Pascal Gabriel

{{Short description|Belgian-born producer and musician (born 1956)}} {{BLP sources|date=August 2020}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}} {{Infobox musical artist| | name = Pascal Gabriel | image = | image_size = | background = non_performing_personnel | birth_place = Belgium | alias = Stubbleman | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1956|12|15|df=y}} | origin = {{flatlist| * [[London, England]] * [[Provence, France]] }} | instrument = Bass Guitar, percussion | occupation = {{flatlist| * [[Songwriter]] * [[Music producer|producer]] * [[Audio mixing (recorded music)|mixer]] }} | years_active = 1988–present | label = {{flatlist| * [[Crammed Discs]] * [[Mute Records|Mute]] }} | associated_acts = {{flatlist| * [[Bomb the Bass]] * [[Dido (singer)|Dido]] * [[EMF (band)|EMF]] * [[Goldfrapp]] * [[Inspiral Carpets]] * [[Ladyhawke (musician)|Ladyhawke]] * [[Kylie Minogue]] * [[Miss Kittin]] * [[S-Express]] * Stubbleman }} | website = {{URL|melophobia.com}} }}

'''Pascal Gabriel''' (born 15 December 1956) also known as '''Stubbleman''', is a [[Belgium|Belgian]]-born record producer, songwriter and musician based in [[London]], England and [[Provence]], France.

As a songwriter he was co-written for such artists as ''[[Dido (singer)|Dido]]'' and ''[[Kylie Minogue]]'' and ''[[Will Young]]''

==Music career: Background == Pascal Gabriel's musical career began in 1977 in the [[punk rock]] band ''The Razors'' on [[bass guitar]].

He left Belgium for [[London]] in 1979. During the early 1980s, he had spells in various experimental groups, including art-school band ''Church of Friendly Valley'' with [[scratch video]] artist [[George Barber (artist)|George Barber]], and an electronic project whose only performance was in a supermarket.

He formed a duo with guitarist [[Danny Kustow]], as well as touring as a percussionist with the [[Tom Robinson Band]], before starting to pick up work as a [[freelance]] sound engineer in various London studios, earning a reputation for innovative [[remix]]es for artists such as [[Marc Almond]] ([[Soft Cell]]) and [[Yello]]. In 1983 he had his first release, with two experimental tracks on the [[Touch Music|Touch]] cassette ''T2 Meridians One'',<ref>{{cite web |url=https://touch33.net/early-cassette-culture |title= Early Cassette Culture - Touch |author= |date= |website=Touch33.net |access-date=27 August 2020 }}</ref> alongside future collaborator [[Simon Fisher Turner]], before beginning to concentrate on studio work.

==Producing and writing== Toward the end of the 1980s, Gabriel was producer and co-writer for [[S'Express]], with [[house music |House]] DJ [[Mark Moore]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/jul/04/how-we-made-theme-from-s-express-interview|title=How we made Theme from S'Express|first=Caroline|last=Sullivan|date=4 July 2017|access-date=4 July 2017|website=Theguardian.com}}</ref> and [[Bomb the Bass]], with [[hip hop music |Hip-Hop]] DJ [[Tim Simenon]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/jul/19/how-we-made-beat-dis-by-bomb-the-bass|title=How we made Beat Dis by Bomb the Bass|first=David|last=Jesudason|date=19 July 2021|access-date=19 July 2021|website=Theguardian.com}}</ref> — two of the first [[sampling (music)|sample]]-heavy dancefloor artists of that era. He claimed a number one UK single with the S'Express track "[[Theme from S'Express]]"<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums">{{cite book | first= David | last= Roberts | year= 2006 | title= [[British Hit Singles & Albums]] | edition= 19th | publisher= Guinness World Records Limited | location= London | isbn= 1-904994-10-5 | page= 487}}</ref> and a number two with Bomb the Bass' "[[Beat Dis]]."

Following the success of S'Express and Bomb the Bass, Gabriel embarked on a series of projects, [[audio mixing (recorded music)|mixing]], [[Record producer|producing]] and writing with a variety of artists, including [[Claudia Brücken]] (formerly of [[Propaganda (band)|Propaganda]]), [[Wire (band)|Wire]], and [[Debbie Harry]] from [[Blondie (band)|Blondie]].

In the 1990s, he moved into indie and pop music, collaborating with [[EMF (band)|EMF]], [[Inspiral Carpets]], [[Kitchens of Distinction]], [[Billy Mackenzie]] and [[Siouxsie Sioux]]'s second group [[The Creatures]].

From 1996 to 1998 he wrote, produced and performed with the [[Mute Records]]-signed band [[Peach (pop band)|Peach]] (known as "Peach Union" in the U.S.). Their song "On My Own" was featured prominently in the film ''[[Sliding Doors]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120148/soundtrack|title=Sliding Doors (1998) - IMDb|access-date=24 August 2020|website=IMDb.com}}</ref>

Gabriel subsequently wrote and produced with a host of popular artists, including the then unsigned singer [[Dido (singer)|Dido]] (with whom he wrote several songs: "I'm No Angel" and "[[Here with Me (Dido song)|Here with Me]]" from her multi-million selling debut album ''[[No Angel (album)|No Angel]]''), [[Kylie Minogue]] (including "Your Love" for her album ''[[Fever (Kylie Minogue album)|Fever]]''), [[Dot Allison]], [[Natalie Imbruglia]], [[Rachel Stevens]], [[Sophie Ellis-Bextor]], [[Skye Edwards]] ([[Morcheeba]]), [[Bebel Gilberto]] and many others.

He collaborated extensively with [[Miss Kittin]], co-writing and producing her solo album ''[[BatBox]]'', and with New Zealand star [[Ladyhawke (musician)|Ladyhawke]], penning and producing five tracks on her debut album, ''[[Ladyhawke (Ladyhawke album)|Ladyhawke]]'' (including the singles "[[My Delirium]]", "[[Dusk Till Dawn (Ladyhawke song)|Dusk Till Dawn]]", and "[[Magic (Ladyhawke song)|Magic]]") and the whole of her second album ''[[Anxiety (Ladyhawke album)|Anxiety]]'',<ref name="NME">{{Cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/ladyhawke/60829|title=Behind the scenes clip of Ladyhawke making new album 'Anxiety' |website=Nme.com|access-date=24 August 2020}}</ref> which he also mixed, in 2012.

Around the same time he co-wrote "Tune Into My Heart" on [[Little Boots]]' début album ''[[Hands (Little Boots album)|Hands]]'', carried out additional production on [[Goldfrapp]]'s fifth album, ''[[Head First (Goldfrapp album)|Head First]]'', and co-wrote and produced three tracks on [[Marina and the Diamonds]] 2010 album ''[[The Family Jewels (Marina and the Diamonds album)|The Family Jewels]]'', and the song "Can't Beat the Feeling" on [[Kylie Minogue]]'s 2010 UK number one ''[[Aphrodite (Kylie Minogue album)|Aphrodite]]'' album.

He co-wrote several tracks with Will Young for his 2011 UK number one album ''[[Echoes (Will Young album)|Echoes]]'', including the single "Losing Myself", recorded in his studios in London and France, and co-wrote the single "The Apple" with [[VV Brown]].

After writing several tracks with [[The Temper Trap]] for their ''[[Thick as Thieves (The Temper Trap album)|Thick as Thieves]]'' album in 2015, he produced Australian songstress [[Emma Louise]]'s 2016 album ''Supercry''.<ref name="AudioTechnology">{{Cite web|url=https://www.audiotechnology.com/features/no-pressure-pascal-gabriels-laid-back-approach|title=No Pressure: Pascal Gabriel's Laid-Back Approach |website=Audiotechnology.com|date=21 November 2016 |access-date=22 November 2016}}</ref>

==Solo career as Stubbleman== In 2018, Gabriel developed a solo project, 'Stubbleman'. A return to his electronic and ambient roots, it combines a cinematic mixture of found sounds and field recordings with modular synthesizers and live piano. Stubbleman's debut album, ''Mountains and Plains'', inspired by a road trip across the US, was released on [[Marc Hollander]]'s cult Belgian indie label [[Crammed Discs]] in April 2019,<ref name="The Vinyl Factory">{{cite news|date=27 March 2019|title=Crammed Discs announces debut album by Pascal Gabriel alias Stubbleman |url=https://thevinylfactory.com/news/crammed-discs-pascal-gabriel-stubbleman-debut-album|first=Gabriela|last=Helfet|access-date=27 August 2020|website=Thevinylfactory.com }}</ref> to positive reviews in the UK,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/apr/14/stubbleman-mountains-and-plains-review-pascal-gabriel|title=Stubbleman: Mountains and Plains review – a low-key charmer|first=Neil|last=Spencer|date=14 April 2019|access-date=24 August 2020|website=Theguardian.com}}</ref> and internationally.<ref name="Pop Matters">{{cite news|date=22 May 2019|title=Stubbleman Presents a Post-Rock Road Trip with 'Mountains and Plains' |url=https://www.popmatters.com/stubbleman-mountains-plains-review-2637709285.html|first=Chris|last=Conaton|access-date=27 August 2020|website=Popmatters.com }}</ref>

His live shows in November at the From the Source festival at Warwick Arts Centre and the Purcell Room in London's SouthBank Centre, as part of the EFJ London Jazz Festival,<ref name="Jazz Wise">{{cite news|date=28 November 2019|title=A dazzling mechanical musical travelogue entrances at the Southbank |url=https://www.jazzwise.com/write-stuff/article/stubbleman-purcell-room-efg-london-jazz-festival|first=Sam|last=Street|access-date=27 August 2020|website=Jazzwise.com }}</ref> involved extensive use of self-made [[automaton]]s: glockenspiels, vibraphones and xylophones. On 5 June 2020, he released an EP, ''The Blackbird Tapes'',<ref name="Documentary Evidence">{{cite news|date=3 June 2020|title=The Birdman Of Islington: Stubbleman – The Blackbird Tapes |url=https://429harrowroad.com/2020/06/03/the-birdman-of-islington-stubbleman-the-blackbird-tapes|first=Mat|last=Smith|access-date=27 August 2020|website=429harrowroad.com }}</ref> on Crammed Discs, inspired by birdsong during the [[Coronavirus lockdown]] in London during spring 2020.

== Selected production credits == *[[S'Express]] - Co-wrote and produced no.1 single "[[Theme from S'Express]]". *[[Dido (singer)|Dido]] - Co-wrote "[[Here with Me (Dido song)|Here With Me]]" and "I'm no Angel" from 1999's ''[[No Angel (album)|No Angel]]''.<ref>[http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr01/articles/tracks.asp Sound on Sound Article: Recording Dido's 'Here With Me'] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111225172027/http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr01/articles/tracks.asp |date=25 December 2011 }}</ref> *[[Kylie Minogue]] - Co-wrote "Your Love" and "Tightrope" from 2001's ''[[Fever (Kylie Minogue album)|Fever]]''. *[[Bebel Gilberto]] - Co-wrote and produced Ceu Distante from 2004's ''[[Bebel Gilberto (album)|Bebel Gilberto album]]''. *[[Rachel Stevens]] - Co-wrote [[So Good (Rachel Stevens song)|So Good]] and "I Will Be There" from 2005's ''[[Come and Get It (Rachel Stevens album)|Come And Get It]]''. *[[Freeform Five]] - Co-wrote "No More Conversations" (2005). *[[Miss Kittin]] - Co-wrote and co-produced Miss Kittin's ''[[BatBox]]'' album (2008), including the single "[[Kittin Is High]]" and "[[Grace (Miss Kittin song)|Grace]]". *[[Dot Allison]] - Co-wrote "Cry" from her 2009 album ''Room 7½''. *[[Marina and the Diamonds]] - co-wrote and produced "Shampain", "Girls", "Rootless", and the unreleased track "Sinful" from her 2010 album ''[[The Family Jewels (Marina and the Diamonds album)|The Family Jewels]]''. *[[Goldfrapp]] - Additional Production on "[[Rocket (Goldfrapp song)|Rocket]]", "Believer", "Dreaming", "Head First" and "I Wanna Life" from their 2010 album ''[[Head First (Goldfrapp album)|Head First]]''. *[[Kylie Minogue]] - Co-wrote and co-produced "Can't Beat the Feeling" from her 2010 album ''[[Aphrodite (Kylie Minogue album)|Aphrodite]]'' *[[Will Young]] - Co-wrote "Losing Myself" and "Happy Now" from his 2011 album ''[[Echoes (Will Young album)|Echoes]]''. *[[Ladyhawke (musician)|Ladyhawke]] - Co-wrote and produced several songs for 2008's ''[[Ladyhawke (album)|Ladyhawke]]'', including the singles "[[Dusk Till Dawn (Ladyhawke song)|Dusk Till Dawn]]", "[[My Delirium]]" and "[[Magic (Ladyhawke song)|Magic]]". Also co-wrote, produced and mixed all songs for her 2012 album ''[[Anxiety (Ladyhawke album)|Anxiety]]''.<ref name="NME"/> *[[Little Boots]] - Co-wrote "Tune into my Heart" from her album ''[[Hands (Little Boots album)|Hands]]'' (2009). *[[V V Brown]] - Co-wrote and produced "The Apple" from her 2013 album ''[[Samson & Delilah (album)|Samson & Delilah]]''. *[[The Temper Trap]] - Co-wrote singles "Thick as Thieves" and "Alive" as well as three other songs from their album ''[[Thick as Thieves (The Temper Trap album)|Thick as Thieves]]'' (2016). *[[Emma Louise]] - Produced her album ''[[Supercry]]'' (2016). *[[Stubbleman]] - Composed, performed and produced the album ''Mountains and Plains'' (2019). *[[Stubbleman]] - Composed, performed and produced the EP ''The Blackbird Tapes'' (2020). *[[Stubbleman]] - Composed, performed and produced the album ''1:46:43 - The Ventoux Trilogy'' (2025).

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== * [https://www.melophobia.com Melophobia - Pascal's writer/producer website] * [https://www.stubblemanmusic.com Stubbleman project website] * [https://www.thismuchtalent.co.uk Management website]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gabriel, Pascal}} [[Category:1957 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Remixers]] [[Category:Belgian record producers]] [[Category:Belgian male songwriters]] [[Category:20th-century Belgian songwriters]] [[Category:21st-century Belgian songwriters]] [[Category:20th-century Belgian male musicians]] [[Category:21st-century Belgian male musicians]] [[Category:Crammed Discs artists]]