Pop/Rock Producer & Songwriter

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both have a place. I value the character and hands-on decisions that come with instruments and analogue equipment, alongside the flexibility of working in Pro Tools. The choice comes down to what helps the performance and serves the song.

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

A: To listen carefully, give honest creative input and keep your identity at the centre of the work. We'll agree what the project needs and shape the production around your voice, your songs and what you want the record to communicate.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: The moment a song starts to feel like the artist who made it. Helping someone turn an idea they care about into a record with a clear identity is the most rewarding part of the process for me.

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

A: If you're wondering whether a rough demo is enough to get started, it is. An early idea can be a useful starting point. Send what you have, a few references and what you'd like help with, and we can work out the right scope for the project. You don't need management or a label to get in touch.

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

A: That production begins and ends with recording sounds or adding polish. A lot of the work is in the decisions before that: finding the right structure, understanding the artist's intention and getting a performance that makes you feel something. The sound grows out of those choices.

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

A: Assuming there's electricity: a computer running Pro Tools, an Apogee interface, a Neumann U87, a pair of headphones and a Roland Juno-106. That gives me a way to capture vocals, build arrangements and follow an idea wherever it goes.

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

A: I came to production through playing music, learning bass, guitar and piano before recording myself. Working with producers in my university band made me want to explore the other side of the process. I trained at Catalyst Studios, opened Mad Fox in Manchester at 23 and later moved my work to London. In 2024, I won the MPG Breakthrough Producer of the Year award. Developing emerging artists has remained central to my work throughout.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Before adding another layer, ask what the song actually needs. If the chorus isn't landing, try looking at the melody, performance and contrast with the verse first. Sometimes taking something away gives the most important part of the song room to connect.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Hearing what makes an artist distinctive and helping them build a song around it. That might mean finding a stronger arrangement, drawing out a more convincing vocal performance or recognising which idea in a rough demo deserves to lead the record.

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

A: The Beatles were a big starting point for me: discovering their music made me listen more closely and want to learn instruments. Working with producers as a musician also showed me how much a fresh perspective could bring to a song. That curiosity about both the writing and the recording still informs how I work.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Song-led and collaborative. I work across pop, indie and alternative music, shaping the sound around the artist’s voice and the emotional character of the song.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: An outside ear for the song and the performance: where the arrangement needs space, which musical ideas deserve more attention and how the vocal can communicate more clearly. My job is to help the strongest parts of the song come through.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: We start with your demos, references and what you want to achieve. We agree the scope, then work through the song structure, arrangement and vocal performance before developing the recording and production. The starting point can be an early idea, a rough demo or material for a single or EP.

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

A: Pop, indie, alternative and pop-rock, working with emerging singer-songwriters, solo artists and bands.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I run Mad Fox in Hampstead, London, and Willow Lake Studios, a fully off-grid recording environment set across 20 acres. The setting, equipment and recording requirements are agreed around each project. Both spaces support writing, arrangement, vocal performance and music production.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What are you trying to express? Which parts of the current material feel most like you? What references help explain the direction, and what support do you need to get there?

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

A: Send your demo or current material, a few references and what you’re hoping to achieve. Be clear about where you feel confident and where you need creative support. You don’t need management or a label to start the conversation.

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

A: I work with emerging, independent and unsigned artists to develop their songs, sound and next record. That can mean shaping an early idea or rough demo, working on arrangement and vocal production, or helping a project find a clearer creative direction.