He has been described as the music industry’s secret weapon; a producer loved by artists such as Arctic Monkeys, Pulp and Jessie Ware. In 2024, James Ellis Ford was at the height of his career, working with a variety of artists that included some of the world’s best-known acts.
Then, he was diagnosed with leukaemia and it all ground to a halt.
Isolated on a hospital ward and not allowed any visitors except his wife, he began making music as a way to pass the time. Those ideas bloomed into a full album, Lost in Another World.
With contributions from Jarvis Cocker and Jessie Ware, Nosheen Iqbal hears how making music from his hospital bed helped Ford through one of the hardest periods of his life.
Photograph: Manuel Vazquez/The Guardian
