Adamski

Adamski is the stage name of Adam Tinley, an English dance music producer born in 1967 and originally from Hampshire, in the New Forest area of England. He is associated with acid house, house, techno, trance, downtempo and EDM. In the late 1980s he adopts the Adamski name, taking it from UFO enthusiast George Adamski.

Early releases and acid house period

Adamski first gains attention with acid house tracks such as “N-R-G” and “Killer”. His first release, Live and Direct, is a collection of tracks recorded live at a small venue in Kentish Town, London. It includes a short live version of “NRG” and “I Dream of You”, which also appears on a free four-track 7-inch single given away with Record Mirror in 1989. The sleeve for “NRG” features a mocked-up Lucozade bottle with the name altered to “N-R-G”, as a reference to acid house rave culture, where bottled water and soft drinks are preferred over alcohol.

Commercial breakthrough

“Killer”, recorded with Seal, becomes Adamski’s signature track and crosses over into the mainstream as a worldwide hit. During this period he tours clubs with a portable keyboard setup, playing short sets with MC Daddy Chester and later with Seal. A yellow car number plate reading “ADAMSKI” stands in front of his keyboard. Early versions of “Killer” and “Future Love Paradise” are performed on some Seal dates, and one notable appearance takes place at Cambridge Corn Exchange in early 1990.

Albums and later work

Doctor Adamski’s Musical Pharmacy includes “Killer” as well as later hits “The Space Jungle” and “Flashback Jack”. “The Space Jungle” is based on Adamski singing Elvis Presley’s “All Shook Up” over a dance backing. His third album, Naughty, includes “Get Your Body!”, a collaboration with Nina Hagen, and moves further into pop and rock while keeping a club focus. It is not a major commercial success.

Later in the 1990s he issues Adamski’s Thing on ZTT Records, a label associated with Frankie Goes to Hollywood and Art of Noise. The album continues the mix of guitars, strings, raw vocals, introspective lyrics and dance rhythms, and it produces the singles “Intravenous Venus” and “One Of the People”. His final single under the Adamski name is “In the City” in 2000, which charts in Italy but has limited wider impact.

Other projects and collaborations

As a child, Tinley makes his first record at the age of eleven in 1979 with the kinderpunk group The Stupid Babies. Their song “Babysitter” is released on Fast Product Records and played on John Peel’s BBC Radio 1 show. His brother Mark Tinley works with him as programmer and sound engineer around the time of “Killer”. The bass line from “Killer” is later reworked by George Michael on a live album featuring surviving members of Queen.

After leaving the Adamski name behind in the early 2000s, he records as Adam Sky. Under that name he releases music that includes songs by Danny Williams, sets up his own label, Prostitute Records, and releases “ApeX” on Kitsuné Music in 2006. He also works closely with VJ Ladypat and the London-based rapper Niyi.

Personal life

Adam Tinley lives in Spain with his daughters, Bluebell Williams Tinley and Ariella Tinley.