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Richard Philips, better known by his stage name Richard X, is a British songwriter and music producer. Gaining attention as a pioneer of the bootleg craze, Richard X has earned success as a producer and remixer. He has helmed hit singles for artists including Annie, Kelis, Liberty X, Rachel Stevens and Sugababes. According to an early issue of the now defunct Popworld magazine, Philips' Pseudonym comes from a postcard which was sealed with a kiss misinterpreted for the letter X.
Richard X is known for his "synthesised, grungy pop music", which was inspired by bands such as The Human League and Kraftwerk. His original intention was to "reinvent" pop music by making records that are "deliberately unplayable". Referring to his 'Girls on Top' bootlegs, Richard X says, "At the time it was inspired by anti the po-facedness of the electronica scene as much as anything. The production side, how it sounded – rough and spiky, electronic and modern – was what did it for me. Taking pop and putting it through a blender sound wise was the spirit of the times."
Island Records heard "We Don't Give a Damn About Our Friends", which was a mash-up of Adina Howard's "Freak Like Me" and Gary Numan/Tubeway Army's "Are 'Friends' Electric?", and requested that Sugababes record it. Richard X said he was "very keen to do it as long as it remained what it was. It was raw, it was against the grain and it was still pop music." Sugababes' version of the song, which kept the Adina Howard title of "Freak Like Me", was recorded in Richard X's flat in Tooting. He said, "there was a loop, some handclaps, the Sugababes and a semi-broken synthesiser." Released as the first single from Sugababes' second studio album Angels with Dirty Faces, it charted at number one on the UK Singles Chart, the first of many for the girl group.
As a result of the interest in Girls on Top and "Freak Like Me", Richard X was signed to Virgin Records. He collaborated with pop group Liberty X to create "Being Nobody", a mash-up of Chaka Khan's "Ain't Nobody" and The Human League's "Being Boiled". Richard X's next release was "Finest Dreams" with Kelis, which was a reworking of The SOS Band and Alexander O'Neal's "The Finest" with another The Human League song "The Things That Dreams Are Made Of". Both the Liberty X and Kelis collaborations charted within the top ten, at number three and number eight respectively. Richard X released his debut album Richard X Presents His X-Factor Vol. 1 in August 2003. The album featured "Freak Like Me", "Being Nobody", "Finest Dreams" as well as collaborations with Annie, Jarvis Cocker, Javine Hylton, and Tiga, among others. Richard X described the album as "modern, alternative, future-pop".
He also released Back to Mine Volume 17, as part of the long-running mix album series. His album included tracks by artists including Goldfrapp, Heaven 17, Jona Lewie, John Carpenter and Kelis.
In 2004, Richard X worked with M.I.A. for her debut album Arular (2005). He co-wrote/produced "Amazon" and "10 Dollar", as well as "Hombre" under the pseudonym Dwain 'Willy' Wilson III. The latter featured a drum pattern created from the sounds made by toys that M.I.A. had bought in India, augmented with sounds produced by objects such as pens and mobile phones. M.I.A. also appeared on Richard X's remix of Ciara's "Goodies".
Richard X worked with Róisín Murphy and Sam Sparro on their albums Overpowered and Sam Sparro respectively. "Parallel Lives" appears on her second album Overpowered, while "Pandora" was used as a b-side. Richard X collaborated with Saint Etienne, co-writing and producing the 2009 single "Method of Modern Love". He also worked with Annie again for her 2009 album Don't Stop. He produced the singles "I Know UR Girlfriend Hates Me", "Anthonio", and "Songs Remind Me of You". The latter dates back to 2006. Richard X also produced Annie's cover of the Stacey Q song "Two of Hearts" for release as a digital download.
Richard X co-produced "Alive" for Goldfrapp's 2010 album Head First and worked with Sophie Ellis-Bextor on her 2011 album Make a Scene, producing and co-writing "Magic" and the single "Starlight". He also co-produced the entirety of Will Young's album Echoes (2011), which debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart.
In 2013, Richard X worked with Erasure (Andy Bell and Vince Clarke) on their anticipated 16th studio album for fall 2014 release, a 10-track record titled The Violet Flame.
In October 2002, Richard X worked with The Human League members past and present to compile The Golden Hour of the Future, a collection of early recordings by The Human League and their predecessors The Future. The album was released via Black Melody and preceded by a limited edition 12" promo EP titled "Dance Like a Star".
In 2009, Richard X created the Pleasure Masters label for the sole purpose of releasing Annie's "Anthonio", which he co-wrote and produced, after her departure from Island Records.
He treats every song as a potential single. He says, "Each track has to stand alone. The song, the production and everything together. My reference point is always imagining finding it on a seven-inch single in a second hand shop when you were younger." Richard X cites this as a reason that he usually collaborates with artists on individual tracks: "I've always been about singles ... it's bite sized, to the point, and let's be honest with some of the artists out there you really don't need to hear much beyond the hit."
Richard X also prefers to co-write songs, rather than solely producing them.
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