was among the dominant producers in the arena of electronic dance music, helming records for artists including , , and . He began his career during the mid-1970s as a session keyboardist, appearing on records from , and ; his first notable production work was on O.M.D.'s 1985 LP , followed a year later by the group's . real breakthrough, however, was with , for whom he produced 1986's , launching the smash pop hits "West End Girls," "Opportunites (Let's Make Lots of Money)" and "Suburbia." His first pairing with followed a year later with the single "True Faith." With the success of 1988 album and its breakthrough hit "Chains of Love," was clearly among the dominant synth-pop producers of the moment; with , he continued scoring hits like "What Have I Done to Deserve This?" and "It's a Sin," also reuniting with for "Round and Round" and "World in Motion." During the 1990s, his chart success slipped as his lush signature sound fell out of commercial favor in the wake of the rise of grunge. ~ Jason Ankeny

Stephen Hague

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