Hip hop/funk session guitarist

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

A: I'm currently really inspired by Jeff Parker, and how he leans into the golden age of hip hop. A lot of my work in the funk/hip hop vein is inspired by Cheese Martin & Jimmy Nolen, Leo Nocentelli and of course Steve Cropper. For more "out there" sounds, I lean heavily into Miles Davis' work with the incredible Pete Cosey and Reggie Lucas, and David Torn's solo work.

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

A: In the UK, I'd love to work with Omar Lye Fook, an amazing soul musician with a remarkably rich and sophisticated approach to composition and arrangement - and a total pro.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Don't be afraid to ask a session musician to provide very naked stems without any effects - we're used to hearing our parts without reverb, distortion and so on.

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

A: It's mostly hip hop and related genres right now - with producers who have a track record in cinematic, orchestral type hip hop arrangements that can benefit from a down to earth, slightly off kilter guitar arrangement.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: I have a rock solid sense of time, which I play with to make guitar contributions that go beyond the standard. My particular forte is to create guitar parts that make rhythmic sense when put together or with a project's beat, but which don't sound obviously in time on their own. Think of the way that Premier and Dilla mess with time - and how James Brown's early 70s guitar parts mesh and reinforce each other.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I bring an adventurous sensibility to any project based on my own work as a composer, arranger and creative experimental improviser. I have an encyclopedic knowledge of funk, jazz, hip hop and soul built up over decades of obsessive listening, and can provide parts and arrangements which reference the history of the music while also looking to the future.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I usually receive a basic mix from the producer, which I lay into Logic, and listen to on repeat for a while to get into the heart of the music. I'm happy to take specific instructions about guitar parts or guitarists which inspire the client, or to create complex and layered rhythmically contrapuntal arrangements that deepen the texture on the cut. I'll usually put down 5-6 tracks of guitar, sometimes fewer, and sometimes many more, depending on what the song needs - the guide here for me is to make sure that I provide the client with a wide range of options which they can put together in different combinations at different points in the song, all without overwhelming the song. I will send the client back stems for the full length of the track, which I arrange according to my own idea - but the producer has complete freedom to cut and rearrange the guitar parts as needed.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I use a Mac with Logic and an Audient interface. For acoustic guitar and Asian instruments I use an EV RE20 mic (with additional AKG ribbon mic if you need a more complex sound), and for electric, I go straight into the interface (stereo or mono as you prefer) with a Universal Audio Woodrow amp pedal. I can cover most of your needs for effects from wah and fuzz to more esoteric sounds.

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

A: I mostly make guitar parts and arrangements for clients, on the understanding that the producer trusts me to take their visions somewhere they hadn't thought of before. I can certainly create parts requested by clients, but that is usually less rewarding for both the client and me; what works best for my clients is usually to let me sit with a tune for a day to find out what makes it special, then lean on that to enhance the song - I've made hip hop tracks into reggae, old school funk or 70s scifi soundtracks through adding guitar and other instruments . My clients work with the top flight of session musicians worldwide, so I've done work which also features, for example, Pino Palladino, so I am confident in my approach and the results it brings.