Steve Forward

Steven Forward, known as Steve Forward (born 14 March 1954, in Hatherleigh) is an English recording engineer, producer and musician.
He worked with numerous artists including Ray Charles, Paul McCartney, , Depeche Mode, Robert Palmer, Fischer-Z, Johnny Hallyday, and Axel Bauer.
Biography
After studying for a degree in social sciences at the London South Bank Polytechnic, he started his recording career as a tape operator and subsequently recording engineer at Nick Abson’s Freerange studios in Londons Covent Garden.
The studio clients included many of the artists signed to Stiff Records who rented the ground floor of the same building.
Career
At the beginning of his career, Forward recorded or mixed music for numerous artists from the punk and new wave époque including Wreckless Eric, The Members, The Damned, Eddie and The Hot Rods, The Pretenders, Gary Numan, Lena Lovitch and The Ramones.
Freelance from 1980, he recorded advertising music for Air Edel, with Hans Zimmer, Richard Niles, Fiachra Trench and expanded his horizons to mix and remix music for artists including Paul McCartney, Manfred Mann, Robert Palmer, Depeche Mode, Matt Bianco, Robin Trower, Willy and The Poor Boys (featuring Bill Wyman, Charlie Watts, Jimmy Page, Chris Rea and Paul Rogers) Steve Strange, The Pale Fountains and Fischer-Z.
In the mid 1980s, he started to work for EMI Records in Scandinavia and subsequently moved briefly to Oslo where he recorded and produced records for Anita Skorgan, Karolina Kruger and .
After mixing for Diane Tell, Dee Dee Bridgewater and Laurent Voulzy in Paris (France), he decided to make the city his home.
In 1987, he mixed and produced the album Reveal for the group Fischer-Z and in 1989, the album A Round And A Bout for the British group Squeeze which entered the UK top 50 in April 1990.
During this same period, he produced the single "Precious Thing" for Dee Dee Bridgewater and Ray Charles which became an international hit. This success starts a long association with the European manager and producer of Ray Charles, Jean Pierre Grosz, who asked him to produce, record and mix the album Strong Love Affair. The album was recorded during three years in 29 different studios throughout the world. Finally, he recorded and produced the cover song "Imagine" (featuring the Harlem Gospel Singers) and the album Live at the Olympia 2000 for Ray Charles.
Recording, producing and mixing for numerous record companies and labels including Universal Music, EMI, Sony Music, Columbia Records, Polydor Records and Warner Music Group, he has worked for a number of French artists.
He met Axel Bauer,, with whom he constructed a studio in Montreuil, France. They later co-produced the album Simple Mortel, released in 1998. It established a lasting friendship and creative partnership which continues to this day. Their latest collaboration being the album "Live à Ferber" released in 2018.
In 1996, Universal hired him to record and mix the singles "Savoir aimer" and "Chanter", extracts from the album Savoir aimer by Florent Pagny which became major successes in both France and Belgium. He continued to mix titles for Florent Pagny for the albums Châtelet Les Halles, 2 and Ailleurs land.
In 2001, he recorded and mixed the album Comm’si La Terre Penchait, produced by Philippe Paradis for the artist Christophe with whom he composed the song Nuage D’Or. The album was subsequently nominated in the French Victoires de la musique in the category "Album de Variété/Pop".
In 2003, he mixed the solo album of Ahmed Mouici, ex member of the hit group Pow Wow and known for his role of Ramses in the musical Les Dix Commandements by Élie Chouraqui.
In 2008, the producer Frank Autier contacted him to record and mix the album ' de Grégoire, the initial production of the first French ‘crowdfunded’ record label My Major Company. The album reached number 1 in the French charts and stayed in the top 30 record sales for more than two years. Forward continued to work for My Major Company mixing the second album of Grégoire and those of other artists signed to the label.
In 2015, the French blues artist Fred Chapelier called him to record his album It Never Comes Easy and described him as a "magician of sound".
In 2017, Forward worked once again with Fischer-Z, recording and mixing the album Swimming in Thunderstorms at ICP studios in Brussels with his long-term friend and founder member of the group John Watts, the album being released in 2019.
In 2018, Universal Music called upon his services to mix Marcel Amont's album of duos Par dessus l'épaule, featuring new interpretation of his greatest hits with many leading French artists including Charles Aznavour and Alain Souchon..
Other projects
In 1990, he played as a guitarist for Anita Skorgan.
Selected discography
* 1984: Mais où sont passées les gazelles ? - Lizzy Mercier Descloux
* 1985: Willie And The Poor Boys - Willie And The Poor Boys (groupe composé de Bill Wyman, Charlie Watts, Jimmy Page, Chris Rea & Paul Rogers)
* 1985: Beyond The Mist - Robin Trower
* 1986: Press - Paul McCartney
* 1986: Criminal Tango - Manfred Mann's Earth Band
* 1987: Reveal - Fischer-Z
* 1988: Le Soleil Donne - Laurent Voulzy
* 1988: Fasetter - Karoline Krüger
* 1988: Degriffe-moi - Diane Tell
* 1988: Sweet Lies - Robert Palmer
* 1989: Victim of love - Dee Dee Bridgewater
* 1989: Precious Thing - Dee Dee Bridgewater & Ray Charles
* 1989: Entre Douceur Et Violence - Gilbert Montagné
* 1990: Basic - Anita Skorgan
* 1991: Caraïbes - Ralph Thamar
* 1996: Strong Love Affair - Ray Charles
*1996: Flomela - Eddy Louiss
* 1997: Savoir aimer - Florent Pagny
* 1998: Simple Mortel - Axel Bauer
* 1999: M'Zee Fula-Ngenge - Papa Wemba
* 2000: Châtelet Les Halles - Florent Pagny
* 2000: Augustin et Anita - Daran
* 2001: Imagine - Ray Charles
* 2001: Comm'si la terre penchait - Christophe
* 2001: Pop sessions - Serge Gainsbourg
* 2002: - Johnny Hallyday
* 2002: L'aventurier - Nada Surf
* 2003: Je prends le temps - Ahmed Mouici
* 2003: Notre étoile - Linkup
* 2003: Chansons - Élie Semoun
* 2003: Ailleurs Land - Florent Pagny
* 2003: Taxi Europa - Stephan Eicher
* 2004: Live At The Olympia 2000 - Ray Charles
* 2008: - Grégoire
* 2010: Black spirit - Paul Mancini Quartet
* 2013: Peau de serpent - Axel Bauer
* 2014: Live à Ferber - Axel Bauer
* 2015: Chinese driver - Peter Kingsbery
* 2015: Live au Blues Café - Ahmed Mouici & The Golden Moments
* 2016: It never comes easy - Fred Chapellier
* 2018: Par dessus l'épaule - Marcel Amont
* 2019: Swimming in Thunderstorms - Fischer-Z
Film music
* Coca-Cola Kid, realised by Dušan Makavejev, recording and mix of the song "Home For My Heart" composed by Tim Finn
* Les Grandes Bouches, realised by Bernie Bonvoisin, réalisation, recording and mix of the song composed and interpreted by Nadia Farès
* Wasabi, realised by Luc Besson, recording and mix of the song "Follow Me" composed by Nadia Farès and Paul Breslin
* Blanche, realised by Bernie Bonvoisin, recording and mix of the music
*Backstage, realised by Emmanuelle Bercot, mix of the music composed by Laurent Marimbert
Notes and References
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