Simon Raymonde

“I was working part-time on the weekend at this little eight-track studio up in Camden,” Simon explained in an interview with C86 Radio Show in 2019. “I knew the owner was gonna be away one weekend and then when Robin and Liz were down for a visit, I said, ‘Hey, you know, you can use the studio this weekend because I can let you in and you can just do what you want to do,’ and I took them up there and they sort of stared at me, like, ‘Well, what do you want to do?’ And I said, ‘What do you mean?’ And they said, ‘Well, you know, we thought you wanted to write some songs,’ and I was like, ‘That wasn’t in the plan, but let’s do it!’ So we just kinda wrote this tune. Liz went out to get some chips and me and Robin jammed for ten minutes and we had this tune going, and when she came back she was like, “Oh my god that’s the best thing I ever heard,” and we carried on recording it that day and that version we recorded, the first song we ever wrote together, is a track called “Millimillenary,” which was on the album The Pink Opaque.”

Simon’s natural affinity for the Cocteaus’ sound, where he contributed mainly bass and keyboards or piano, and occasionally guitar, made him a perfect fit. Thenceforth Cocteau Twins’ lineup would be Fraser, Guthrie, and Raymonde. An Englishman born in Tottenham, Simon’s musical bona-fides run deep: he is the son of composer, musician, and producer Ivor Raymonde (1926-1990), who was well-known for his work with Dusty Springfield and others in the 1950s and 1960s.

In an effort to gain more control over Cocteau Twins’ musical career and create space for artists they loved, Simon co-founded Bella Union Records with Robin and Elizabeth in 1996. Following Cocteau Twins’ breakup in 1997—a painful period for him, as he often found himself caught in the middle of his bandmates’ tense relationship—Simon recorded his own critically-acclaimed solo album, Blame Someone Else (1997)—Bella Union’s first release. He played most of the instruments, including vocals (with guest appearances by Robin, Elizabeth, and other friends). Robin divested from the business after relocating to France, making Bella Union Simon’s primary focus. He has since become a respected leader in the music business, and has led the label to become one of the most influential independents in the world.

When he is not running Bella Union and its record shops in London and Brighton, Simon continues to make music: in 2014 he released the album Moon with Snowbird, and in 2017 released the album Ojalá with former Dif Juz member Richard Thomas under the band name Lost Horizons. In 2018, Simon oversaw the Bella Union release of a retrospective of his father’s work entitled Paradise: The Sound of Ivor Raymonde. Lost Horizons released a double-LP—their second album—entitled In Quiet Moments in December 2020, and February 2021. A remastered version of Blame Someone Else was released by Bella Union in 2023 as part of a collection titled Solo Works: 96-98, which included three previously unreleased tracks. Reflecting on his solo material, Simon said, “At the time, I was unsure if I should make the album but my band-mates were extremely supportive, and their encouragement helped me get the record finished. It took me 25 years to feel comfortable with these songs being available again. We all have hurdles to get over before we can feel ready to let go of certain things. Today, I feel that the first-ever release on Bella Union should once again be an active part of the label’s history, if only to bookmark these first 25 years.”

In September 2024, Simon will publish his memoir, In One Ear: Cocteau Twins, Ivor and Me, which Elton John has described as, “a wonderful book of pop music history… We need more of people like him in a world full of mass-produced mediocrity.”

Simon has two sons, Stanley and William, with his former wife Karen. He resides in London with his wife Abbey.