Andrew Weatherall

Andrew James Weatherall (6 April 1963 – 17 February 2020) was an English musician, DJ, songwriter, producer and remixer. His career took him from being a DJ in the acid house movement of the late 1980s to being a remixer of tracks by Happy Mondays, New Order, Björk, the Orb, the Future Sound of London, My Bloody Valentine, Saint Etienne, Primal Scream, Moby and James.

His production work on Primal Scream's album Screamadelica, adding samples, loops and creating an influential mix of hard rock, house and rave, helped the record win the first ever Mercury Music Prize in 1992 and become one of the most celebrated albums of the 1990s.

Andrew James Weatherall was born on 6 April 1963, in Windsor, Berkshire, England, to Robert Weatherall and Carol (Spires) Weatherall. During his teenage years, he started going to Funk & Soul Weekenders and disco parties. After leaving the local grammar school, he left home at the age of 18, and worked in a variety of jobs including on building sites, as a carpenter and moving furniture.

He moved to London in the late 1980s, where his record collection and musical knowledge brought him requests to DJ at parties. Terry Farley hired him to play at the Trip club, Weatherall playing mostly northern soul and indie records. Weatherall started writing as a freelance music journalist (using both his own name and the pseudonym "Audrey Witherspoon"). Together with Terry Farley, Cymon Eckel and Steve Mayes, they started Boy's Own, initially as a fanzine commenting on fashion, records, football and other issues.

Weatherall's DJ career started to take off when he met Danny Rampling at actor Bobby's (Bobby Collins) party that he played at in Chapel Market, Islington, and Rampling invited him to play at his club night Shoom. Farley and Weatherall became regular Shoom DJs, playing the upstairs room, and also at Paul Oakenfold's Future/Spectrum nights and Nicky Holloway's Trip. They also did their own parties and started a record label under the name of Boy's Own Recordings. Along with Pete Heller (who was also a Shoom DJ), engineer Hugo Nicolson and singer Anna Haigh, they released two singles as Bocca Juniors on the label, "Raise (53 Steps to Heaven)" and "Substance".

Weatherall's first studio work was alongside Paul Oakenfold on the club remix of "Hallelujah" for the Happy Mondays. Other remixes followed, notably "World in Motion" for New Order, "Loaded", a hit remix of Primal Scream's earlier track "I'm Losing More Than I'll Ever Have", and the widely acclaimed 'A Mix of Two-Halves' version of Saint Etienne's cover of Neil Young's "Only Love Can Break Your Heart". His remix of My Bloody Valentine's "Soon" was ranked at number 1 in NME's list of "The 50 Best Remixes Ever". He produced Primal Scream's album Screamadelica.

In 1992, Weatherall left Boy's Own. He formed the electronic music trio the Sabres of Paradise in 1993, starting a record label under the same name. The Sabres of Paradise released three albums between 1993 and 1995. In early 1996, after shutting down Sabresonic, Weatherall and Keith Tenniswood became Two Lone Swordsmen, signing to Warp. His production of Beth Orton's album Trailer Park helped establish the mix of hip hop and electronica that would later become trip hop. He set up the Rotters Golf Club label in 2001.

Weatherall produced for artists Beth Orton, Primal Scream and One Dove, and remixed the work of Björk, Siouxsie Sioux, the Orb, the Future Sound of London, New Order, Manic Street Preachers, My Bloody Valentine and James. He produced the album Tarot Sport for Fuck Buttons to "vast acclaim" and assisted the Twilight Sad with the production of their third studio album, No One Can Ever Know.