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Sleeve Design

An cultivated archive featuring Dave Little's hand designed record sleeves from the late 80's to early 90's.
Featuring classic designs for Bomb the base and Rhythm King.

 

 

 

S'EXPRESS - ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK

Rhythm King 1989
 Mark Moore wanted a 'Tamara De Lempicka' feel in the background
I was asked to show my work to Blurs manager David Balfe  and he told me personally it was his favourite sleeve ever.
 
Method: Airbrush and watercolour.

 

 

 

S'EXPRESS - HEY MUSIC LOVER

1989 Rhythm King Records
 Early computer enhanced photograph. Created by capturing group members reflection on "mirror-foil” with video camera then playing footage onto tv.
The TV screen is then distorted by a magnet, a photo taken , then enhanced using early hybrid computer system @IMAGINE in Ganton St SOHO,
who where famous for work on PINK FLOYD’S sleeves.
 
Method: Very very early computer graphics - ‘scanned’ by a video camera with separate R/G/B lens.
 Finished result scanned from a 35mm slide hence the low resolution.

 

 

 

RENEGADE SOUNDWAVE - KRAY TWINS

Rhythm King 1986
 Gary Asquith had an unpublished photo of Reggie Kray having a funfight with his grandad in the family kitchen. He was an extended family member…. Rumour has it the Krays were not pleased.
 
Method: Airbrush , ink and watercolour.

 

 

 

RENEGADE SOUNDWAVE - COCAINE SEX

Rhythm King 1987
 I photographed the boys at their recording studio under a single light bulb…
After printing I completely re-airbrushed their faces incorporating many visual references.
 
Method: Airbrush , ink and watercolour.

 

 

 

RENEGADE SOUNDWAVE - BITING MY NAILS

Rhythm King 1988
 Carl Bonnie and Danny Danny Briottet asked me to use a Balinese Devil mask on the front cover. The base speakers were a constant feature…This was the last sleeve I created for the group…
 
Method: Hand rendered , Airbrush and Rotring ink pen.

 

 

 

BOMB THE BASS - SAY A LITTLE PRAYER

Released by Rhythm King in ’88
 As a name, Bomb the Bass came from Simenon's approach to collaging and mixing sounds whilst DJing in the mid to late 1980s. He loved collage and very early computer graphics. I came up with using Albrecht Durer’s “Praying Hands” woodcut. The background is a Sony Walkman internals.
 
Method: Very early computer graphics - 'scanner' was a video camera with separate RGB lens.  Finished result on a 35mm slide hence the low resolution.

 

 

 

JIBARO ELECTRA - BALEARIC BEATS

Released by FFRR in Sept '88
 Compiled by Paul Oakenfold, Pete Tong and Trevor Fung. Design taken from the 'Spectrum' flyer. This was ‘pre-computer’ so the different colours where achieved by swapping colour negatives to achieve the green-red-blue designs
 
Method: Hand rendered , Airbrush and Rotring ink pen.

 

 

 

BOMB THE BASS - INTO THE DRAGON

Released by Rhythm King in ’88
 Tim had a Japanese background and was a keen collector of very early 'Manga’ comics. I’d never seen this artform so after collecting reference this was the end design.
Method: Hand rendered , Airbrush and Rotring ink pen with handmade film transfers.

 

 

 Megablast

Megablast - Bomb The Bass

 

 

 

GRACE UNDER PRESSURE - MAKE MY DAY

Released in '92 by ARS Productions
 Illustration based on WW2 Bomber Art.
 
Method: Hand rendered, Airbrush and Rotring ink pen.

 

 

 

BOCA JUNIORS - RAISE

Released through BOP/FFRR in 1990
 Based on the infamous American flag raising on Iwo Jima during the 2WW.
I chose just 2 colours and a striking stripe b’ground. Street posters looked awesome next to the over complicated designs of the time.
 
Method: Hand rendered ,Rotring ink pen

 

 

 

BOY'S OWN - HOUSE SLEEVE

London Records 1990
 This was the Boys Own promo sleeve as briefed by terry Farley and simon Eccles. There was 3 designs….HEAR no evil, SEE no evil, SPEAK no evil.
Blind embossed and printed onto reversed board.
 
Method: Hand rendered. Rotring ink pen and PMT flat camera artwork.
Modigraphic typeset lettering.

 

 

 

COWBOY

12" HOUSE SLEEVE
Designed for Charlie Chester of Flying Records fame. 1992.
 
Method: Printed on reverse board. Centre label is a Rotring pen illustration.

 

 

 

THE ADVENT - SHADED ELEMENTZ

Released by INTERNAL RECORDS 1996
 Bizarrely Cisco Ferreira and Colin McBean’s studio where a mere 30 metres down the corridor at CANALOT Production studious where I was based.
 The idea for the Robot Head was agreed and a model produced as nearly every sleeve then was now being computer rendered.
It was my opposition to this and great fun to create.
 
Method: Built using fibreglass and a display case from a taxidermist.

 

 

 

FLOWERED UP - A LIFE WITH BRIAN

Released by FFRR/LONDON RECORDS 1991
 I was intro’d to the band before they where signed by Paul Oakenfold. When signed they asked me to create there sleeve featuring this photo.
 
Method: Hand rendered , Airbrush,Rotring ink pen and photo montage.

 

 

 

KID GALAHAD - GOLD DUST NOISE

Released by Ignition Records 2002
 Inspiration came from my own 1964 American Motocross helmet.
 
Method: Built using glass head & helmet/fairy lights. Very early digital photography

 

 

 

BASSOMATIC - EASE ON BY

Released on William Orbits own label, Guerilla Records in 1990
 I was a great fan of Williams work and I was asked to design the cover and guerrilla logo (below) for his own label. I took a very slow exposure of piano wires moving in front of a blue lit b'ground…
Overlaying 3 exposures, this was the result.
 
Method: Photo montage and Flat camera ready a/work.

 

 

 

SILVAH BULLET - JEWELZ AND DIAMONDZ

Released by Artthrob in 1998
 Photo was taken by the amazing Mick O' Farrell at Revolver Creative
Typography was printed out the roughed with scalpel and Sellotape.
 
Method: Hand rendered , Early digital photo. Early computer illustrator programme

 

 

 

ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND

SHERYL GARRAT 1994
Written by Editor of 'The Face’ magazine as definitive account of the birth of Club Culture. I was honoured with a big mention in the introduction and the narrative itself.
 
Method: Flat a/w with early MAC rendering. Photo by Charles Pycraft.

 

 

 

XPLICIT VINYL

12" HOUSE SLEEVE
House sleeve for an offshoot of Flying Records.
 
Method: Flat a/w with early MAC rendering. Hand drawn illustration.

 

 

 

FLYING VINYL

12" HOUSE SLEEVE 1991
Pen & ink illustration to produce camera a/w.
 Designed for Charlie Chester of Flying Records fame.
 
Method: Printed on reverse board. Centre label is a Rotring pen illustration.
2 colour Printed on reverse board. Modigraphic type.

 

 

 

THE ALOOF - NEVER GET OUT THE BOAT

Released by Flaw Recordings in 1994
 Band leader and good freind Dean Thatcher asked for a ‘crazed world’ on the cover. Deans caricature is on the far right.
 
Method: Hand rendered ,Rotring ink pen . Early mac computer illustrator programme
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