Candy Flip - Biography



By Eric Brightwell

 

Candyflip are today fondly remembered by ecstasy-casualties for their baggy cover of “Strawberry Fields Forever.” Though immediately derided by many as a cynical cash-in, most of their sole album offered an enjoyable, pie-eyed combination with more electronic leanings than many of their more classicist (and, to be fair, more talented) peers, suggesting that the perpetrators’ fashionable outlook and sound was motivated more by genuine earnestness than calculation.

 

The core duo of Candyflip (sometimes spelled Candy Flip) were house fans Ric Anderson-Peet of Merseyside and Daniel Spencer Mould of Stoke-on-Trent. “Dizzy Dee” Mould had gained some degree of recognition as one third of house act This Ain’t Chicago, who released “Ride the Rhythm” on Club in 1988. In 1989, Dizzy Dee joined “No Sleep” Ric Peet and under a variety of names the two began recording house music together. First was a split single by Dayglo Dream and Ying Yang (in reality both aliases of the duo) who’s “Arcadia/Oh-One” single featured “candyflip remixes,” – “candyflip” being slang for a mix of e and acid. Soon afterward, now going as Candyflip, the duo released the bleepy, electro-house “Evolution” which was followed by “Love is Life” which moved into a poppier direction and was a minor hit.

 

In 1990, they released another straightforward house single as Max the Sax, the Barrington Stewart-sung “This Beat.” But it was their next release which would enamor or repulse a large, polarized segment of the British record-buying public, the Balearic-leaning cover of “Strawberry Fields Forever.” The single reached number three on the charts and many felt that the simple marriage of a psychedelic classic with a then-fashionable funky drummer beat was both sacrilegious and a transparent attempt at jumping the groovy train. In fact, the song had been intended as the B-side to the more electronic “Can You Feel the Love” but the jaw-grinding masses naturally gravitated toward the Madchester-updated toss-off, which they’d supposedly crafted in a car on the way back from a rave in Derby.

 

Whereas most of the baggy scene came from the rock end of the spectrum and merely touched upon dance music, Candyflip’s approach to Madchester came from the dance end, along with acts like A Guy Called Gerald and 808 State. Their debut full-length, Madstock… The Continuing Adventures Of Bubblecar Fish (1990-Atlantic) sounded for the most part like Pet Shop Boys or The Beloved on ecstasy, appropriately cutesier, hopeful and simplistic. The other singles were no match for their massive hit and ensured they wouldn’t be returning to Top of the Pops. “This Can Be Real,” the most artistically successful song on the record only made number sixty. “Space” only limped into the Top 75. “Redhills Road” did worse. The press’s accusations of their being one-hit-wonders were thus fulfilled.

 

Apparently the duo realized that the Candyflip name couldn’t survive the backlash and retired it, even though they kept making music together for a bit. In 1991, Deezy Dee (as C-Bounce) returned to house, releasing “Keep the Faith” (presented by Candyflip) which was something of a club hit. Next, again as Max the Sax, they released the Latin house “Manha De Brasil” before drifting in different directions. Since then, Peet’s worked as an engineer and producer, working The Charlatans, The Wildhearts and Six By Seven in addition to forming International Peoples Gang with Martyn Watson. Danny Spencer Mould joined Sound 5 before going into production, producing several songs for fellow Stoke-on-Trent native, Robbie Williams. Along with his brother and former Candyflip collaborator Kelvin Andrews Mould, he’s worked as Soul Mekanik, Sound 5 and Sure is Pure, remixing artists like Blueboy, Sister Sledge and Bentley Rhythm Ace along the way.

 

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