Biography
Job Title: Principal Lecturer
Courses Taught: BA (Hons) Music Business and Professional Studies, Business Masterclasses
Specialisms: Business, Production,Performance
Jez Willis is a founder member of Utah Saints, an internationally acclaimed act with considerable chart success over 30 years.
As well as managing, writing, performing and producing as Utah Saints, Jez has built a successful portfolio career in the music business encompassing band management, event promotion, festival curation ,nightclub management, and producing and writing music for games and films.
Jez completed his MA in Music Production in 2017 and has been lecturing in higher education since 2016. He is a keen advocate of the intersection between the music business and education, and continues to assist the conservatoire’s Business pathway’s industry networking opportunities, including the organisation of weekly business masterclasses. Jez is regularly invited to deliver guest lectures at different educational institutions and be on industry panels at conferences. He continues to combine his professional practice with Utah Saints as a manager, producer, writer and performer with his work at the conservatoire.
Awards/Releases/Credits/Achievements
- Produced and written 10 top 40 UK tracks, including 4 top 10s between 1991 and 2012.
- Over 1.5 million single sales (RIAA equivalent 225m streams) and 400,000 albums (RIAA equivalent 600m streams) worldwide, several dance chart number ones in UK and USA.
- Critically acclaimed pioneer of sampling and dance music. In 2022 the Utah Saints track Something Good was listed in the Rolling Stone Top 200 Dance Songs of All Time.
- International chart success in USA, Australia, Scandinavia, Ireland.
- In top 5% of UK songwriters.
- In top 0.3% of global streamed artists.
- Produced, mixed and co-wrote the most played track on BBC Radio 1 in 2008.
- Over 40 commissioned and commercially released additional production remixes, from Girls Aloud to Bring Me The Horizon combined sales in excess of 20m (RIAA equivalent 3bn Streams).
- Toured and performed as a band and DJ with U2, Public Enemy, Eric Prydz, Lewis Capaldi, Ramones, Edwin Starr, Iggy Pop,Pete Tong, Mistajam, Pendulum,Annie Mac, Jamz Supernova, Opera North orchestra, Take That.
- Considerable collaboration, including working with Michael Stipe (REM), Edwin Starr, Chuck D (Public Enemy), Terrorvision, Arthur Baker, Richard 23 (Front 242), Chris Haskett (Rollins Band), Annabella Lwin (Bow Wow Wow), Van She & Drumsound and Bassline Smith.
- Production experience with Mark “Spike” Stent, Jeremy Wheatley, Adrian Bushby, Paul Epworth and Marius De Vries.
- Curates stage for 3 days at Beatherder festival since 2008.
- Film Music –numerous credits including co-writing and producing the theme for Mortal Kombat movie (1994) and more recently trailer music for Raised By Wolves (Ridley Scott,HBO,2021) and credits music for The Listener (2022)with Steve Buscemi and Tess Thompson.
- Game Music, over 12 games soundtrack contributions including 2 x FIFA Football soundtracks, Wipeout soundtrack and Radial-G for Oculus. Most recently Jez co-wrote and produced 4 tracks for Final Vendetta – a game across all platforms released in 2022.
- School governor for 14 years, including 3 years as Chair.
- Numerous Silver, Gold and one platinum sales awards.
