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Stephen Hague was among the dominant producers in the arena of electronic dance music, helming records for artists including
New Order,
Pet Shop Boys,
Erasure and
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. He began his career during the mid-1970s as a session keyboardist, appearing on records from
Walter Egan,
Jules & the Polar Bears and
Ric Ocasek; his first notable production work was on O.M.D.'s 1985 LP
Crush, followed a year later by the group's
The Pacific Age.
Hague's real breakthrough, however, was with
the Pet Shop Boys, for whom he produced 1986's Please, launching the smash pop hits "West End Girls," "Opportunites (Let's Make Lots of Money)" and "Suburbia." His first pairing with
New Order followed a year later with the single "True Faith." With the success of
Erasure's 1988 album
The Innocents and its breakthrough hit "Chains of Love,"
Hague was clearly among the dominant synth-pop producers of the moment; with
the Pet Shop Boys, he continued scoring hits like "What Have I Done to Deserve This?" and "It's a Sin," also reuniting with
New Order for "Round and Round" and "World in Motion." During the 1990s, his chart success slipped as his lush signature sound fell out of commercial favor in the wake of the rise of grunge. ~ Jason Ankeny