Michael David Lindup (born 17 March 1959) is an English musician known as the

keyboard Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Mus ...

player and

falsetto Falsetto ( , ; Italian language, Italian diminutive of , "false") is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ...

voiced Voice or voicing is a term used in phonetics and phonology to characterize speech sounds (usually consonants). Speech sounds can be described as either voiceless (otherwise known as ''unvoiced'') or voiced. The term, however, is used to refe ...

singer who joined Mark King and brothers

Phil Phil may refer to: * Phil (given name), a shortened version of masculine and feminine names * Phill, a given name also spelled "Phil" * Phil, Kentucky, United States * Phil (film), ''Phil'' (film), a 2019 film * -phil-, a lexical fragment, used as ...

and Boon Gould to form the British

jazz-funk Jazz-funk is a subgenre of jazz music characterized by a strong back beat, electrified sounds, and analog synthesizers. The integration of funk, soul, and R&B music and styles into jazz resulted in the creation of a genre that ranges from ...

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre and form of rock music characterized by a strong commercial appeal, with more emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than standard rock musi ...

band

Level 42 Level 42 are an English jazz-funk band formed on the Isle of Wight in 1979. They had a number of UK and worldwide hits during the 1980s and 1990s. Their highest-charting single in the UK was " Lessons in Love", which reached number three on th ...

Early life

Lindup was born in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, England. He attended

Chetham's School of Music Chetham's School of Music () is a private co-educational boarding and day music school in Manchester, England. Chetham's educates pupils between the ages of 8 and 18, all of whom enter via musical auditions. The music school was established i ...

in Manchester, where he studied piano, percussion and composition, and sang in senior and chamber choirs, later graduating to the

Guildhall School of Music and Drama The Guildhall School of Music and Drama is a music school, music and drama school located in the City of London, England. Established in 1880, the school offers undergraduate and postgraduate training in all aspects of classical music and jazz al ...

. There, his musical experience spread to include playing orchestral percussion in concert at the Royal Festival and Albert Halls, drums and keyboards in jazz ensembles and participating in pop workshops. In 1985, he played in the

bateria The term ''bateria'' means “drum kit” in Portuguese and Spanish. In Brazil, the word is also used for a form of Brazilian samba band, the percussion band or rhythm section of a Samba School. ''Baterias'' are also used to accompany the B ...

of the London School of Samba (LSS) in the

Notting Hill Carnival The Notting Hill Carnival is an annual Caribbean Carnival event that has taken place in London since 1966

. Three founder members of the LSS subsequently played on his first solo LP ''Changes'' in 1990.

Career

Since July 2000, Lindup has been part of the live line-up of UK/

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

ian outfit Da Lata, playing keyboards, percussion and providing backing vocals, who have been performing from clubs to festivals in the UK and Europe, U.S., Canada, Japan, South Africa and China. In 2006, he rejoined Level 42 full-time, replacing Lyndon Connah, for touring appearances and the

recording A record, recording or records may refer to: An item or collection of data Computing * Record (computer science), a data structure ** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity ** Boot sector or boot record, re ...

of the

album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

'' Retroglide''. In 2009, he appeared on Phil Gould's first solo album, ''Watertight''. In 2012, Lindup dueted with Leee John on a version of " Something About You" at the

Leicester Square Theatre The Leicester Square Theatre is a 400-seat theatre in Leicester Place, immediately north of Leicester Square, in the City of Westminster, London. It was previously known as Notre Dame Hall, Cavern in the Town and The Venue. The theatre hosts st ...

, London. A new solo album by Lindup, ''Changes 2'' – a follow-up to 1990's ''Changes'' – was released in 2023. It was described in a ''

Jazzwise ''Jazzwise'' is a British monthly magazine focused on jazz, launched in 1997. The magazine covers a range of jazz sub-genres and provides news coverage, a national gig guide, a jazz-on-film page, feature articles, and a review section that evalua ...

'' review as "funky, soulful, jazzy....Smartly arranged and with finely honed vocal lines from Lindup, it’s thoroughly danceable."

Personal life

Lindup's mother was the actress, singer and songwriter

Nadia Cattouse Nadia Evadne Cattouse (2 November 1924 – 29 October 2024) was a British actress and singer. She began her onscreen acting career in 1954 and was best known for her roles in many British television programmes, including ''Angels'', ''Play for ...

(1924–2024) and his father was composer, arranger and orchestrator David Lindup (1928–1992).

Discography

* ''Changes'' (1990, Resurgence Records) # "Changes" (6:32) # "Lovely Day" (4:26) # "Fallen Angel" (6:14) # "The Spirit is Free" (4:48) # "Desire" (4:38) # "West Coast Man" (4:37) # "Judgement Day" (5:44) # "Life Will Never Be the Same" (4:41) # "Paixao" (5:40) # "Jung" (6:56) * ''Conversations with Silence'' (2003, Naim Records) # "Sunshine and Showers" (2:43) # "Beauty on a Grey Day" (4:16) # "Heart of the Matter" (5:54) # "Beautiful One" (5:03) # "Theme" (1:08) # "Variation 1" (0:53) # "Variation 2" (1:27) # "Variation 3" (2:14) # "Finale" (3:13) # "El Rincon Cubano" (7:06) # "Hero's Return" (6:11) # "Waking Up to Love" (7:40) # "Walking the Path" (4:04) # "Brasil 2000" (5:51) # "Last Night Without You" (4:56) * ''On the One'' (EP: 2011) # "Madness" (4:59) # "Angelo" (5:20) # "Love Is the Answer" (4:43) # "On the One" (5:51) # "Promised Land" (5:02) # "Song for Zane" (7:31) * ''Changes 2'' (2023, Knapdale Records) # "Atlantia" (5:52) # "Time To Let Go" (5:17) # "You Can't Just Live As An Island" (5:09) # "Could It Really Be?" feat. Tony Momrelle and Alex Wilson (4:35) # "All For Love" (5:44) # "World Is Ready" feat. Ursula Rucker (4:48) # "Teflon Don" feat John Culshaw (4:38) # "David (Goodbye To You)" (5:58) # "All As One" (9:44) # "Fragile Heart" (5:15) # "I Saw You In My Dreams" feat. Omar (6:47) # "Courage To Change" (4:51)

References

External links

Mike Lindup's official website

Official Level 42 website
* * 1959 births Black British rock musicians English keyboardists English male singers English people of Belizean descent Level 42 members Living people Singers from London {{UK-singer-stub