The Moody Boys or Moody Boyz are Tony Thorpe's UK-based

record production A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure.Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

and

remix A remix (or reorchestration) is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, video, poem, or photograph can all be remixes. The o ...

outfit, active since 1988. The Moody Boys were closely linked with

The KLF The KLF (also known as the Justified Ancients of Mu Mu, the JAMs, the Timelords and other names) are a British electronic band formed in London in 1987. Bill Drummond (alias King Boy D) and Jimmy Cauty (alias Rockman Rock) began by releasing ...

- and in particular with KLF member

Jimmy Cauty James Francis Cauty (born 19 December 1956), also known as Rockman Rock, is an English artist and musician, best known as one-half of the duo The KLF, co-founder of The Orb and as the man who burnt £1 million. He is married to artist and mu ...

- until the KLF's retirement in 1992, but it is not known whether Cauty was ever officially a member of the Moody Boys or merely a close collaborator.

History

According to

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

, "Moody Boyz" is the "nom de plume of producer Tony Thorpe (both solo and with occasional collaborators)". Beginning in 1988 with the single "Acid Rappin'", the Moody Boys produced dance music that incorporated elements of

techno Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time (4/4) and often ch ...

, dub,

acid house Acid house (also simply known as just "acid") is a subgenre of house music developed around the mid-1980s by DJs from Chicago. The style is defined primarily by the squelching sounds and basslines of the Roland TB-303 electronic bass synthesiz ...

, hip hop,

drum and bass Drum and bass (also written as drum & bass or drum'n'bass and commonly abbreviated as D&B, DnB, or D'n'B) is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by fast breakbeats (typically 165–185 beats per minute) with heavy bass and sub-ba ...

and

African music Given the vastness of the African continent, its music is diverse, with regions and nations having many distinct musical traditions. African music includes the genres amapiano, Jùjú, Fuji, Afrobeat, Highlife, Makossa, Kizomba, and others. The ...

. Their 1991 single "Funky Zulu" is considered a house classic. The Moody Boys' original releases were complemented by duties as the "in-house" remixers of The KLF's hit singles "

3 a.m. Eternal "3 a.m. Eternal" is a song by British acid house group the KLF, taken from their fourth and final studio album, ''The White Room'' (1991). Numerous versions of the song were released as singles between 1989 and 1992. In January 1991, an acid hou ...

", "

What Time Is Love? "What Time Is Love?" is a song released, in different mixes, as a series of singles by the band the KLF. It featured prominently and repeatedly in their output from 1988 to 1992 and, under the moniker of 2K, in 1997. In its original form, the ...

" and " Last Train to Trancentral". In each case, The Moody Boys' mixes were released on separate 12"s to the charting singles, in 1990 and 1991. The KLF co-produced the Moody Boys' "First National Rapper" in 1988 (as "The JAMs") and remixed "What Is Dub?" in 1991. Thorpe is also a credited as an "additional performer" on the KLF's ''

The White Room ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' album. ''

Vice A vice is a practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character tra ...

'' and

DJ Mag ''DJ Magazine'' (also known as ''DJ Mag'') is a British monthly magazine dedicated to electronic dance music and DJs. Founded in 1991, the magazine is adapted for distribution in the United Kingdom, the United States, Spain, France, Italy, Lat ...

claim that Jimmy Cauty was actually a member of the Moody Boys, whereas AllMusic attributes the project to Thorpe and "occasional collaborators". Tracks produced by "Tony Thorpe and Jimmy Cauty" were credited separately to tracks produced by "The Moody Boys" on the 1991 single "Lion Dance", and a 1994 interview with Thorpe and a companion discography state that "Journey Into Dubland" was made ''with'' Jimmy Cauty, suggesting Cauty was just a collaborator. The Moody Boys recorded a

Peel Session John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...

in 1991 without Cauty; programming duties were handled by Thorpe and another close associate of the KLF,

Nick Coler Nick Coler (born 10 April 1952) is an English musician, producer, composer and songwriter. He has been nominated for and won awards for songwriting and music production and has written, produced and played on hit songs for diverse acts ranging f ...

. Cauty and his KLF-partner

Bill Drummond William Ernest Drummond (born 29 April 1953) is a Scottish artist, musician, writer, and record producer. He was a co-founder of the late-1980s avant-garde pop group the KLF and its 1990s media-manipulating successor, the K Foundation, with wh ...

retired from the music industry in 1992, but Thorpe continued under the revised "Moody Boyz"

moniker A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...

until 1994, producing in this time what is considered to be the Moody name's best work, including another "classic", "Destination Africa", and the album, ''Product of the Environment''. A remixed version, ''Recycled for the Environment'', was also released to acclaim. featuring contributions from many remixers, including

Andrew Weatherall Andrew James Weatherall (6 April 1963 – 17 February 2020) was an English musician, DJ, songwriter, producer and remixer. His career took him from being one of the key DJs in the acid house movement of the late 1980s to being a remixer of trac ...

and Dave Hedger.

Reviews

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

awarded ''Product of the Environment'' 4 stars (out of 5), dubbing the album "a visionary collection of subtly innovative techno and tribal house, with heaps of African and Caribbean influences". In awarding ''Recycled for the Environment'' 4 stars (again, out of 5), Allmusic said, "styles range from lush tribal techno to murky ambient and spacy electro, each offering an inspired extrapolation of Thorpe's originals.".

Selected discography

Singles

Albums

Remixes

References

External links

The Moody Boys discography at Discogs
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moody Boys, The The KLF British electronic musicians Remixers