djinsomnia, Oct 15, 2001
It all started in 1993 when Richard decided to join forces with Nick Simpson and release a white label called "Can't take it" under the name Rhythm Invention. The track became an instant club anthem and was promptly signed to Warp Records after a certain Chris Duckenfield (then working in the Warp shop) brought it to their attention. This was followed by two more releases, and the well received "Inventures in Wonderland" album. The Rhythm Invention live show subsequently graced the nation's better club nights, including Back to Basics and Ministry of Sound.
Warp often called on Richard's studio expertise, and he had a hand in many of the labels releases at the time (such as RAC, Nightmares on Wax, Autechre, Solitaire Gee etc). Further collaborations followed, and in 94 Richard enjoyed some commercial success with the summer anthem "Drop the Rock" by D-Tek (released on EMI dance label Positiva). His sought after production and programming abilities saw him work with other artists such as Bjork, Rabbit in the Moon and Beamont Hannant, with whom Richard later teamed up to form Outcast - releasing the superb "Rollercoaster" single and an album "Out of tune" on One little Indian.
It was during one such recording session that Richard met Chris Duckenfield, then recording as RAC for Warp. By the end of 95 they had knocked together some work of their own under the Swag alias.
The success of the Swag sound attracted plenty of attention, and various remixes followed. Playing live was a natural progression, and the two of them put together a set which took the emphasis away from the stage, and instead encompassed the DJ ethic, combining live tracks, real time sampling and Djing to great effect. They have subsequently played all across Europe, including gigs at the legendary Love Parade in Berlin, the Omen in Frankfurt and the Ten days of Techno festival in Belgium. Richard and Chris are also the main contributors to the Primitive and Odori labels.
As well as Swag, Richard continues to play solo as Richard Brown or Cherry Bomb, the solo name which he records under on the legendary Music Man Records. He records with Billy Nasty on Tortured as Barb Wired, who have recently completed a Leftfield Remix.
