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Howard Simon Bernstein (born 18 April 1963,BBC Radio 6 Music, Gilles Peterson, " Howie B in conversation", interview with Howie B, 19 April 2014 Glasgow, Scotland) is a Scottish musician, producer and DJ who has worked with artists including Björk, U2, Tricky, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Soul II Soul, Robbie Robertson, Elisa Toffoli, Mukul Deora, Marlene Kuntz and the Gift.
Later, he spent a year in Israel working on a kibbutz as part of Jewish cultural youth movement Habonim Dror The comedy gang: The Jewish youth group that made Sacha Baron Cohen The Independent. Retrieved 2013-16-12. before living for a period in the United States.
Once back in the UK, he moved to a squat in Limehouse, London. When asked in 2018 "What’s the best gig you've ever been to?", he mentioned "Siouxsie and the Banshees in 1978". In the 1980s, he was "heavily influenced" by the London skating scene and its DIY attitude. He saved to buy an album a week and then listened to it all day long. The bands he liked the most at the time were "Siouxsie and the Banshees - of which I was a big fan - but also Santana, John McLaughlin, Sly & Robbie, a lot of reggae, and Brian Eno".
He had a desire to work in the music industry, and after establishing himself as a DJ, he found a job working as a teaboy at Lillie Yard studios, owned by film composer Hans Zimmer. He worked his way up there between 1984 and 1986, from teaboy to tape operator to assistant engineer to engineer. Howie B: Electronic Music For Live Performance Sound on Sound. Retrieved 2013-16-12. He learnt there all the technical details and procedures.
He worked as a programmer for Björk on several albums, engineering on 1995's Post and co-writing "I Miss You". His mix of "All is Full of Love" was included in the final cut of her following album, 1997's Homogenic.
At the same time, he collaborated with U2 on different projects. He supervised their side-project alongside producer Brian Eno. Flood & Howie B: Producing U2's 'Pop' Sound on Sound. Retrieved 2013-17-12. He was heavily involved in the U2's electronically focused Pop in 1997, co-producing it with Flood. "At the beginning they were trying to find a role for me" he said of the beginning of the project. "My original title was 'DJ and Vibes'. It was a bit of a difficult title to be given, because some of the tunes didn't need that kind of input – it's not as though there's scratching and loops all over the record. And vibes... that's a really difficult word to describe, and to put your finger on. So it was a bit ad hoc at first. As we got further and further into the project, the role I was playing came out – I was co-producer, engineer, and mixer. I gave the band a direct line into club culture and freestyle DJing." He then embarked on their PopMart tour, for a DJ set.
Other notable credits include producing Tricky's Ponderosa, Tricky: Discogs Discogs. Retrieved 2014-07-02. performing 'noises' on Marlene Kuntz's Ricoveri Virtuali E Sexy Solitudini, Marlene Kuntz: Discogs Discogs. Retrieved 2014-07-02. producing two albums ( Reale and collaborative album Not in the Face) for Italian funk rock group Casino Royale, Clash Music: Howie B vs Casino Royale Clash Music. Retrieved 2014-07-02. producing and co-writing Take Your Partner by the Hand with Robbie Robertson for his album Turn the Dark Off, producing Sly and Robbie's album Drum & Bass Strip to the Bone, Drum & Bass Strip To The Bone by Howie B review Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2014-07-02. producing a solo project for U2's The Edge and producing for Hal Willner. Hal Wilner: Pomegranate Arts Pomegranate Arts. Retrieved 2014-07-02.
In 2021, Italian duo Pinhdar released the album Parallel, produced by Howie B. He told ondarock that "this is one of the records I'm most proud of."
As a DJ, he compiled and mixed FabricLive.05 for London nightclub Fabric's nascent label in 2002.
His album Down with the Dawn, was announced in late 2013 Howie B announced Down With The Dawn Digital Warble. Retrieved 2013-17-12. and released on 9 April 2014. "Dazed preview" John-Paul Pryor, 'Howie B – Down with the Dawn', Dazed Digital, 3 April 2014.
He has produced, co-produced, composed and written a number of scores and soundtracks for full-length feature and short films alike, including The End of Violence with Ry Cooder, Dollhouse, How To Sell A Banksy, Double Xposure, Lost in Thailand, Brick, Dr. Chan Cheng, Made in China and Rabbit. He frequently collaborated with director Run Wrake, who would animate short films and music videos set to accompany Howie B's music. He also soundtracked a pornographic film directed by Jacob Pander. Howie B interview Time Out Hong Kong. Retrieved 2013-18-12.
His TV work includes creating music for BBC One's Imagine documentary on The Royal Ballet's principal guest artist Carlos Acosta, for a Dazed & Confused short film project Stop for a Minute Stop For A Minute Angelfire. Retrieved 2014-18-02. and for a Dazed series on Channel 4. Renegade Masters Design Week. Retrieved 2014-18-02.
His work for advertising campaigns includes creating music for Maserati, Seven Notes: Howie B Live At Abbey Road Studios WhatCulture!. Retrieved 2013-18-12. Hyundai, Hyundai launches latest Europe-wide campaign Campaign. Retrieved 2014-04-02. Range Rover, Hugo Boss and BUPA. Song Of The Salesman: BUPA Song of the Salesman. Retrieved 2014-04-02.
He collaborated with Argentine theatre group De La Guarda on an album produced by one of their members, Gaby Kerpel, whom he mentored. Gaby Kerpel: Nonesuch Records Nonesuch Records. Retrieved 2014-07-02.
His remix of "Cherry Lips" by Garbage is used after every home run hit by the Milwaukee Brewers.
Howie scored the soundtrack to the documentary The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru, a look at the sinking of the Japanese freighter, which was torpedoed carrying 2,000 British prisoners of war back in 1942. He wrote the title track "A Long Way From Home".
Howie's composition work can be seen in the documentary Kiss The Future, which tells a story of defiance amid the 1990s' siege of Sarajevo during the Bosnian War. Howie accompanied U2 to Sarajevo to support them in their tour.
He set up HB Records in 2013 to release a new album Down with the Dawn.
† Howie B featuring Robbie Robertson from Contact from the Underworld of Redboy
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