James Warren

James Warren is a British singer, bass player, songwriter, DJ, producer and organist. He is known for his work with Stackridge and The Korgis, as well as later solo and collaborative work in progressive and house-oriented electronic music. He comes from Bristol and cites Lennon-McCartney, Paul Simon and The Beach Boys among his early influences.

Stackridge

Warren is one of the principal songwriters in Stackridge, where he plays bass and guitar and also fronts the band. With songwriting partner Andy Davis, he helps develop the group’s quirky progressive repertoire. Stackridge play the first Glastonbury Festival as the opening act and sign to MCA Records in 1971. The band then releases three albums, including The Man in the Bowler Hat, which is recorded with George Martin. They build a strong live following, appear at Wembley Stadium with Elton John and The Eagles in 1974, and later end their original run as the lineup becomes increasingly divided.

Stackridge later returns in the late 1990s with Warren, original violinist Mike Evans and Crun Walter, releasing Something for the Weekend in 1999 and appearing at Glastonbury, Cropredy and Trowbridge. Warren helps reform the band again in 2006 with Andy Davis, Mutter Slater and Crun Walter. They return to Glastonbury in 2007, release A Victory For Common Sense in 2009, and end with a final tour in 2015. The last concerts are filmed, including the group’s final show in Bristol, which is issued on DVD in 2016.

The Korgis and James Warren and Friends

In 1978 Warren and Andy Davis enter mainstream pop as The Korgis. Their melodic writing, harmonies and hook-driven songs bring commercial success on both sides of the Atlantic with If I Had You from their 1979 debut album The Korgis and Everybody’s Got To Learn Sometime from Dumb Waiters. The Korgis later continue as a touring band drawing on the histories of Stackridge, The Korgis and Warren’s solo albums. Warren also works with James Warren and Friends, whose album Innocent Bystander appears in 2017, followed by touring in 2017 and 2018.

DJ and producer work

As a DJ and producer, Warren works in progressive house and joins the Hybridized.org artist roster in 2008. His reputation grows through carefully programmed DJ sets, with downloads of his mixes reaching large numbers. He performs in the UK and the US and also records collaboratively with Mike Bandoni as Coalesced. Coalesced releases remix and original material on several labels, including Triptik, Electrofly, Silk Digital and Polytechnic, and there is also a move towards film and television scoring. A Coalesced track, Cortina, receives remixes from Jody Wisternoff and Darin Epsilon. Warren also records with KiRA, releasing tracks on Polytechnic Recordings and a Trafik remix for Global Underground’s Afterhours 5 compilation.

His solo releases appear on Proton, Baroque, Olaris, Polytechnic and Silk Digital. His work receives support from Markus Schulz, Nick Warren, Luis Junior, Ruben de Ronde, Chloe Harris, Elke Kleijn and Gui Boratto. Verified releases place him on Visceral as well, and his music is associated with house, progressive, trance, electronic, pop and dance styles.

Organ and classical work

Warren is also credited as an organist, with a separate classical work listed under A Masterpiece in Time.