James Ford – the acclaimed producer behind the major of the Arctic Monkeys‘ discography and half of Simian Mobile Disco – has revealed he has leukaemia.
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Ford took to his official Instagram to share a photo of a doctor holding a syringe connected to an IV. In the caption, the producer revealed that during Christmastime, he was feeling sickly and suspected that it was just a case of burnout leading up to the holiday.
“On Xmas Eve things took a turn for the worse,” he wrote. “I had a scary few weeks where I was very ill and they didn’t know what was wrong with me, but finally I got a diagnosis.”
He revealed that he was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) and explained that it came as a huge shock. “While it’s very clear in my mind how serious this is, it is curable, and as of today, I’m starting pretty aggressive chemo to treat it,” he shared.
“I’m in Barts Hospital, who are world leaders in leukaemia treatments, and I’ve had excellent care from our wonderful NHS, both initially in Canterbury Hospital before being moved here to Barts just last week. I’m very aware that it’s gonna be a bumpy road ahead but I’m confident, upbeat, and ready to fight and I hope to be out the other side of the initial treatment in 6-8 months time,” he continued.
Ford also shared that due to his diagnosis, he had to “clear my work diary” and pause on “a lot of very exciting musical projects I was eager to get stuck into.” He continued, sharing that though it is a “massive shame”, he knows that those artists he was supposed to be working with “will go on to deliver great records with whoever takes the reins, and I wish them all the best.”
He concluded: “I am really looking forward to getting back into the studio in my own time so that I can once again work on the music that is dear to me. I want to express the deepest possible gratitude to my family, friends and colleagues who have been so supportive at this difficult time, particularly my wife Sereen and all the NHS staff who’ve looked me so brilliantly. Love to all, James.”
Born on December 11 1978, Ford has become one of the most influential and in-demand producers over the past two decades. He was a founding member of the band Simian and went on to create the spin-off electronic duo Simian Mobile Disco alongside his bandmate Jas Shaw.
Jas Shaw and James Ford of DJ/Producer duo Simian Mobile Disco perform on stage at Field Day Festival 2014. (Photo by Andy Sheppard/Redferns via Getty Images)
He has produced some of the most prominent records within indie rock such as Klaxons‘ 2007 debut ‘Myths Of The Near Future’, which ended up winning the Mercury Prize, and Arctic Monkeys‘ ‘Favourite Worst Nightmare’. He went on to partially or fully produce the rest of Alex Turner and co’s discography since then, as well as The Last Shadow Puppets‘ Mercury-nominated debut LP ‘The Age of the Understatement’ and its 2016 follow up ‘Everything You’ve Come to Expect’.
Other Ford productions include Florence and the Machine‘s ‘Ceremonials’, Bill Ryder-Jones‘ ‘A Bad Wind Blows in My Heart’, Haim‘s ‘Days Are Gone’ and Shame‘s ‘Drunk Tank Pink’.
More recent albums he has worked on include Geese‘s ‘3D Country’, The Last Dinner Party‘s ‘Prelude to Ecstasy’, Pet Shop Boys‘ ‘Nonetheless’, Beth Gibbons‘ ‘Lives Outgrown and Fontaines D.C.‘s ‘Romance’. In 2023, Ford released his own solo record titled ‘The Hum’.
Back in 2023, Ford opened up about his time working with the Arctic Monkeys and explained that he still tries to push Turner out of his comfort zone.
“I’ve known them so long now. I’ve been working with quite a lot of new bands … But with the Monkeys, it’s a totally different thing where there’s this deep trust that we’ve grown up together,” he told The New Cue. “Me and Alex, our music tastes have grown together, I’ve introduced him and he’s introduced me to so much different music … sometimes that’s good and bad.”
He continued: “It’s a funny thing, but I still definitely try and push him as hard as I can. I’m aware I don’t want him to settle into a comfort zone and it just become boring, you’re trying to keep finding ways to move forward and do new things.”
That same year, he revealed that he had regrets about producing Mumford & Sons‘ third album, telling NME: “Well, the one I wish I’d never done was that fucking Mumford record [2015’s ‘Wilder Mind’]! I don’t know why I did that. It paid for my house but it’s the record I regret doing.”
In that same interview, he opened up about the hardest record he has ever produced and said that it was “probably the [2017] Depeche Mode album ‘Spirit’ because everyone was in a horrible place, the mood was strange, people weren’t getting on, and a lot of it felt like marriage guidance counselling to stop the whole thing falling off the rails and the band splitting up.”
Ford also opened up about working with Blur on their ninth studio album ‘The Ballad Of Darren’ and shared: “Working with Blur was a dream come true for me. I’d already worked on Gorillaz with Damon and the Waeve with Graham [Coxon, Blur guitarist], but working with Blur was a whole different beast.
“As a longtime fan, they didn’t disappoint. The process was as chaotic, hilarious, and beautiful as I hoped it would be. I’m very proud of the record we made. It was fascinating to see how the individual parts come together to make something that is uniquely them.”
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