GuilFest 2005. The Guildford Music Festival on 15th, 16th and 17th July 2005

About the bands
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Artist: A Man Called Adam
Genre: Pop
Performing: 16th July 2004 / Tropical Tent
Website Address: []

Contrary to the people who phone their studio and ask to speak "to Adam" or the cable TV presenter who introduced them as "A band called Alan'", the 'Man' is actually a duo…and before you ask, the name comes from a Sammy Davis Jr. film of the same name, the first blaxploitation film, no less.

With a CV that reads like a twisted history of yoof culture, Sally Rodgers and pensive partner (in rhyme alone, not romance) Steve Jones have sailed their Balearic boat across oceans of Acid jazz, Nu house, ambient and now…wait for it, ragga and country & western.

Yup, they're back and bugger me if they're not rewriting dance music again.

Wandering around their musical brains in 2003 you stumble across ex film maker Steve bang into Eno and Laswell at the age of 12 and riding the elevators at New York's Danceteria before playing accordion on a Brazilian production of Rodgers' in 87'.

Meanwhile, Sally, a native of Redcar, had a childhood spent alternately goggling at the cabaret acts from her parents Catholic Working Men's clubs and hanging out on underage scooter runs with UB40.

Answering a Melody Maker ad to sing with the catchy 'Expresso 7' Rodgers found herself in the studio with Jones and other band member Paul Daley (who left in '91 to form some band called Leftfield). Signing to Gilles Peterson's Acid jazz label in '88, the trio turned out classics like Techno Powers (recently included on New York's seminal 'So You Think You Know About House? Compilation) and by 1990 the band were signed to Big Life, inching up the charts with Balearic anthem Barefoot In The Head, and with their debut album 'The Apple' in the bag.

The rest of the decade saw them found their free thinking Other label in 1993,
compiling both the influential Planet Jazz series for Other and the Heavenly records 'High in a Basement ' showcase of British House talent. Along the way they dropped the nu disco classic Que tal America on Chicago's ultra cool Prescription records, compiled React music's Real Ibiza LP's, made pivotal appearances Jose Padilla's Café del Mar compilations and advertised anything from Gin to All Bran with their music…and that was before breakfast!

In 1998 their 'Duende' album cemented their hybrid fanbase as pop, indie,
dance and chill out doyens. When Sally explains that 'Duende' means 'Happy - Sad' in Spanish, the title makes perfect sense for the strain of joyous melancholy that has been a real state of being for the pair in the past. Beautiful Balearia washing over real songs that even make Sally cry while recording them.

"Making albums is part of our creative life, like a monkey on your back," says Sally "but this is only our third in ten years. Then again, we love bands like Blue Nile and Talk Talk who make one every ten years!'"

In 2001 they signed to Miles Copeland's Pagan records and before that label went bust they managed to record an album (the 'Lost' classic 'Heaven Now') and compile the groundbreaking 'Punta del Este' compilation featuring
avant rockers Rachels and The Pixies. They both agree that the best experience of their time on Pagan was at one of Copeland's legendary songwriting seminars working with an eclectic cast of characters including midget pop act Hanson, Carole King, Bare Naked ladies and Chris De Burgh. Their own favourite collaboration with country & western artist Dean Miller (son of Roger 'King of the Road' Miller) appears amongst the eight new tracks on their latest offering 'All My Favourite…A Man called Adam'.

When Pagan went down Sally and Steve cut their losses and bought a rustic villa and organic plot in The People's Republic of Cornwall. With video artist Paul Lamb, they started work on an audio-visual project, 'Town and Country' , named after their successful monthly at the National Theatre and their dual existence on the Hackney/Penzance axis.

Self-confessed culture whores, the new works also include a collaboration
with the 'Janet Jackson of South Africa' ,Brenda Fassie, a lady who travelled to Hackney with her diplomatic passport personally endorsed by Nelson Mandela and got on with the 'funky white man' Steve and Sally like a house on fire'. The aforementioned Dean Miller didn't know which planet AMCA were from let alone what a break or loop was. But that's the beauty of AMCA, throwing up a fireworks display of sonic surprises and deviations from the norm. 'Who says country music and ragga don't work' questions Sally?

This summer (2003), Norman Cook's chart surfing imprint Southern Fried records recognized the potential of this new material, signed the band and coupled 8 of the brand new tracks with nine classics from the AMCA vaults for the forthcoming Southern Fried release 'All My Favourite…A Man called Adam'

'Thank God for second chances' sings Sally on People Rule (remixed for the album by 'old mukka' Chris Coco).

Thank God for third albums.