Danny Spencer

Quick Facts

Summary

Danny Spencer is a British songwriter, producer and electronic musician from Stoke-on-Trent best known for his work with Robbie Williams and as a founding member of the house music project Soul Mekanik, alongside Kelvin Andrews and Rich Scott. His career spans pop songwriting, club culture and electronic production.

Biography

Early life and musical background

Danny Spencer was born into a musical family in Stoke-on-Trent. His father, known professionally as Tony K, was a recording artist and bandleader who worked with established performers in soul and popular music. As a result, Spencer grew up in an environment where music was a constant presence, with exposure to professional musicians and a wide range of genres.

From an early age, Spencer showed a strong interest in sound, rhythm and recording technology. Rather than pursuing formal classical training, he gravitated towards production, engineering and electronic music.

Early success and dance music career

Spencer’s first major breakthrough came in the late 1980s. In 1988, he and Rich Scott achieved a UK Top 100 hit with “Ride the Rhythm (Acid, Not Placid)” as part of the group This Ain’t Chicago. Two years later, Spencer reached number three on the UK Singles Chart with a cover of “Strawberry Fields Forever” by Candy Flip, a project created in his parents’ garage.

The success of Candy Flip brought Spencer mainstream visibility, including appearances on Top of the Pops and music magazine covers. Despite this, his primary interest remained production and experimentation rather than front-facing pop stardom.

Sure Is Pure and club culture

During the 1990s, Spencer worked closely with his brother Kelvin Andrews under the name Sure Is Pure. The duo became highly regarded remixers and producers, working with artists including Aretha Franklin, Sister Sledge, Marvin Gaye, the Doobie Brothers and Sly and the Family Stone.

At the height of this period, Spencer and Andrews established their own label and continued to release club-focused material. Their most notable success came with Blue Boy’s “Remember Me”, which they transformed from an overlooked B-side into a global dance hit.

Sound Five and early work with Robbie Williams

In 2000, Spencer became part of Sound Five, a collaborative project involving close creative associates. The group released the album No Illicit Dancing, which included the track Surface Noise featuring vocals by Robbie Williams under the pseudonym Tipsy McStagger.

This marked an early point of creative crossover between Spencer and Williams and laid the groundwork for a much deeper songwriting relationship.

Songwriting with Robbie Williams

Danny Spencer began writing extensively with Robbie Williams during the early 2000s, initially alongside Kelvin Andrews and later as part of a broader writing group that included Rich Scott. Collectively, they became involved in some of the most experimental and stylistically diverse phases of Williams’ career.

Spencer contributed to a large number of songs across Williams’ catalogue, including material associated with albums such as Rudebox, Reality Killed the Video Star, The Christmas Present and the Under the Radar releases. His work often emphasised groove, rhythm and electronic texture, drawing on his background in club music.

Within writing sessions, Spencer was frequently responsible for beat construction, sound design and production direction, complementing Williams’ lyric writing and the melodic input of other collaborators.

Soul Mekanik

Alongside his pop songwriting, Spencer is a founding member of Soul Mekanik, a UK house music project formed with Kelvin Andrews and Rich Scott. The project originally began as a duo between Spencer and Andrews, who released music under the alter egos Luke Warm and Roland Bass.

These pseudonyms were used until 2003, after which releases were credited under their real names. Rich Scott later became an integral part of the project, expanding its songwriting and production scope.

Soul Mekanik represents Spencer’s continued commitment to dance and electronic music, operating independently of mainstream pop projects. The group’s work reflects a balance between club culture, songwriting and production experimentation.

Later work and production approach

Spencer has continued to work intermittently with Robbie Williams while also maintaining an independent career in electronic music. His approach to production is rooted in experimentation, sampling and genre crossover, often blending pop songwriting with club-oriented structures.

He has also remained active as a DJ and producer, working internationally and contributing to projects outside the mainstream pop spotlight.

Credits & Contributions (33)