Mike Collins

British guitarist, producer. Born: unknown. Died: 12 March 2018 in London, England, UK. DIY jazz-funk bass guitar maverick. Best known as member group Sun Palace, with their influential track "Rude Movements" (1983). Collins began his music recording career in 1981 as a songwriter-producer at EMI Records and Chappell Music publishers, achieving early chart success with leading Brit-Funk band Light Of The World – their track "Ride The Love Train" (1981) which he co-produced/co-write, sold 40,000 copies, reaching #40 in the UK charts in November 1981. In 1983, in partnership with keyboard-player Keith O’Connell, Collins produced an instrumental track called "Rude Movements" by Sun Palace. Licensed to Passion Records, it initially sold around 10,000 vinyl copies, and released in several countries globally. The track became a staple for David Mancuso at his Loft Parties, along with being a major influence for DJs such as Larry Levan, Frankie Knuckles, and Kenny "Dope" Gonzales, which cemented its reputation as an early dance music classic. Decades of production, programming, and session work put Mike in the studio with artists like Cameo, Shannon, The Style Council, and The Chimes, with legendary producers including George Martin, Gus Dudgeon, and Richard Burgess, plus working on film soundtracks with composers Ryuichi Sakamoto, David Arnold, et al. Latterly, Collins collaborated on a huge variety of recording projects. With jazz guitarist Jim Mullen, with soul artists David ‘DaPaul’ Philips and Vivienne McKone, with Nigerian afrobeat/jazz composer Funsho Ogundipe, and with Senegalese griot musician Issa Mbaye, releasing many of these tracks on his own label, Rude Note Records. During 2016-2017, he took time out to rescue and remaster the best of his 1980s recordings, including the iconic Sun Palace sessions, rediscovering many long-forgotten songs and instrumentals along the way. Collins continued to compose, produce, and engineer from his London studio until his passing in 2018.