Moody Boyz

• Active: '80s, '90s
• Genres: Electronica
• Instrument: Producer

Biography

Moody Boyz was one of the more adventurous names in U.K. house and techno during and immediately following the height of the London acid house movement. The nom de plume of producer Tony Thorpe (both solo and with occasional collaborators), Moody Boyz produced some of the first English acid records and is widely credited with helping inspire both jungle and "intelligent techno" artists by combining elements of dub, hip-hop, electro, and traditional African musics within a dancefloor-friendly techno framework. Releasing a number of 12-inches on XL and William Orbit's Guerrilla label, Moody Boyz titles including "Funky Zulu" and "Destination Africa" are now considered classics, while the remix version of Product of the Environment (cleverly dubbed Recycled) is one of the earliest examples of the now-common techno remix album. Thorpe also helped bring artists such as In Sync and Digidub to prominence by featuring them as remixers. In addition to his own work, Thorpe also reworked tracks for System 7 and was the in-house remixer for acid-house charlatans the KLF at the height of their popularity, adding credibility and grit to chart-busting hits such as "3 A.M. Eternal," "What Time Is Love?," and "Last Train to Transcentral."

Thorpe curtailed his Moody Boyz activities in 1994, following the appearance of the Recycled double EP. He joined the SSR/Crammed label in 1995 (Product of the Environment was also reissued by Crammed) as an A&R rep, heading up the experimental dance end of the imprint at the helm of the Language sublabel, home to such artists as Endemic Void, Tao, Phosphorous, and Si Begg's Buckfunk 3000 project. ~ Sean Cooper, All Music Guide

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