{"title":"Wally Badarou","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"colors-of-silence","title":"Colors of Silence","description":"\u003cp\u003eSynth pioneer and musical polymath, Wally Badarou is a genius. But you know that already. A vinyl version of his majestic \u003ci\u003eColors Of Silence\u003c\/i\u003e has been craved by the Balearic cognoscenti ever since its low-key 2001 release. Indeed, when they first started work on Be With, they asked some pals with exquisite taste what their dream release would be. They asked Balearic legend Moonboots and, without hesitation, he said \u003ci\u003eColors Of Silence\u003c\/i\u003e by Wally Badarou. They didn't know Wally had made this album. And most still don't. But that's about to change.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eColors Of Silence\u003c\/i\u003e is ostensibly a new age album. As ever though, Wally's sophisticated synth textures and expressive keyboard runs are so full of character, so full of life, that this work of art transcends any easy genre categorisation. It's simply stunning, throughout. It sounds like A.r.t. Wilson or Suzanne Kraft, with traces of CFCF and Jonny Nash. But it was made a good decade earlier than the work of these modern giants. Sometimes, it doesn't seem far from some Larry Heard albums.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Be With Records","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":50394557743435,"sku":"2055774","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/WallyBadarou_12inch_Front_BackOnly_1_Hi-Res_1024x1024_110e8dbf_thumbnail_40.webp?v=1726442664"},{"product_id":"simple-things-1","title":"Simple Things","description":"\u003cp\u003eWally Badarou is a synth pioneer and musical polymath. But rarely does he sing over his sumptuous tracks. The 6 songs that comprise new record \u003cem\u003eSimple Things\u003c\/em\u003e finally realise Wally's vision for select backing tracks from his beloved Colors Of Silence. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe tracks were originally developed back in 2001 for the release of the original CD; here, Wally has “simply\" added overdubs and vocals to their mastered mixes with some discerning edits. Simply put, \u003cem\u003eSimple Things \u003c\/em\u003eis another slice of simply stunning Wally Badarou genius. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSimple Things\u003c\/em\u003e has been decades in the making. Indeed, Wally struggled not only with the idea of singing these wonderful songs himself but singing them in English and writing his own lyrics, while wrestling with the sensational backing tracks, which themselves seemed to have taken on a life of their own. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA synth specialist, there can be few artists more under-appreciated given their vast influence than Wally Badarou. His solo work practically defined the sound of the Balearic DJs of the 1980s, and thus the more sophisticated sound of dance culture thereafter. He was one of the Compass Point All Stars (with Sly and Robbie, Barry Reynolds, Mikey Chung and Uziah \"Sticky\" Thompson), the in-house recording team of Compass Point Studios responsible for a series of albums in the 1980s recorded by Grace Jones, Tom Tom Club, Mick Jagger, Black Uhuru, Gwen Guthrie, Jimmy Cliff and Gregory Isaacs. Badarou's keyboard playing could also be heard on albums by Robert Palmer, Marianne Faithfull, Herbie Hancock, M (Pop Muzik), Talking Heads, Manu Dibango and Miriam Makeba. He also produced Fela Kuti. Phew!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen we asked Wally about the significance of this collection's title, he explained: \"These are \"\u003cem\u003eSimple things\u003c\/em\u003e” that everyday’s life seems to build upon. The simplest are the harder to describe, but when satisfactorily described i.e. with simple words, they are the more genuine and authentic to express and share. I’ve immersed myself in other classic song lyrics, something I hardly did before, just to appreciate the genius behind the simple words they were made of, and had a great time studying how powerful they were in expressing complex ideas such as love.\" \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRecording was twofold: first, most of the backing tracks were recorded in 2001, in Wally's studio in Normandy, mostly using hardware synths and Yamaha digital consoles. Then, he fine-tuned the melodies and wrote the lyrics in late 2023, then added some overdubs and sang them all during summer 2024. States Wally, \"Digital Performer was and remains the DAW I’ve been using throughout, ever since the 80s.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWally's sophisticated synth textures and expressive keyboard runs are so full of character, so full of life, that this work of art transcends any easy genre categorisation. Meticulously remastered and cut by both Simon Francis and Cicely Balston respectively, it has been pressed to the highest possible quality at Record Industry in Holland. Sometimes, the \u003cem\u003esimple things\u003c\/em\u003e are the most extraordinary.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Be With Records","offers":[{"title":"LP - Black","offer_id":53365152809291,"sku":"R2876-1119","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/BEWITH187LP.jpg?v=1757596779"},{"product_id":"echoes-3","title":"Echoes","description":"\u003cp\u003eEchoes (1984) is the debut solo album by Wally Badarou, a keyboardist and producer closely associated with the Compass Point Studios scene.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis re-issue faithfully replicates the original Island Records UK release and is pressed on 180g vinyl.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEchoes has since gained cult status for its forward-thinking production and genre-defying style. Built around early digital synthesizer technology and fluid composition, the album remains a notable example of 1980s electronic music that continues to resonate with modern audiences. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Proper","offers":[{"title":"LP - Black","offer_id":57238087041355,"sku":"R6925-7187","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/unnamed-2026-05-07T123624.187.jpg?v=1778153790"}],"url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/collections\/wally-badarou.oembed","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}