rickyleepotts Sits Down With Richard Bedford

Does the name Richard Bedford ring a bell? You might not recognize his name, but you WILL recognize his voice. You have heard him featured on tracks like “Sun and Moon,” “Thing Called Love,” and “Love Never Came.” He has done a lot of work with Above & Beyond, and recently appeared the new Armin van Buuren release Intense.

Richard is originally from Halifax, West Yorkshire and started dabbling with electronic dance music on the Above & Beyond release Tri-state. From there he appeared on more than 10 tracks working with Anjunabeats, Armada, High Contrast, and more. He hasn’t been in the scene for long, but his voice has him working with the best in dance.

Above & Beyond feat. Richard Bedford – Sun & Moon

In a recent interview with Richard, I asked him when he first realized he had a great voice. “I had experimented with electronic music at home. I started life as a keyboard player and tended to write from that perspective in my early writing development, influenced by names like Depeche Mode, Pet Shop Boys, and Yazoo. My first real taste of singing in the scene was “Alone Tonight” with Above & Beyond.”

Working with anyone in electronic dance music is a big deal, but to start his career off with a name like Above & Beyond helped him get the ball rolling. “I knew what they were doing was different than my idea of trance. It was wide open for an emotional sound, but it was still a few weeks of discussion before the track had taken a little more shape. Then I thought, OK… this sounds like my kind of music!”

Above & Beyond – Alone Tonight

Over the years, Richard has done a lot of work with Above & Beyond. “I met the boys back in 2005 through a friend. He worked for the label and introduced me to the guys. I was pretty nervous when I made my way down to their studio. I was not sure what to expect, but I met Tony and he was so welcoming and warm. His personality put me at ease. They are a complete pleasure to work with, and I have a huge respect and love for what they do. They understand where I come from vocally/creatively.”

International Dance Music Awards

It didn’t take long for people to notice that Bedford had arrived. Being relatively new to dance music, he was off to a great start when “Alone Tonight” was nominated for an International Dance Music Award. It didn’t win, nor did “Sun and Moon” when it was nominated a few years later, but it was something Bedford will never forget. Since these tracks were nominated, does that mean these are some of his favorite tracks?

“That’s a hard one really as every track has a special moment for me. I love “Alone Tonight” because it was my first while “Sun & Moon” had me keeping the guests up in my hotel. I was bouncing around my room for hours after our first day recording it. “Love Never Came” was a bit of a milestone for me and the response has been incredible.”

“Sun and Moon” is one of the best tracks Above & Beyond has released to date. The video for that track is pretty great, too. Having heard it live, I often wonder if Bedford ever travels to sing that stuff live. “I tend to do a few live performances every year, and have done a few live shows with Above & Beyond in Beirut, Russia and GlobalGathering. I have also done a live show with Armin in Vancouver. I believe there is more to come in the next few months and into 2014, plus I have 2 solo shows in Indonesia later this month that I am really looking forward to!”

Armin van Buuren feat. Richard Bedford – Love Never Came

Since he works with Above & Beyond so much, I asked Richard to tell me a story about his time spent with the trio. “I remember first demoing “Liquid Love” and halfway through my second take Tony tore the door open to the vocal booth and gave me a big hug! I will never forget that.”

As he mentioned in the blog post, Bedford will be doing some solo shows later this month. You can also expect to see him on the road with Above & Beyond and Armin van Buuren as he helps to promote their latest release. I can just picture Bedofrd coming out during a set at a major festival like Electric Zoo or at Electric Daisy Carnival.

What’s next for Richard Bedford? “I have a very special collaboration with the legendary producer that is BT in development at the minute, so that’s pretty exciting and some other HUGE tracks currently in production that I cannot wait to expose.” As far as I can tell, Bedford is just getting started. With a voice like that, I can’t wait for his next release. Let’s dance, people!

Connect with Richard Bedford:
Website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Bedford
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RichardBedfordMusic
SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/richard-bedford
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RichardBedford