London Elektricity

Tony Colman (born 28 April 1961), known professionally as London Elektricity, is a London-based producer and DJ working across drum and bass, jungle, liquid funk and bassline-influenced forms. He co‑founded Hospital Records in 1996 with Chris Goss and initially recorded and released material as a duo under the London Elektricity name.

Colman continued London Elektricity as a solo project after Chris Goss left in 2002. He has released a string of studio albums: Pull the Plug (1999), Billion Dollar Gravy (2003), Power Ballads (2005), Syncopated City (2008), Yikes! (2011), Are We There Yet? (2015) and Building Better Worlds (2019). Alongside his output as an artist he served as CEO of Hospital Records and presented the label’s podcast for many years.

Background and entry into the scene: Colman was active in the UK electronic music world before Hospital Records and helped shape the label’s early output after 1996. Working first as a duo with Goss, London Elektricity’s early releases combined programmed breaks and soulful elements that mapped onto late‑90s drum and bass and liquid strands. When the project became his solo vehicle in 2002 he retained the name and steered the sound through successive albums listed above.

Musical style — production. As a producer Colman’s work is marked by strong melodic arrangement, harmonic voicings drawn from jazz and soul, and an emphasis on live‑sounding instrumentation layered over breakbeat programming. Tracks frequently use swung and syncopated break patterns rather than straight four‑on‑the‑floor timing. Bass design leans toward warm, rounded sub and mid‑range basslines that sit under melodic chords or horn/piano motifs instead of relying purely on distorted neuro bass textures. He often contrasts percussion detail with broader, cinematic pads or string/keyboard arrangements to create space around the breaks.

Musical style — DJing and mixes. As a DJ Colman’s sets emphasise song‑based drum and bass and liquid rollers alongside deeper, bass‑led tracks. His mixing style tends to preserve the musical elements of a track — vocals, chord progressions and instrumental hooks — using phrasing and long blends to transition between tracks so those arrangements remain audible on the dancefloor and in radio mixes.

Specific sonic signatures. Across his albums you can hear recurring elements: jazz‑tinged chord work, prominent piano or Rhodes textures, cleanly edited breakbeats with noticeable swing, and the use of guest vocalists or melodic hooks to carry the track. These choices place much of his catalogue in the liquid funk and melodic end of drum and bass, while still allowing for denser, bass‑centric passages on individual tunes.

Career and contributions — concrete examples. Colman’s most tangible contribution to the scene is Hospital Records, the label he co‑founded in 1996 which became a primary outlet for his own albums and for a range of artists operating in melodic and liquid drum and bass. The London Elektricity studio albums named above chart the project’s progression from late‑90s drum and bass (Pull the Plug, 1999) through jazz‑inflected and orchestrated arrangements (Billion Dollar Gravy, 2003), to later, more band‑informed and production‑heavy releases (Building Better Worlds, 2019). Maintaining the Hospital podcast and acting as CEO positioned Colman as both an artist and an organiser, curating music and helping present new releases to a wider audience.

Specific influences and connections. The records and arrangements show clear influence from jazz, soul and funk in their chord choices and instrumentation. The early partnership with Chris Goss (1996–2002) is a documented collaboration that shaped the project’s first phase; after Goss’s departure Colman carried the name forward as a solo producer and DJ. His output and role at Hospital Records have repeatedly intersected with the label’s catalogue and promotional channels, notably the long‑running Hospital podcast he presented.

London Elektricity’s recorded timeline and institutional role are concrete: Tony Colman (b. 28 April 1961), co‑founder of Hospital Records in 1996, duo with Chris Goss until 2002, then sole bearer of the London Elektricity project, with studio albums released in 1999, 2003, 2005, 2008, 2011, 2015 and 2019, and sustained service as Hospital’s CEO and podcast host.