Sunday, November 2, 2025
Saturday, October 18, 2025
Bruton Music Library • BRH 5 Light My Fire
Bruton
Music is a British production music library founded in 1977 by Robin
Phillips. It was named after Bruton Street where it was originally
formed.
Michael Jackson purchased the company in 1982 as part of
ATV Music acquisition. The composer sold the library to the Zomba Group
in February 1986, while other ATV assets were acquired by CBS
Records.[1]. Zomba operated the group as part of their Zomba Production
Music division. In 2002, BMG purchased the Zomba Group and amalgamated
their production division to create the BMG Zomba Production Music,
which Bruton is still a part of. BMG Zomba Production Music was
eventually sold to Universal Publishing Production Music.
Prior to 2004, Bruton Music's catalog was divided into genres with different catalog suffixes such as BRA and BRB.
https://productionmusic.fandom.com/wiki/Bruton_Music
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Bruton
Music es una biblioteca musical de producción británica fundada en 1977
por Robin Phillips. Lleva el nombre de Bruton Street, donde se formó
originalmente.
Michael Jackson compró la empresa en 1982 como
parte de la adquisición de ATV Music. El compositor vendió la biblioteca
al grupo Zomba en febrero de 1986, mientras que otros activos de ATV
fueron adquiridos por CBS Records[1]. Zomba operaba el grupo como parte
de su división Zomba Production Music. En 2002, BMG compró el Grupo
Zomba y fusionó su división de producción para crear BMG Zomba
Production Music, de la que Bruton sigue formando parte. BMG Zomba
Production Music fue finalmente vendida a Universal Publishing
Production Music.
Antes de 2004, el catálogo de Bruton Music se dividía en géneros con diferentes sufijos de catálogo, como BRA y BRB.
https://productionmusic.fandom.com/wiki/Bruton_Music
Saturday, July 26, 2025
Bruton Music Library • BRL17 Aggressive Advertising
From Bruton comes a collection so upright, it ought to be solely played in the tape deck of a vintage MK V Ford Cortina saloon — at least as far as John Cameron’s compositions are concerned. The title of this collection is quite apparent as you move through his selections, particularly the title track. There is a break starting with Alan Hawkshaw’s “Good Thinking” which sounds like an outtake from BRL 7 Music Machine and ending with the selections provided by Zoe de Souza, “Mail Train” being a fun adventured in sequenced synthesizer rhythms and melodies. “Spectrum” has a very hard-edged programmed drum line that sounds rather “hip-hop” despite the music being played over it. Perhaps a Vauxhall car commercial considered using this music?
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Desde Bruton nos llega una colección tan vertical que debería reproducirse únicamente en la pletina de un Ford Cortina MK V de época, al menos en lo que respecta a las composiciones de John Cameron. El título de esta colección es bastante evidente a medida que se avanza en sus selecciones, especialmente en la canción que da título al disco. Hay una pausa que comienza con "Good Thinking" de Alan Hawkshaw, que suena como una toma de BRL 7 Music Machine, y termina con las selecciones proporcionadas por Zoe de Souza, siendo "Mail Train" una divertida aventura en ritmos y melodías de sintetizador secuenciados. "Spectrum" tiene una línea de batería programada muy dura que suena más bien a "hip-hop" a pesar de la música que suena por encima. ¿Quizás un anuncio de coches Vauxhall se planteó utilizar esta música?
Wednesday, June 4, 2025
The Mohawks • The Champ!
The Champ is a song by The Mohawks, a group of session musicians assembled by Alan Hawkshaw. It made #58 on the UK Singles Chart.
Tuesday, June 3, 2025
Friday, May 16, 2025
Bruton Music Library • BRI 6 - Alan Hawkshaw • Frontiers Of Science
Biography
by Timothy Monger
A prolific British composer, arranger, and session musician, Alan Hawkshaw created a widely-heard body of work without ever achieving any sort of celebrity, a situation which suited him just fine. Although he was a member of the Shadows, played keyboards with everyone from David Bowie to Donna Summer, and even scored a number one dance hit in the U.S., Hawkshaw's most enduring contributions were in the form of library music, which was licensed extensively across film and television from the late-1960s onward. By the time of his death in 2021, his theme songs to British programs like Countdown, Grange Hill, and the Channel 4 News remained intimately familiar to many.
Born in Leeds, Hawkshaw's professional music career began in the early-'60s when he joined the rock group Emile Ford and the Checkmates, playing on their hit single "Counting Teardrops." Eventually he immersed himself in the London music scene where he became a popular session musician, playing keys for artists like David Bowie and the Hollies and forming a short-lived studio band called the Mohawks whose 1968 song "The Champ" has been widely sampled, particularly in the hip-hop world. Heading into the '70s, Hawkshaw became a member of the Shadows and throughout the decade played on recordings by Serge Gainsbourg, Cliff Richard, Donna Summer, Olivia Newton-John, and many others. Despite his immense talent, he had no real desire for the spotlight and preferred to work in the background, composing music and playing a support role for other.
Although he appeared as a player on countless records, his real bread and butter came from composing and recording music for publisher Keith Prowse's KPM library. The wealth of instrumental music Hawkshaw made for KPM could be heard in a variety of facets from television programs like The Dave Allen Show and On the Move to American auteur Radley Metzger's late-'70s erotic films. Beginning in 1978, British soap opera Grange Hill adopted one of his library songs as its theme and a few years later, Channel 4 News did the same. The Channel 4 game show Countdown also used a Hawkshaw piece as its iconic "Chimes" jingle and he could be heard on hundreds of commercials as well. Hawkshaw even operated in the disco sphere where he managed to top the U.S. dance charts with 1979's "Here Comes That Sound Again" by his studio band Love De-Luxe.
He later formed the charitable organization the Alan Hawkshaw Foundation to support underprivileged music students. Just prior to his death from pneumonia in October 2021, Hawkshaw was awarded both a British Empire Medal and a Leeds fellowship.
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/alan-hawkshaw-mn0000506434/biography
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Biografía
por Timothy Monger
Prolífico compositor, arreglista y músico de sesión británico, Alan Hawkshaw creó una obra muy escuchada sin alcanzar nunca ningún tipo de celebridad, una situación que le venía muy bien. Aunque fue miembro de los Shadows, tocó los teclados con todo el mundo, desde David Bowie hasta Donna Summer, e incluso consiguió un número uno en los Estados Unidos, las contribuciones más duraderas de Hawkshaw fueron en forma de música de biblioteca, que se licenció ampliamente en el cine y la televisión desde finales de los años 60. En el momento de su muerte, en 2021, sus temas para programas británicos como Countdown, Grange Hill y Channel 4 News seguían siendo íntimamente conocidos por muchos.
Nacido en Leeds, la carrera musical de Hawkshaw comenzó a principios de los 60 cuando se unió al grupo de rock Emile Ford and the Checkmates, tocando en su exitoso single "Counting Teardrops". Con el tiempo, se sumergió en la escena musical londinense, donde se convirtió en un popular músico de sesión, tocando las teclas para artistas como David Bowie y los Hollies y formando una banda de estudio de corta duración llamada Mohawks, cuya canción de 1968 "The Champ" ha sido ampliamente sampleada, especialmente en el mundo del hip-hop. En los años 70, Hawkshaw se convirtió en miembro de los Shadows y, a lo largo de la década, tocó en grabaciones de Serge Gainsbourg, Cliff Richard, Donna Summer, Olivia Newton-John y muchos otros. A pesar de su inmenso talento, no tenía ningún deseo real de ser el centro de atención y prefería trabajar en segundo plano, componiendo música y desempeñando un papel de apoyo para otros.
Aunque apareció como intérprete en innumerables discos, su verdadero pan de cada día fue componer y grabar música para la biblioteca KPM del editor Keith Prowse. La abundante música instrumental que Hawkshaw hizo para KPM pudo escucharse en diversas facetas, desde programas de televisión como The Dave Allen Show y On the Move hasta las películas eróticas de finales de los 70 del autor estadounidense Radley Metzger. A partir de 1978, la telenovela británica Grange Hill adoptó como tema una de sus canciones de biblioteca y, unos años más tarde, Channel 4 News hizo lo mismo. El programa de juegos Countdown de Channel 4 también utilizó una pieza de Hawkshaw como su icónico jingle "Chimes" y también se le pudo escuchar en cientos de anuncios publicitarios. Hawkshaw actuó incluso en la esfera de la música disco, donde consiguió encabezar las listas de éxitos de baile de Estados Unidos con "Here Comes That Sound Again", de 1979, de su grupo de estudio Love De-Luxe.
Más tarde creó la organización benéfica Alan Hawkshaw Foundation para apoyar a los estudiantes de música más desfavorecidos. Justo antes de su muerte por neumonía en octubre de 2021, Hawkshaw recibió la Medalla del Imperio Británico y una beca de Leeds.
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/alan-hawkshaw-mn0000506434/biography
Sunday, March 30, 2025
Spider-Man • Music From The KPM Music Library [1967-1969]
Nota: Lamentablemente la velocidad de bit, está por debajo de lo deseable, pero es un interesante compilado que he querido compartir.
Note: Unfortunately the bit rate is below what is desirable, but it is an interesting compilation that I wanted to share.
Saturday, March 22, 2025
Thursday, March 20, 2025
Thursday, March 13, 2025
Thursday, January 30, 2025
Monday, September 30, 2024
Thursday, September 19, 2024
Alan Hawkshaw • The Road Forward
Notes:
This album is one of the "KPM 1000 Series" twelve inch long
playing transcription discs produced especially for the film, television
and radio industries, to the highest professional standards.
Monday, September 16, 2024
Bullet • The Hanged Man
Bullet is the band with the performer credits for 'The Hanged Man' soundtrack. The music for this soundtrack was composed by Alan Tew and all cuts were taken (and re-edited) from two library records from the Themes International imprint Alan Tew - Drama Suite Part I & Alan Tew - Drama Suite Part II .
The members of Bullet were session players (for KPM Music and Themes International Music): Les Hurdle (bass), Barry Morgan (drums), Alan Parker (Guitar), Frank Ricotti (percussion) and Alan Hawkshaw (keyboards) with additional members of the Max Greger Orchestra (brass and reeds). The score for 'The Hanged Man' (their only long player as Bullet) was recorded in Munich, Germany.
Wednesday, July 17, 2024
Keith Mansfield & Alan Hawkshaw • Big Beat Vol. 1
Keith Mansfield (born 1941) is a British composer and arranger known for his creation of prominent television theme tunes, including the Grandstand theme for the BBC.[1] Other works include "Light and Tuneful" (the opening theme for the BBC's coverage of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships), "World Champions" (the closing theme for NBC's coverage of the same tournament) and "World Series" (used for the BBC's athletics coverage).
He is married to the singer Salena Jones.
Monday, April 22, 2024
Alan Hawkshaw • Alan Hawkshaw Plays The Philicorda
Monday, April 15, 2024
Alan Hawkshaw & Brian Bennett • Synthesizer and Percussion
Released in the same year as Synthesis over on KPM, 1974’s Synthesizer and Percussion is its essential companion piece. “This record features the many distinctive sounds of the ARP Synthesizer plus percussion in various moods and tempos” is the even more underwhelming than usual library record sales pitch for Alan Hawkshaw and Brian Bennett’s second collection of what is basically minimal G-funk, with overtones of primitive acid house. This is ridiculously good.
This is one of Hawkshaw and Bennett’s wilder joints and aeons ahead of its time. Bennett’s tough drums provide the underpinnings for the prominent bass, keys and bubbling synths high up in the mix, alongside Hawkshaw’s deranged clavinet-funk-rock. There are heavenly break loops galore.
Opener "Mon Amour" is ultra-smooth funk, all inter-weaving melodic lines whilst the seminal "Oddball" is an incredible hard electro strut with a knocking break. "Mile High Swinger" is a tranquil Spaghetti Western whistling theme over double tempo rhythmic movement and the pulsating "Auto Pilot" has a percussive groove elevated by electric piano and synthesizer. Check "Driving Force”, “Home Run” and "Pacesetter" for electroid prog-funk dripped in acid squelch.
All five final tracks are beatless synth workouts, because they can.
https://www.bewithrecords.com/products/alan-hawkshaw-and-brian-bennett-synthesizer-and-percussion-themes-reissue-lp
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Publicado el mismo año que Synthesis en KPM, Synthesizer and Percussion, de 1974, es su compañero esencial. "Este disco presenta los muchos sonidos distintivos del sintetizador ARP más la percusión en varios estados de ánimo y tempos" es el argumento de venta, aún más decepcionante que el habitual, de la segunda colección de Alan Hawkshaw y Brian Bennett, que es básicamente G-funk minimalista, con matices de acid house primitivo. Esto es ridículamente bueno.
Es uno de los discos más salvajes de Hawkshaw y Bennett y está adelantado a su tiempo. La dura batería de Bennett proporciona la base para el bajo prominente, las teclas y los sintetizadores burbujeantes en lo alto de la mezcla, junto con el desquiciado clavinet-funk-rock de Hawkshaw. Hay un montón de bucles de ruptura celestiales.
El primer tema, "Mon Amour", es un funk ultra suave, con líneas melódicas entrelazadas, mientras que la seminal "Oddball" es un increíble puntal de electro duro con una pausa impactante. "Mile High Swinger" es un tranquilo tema silbante del Spaghetti Western sobre un movimiento rítmico de doble tempo y el pulsante "Auto Pilot" tiene un groove percusivo elevado por el piano eléctrico y el sintetizador. En "Driving Force", "Home Run" y "Pacesetter" se puede escuchar un prog-funk electroideado y con un toque de ácido.
Los cinco temas finales son ejercicios de sintetizador sin ritmo, porque pueden hacerlo.
https://www.bewithrecords.com/products/alan-hawkshaw-and-brian-bennett-synthesizer-and-percussion-themes-reissue-lp