"Born to a single mother in Chester, he was adopted, given the name David James Ball, and grew up predominately in the English beachside town Blackpool. The vibrancy of his hometown - often a tourist hub and featuring numerous amusement parks and attractions - helped steer Ball towards music. His father's engineering background prompted in interest in electronic music and synthesizers: he cited hearing Kraftwerk's seminal 1975 album Autobahn as a major "turning point" in his musical development."
"He headed off to Leeds Polytechnic, where he met Almond on his first day: "There was this one guy wandering around with a leopard-skin top, bleached hair and spandex trousers, and I thought, 'he's got to be in the art department, he's not an accountant', so I asked him, 'do you know where I enroll?,' Ball recalled. Even with relatively disparate tastes - Ball was into "machine music" like Kraftwerk and early electronic, Almond was enamored with '60s pop and soul - they formed the duo Soft Cell in 1978."
Dave Ball, songwriter, producer, instrumentalist and member of synthpop duo Soft Cell, died at age 66, passing away peacefully in his sleep at his London home. No cause of death has been released. Marc Almond paid tribute, calling Ball a brilliant musical genius and crediting him for a major role in his life and music. Ball was born in Chester, adopted, and raised largely in Blackpool, where the town's vibrancy steered him toward music. His father's engineering background and hearing Kraftwerk's Autobahn were pivotal to his interest in electronic music and synthesizers. Ball met Almond at Leeds Polytechnic and formed Soft Cell in 1978. Soft Cell's early recordings, funded by a A32,000 loan from Ball's mother, produced the Mutant Moments EP in 1980, of which 2,000 copies were pressed; those initial recordings were not commercially successful.
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