Howie B

When the story of inspirational music is written there'll be a wee buzzing Scottish guy with a whole page of the back index to himself. Howie B is a human nexus for contemporary music: a walking, cackling, smoking particle accelerator with three days stubble and too much imagination. To account for him as an artist/producer is to box him too tightly. Howie B is at the very least a tale-bearer, audiophile, meta-DJ, rhythm designer, voice aficionado, noise texturist, label owner, film sound tracker, remixer, off kilter genius, lateral conversationalist, enthusiastic generator and highly convivial bald angel. All that inter-connectivity makes Howie difficult to chronicle. You might turn up in the U.S. to write about his experiences as show producer/DJ on U2's Pop Mart tour and discover he's been hanging out with William Burroughs. It's been going on like this for decades. Howie's body of work crosses many genres and has seen him work with Bjork, Tricky, Goldie, U2, Brian Eno, Robbie Robertson, Ry Cooder, Wim Wenders and others. The high profile involvements are just the most visible points in a fascinating history of artistic alliances with some of the edgiest music minds around. And unusually for a producer, Howie B goes into the studio for the purpose of self-articulation rather than to pay off the alimony. Aside from his studio work, he regularly performs live and DJs across Europe and South East Asia, including residencies at Fabric in London, Goa in Rome and Yello in Tokyo. More recently Howie has provided his production and musical input to a variety of projects and artists including Sly and Robbie and Horace Andy (Massive Attack) tracks for Wall Of Sound's upcoming Two Culture Clash project, Serge Gainsbourg remixes and a Lloyds TSB 'Jump' ad for Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/Y&R.

Crispin Hunt was the writer and singer for the group Longpigs who released two Top 20 U.K. albums through U2's Mother label in 1996 and 2000 respectively. Longpigs ceased to exist when Mother Records folded in 2000. Since then, Crispin has been working with Howie B and Will O'Donovan for Tarmac, written extensively for UK pop acts, is a featured journalist for the London Times and iconic British magazine The Face. Additionally, Crispin is a consultant for the reform of the Houses of Parliament and has been working on a book about Britain's best museums and galleries which is scheduled to be published by Penguin in November 2004.

Will O'Donovan stepped away from the shadow of Dublin's 7 Towers in the late Eighties as he was drawn to the sound of London's underground music scene. Since relocating to the capital city, he has honed his craft with some of the founding fathers of alternative music. Working as an engineer and mixer with numerous innovators including Sly and Robbie, Plant and Page, The Clash, Serge Gainsbourg, Goldie, Jamiroquai, and Howie B, Will's sheer enthusiasm for the music has forged his sound's originality and freshness. From car 'borrower', to music revolutionary to Mayonnaise producer, this son of Dublin has done well.

So there you have it, the three tasty ingredients that comprise Mayonnaise. Grab a knife, some bread and headphones, and lay it on thick.