Vocalist and Songwriter

Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?

A: Would love to work with Mike Shinoda formerly of Linkin Park. He's such a good producer and seems like a genuinely lovely guy.

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?

A: Collabavirus: Isolate & Collaborate: When Covid-19 hit the world in early 2020, everyone was put into lockdown, but I had the idea to unite some musicians and encourage them to make some new music by sharing samples and ideas with each other digitally, since everyone who makes music nowadays does it on their laptops. The key was collaboration. Everything had to made with other people involved, be that as a feature, or using one of their samples as a starting point. What started as a small idea to keep busy grew into a full album. All profits from the record are being donated to Olympias Music Foundation. I kept the project ticking over, setting deadlines, giving updates, and pulling in new artists to be involved.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: The debut Scatterchild album.

Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?

A: Isabel Williamson. Phenomenal cellist who I've worked with for the past 3 years on Bonfire Tide. An absolute genius on the strings.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Choosing one over another should be a choice based on what serves a piece of music best...that being said I prefer working with tangible switches and buttons than a screen.

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

A: You'll get my best!

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Getting to collaborate, the 'eureka' moments, and creating exciting live experiences.

Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

A: What's your process? And the answer is I don't know, it's always driven by each individual idea and how to flesh it out as best I can.

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

A: I wouldn't say there are any to be honest, I'm pretty direct in terms of what I offer as a musician, open about my pitfalls as much as my strengths.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What do you want from me? How far removed from the original idea are you prepared to explore?

Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

A: Hire me if you like what I write, and pay attention to my style of playing, because that's what you're getting.

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

A: Acoustic guitar, RC-30 Loop pedal, Casiotone 101 keyboard (the best synth ever made imo), any microphone, and 1 egg shaker. Hits have been made with less.

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

A: I've been making music and releasing it professionally since about 2015. I'm doing music as much as possible part-time currently, and would like to eventually transition into doing it full time.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Scatterchild is often described as 'angular rock', or more colloquially: 'sad yelling'. I think my style is best summarised as melody-driven, pop influenced alternative rock.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Write to a restriction. You'll find yourself freed from the endless choices that stop you from making a decision.

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

A: Primarily indie rock, folk rock artists such as Bonfire Tide and Anyone's Ghost. However, I'm keen to expand and work with some hip-hope/grime artists; I'm a huge admirer of the production techniques of Metro Boomin, Kendrick Lemar, Tyler The Creator and Brockhampton, many of whom use electric guitar and off-kilter sampling techniques which I have been employing increasingly in my own work.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Vocal hook-writing, particularly when paired with harmonies.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: A fresh perspective, a passion for cinematic, grand feeling melodies, and a left-field approach to writing.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I tend to start with a few suggestions of where I would take a piece of music if I were writing it independently, then adjust based on the reaction of the client. I'm very malleable to change and open to critique.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: It's a home studio, I run Logic Pro x. Equipped with Yamaha HS5 monitors, a Focusrite Scarlett interface and a selection of mics.

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

A: I love the work of Radiohead, The Strokes, Tyler The Creator, and The Beatles. My approach to productions was hugely influenced from a young age by the like of Rick Rubin and Linkin Park.

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

A: I'm often brought in to help in adding big memorable hooks to song, or flesh out the arrangement with additional guitars, synths, or backing vocals. I *love* stacking harmonies...