Rich Pilkington on SoundBetter

Rich Pilkington is a Music Producer, Songwriter & Remixer with releases on Warner Music, Ultra (Sony) and Armada. He's won international songwriting competitions and specializes in Pop & EDM, but has worked with artists in all genres . Credits include Sony, Warner Music, Universal, Armada and many more.

Rich has worked as a songwriter, producer, engineer, session musician and DJ. Having worked over 5 years as a producer and engineer at a top London recording studio, he has worked with artists from major labels including Sony, Warner Music and Universal.

Rich has won an international songwriting competition, toured as a session drummer with ‘The Saturday’s’, performed numerous times on radio, television and at Glastonbury festival and has DJ’ed extensively across London.

Rich has had a remix released with Warner Music and his music has been featured in commercials across Europe. Rich also was responsible for co-writing and producing the top line for Tom Swoon and Swanky Tunes collaboration ‘Last Goodbye,’ released by Ultra Records and reaching no.12 in the Beatport charts. The track has since received support from Martin Garrix, Tiesto, Nicky Romero, Benny Benassi, Blasterjaxx amongst others. In addition to this his latest release 'I'll Be Waiting' with Vigel and Robert Falcon has been storming through the charts.

With Rich's wealth of experience both in and out of the studio, he is capable of taking your song and turning it into a ready, finished commercial product. With a large database of contacts in both the publishing and record label world, Rich also has the ability to pass your material onto the necessary people, should you both desire to do so.

Click the 'Contact' above to get in touch. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Credits

Reviews (9)

Endorse Rich Pilkington

7 months ago by Matt Belmont
Rich is a top producer and a joy to write and work with. Along with his talent for top lining and track production I greatly value his sense of professionalism, his drive and his awesome work ethic, all of which have led to him being very experienced already. I hope to work with him for a long time to come.

He's also Bloody. Gorgeous.
7 months ago by Arie
Rich is an amazing producer with a very good ear. I've worked with Rich on various projects over the past 4 years and would recommend his services to anyone!
7 months ago by Byron West
Rich has produced most of the music I have written in the past four years and it is always a joy to work with him. A talented musician and writer, he adds real value to raw material giving it more depth and turning the songs of this modest troubadour into polished productions of which I am really proud.
7 months ago by Shana Pearson
Rich is a very talented person but also so kind! I had great pleasure working with him and another producer on a song that they both wrote and produced! Can't wait for it to be out and share it with the world! Hoping to collaborate with Rich again one day!
7 months ago by sarah
I had the pleasure of collaborating with Richard on a song. As a beginner, I needed his ears, skills and creativity. I watched him create melodies, write lyrics, and produce a song that put a huge smile on my face. His constant positive attitude was encouraging and essential as he challenged me vocally. A very talented and professional guy!
7 months ago by Rosanna Ener
I've worked with Rich on different projects the last two years and this guy is really talented and such a great guy. He has a great ear for melodies and is awesome with lyrics and a great producer! I love working with Rich and would recommend him to anyone because he always deliver!
7 months ago by Kenny Rials
I've worked with Rich on my debut EP - Time Doesn't Stand Still and my new album - Second Chances. Besides being a great guy, he's an amazing producer and musician. Can't wait to work with him again.
7 months ago by Alice
Rich is so great to work with, understanding, patient and flexible to your needs! We were recently collaborating on a pop song, and his knowledge of the structure, flow and harmonies to achieve this was really exceptional. I will definitely work with him again and recommend him to anyone looking for a friendly/experienced producer!
about 1 year ago by David Schoenwetter
I've been working with Rich on various projects for the last few years, and I can honestly say he's one of the most talented people I've ever had the pleasure of working with. He's got an amazing instinct for both harmony and groove, and he's a great all around musician and producer/writer. Also top notch for vocals and toplines!

Interview with Rich Pilkington

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: I co-wrote the topline for 'I'll Be Waiting' by Robert Falcon and Vigel, released on Armada. Recently I saw the song being played at half time in an NHL game in America. It was really cool to see the song being played on television.
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: Writing top lines for some well known DJs and an EP for another client.
Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?
A: David Schoenwetter. A great friend, producer, songwriter and a very talented individual. We work together on many projects and if I was unavailable I would recommend him.
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: I work mostly in digital although sometimes run things through analogue equipment. I like both.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: That I will deliver on what is promised. In my opinion the most important factor in any business relationship.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: I get to chose the projects I want to work on. It's very exciting to hear something new. I love getting excited by music!
Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?
A: Can I have a discount. I always say if you book multiple songs, or multiple projects I would be more than happy to offer a discount!
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: That it can be done very quickly. Perfection takes a time. A rushed job will result in a weaker product. Most people think that producers/songwriters charge too much because it's a quick, easy job.
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: 1) Give me the name of 3 of your favourite tracks 2) Give me 1 or 2 tracks that you would use as a reference for your song 3) What do you envision for this track 4) What do you want the song to say to the listener
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: Ask lots of questions, give lots of details about the project and what you're looking for. The more communication we have the better the result will be and more to your taste. Communication is key.
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: 1) My Laptop 2) A Midi Keyboard 3) My Sennheiser HD-25s 4) A small audio interface (Apogee) 5) U87 (+ XLR)
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I studied Music BA at Leeds University for 3 years majoring in Production and Drum Kit Performance. After my last exam I didn't hang around and moved the next day to London, knocking on studio doors where I found an internship as an engineer/producer. I worked my way up and ever since I have been writing, producing, engineering, DJing and performing across the world spending a lot of time in London and LA.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: Modern, fresh and exciting.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: Calvin Harris. He's an absolute idol of mine. He's collaboration of EDM and Pop is incredible.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Harmonies for vocals are the most important layering for any instrument in your arrangement. They carry a large amount of emotion and can really bring a track to life. However, they don't always need to be loud and can be a subtle layer that adds a special quality that can't be achieved without.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: Normally EDM and Pop, but I have also worked in Hip Hop, Rock and Classical.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: My three strongest skill sets are beat/drum programming, chord and harmony and vocal producing. These three areas I have a wealth of experience in and thoroughly enjoy.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: Having a background in classical piano, having been a session drummer and also having DJ'd extensively in London I bring my range of musical genres to the table. I love EDM and Pop, but I also love a good string arrangement and layering harmonies for vocals are one of my favourite things as it can really bring a track to life and make the vocals pop. My strongest asset is my love of all music and my desire to bring the best that I can to any song I'm working on.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: It really depends on the project. If I'm working with a vocalist who brings me a vocal I will start to build an instrumental around the vocal. Sometimes this is based on references that I'm sent, sometimes the instrumental is built on how I react emotionally to the vocal. After that I will then go back to the vocalist and if needs be suggest some tweaks to the vocal to enhance the overall song. This could involve layering more harmonies, tweaking some of the melody, changing some lyrics, sometimes changing nothing at all. After this I will mix the vocal and master the overall track. Each project is completely individual but this is the most common work progress.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: I have my own studio set up with various keyboards, synths, guitars, etc. At home I work mostly in the box and use a lot of VSTs. I have access to a studio with outboard gear that I also regularly go to for recording and mixing.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: I'm very inspired by Calvin Harris, Mark Ronson, The Chainsmokers, Quincy Jones, Kanye West and Axwell^Ingrosso.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: Normally I'm involved in writing either instrumentals and/or top lines for vocalists. This type of work is extremely regular for me. I also do a lot of mixing as part of these projects and vocal editing, comping, tuning, etc. All aspects of creating a song I'm always getting involved in.