Mix Master Producer Electronic

Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?

A: That they are 100% satisfied with the results and we can work it through with revisions until we get to where the track needs to go.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I get to work on music for a living...what's not to like.

Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?

A: That it can be fixed in mastering. The mixdown is where the work needs to be done.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: I always ask about what music they love, the more references I have in this respect the better to be able to get a handle on what makes them and their music tick.

Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?

A: (Assuming a big ass solar panel is a given!) 1. Acoustic Guitar 2. my SP1200 3. Laptop 4. Focal Monitors 5. my sample library

Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?

A: I started playing guitar at 11 and went deep into that, playing in a variety of bands for the next 7 years and learning to play bass, drums and keys from the other musicians I was playing with. When I was 18 I took Grade 8 Classical Guitar and was accepted to a Manchester music school to study a Popular Music & Sound Engineering degree for 2 years. Whilst there I discovered the thriving UK Acid House scene and got hooked. From there I moved to London, got a job in a commercial studio in Camden where I worked my way up from tea-boy to house engineer within 3 years. From there I started to freelance at some of the best studios in London with various clients many of them pioneers in the UK Garage scene (Tuff Jam, Spreadlove) and moved into production and met my partner in Stanton Warriors. Then followed 18 years of touring the world, remixing and writing with, some of the greatest names in dance music.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Not an easy one to answer but If I had to describe my own productions, I would say dance music with groove, impact, character and solid low end. For me it’s all about making something that has an x-factor in it that makes it stand out from the pack and stand the test of time.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Separate left brain and right brain activity. Have sessions where you only make drum samples, kits, sound design, sample organising, etc and keep your library organised! Now when you come to being truly creative and working on a track you have a wealth of ideas and sounds to keep the creative flow going without having to stop and get sucked into the minutia of the details. Your productivity will jump levels when you’ve mastered this.

Q: What type of music do you usually work on?

A: I mainly work on dance music. EDM, Deep House, House, Breaks, Bass Music, Garage, Prog House, Trap, Jersey Club, Techno, etc

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Being a good collaborator. Which is an essential skill for any project that involves more than just yourself.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I'm bringing over 20 years of experience and knowledge of what makes a dance floor move. I've toured the world many times over as a DJ in Stanton Warriors playing some of the biggest festivals and clubs in the world (Coachella, Glastonbury, Fabric, Ministry of Sound, etc) and when you do that you learn what works and what doesn't. Combine that with producing, remixing and mixing everyday and you develop and intuition about music that I hope to bring to every project I work with.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Listening to reference (the more the better) is the first step for me to really get a handle on what the artist is looking for. Then check the rough and make a plan on how we can bring the raw tracks to the next level and as close as possible to the artists vision.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I learned to write and mix with hardware but have moved to 98% working in the box. I've been using Logic for nearly 20 years and have been using Ableton since the early beta's in 2001, so am super comfortable on both platforms. Have been working with Fruity Loops recently cause the project called for it and loved using it, so am getting into that as well. I'm also a huge fan of UAD and have 2 quad pcis in a MacPro.

Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?

A: Have always been a huge Prince fan, so last year was obviously a hard one! He inspired me to become a multi-instrumentalist and to strive to learn all aspects of the record making process.

Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.

A: I'm mainly called upon to do production, remixing and mixdowns.