A Man Called Adam’s Sally Rodgers and Steve Jones have been making pioneering electronic music since the late 80s. Exploring diverse musical influences but always sounding recognisably themselves, they defy categorisation and yet have produced defining tracks in genres such as Acid Jazz, Balearic House, Ibiza Chill Out and Nu British House. Respected by peers and fans alike, they are endlessly curious and never stand still.
Returning to popular consciousness in 2019 with their acclaimed album Farmarama, they performed live at various festivals including Gilles Peterson’s We Out Here and Kala Festival in Albania. They also commissioned remixes from young talent like Carlos Gualda, DJ Aleksandir and Felipe Gordon as well as established names like Prins Thomas for their popular Farmarama remix series. In 21/22 they compiled 2 colossal compilations – Love Forgotten, Oddities and Rarities Parts 1 & 2 – from the hidden corners of their catalogue as well as Special Edition releases of previously vinyl-only mixes of some of their classic cuts.
That their music appears this year on obscure collections of pioneering Bleep (‘Bleeps, Breaks and Bass’ on Musique pour le Dance), dancefloor classics (Grammy winning Luke Solomon’s ‘Space’ compilation), and huge mainstream albums such as Café Del Mar’s ‘The Evolution of Chill’, as well as Track ID playlists from Honey Dijon, Gerd Janson and more is testament to their enduring appeal and influence.
AMCA have recently released ‘The Girl With A Hole In Her Heart’, an album about Teesside and the wild coastal and industrial landscapes where Sally grew up and where they spent most of the pandemic locked down in the studio. Released in Digital and Vinyl versions (with the vinyl pressed in Middlesbrough) the album will be accompanied by a 4000 word essay (in booklet form) about the making of the album. Themes throughout include Sally’s colourful childhood in Teesside – ‘Think Derry Girls meets Phoenix Nights’ – where her parents ran working men’s clubs, the ongoing environmental catastrophe and marine die-offs in the River Tees, the beauty of the coastal wilderness and of finding your way back home when times get tough.