIEN CLERC (France Platinum)
LA UNION (Spain Platinum)
FISCHER-Z (Germany
GOWAN (Canada Gold)
These albums each achieved sales in excess of 500,000.
• In 1982 Mike received a Grammy award from the U.S. National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences for his work on the Flock of Seagulls track “DNA.”
• In 1987 Mike became a founding member of the Record Producers Guild (now known as MPG - the Music Producers Guild) and is currently Chairman
• As international co-ordinator, Mike was instrumental in organising the first ever rock concert in Red Square, Moscow in 1992.
• From 1995-1998 MPG representative on the Steering Committee working with the Musicians, Union, Equity and the Music Managers Forum on the setting up of PAMRA – the performers rights organisation – that has now secured payments to record producers for airplay of their productions
• From 1993-95 Mike ran his own record label - Mauve Records, specialising in singer/songwriters.
• In 1996 Mike began playing bass again with Gong, completing 4 world tours including the USA, Europe and Japan, and has been working with the Gong-owned GAS label on special projects, recently an album of early Gong material re-mixed by contemporary dance artists including The Orb, 808 State, The Shamen, Ken Ishi and System 7. The year 2000 saw the release of a new studio album with Gong, produced by Mike and tours of the US, Japan, Europe and the UK, including Glastonbury Festival where Gong headlined the Avalon stage. In 2002 Mike mixed “Live to Infintea” - Gong live in 5.1 surround sound for DVD.
• In recent years Mike has become involved in education in music and studio production and is currently Part-time Lecturer in Audio Technology at the University of Glamorgan and at Thames Valley University.
• Mike has formed his own group called House of Thandoy with guitarist Steve Higgins (Karmakanics) and drummer Steve Cassady (Here and Now, Space Pirates) playing improvised jazz/funk. The group performed at Glastonbury Festival 2003, and at the Royal Festival Hall in October 2003. The next gig is Eastern Haze Festival 22 July 2007
Wot a larf this was... Yes that’s me playing drums and we stopped the city good and proper !!! RedJen from the 80..s band the Belle Stars is on vocals, famous for the... "The clapping song"... "Sign of the times" ...amongst others ....But I am really sorry I couldn’t do anything about the guy who was filming us from stopping him singing, never mind at least he was enjoying himself !!! I am working on my siddhi (mystic) powers where I can manifest a 6 armed form so I can play drums, drink water, defend myself from drunks, dish out free food whist firing socks from a catapult into peoples mouths who can’t f**king sing !!! Anyway... for more on Redjen check this links www.myspace.com/redtreasure and for more on us check this one... www.matchlessgifts.org.uk Peace and one love eternal... Hare Krsna :~) Mattydread
Thankyou for adding Sonic World Festival, 4/5th September 2009. Tickets are available from www.sonicworldfestival.co.uk and www.myspace.com/harveybainbridgemusic as well as our own myspace site. £30 for the whole weekend, indoor toilets, free showers, free camping, bars, bar meals and restaurant, indoor venue. Please check out our blog about Imposter Site.
Thanx for the friendship Mike. Great to see a new incarnation of Thandoy. I remember them at Stonehenge. I bet you have some stories to tell! Best wishes from Festivalized, THE free festival book
Hi Mike, great to have you as a friend. Great profile. Do you remember us meeting a few years back? You listened to some of the songs & quite liked them, if I remember right. I wondered if you would care to listen to these tracks & let me know what you think?
Thanks for welcoming us Mike, I've just been introducing Nick our magnificent new Bass Player to the Immense pleasures of The GONG Trilogy, Namely YOU, Master Builder, Isle of Everywhere, and Wing full of Eyes, He's Knocked out As MOST of us that hear y'all have been for years now, So a new fan (who incidently has just moved into the next door alley to G.A.S and will be introduced to Johnny, as soon as) Well God Bless You, be a delight to see and hear you when oppotunity Knocks, Cameron.
Here it is! The debut album from FUNKSHONE 'Shining' is out now on Skyline Recordings. You can buy at most online stores including; Amazon. co. uk, HMV. co. uk, Zavvi. co. uk and Play. com
