B i o g r a p h y
 (by John Bush)

Andrea Parker was born and grew up in southern England, moving to London in the early 90's and taking up post at the legendry Fat Cat record shop. She'd been working on music as a vocalist and producer since an early age, her first step being the mastering of the cello in her teens. Soon after she contributed to several experimental electronica releases including Inky Blacknuss (with Alex Knight), Two Sandwiches Short Of A Lunchbox (with David Morley) on R&S Records, Angular Art on Infonet. Andrea then signed an album deal with Mo Wax records. Her first single for the label was "Melodius Thunk" - which was an electro workout popular with both UK and US DJs. " The Rocking Chair", the second single, was an emotional ballad featuring string arrangements by Wil Malone, probably most well known for his work on Massive Attack's classic "Unfinished Sympathy", popular on the UK's alternative radio playlists. In 1999, came the release of her widely acclaimed debut album, Kiss My Arp, which was recorded with her long-time studio partner, David Morley, in rural Bavaria, Germany. The Arp in the title refers to one of Morley's vintage ARP keyboards. Parker is an avid enthusiast of other classic analogue synthesisers such as the Serge, Bouchla and Fairlights choosing them over the current fashion for software synths. She enjoys using "found sounds" that are sampled and manipulated using hardware equipment. Her music production method is both unconventional and experimental; she has used the sound of her own sneezes and that of her car tyres running over "cats' eyes" (reflective lighting devices) on the road. The result of this open-minded view is innovative, electronic music which has at it's heart, a love of the art of song writing. Kiss MY Arp was initially released as a vocal album, followed by a slightly differing, just as successful, instrumental version.

This is an album of many emotions and sonic textures, a fact not lost on the film and advertising fraternity who have used tracks from it extensively. Their uses and users were diverse - from the Finnish National Ballet to the renowned astronomer; Patrick Moore's television special, as well as, several motion pictures including Peaches and Vanilla Sky. More recently, Andrea has released a mini album; The Dark Ages on Belgium's Quatermass label, a subsidiary of Sub Rosa. She has also set up her own imprint; Touchin Bass, the first release of which was the 12" ep "Freaky Bitches" a collaboration with Miami bass innovators DJ's Godfather and Assault. Andrea's ambition for the label is to mix up more established, loosely electro artists, with those unknown talents that she's uncovered. She's given the label a strong identity by getting graffiti artist Stash to design the artwork. Concurrent with all her personal productions, Andrea has been busy remixing many of the electronic world's luminaries; Steve Reich, Depeche Mode, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Lamb and some-times collaborator Mira Calix, to name just a few. She's also spent a lot of her time trotting around the globe, records at the ready. Her DJ style is uncompromising and eclectic. Her early influences shine through; artists including This Mortal Coil, Kraftwerk, The Art Of Noise, Nucleus, Model 500, Ultra Magnetic Mc's mean that her sets are diverse and never predictable. This distinctive artistry has kept her diary full and taken her to a variety of venue's and countries. She's hit the decks on support Radiohead on the US part of their Kid A tour, experimented live on stage with avant-garde supremos Bang On A Can, Philip Glass and Steve Reich, in Europe, and held her own on the British Council sponsored somewhat hazardous trip of South America and provided more than a little entertainment at parties for director Roman Polanski and fashion house; Gucci. Her popularity as a dj was confirmed by the high sales of her mix for K7's celebrated Dj Kicks series. The album showcases the variety of her musical loves; she wasn't afraid to fuse hip hop pioneers like Man Parish with electronic pusher's Gescom, the mix reflecting her taste for a hip hop, electro, techno and many classics. Andrea Parker is more than an electronic musician and DJ, she's all the bits in-between. She makes amazingly beautiful, haunting, yet always warm, electro music - making it almost impossible for those of us who've had the pleasure of experiencing it, ever want to leave.