Unbelievable with Ian Dench

Insight with HReSource

In this episode of Insight we meet someone I’ve not seen, in the flesh, for over 40 years. We were at school together, a Grammar school in Gloucester of which he is now rightly regarded as one their high achiever alumni. After exams one of us formed a punk then indie band, getting signed by Virgin and the other joined an insurance company…

My guest has had a quite the career, not least because he penned and performed one of the all time classic alternative rock tracks “Unbelievable” but essentially he didn’t rest on his laurels and has gone on to work and continue to collaborate with some of the biggest stars in the music industry.

Bio – Ian Dench

Ian Dench is a highly successful and critically acclaimed musician and songwriter. He originally found fame as the guitarist and primary songwriter for the electronic rock band EMF, best known for their 1991 hit "Unbelievable”. The band enjoyed eight top 30 hits in the UK Singles Chart and three UK top 30 albums. Of course, “Unbelievable” was the big hit, making no.3 in the UK charts and no.1 in the US. His song writing talent has earned both Golden Globe and Grammy nominations for his work on Beyonce’s "Once In a Lifetime." He also won an Ivor Novello award for composing Beautiful Liar, performed by Beyonce and Shakira, in the Best-Selling British Song Category, 2008. As is often the case successful song writing can result from the spark of collaboration and Ian has worked on a number of joint projects notably with music executive and composer Amanda Ghost.

His career in music has also included time as an industry exec as Vice President in charge of A&R at Epic Records in New York.

Before Fame

Ian attended The Crypt Grammar School in Gloucester from 1975, where one year at Prizegiving, his chosen prize of "100 Greatest Rock Licks" was somewhat frowned upon. Ian began his music career with Gloucester punk band Curse. He later became a member of the bands Apple Mosaic (signed with Virgin Music), EMF and Whistler.

Trivia

His guitar riff for "Unbelievable" was named as one of the 100 Greatest Guitar Riffs by BBC Radio 2 in 2014.

Family Life

He learned classical guitar from his father, Harold Dench.

Also Associated With

Ian has worked with many artists in addition to Beyoncé and Shakira these include Brian Eno, Tom Jones, Dido, Ian Brown, Amanda Ghost, Florence and the Machine, Texas, Sub Focus, Beverley Knight, Alesha Dixon, All Saints, Tina Arena, Boy George, Daniel Merriweather and American Idol winner Jordin Sparks.

Ian Dench – Twitter @liveid6

Outline

· Early years - Cheltenham

· School – prize giving and beyond choosing a career path

· Musical influences

· Punk, Curse and Apple Mosaic

· EMF origin story – honorary forester

· Writing, rehearsing, and releases

· Chart success and dealing with fame, fans, friends and family

· Sustaining the band, brand and business

· Creative collaborations – Amanda Ghost

· VP A&R New York - Epic Records

· LGM Records, Sine Digital Marketing Agency

· Future plans and projects

· A lesson learnt/ insight to share that could help others.

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