Adam Paul Tinley (born 4 December 1967[2]), known professionally as Adamski, as well as Sonny Eriksson, is an English DJ, musician, singer and record producer, prominent at the time of acid house for his tracks "N-R-G" and "Killer", a collaboration with Seal, which was a No. 1 song in the UK in 1990.[3]
Adamski | |
---|---|
![]() Adamski in 2014 | |
Background information | |
Birth name | Adam Paul Tinley |
Also known as |
|
Born | (1967-12-04) 4 December 1967 (age 54) Lymington, Hampshire, England |
Genres |
|
Occupation(s) |
|
Years active | 1979–present |
Labels | MCA[1] |
Website | |
Spouse | Nana Tinley (born Klimek)
(m. 2017) |
Children | 2 |
Tinley was born in Lymington, Hampshire, England. As a youngster, influenced by punk rock and John Peel, he formed his first band The Stupid Babies when he was 11 and living in New Forest in England. He persuaded his 5-year-old brother Dominic to sing while he strummed a small guitar, and sent a demo tape to the indie label Fast Product, run by The Human League's manager Bob Last. "Everyone thought that was a really precocious and strange thing for an 11 year-old to do," Adamski recalls "but I just thought that's what everybody did". The kiddie-punk tracks were released on a sampler. When alternative BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel started playing their song "Babysitters" the band caused quite a stir, receiving positive write-ups in music magazines like Smash Hits and Melody Maker.[4][5] He performed with his brother Mark Tinley, and Johnny Slut of the band Specimen, as Diskord Datkord. They released their only single in 1988, an electroid cover of "Identity" by punk band X-Ray Spex. It was single of the week in NME.[citation needed]
In March 1989, Adamski was booked for his first solo gig at Le Petit Prince Restaurant in Kentish Town, run by his manager Phil Smith. Lenny D, promoter of nightclub Heaven, happened to be walking past, and was convinced by Smith to book Adamski for an all-dayer at Heaven. He quickly catapulted into the upper echelons of the nascent rave scene. Within a few weeks, Adamski was playing to 8,000 people at Sunrise Festival at Santa Pod Raceway and, after a bidding war, signed to MCA Records, producing the first rave record on MCA called Liveandirect.
He had success with this first release, which was a collection of tracks recorded live at various raves. It contained a short, live version of his first single "N-R-G", as well as "I Dream of You", which appeared on a free 4-track 7" vinyl single given away with the music paper Record Mirror in 1989.[6] The cover of the single "N-R-G" featured a mocked up Lucozade bottle with the word "Lucozade" replaced with "N-R-G".
Adamski toured many clubs with his portable keyboard set up, playing long sets, with an MC, Daddy Chester, and later with Seal. In front of his keyboard was a UK car number plate with the word ADAMSKI on it. Early versions of future singles "Killer" and "Future Love Paradise" were played on some of the Seal dates.
The album, Adamski's Thing, was issued in late 1998 on Trevor Horn's ZTT Records label, recorded at Adrian Sherwood’s On-U Sound studios. The style followed the trend started with his 1992 album Naughty, with guitars, strings, raw vocals and introspective lyrics, but maintaining a rhythmic dance sensibility.[citation needed] Adamski's Thing spawned two singles, "Intravenous Venus" and "One of the People" (a record featuring dance vocalist Gerideau, that got to No. 56 in the UK Singles Chart).[7][8]
As a producer, his songs at that time also included a collaboration with musician Danny Williams. In 2007, he released a remake of The Pop Group's 1979 single "We Are All Prostitutes" with Mark Stewart which appeared on a number of compilations. His single "ApeX" was released on Kitsuné Music in 2006. In 2009, he began to release more material on Shir Khan's record label.[9]
Year | Single | Peak positions | Album | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
UK [11] |
IRE | NED | BEL (FLA) |
GER [12] |
AUT | SWI | ITA [13] |
SWE | NZ | |||
1990 | "N-R-G" | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Doctor Adamski's Musical Pharmacy |
"Killer" (featuring Seal) | 1 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 15 | – | 5 | 29 | ||
"The Space Jungle" | 7 | 13 | 20 | 24 | – | – | 25 | – | – | 21 | ||
"Flashback Jack" | 46 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1991 | "Never Goin' Down! / Born to Be Alive!" (featuring Jimi Polo / Soho) | 51 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Naughty |
1992 | "Get Your Body" (featuring Nina Hagen) | 68 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
"Back to Front" | 63 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1993 | "Sleeping with an Angel" (with Transformer 2) | – | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Singles only |
"Bastardo" (with Pizarro) | – | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1998 | "One of the People" | 56 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Adamski's Thing (as "Adamski's Thing") |
"Intravenous Venus" | 165 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1999 | "In the City" (featuring Gerideau) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 24 | — | — | Mutant Pop (as "Adamski Products Inc.") |
2000 | "Take Me Away" | – | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
2002 | "Already Out There" | – | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Singles only |
2012 | "I Like It" | – | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
2012 | "Pawa 2 Da PPL" (with Gaudi) | – | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
2015 | "Dazed 'n' Confused" (featuring Betty Adewole) | – | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Revolt |
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released. |
General | |
---|---|
National libraries | |
Other |