Victor Axelrod is an American musician, producer, and

audio engineer An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a recording or a live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization, dynamics processing and audio effects, mixing, reproduc ...

from Brooklyn, New York. Since the mid-1990s, he has worked primarily in the genres of reggae, Afrobeat and soul, recording and producing under his own name and using the alias Ticklah. Axelrod became a founding member of Antibalas and

Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings were an American funk and soul music, soul band signed to Daptone Records. They were part of a Retro-soul, revival movement of mid-1960s to mid-1970s style funk and soul music. They released their debut album Dap D ...

after meeting musicians

Martin Perna Martin may refer to: Places Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Europe * Martin, Croatia, a village * Martin, Slovakia, a city * Martín del Río, Aragón, Spain * Mart ...

and Gabe Roth (a.k.a.

Bosco Mann Gabriel Roth (born August 17, 1974), also known as Bosco Mann among other aliases, is an American record producer, musician, and co-founder of Daptone Records. He is best known as the bandleader, bass player, primary songwriter, and Record produc ...

) in the late 1990s. Starting in 1996, Axelrod appeared as a session musician playing keyboards for

Easy Star Records Easy Star Records is an American independent record label founded in 1996. Based in New York City, the label primarily produces and releases albums in the genres of reggae and Dub music, dub. The label has had multiple albums chart at No. 1 on t ...

, a New York City independent reggae label. This studio relationship eventually resulted in him taking on the role of co-producer and engineer of the label's release '' Dub Side of the Moon'', a 2003 dub reggae reinterpretation of the Pink Floyd album ''

The Dark Side of the Moon ''The Dark Side of the Moon'' is the eighth studio album by the English rock band Pink Floyd, released on 1 March 1973, by Capitol Records in the US and on 16 March 1973, by Harvest Records in the UK. Developed during live performances before ...

'' recorded by the Easy Star All-Stars. By 2002, both Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings and Antibalas had begun touring and were in high demand. Being in both bands was no longer feasible, so Axelrod decided to focus his attention solely on Antibalas. However, he continued to occasionally appear on subsequent recordings playing keyboard and organ for Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings. Axelrod eventually left Antibalas in 2013. In 2006, producer

Mark Ronson Mark Daniel Ronson (born 4 September 1975) is a British-American DJ, record producer, and songwriter. He has won nine Grammy Awards, including Producer of the Year for Amy Winehouse's album '' Back to Black'' (2006), as well as two for Record ...

hired Axelrod and other members of the Dap-Kings to play on the Amy Winehouse album ''

Back to Black ''Back to Black'' is the second and final studio album by English singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse, released on 27 October 2006 by Island Records. Winehouse predominantly based the album on her tumultuous relationship with Blake Fielder-Civil, ...

''. This was to be the first of many Ronson productions where he utilized Axelrod and this group of musicians. The collective appeared on three of Ronson's solo albums (''

Version Version may refer to: Computing * Software version, a set of numbers that identify a unique evolution of a computer program * VERSION (CONFIG.SYS directive), a configuration directive in FreeDOS Music * Cover version * Dub version * Remix * ''V ...

'', '' Record Collection'', '' Late Night Feelings'') along with soundtracks, remixes and special projects with artists including

Rufus Wainwright Rufus McGarrigle Wainwright (born July 22, 1973) is a Canadian and American singer, songwriter, and composer. He has recorded eleven studio albums and numerous tracks on compilations and film soundtracks. He has also written two classical opera ...

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her image reinventions and versatility across the entertainment industry, she is an influ ...

Adele Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (; born 5 May 1988) is an English singer-songwriter. Regarded as a British cultural icon, icon, she is known for her mezzo-soprano vocals and sentimental songwriting. List of awards and nominations received by Adele, ...

Daniel Merriweather Daniel Paul Merriweather (born 17 February 1982) is an Australian R&B singer-songwriter and record producer. Merriweather's debut solo album, '' Love & War'', was released in June 2009. It entered the UK Albums Chart at number two. It was ...

Lily Allen Lily Rose Beatrice Allen (born 2 May 1985) is an English singer, songwriter, and actress. List of awards and nominations received by Lily Allen, Her accolades include a Brit Award, alongside nominations for a Grammy Award and a Laurence Olivi ...

Miike Snow Miike Snow ( ) is a Swedish indie pop band formed in 2007. The band consists of producing team Bloodshy & Avant and American singer Andrew Wyatt. The band is often represented by a silhouette image of a jackalope. In their career, the band has re ...

and

Erykah Badu Erica Abi Wright (born February 26, 1971), known professionally as Erykah Badu, is an American singer and songwriter. Influenced by rhythm and blues, R&B, Soul music, soul, and hip hop, Badu rose to prominence in the late 1990s when her debut al ...

. In 2007, Easy Star Records released an Axelrod solo album, ''

Ticklah vs. Axelrod ''Ticklah vs. Axelrod'' is the third full-length solo studio album, album released September 2007 on Easy Star Records by musician, producer, engineer and DJ, Victor Axelrod, Victor Axelrod aka Ticklah of New York City. The album features gues ...

'', continuing his relationship with the label. The record was a mixture of instrumental, dub and vocal tracks featuring

Vinia Mojica Vinia A. Mojica (born March 14, 1970) is an American singer from Queens, New York. She is best known for her collaborations with the Native Tongues collective and other hip hop artists. Life and career Her recording career began in 1989 with t ...

, Rob Symeonn, Tamar-kali, Mayra Vega and Mikey General. In 2008, Axelrod remixed the popular Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings song "How Long Do I Have to Wait for You” in a

rocksteady Rocksteady is a music genre that originated in Jamaica around 1966. A successor of ska and a precursor to reggae, rocksteady was the dominant style of music in Jamaica for nearly two years, performed by many of the artists who helped establish ...

style. Originally appearing on the Scion sampler compilation ''Volume 19: Daptone Records Remixed'', this track was later released as a single on Daptone Records. Wanting to build on the momentum of its success, Daptone encouraged Axelrod to make more recordings for the label in a similar vein. This instigation would result in a series of singles that would feature such singers as Bob and Gene, Charles Bradley, Leon Dinero, Screechy Dan, and the band The Frightnrs. Concurrently, in 2008, Axelrod partnered with New York City reggae and jungle DJ Liondub to release singles on his new sublabel Liondub 45. This gave Axelrod another outlet to release various reggae music he was making with both established and up-and-coming artists. Releases included collaborations between Axelrod and

Sugar Minott Lincoln Barrington "Sugar" Minott (25 May 1956 – 10 July 2010)Campbell, Howard (2010)Reggae singer Sugar Minott dies at 54, Associated Press, 11 July 2010. Retrieved 12 July 2010Peru, Yasmine (2010)Godfather of Dancehall, Sugar Minott, dead a ...

Judah Eskender Tafari Ronald William Merrills (23 July 1957 – 5 June 2020), better known by the stage name Judah Eskender Tafari was a Jamaican reggae vocalist and musician, known for his distinct vocal tone, and spiritual outlook. His records on the Studio One labe ...

, Jahdan Blakkemoore, Courtney John, and

Victor Rice Victor Rice (born April 17, 1967) is an American bassist, composer and producer from Long Island, NY. Rice moved to New York City in 1985 to attend Manhattan School of Music, where he received his Bachelor of Music, BM and MM degrees in orchestra ...

. In 2009 some of his songs were featured in the video game Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars on the in-game Ticklah radio station. In 2011, guitarist/producer

Jay Nugent Jayson Nugent (born 1972; also known as Agent Jay, and Crazy Baldhead) is a guitarist and DJ from New York who plays in the style of several Jamaican music genres. Nugent's experiments with ska, reggae, rocksteady, dub music, and skinhead reggae ...

enlisted Axelrod to engineer an EP that he was producing for The Frightnrs, a reggae band from Queens, NY. Following that, Axelrod began to work extensively with the group, serving as the producer and engineer on two acclaimed projects: ''Inna Lovers Quarrel'' EP which was released by

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’s label

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label in 2015 and the album ''Nothing More to Say'', released by

Daptone Records Daptone Records is a funk and soul independent record label based in Brooklyn, New York. Best known as the home of Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings and Charles Bradley, the label boasts a roster which includes Menahan Street Band, The Budos Ban ...

in 2016. Despite their resemblance, Victor Axelrod is not related to

Ray Dorset Raymond Edward Dorset (born 21 March 1946) is a British guitarist, singer, songwriter, and founder of Mungo Jerry. He composed most of the songs for the band, including the hit record, hit single (music), singles "In the Summertime", "Baby Ju ...

Mungo Jerry Mungo Jerry (formerly known as Mungo Jerry Blues Band) are a British rock band formed by Ray Dorset in Ashford, Middlesex, in 1970. Experiencing their greatest success in the early 1970s, with a changing line-up always fronted by Dorset, the ...

Selected discography

Production (albums)

2003: Easy Star All Stars - Dub Side of the Moon - Easy Star Records 2005: Antibalas
Government Magic EP
- Afrosound Records 2007: Ticklah -
Ticklah Vs. Axelrod
- Easy Star Records 2012: Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars -

Radio Salone ''Radio Salone'' (2012) is the third album from Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars. It was produced by artist and producer Victor Axelrod aka "Ticklah," who has worked with Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Amy Winehouse and the Easy Star All Stars, and ...

- Cumbancha Records 2015: The Frightnrs -
Inna Lovers Quarrel
- Mad Decent/The Full Hundred 2016
The FrightnrsNothing More To Say
- Daptone Records

Production (singles)

2003 : Antibalas
"Che Che Cole (Makossa)"
- Daptone Records 12" 2007: Ticklah featuring Mikey General
"Rescue Me/Rockers Salvation"
- Easy Star Records 7" 2008 Sharon Jone
"How Long Do I Have To Wait For You/How Long Do I Have to Dub For You"
Daptone Records 7" 2009: Ticklah featuring Rob Symeon
"Pork Eater/Pork Version"
Easy Star Records 7" 2009 Jahdan Blakkemoore/Ticklah ft. Victor Ric
"The General (remix)/Elimination Game"
Liondub 45 7" 2009 Rob Symeonn and Tickla
"Rob I Land/One Way Road"
Concent Records 12" 2012 Bob & Genebr>"I Can't Stand These Lonely Nights/Rub The Lamp"
Daptone Records 7" 2012 Courtney Joh
"Born To Fly/Born to Dub
Liondub 45 7" 2013 Sluggy Rank
"Nah Bow Down/Wicked Dub"
Liondub 45 7" 201
Brukky"Why Yu Nuh/Why Yu Nuh"Names You Can Trust
7" 201
Ticklah"Ya Llego"
Names You Can Trust 10" 201
The Frightnrs"I'd Rather Go Blind/Version"
Daptone Records 7" 2016 The Frightnr
"Dispute/Version"
Daptone Records 7" 2016 Bob and Gene featuring the Inversions
"I Can Be Cool/Version"
Daptone Records 7" 2017 Bob and Gene featuring the Inversion
"It's Not What You Know It's Who You Know/Version"
Daptone Records 7" 2018 Charles Bradley and the Inversion
"Whatcha Doing (To Me)/Strike Three"
Daptone Records 7" 2019 Leon Diner
"Lover Like Me/Conscience is Heavy"
Daptone Records 7" 2019 The Frightnr
"Never Answer/Questions"
Daptone Records 7" 2019 Leon Dinero/Screechy Da
"If You Ask Me/Bandits"
Daptone Records 7"

Appears on

2006 Amy Winehouse -

- Universal Records (keyboards and handclaps) 2007 Antibalas
Security
- Anti Records (keyboards) 2008 Nas
"Fried Chicken”
- Def Jam (piano/co-wrote) 2009 Daniel Merriweather - Love & War - J Records (piano) 2010 The Like - Release Me - Geffen Records (organ, piano) 2010 Mark Ronson and the Business - Record Collection- RCA Records (synthesizer) 2011 Amy Winehouse - Lioness: Hidden Treasures - Island Records Group (piano) 2011 Ala Modeliste - Erykah Badu and Mark Ronson
Regeneration
- Hyundai (piano) 2012 Antibalas
Antibalas - Daptone Records
- (organ) 2012 Rufus Wainwright -

Out of the Game ''Out of the Game'' is the seventh studio album by singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright, released in Australia, the United Kingdom and Canada in April 2012 and in the United States on May 1, 2012 through Decca Records/Polydor Records. The album was R ...

- Decca Records (piano) 2015 Adele - "Lay Me Down"- XL Recordings (piano) 2015 Elvis Costell
"Point Of No Return"
Vinyl: Music From The HBO Original Series Volume 1.9 (piano) 2016 Lady Gaga - Joanne - Interscope Records (synthesizer/piano) 2016 Charles Bradley
Changes
- Daptone Records (piano, organ) 2018 Kali Uchis - Isolation - Virgin Records (piano) 2018 Mark Ronson - Late Night Feelings - RCA Records (synthesizer) 2020 James Hunter Six
Nick Of Time
- Daptone Records (piano)

Collaborations

2002 DJ Spinna and Ticklah
remix "Days Like This" Shaun Escoffery
- Oyster Records (Remix/keyboards) ) 2003 DJ Spinn
"Alphonso's Thang"Here To There
Rapster/BBE (Co-Wrote/ keyboards) 200
Miike Snow "Animal"
(Mark Ronson remix) Columbia (organ/mixing) 2006 DJ Spinna featuring Eric Roberso
"Butterfly Girl"
fro
Intergalactic Soul
album Papa Records (Co-Wrote, Keyboards) 201
Red Hot and Bach
Dustin O’Halloran
"Minim"
Sony Music Masterworks (remix ) 2015 Major Lazer featuring Kali Uchis "Wave"

Peace is the Mission ''Peace Is the Mission'' is the third studio album by American electronic dance music project Major Lazer. It was released on June 1, 2015. The album was preceded by the international hit single " Lean On" with DJ Snake featuring MØ; addition ...

- Mad Decent/ Because Records (co-wrote, co-producer )

References

Ticklah

Axelrod on Spotify

Axelrod Productions on DaptoneRecords.com

Don't Trip on Discogs

Don't Trip from Village Voice

Roots Combination - Hi Fidelity Dub Sessions Presents Roots Combination

Rock Paper Scissors - Ticklah, Ticklah vs. Axelrod (Easy Star Records) - Ticklah's war within

Frightnrs from Observer

Ronson from Billboard

Gabe Roth on Grammy.com

Ticklah on Easystar

External links

Earl Maxton

Wide Hive Records Ticklah Page

Roots Combination - Hi Fidelity Dub Sessions Presents Roots Combination

Wide Hive Remixed Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Axelrod, Victor 1972 births Living people Record producers from New York (state) Musicians from Brooklyn State University of New York at Purchase alumni American reggae musicians Easy Star Records artists Jewish American musicians Midwood High School alumni Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings members Antibalas members 21st-century American Jews