Chris Hughes Right from the start, Chris Hughes' musical career has been about diversity. Since he bought his first drum kit aged 13 his endeavours have spanned the musical spectrum, devoting himself chiefly to its most ancient (percussion) and modern (electronics) forms. As a producer Chris has earned a reputation as one of the most abiding forces in contemporary music, equally accomplished in the fields of pop (Tears for Fears, Gene) and in the company of legends (Paul McCartney, Robert Plant, Peter Gabriel). As a drummer (in the studio), his contributions range from Alex Chiltern (Big Star) to Enya and (TV performances) from Oleta Adams to Tears for Fears. When he has allowed both roles to merge the results have been considerable, most notably the whirlwind combination of war paint and pop stardom he achieved as producer for and drummer of Adam and The Ants', "Kings Of The Wild Frontier". In addition, Chris is a noted songwriter, contributing to songs such as Tears For Fears' 8 million selling, "Everybody Wants To Rule The World." After three decades as one of the best men you could wish for in the studio he is currently working with his erstwhile colleague David Bates at his eponymous label, db records.   As a teenager Chris immersed himself in the classic pop of The Beatles and The Stones and spent his spare time drumming in bands with his schoolmates. In 1973, he joined Virgin Records as "a basic sweeper-upper". Whilst working his way through the retail end of the business his fascination with electronic music grew. He began to experiment with recording, using a mixture of feedback, tape-loops and outright noise in a (now industry standard) "bedroom studio" fashioned from early synths, valve equipment and quarter inch tape. His first outing as a producer (and an early Bates collaboration) was Dalek I's "Compass Kum-pas", which was a fusion of pop and electronics that would not only point the way for Hughes' future but the direction of pop music as a whole.   Other early work would include the Bates fronted Blitz Brothers and some primitive sequencer sessions at Ringo Starrs' house for the young Def Leppard.   In 1978, Chris played drums in session for former Big Star main man Alex Chiltern at Olympic Studios in London. Chiltern was sufficiently impressed to take Chris with him as drummer on his US tour. Back in London Chris found himself in the offices of Do It Records, two rooms above a minicab office in Camden, listening to a cassette tape played on the telephone answering machine. The tape was by Adam and The Ants and Chris, spotting both their potential and his need for some work, agreed to turn his attentions to the masters. When he returned with his efforts, it was only to meet a cautious Adam Ant.   "Who is this guy? If he thinks he can piss about with my old stuff and make it better then why doesn't he stop pissing about and record my new stuff with Marco right now?" Chris saw Adams' logic and the three of them set off to Rockfield Studios to record two new songs. Within two days of his return to London Adam had procured a publishing deal and asked Chris to help him audition drummers for his new line-up. After a day of auditioning drummers, Adam asked Chris to join the band. One morning before rehearsal, Adam told him "Six months from now we'll be household names." And, he was dead right. The Hughes produced Kings Of The Wild Frontier was a No 1 album, a milestone in pop, singles like Dog Eat Dog and Antmusic fused the Hughes fashioned Burundi drum sound into the consciousness of a generation and Chris joined Adam on the bedroom walls of Britain.   Leaving The Ants in 1982, Chris began to focus more on production. He made his mark almost immediately with Tears For Fears. His work as producer commenced with their first album The Hurting and has continued, on and off, ever since. However, it was never a smooth ride. "I got fired on a regular basis," he recalls.   The 80's saw Chris further establish his production credentials with the outright pop of Howard Jones, Wang Chung and Red Box as well as shaping the sound of more tangible artists like The Cars' Ric Ocasek and Paul McCartney. The decade saw him back again at the nexus of pop and electronics producing avant-garde hits for Propaganda.   After what Chris himself describes as a "trough period" from 1990-92, the remainder of the decade would see him working on an impressive line up of projects. The legacy of his work combined with his famously level-headed approach to recording would see Hughes in demand and embarking on a period of intense creativity. He produced and recorded his own album of Steve Reich compositions, "Shift", and handled production for Robert Plant, Definition Of Sound, Peter Gabriel, Gene, Laptop and Gay Dad. An all-pervasive force in the industry for 25 years the new century finds Chris in an equally pervasive role at his friend Dave Bates' db records. The co-producer of dbs' current artist Tom McRae, Hughes' presence at db allows him to apply his multi-faceted skills and enthusiasm to a generation of artists attracted to the new label, a logical progression in a career devoted to making music without boundaries.