Dave Formula

Formula grew up in Whalley Range, Manchester.^[3]

He initially worked under his real name of David Tomlinson, achieving some success in the mid-1960s with the R&Bblues/soul band St. Louis Union, including appearances on TV shows Top of the Pops and Thank Your Lucky Stars and in the film The Ghost Goes Gear (which also featured The Spencer Davis Group). At the time he formed the group, he was working as an apprentice television engineer with John Nichols, the band’s bass player.^[2] Later he worked as a cabaret musician. Before moving to London during his stint in Magazine, he shared a flat with record producer Martin Hannett.

Formula was a member of Magazine, joining in 1978 following the departure of Bob Dickinson and the release of their debut single "Shot By Both Sides" and remaining until the band's breakup in 1981. His multi-layered keyboard sounds, made with equipment including the Yamaha CP70 electric grand piano, Yamaha YC45D Organ, an ARP Odyssey, a Yamaha SS30 string synth, and on later albums a Prophet 5, were a defining part of the band.

Magazine reformed in February 2009 with Formula returning to play keyboards.

Formula joined New RomanticensembleVisage with Magazine's John McGeoch and Barry Adamson in 1978; he played on their first two albums, Visage and The Anvil. He left the group in 1983 after having some differences with drummer Rusty Egan regarding the musical style of their third album.

Formula fue miembro intérprete y compositor de Ludus en 1982 y permaneció allí durante al menos cinco años. ^{[ 4 ]}

También se unió a una banda llamada Inaura a mediados de la década de 1990 y tocó en su álbum One Million Smiles . ^{[ 5 ] [ 6 ]}

Mientras impartía clases de música popular, conoció a Keith Angel, Dave Angel y Andy Seward, lo que finalmente llevó a que Formula se uniera a la banda de música del mundo The Angel Brothers en 2003, tocando en sus dos álbumes, Punjab To Pit Top y Forbidden Fruit .

Después de su paso por Magazine, Formula formó parte de una banda llamada Design For Living. ^{[ 7 ]}

En enero de 2007, Formula comenzó a trabajar en la grabación de un álbum en solitario en sus propios estudios Red Bird. Titulado Satellite Sweetheart , cuenta con más de 30 músicos invitados. La lista incluye a casi todos los miembros de Magazine: Howard Devoto , Barry Adamson , John Doyle , John McGeoch (póstumamente) y Robin Simon , así como al cantante y compositor Robert Wyatt , Corrine Drury de Swing Out Sister , Dennis Rollins y Joel Purnell. El lanzamiento se retrasó debido a la actividad de Magazine en 2009 y el álbum se publicó en febrero de 2010 a través de Wire Sound. ^{[ 8 ]} Un video de la colaboración con Devoto, "Via Sacra", está publicado en YouTube . ^{[ 9 ]}