David Ball (electronic musician)

David James Ball (3 May 1959 – 22 October 2025) was an English producer and electronic musician best known as one half of the synth-pop duo Soft Cell, alongside vocalist Marc Almond.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He also co-founded the Grid, and collaborated with artists and producers including Ingo Vauk and Chris Braide. Active from the late 1970s, Ball worked across a range of projects in electronic and experimental music. He is usually credited as Dave Ball on record sleeves.

Life and career

Ball was born on 3 May 1959 in Chester, Cheshire, England;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> he was later adopted and brought up in Blackpool.<ref name="sohoradio">Soho Radio – Back to the Phuture, interview with David Ball (12 September 2018), Mixcloud</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He studied at Arnold School before studying art at Leeds Polytechnic, where he met Marc Almond.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Rimmer">Rimmer, Dave (2003), New Romantics: The Look, Omnibus Press, Template:ISBN, p. 110</ref> They formed the synth-pop duo Soft Cell in 1978; the band initially lasted until 1984, but subsequently reunited a few times after long gaps.<ref name="Ruhlmann">Ruhlmann, William "[[[:Template:AllMusic]] Dave Ball Biography]", AllMusic, retrieved 22 January 2010</ref> In 1983, while with Soft Cell, he released a solo album, In Strict Tempo, which featured Gavin Friday, Genesis P-Orridge and Virginia Astley.<ref name="Ruhlmann" /><ref name="neal">Neal, Charles (1987), Tape delay: confessions from the eighties underground, SAF, Template:ISBN</ref> Later he collaborated with P-Orridge on the soundtrack for the West German film Decoder, which also featured other Some Bizzare artists.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

After Soft Cell disbanded, Ball formed a new band, Other People, with Gini Hewes, his wife at the time,<ref name="virginia">"Blue Pyramid" by Virginia, Bandcamp</ref> (she previously worked with Almond in Marc and the Mambas), and Andy Astle, but they released only one single, "Have a Nice Day".<ref name="otherpeople">Smash Hits, 6 December 1984, "Like Punk Never Happened − a Smash Hits archive" by Brian McCloskey, Flickr</ref><ref name="The Guardian - Obit">Template:Cite news</ref> In the late 1980s, he formed another short-lived band, English Boy on the Loveranch, with Nick Sanderson and Jamie Fry, releasing two hi-NRG singles, "The Man in Your Life" and "Sex Vigilante".<ref name="loveranch">English Boy On The Loveranch − Discography, Discogs</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He also was part of Psychic TV, working on the compilation albums Jack the Tab, Tekno Acid Beat, Towards Thee Infinite Beat and Beyond Thee Infinite Beat , where he met Richard Norris (they recorded the track "Meet Every Situation Head On" together as M.E.S.H.) and with whom he later formed the Grid<ref>"Richard Norris", by Jim Ottewill, prsformusic.com (15 July 2014)</ref><ref>Images for Soft Cell – Non Stop Ecstatic Dancing (images of CD booklet), Discogs</ref> with singles like "Floatation", "A Beat Called Love" and "Swamp Thing".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="BMG" />

Ball reunited with Almond in Soft Cell in 2001, releasing a new album, Cruelty Without Beauty.<ref name="Rimmer" /><ref name="Flick">Flick, Larry (2002), "Almond's Joy", The Advocate, 29 October 2002, p. 64</ref> In 2010, he formed the band Nitewreckage with Celine Hispiche, Rick Mulhall and Terry Neale. Their debut album, Take Your Money and Run, was released on Alaska Sounds on 6 June 2011, with the single "Solarcoaster" preceding it. The album was co-produced and mixed by Martin Rushent. In 2016, Ball and classical pianist Jon Savage collaborated on the experimental electronic album Photosynthesis.<ref name="savage">Template:Cite web</ref> In 2018, Soft Cell saw another reunion for a final live show, celebrating the 40th anniversary of the duo being formed.<ref name="final">Soft Cell to reunite for last ever show, The Guardian, 21 February 2018</ref> Ball and Almond finished their album Danceteria just before Ball's death in October 2025.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Ball also worked as a producer, with Vicious Pink Phenomena (who started as a backing duo for early Soft Cell), the Virgin Prunes and the Rose McDowall side-project Ornamental in the 1980s,<ref name="neal" /> and later with Kylie Minogue, Gavin Friday and Anni Hogan.<ref name="savage"/><ref name="anni">"Anni Hogan: the super solo collaborationist," by Robert Gourley, PleaseKillMe.com (11 November 2019)</ref> He also remixed for artists and bands such as David Bowie,<ref name="Hoffman">Hoffman, Wayne (2002), "After Nearly 20 years, Soft Cell Returns With a New Set on SpinArt", Billboard, 12 October 2002, p. 13</ref> Vanessa-Mae and Erasure. Many remixes were also made with Norris as the Grid. Ball worked with Friday on a cover of Suicide's "Ghost Rider" for the Alan Vega 70th Birthday Limited Edition EP Series.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

After suffering from poor health for several years,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Ball died in his sleep at his home on 22 October 2025, at the age of 66.<ref name=Gobit>Template:Cite news</ref>

Discography

• In Strict Tempo (1983), Some Bizzare, Phonogram<ref name="Ruhlmann" />
• Photosynthesis (with Jon Savage) (2016), Cold Spring<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

External links

• Official Soft Cell webpage
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