James Ellis Ford has hidden in plain sight for his entire two-decade-long career. The composer, multi-instrumentalist, producer and songwriter has worked with some of the biggest names in music, from Arctic Monkeys to Depeche Mode via Foals, Gorillaz and Kylie Minogue, but has always dedicated himself to the success of these projects almost to the point of self-erasure. Even as one half of Simian Mobile Disco, alongside longtime creative partner Jas Shaw - and as a touring member of The Last Shadow Puppets - his role has often appeared selfless, working more towards a collective goal. But for the first time he is about to move centrestage himself, and the results will blindside everyone.
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He has deftly side-stepped the obvious choice of flicking through his contacts to produce a press-worthy pop album with a galaxy of A-list feature appearances, instead opting to release one of the most bewitching and persuasive albums of the year - as much homage to the tender and eccentric English pop music of Brian Eno and Robert Wyatt as it is love letter to his wife and son’s Palestinian roots; as much exploration of the pastoral verve of Canterbury prog as it is informed by the dynamics of modern hip-hop production; as much a madcap Radiophonic voyage into the cosmic unknown as it is successful experiment into writing classic heartbreaking anthems for the ages. With The Hum, James Ellis Ford has finally come out of hiding.
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