Phil Gould The Powerhouse Drummer From Level 42, Reveals His Beautiful New Sound

Phil Gould, the legendary drummer of the jazz funk band Level 42 is back with a brand-new sound.

Since leaving the band many years ago, the internationally acclaimed drummer, composer and lyricist, who has continued working as a musician and a producer, is finally ready for the world to hear his music.

And it comes some 40 years after of the release of Level 42’s first single ‘Love Meeting Love’. *Having recently released his first single, ‘Beautiful Wounds’ from his forthcoming solo album of the same name, Phil’s album campaign continues with the release of his second single, ‘The Dance’.

‘The Dance,’ which will be released on March 12th, is a beautifully produced and moving track – testament to Gould’s long and successful career. It masters the intricate subtleties of music making and storytelling focusing on past love and intimacy and features contributions from long term friend and collaborator Wally Badarou (Grace Jones, Talking Heads) and a rare vocal performance from Phil himself.

The album – Beautiful Wounds will be released on May 14th through Abbey Records www.abbey-records.com, an independent record label based in the Isle of Wight. 

Phil Gould is a drummer, composer, songwriter & producer who was a founding member of British band – Level 42, who achieved International success in the 1980s. He is now an independent artist releasing solo work along with collaborations across Europe.

Phil was born in Hong Kong, but grew up on the Isle of Wight, playing drums from the age of 15 in local bands, often with his brother Boon Gould, and went on to study at the Royal Academy of Music in London. While there, Phil became part of studio band ‘M’ (formed by Robin Scott around his global hit ‘Pop Muzik’) where he met renowned French keyboardist Wally Badarou (Grace Jones, Talking Heads). Wally & Phil collaborate to this day.

Level 42 formed not long after, the founding members being Mark King, Mike Lindup, Boon & Phil, with Wally as an unofficial fifth member who contributed to all the band’s recordings. This original Level 42 line-up recorded 7 studio albums and 1 live album, achieving global success across Europe & North America.

Since his departure in 1994, Phil has worked with a number of artists as a session musician and producer. In 2007, Phil, along with co-producers Rupert Brown & Neil Black, released the album Terraforming.

In 2009, Phil released his debut Solo album – Watertight. Featuring his former bandmates Mike, Wally & Boon. Now in 2021, Phil releases a brand new album alongside Abbey Records.

*Fans of Level 42 will be pleased to know that a 24-date UK tour will take place later this year starting in Liverpool on the 2^nd October.

Photo credit: Aude Chagnon