Since joining Sarm Studios in 2005, Graham Archer has moved up the ranks to become one of Trevor Horn’s top in-house engineers. Having recently engineered recordings for Seal, Robbie Williams, Massive Attack, Ellie Goulding and Madonna, Archer is often found in Sarm’s London or Los Angeles studio reaching for his A-Designs Audio HM2 NAIL compressor/limiter.
Being a DJ, producer, remixer, music culture researcher as well as a label owner, Anna Gavanas is a mainstay of the Swedish electronic music scene. When producing, her perfect sense for musical intensity and mellowness guarantees a captivating listening experience. Tracks like »Technomad communitas« simply can’t stop, won’t stop.
Paolo Apollo Negri is considered one of the finest Hammond organ players throughout the world, but his love for synthesizers has grown stronger and stronger in his live sects and studio works with The Link Quartet, Wicked Minds, Black Widow, Low Fidelity Jet-Set Orchestra and many others, as well as during his solo career. His last release, “Cobol”, is a synthesizer wonderland, where Waldorf Blofeld Keyboard, with its different type of synthesis, plays a central role, creating spacey landscapes, evocative intros and old fashioned polyphonic analog solos.
Based in the northern Japanese city of Sapporo in Hokkaido, O.N.O produces the tracks for hip-hop unit Tha Blue Herb. He is known for creating unique grooves with distinctive sampling treatments and complex beats. Besides being musically active as part of a group, he has released albums as a solo artist under the names of O.N.O and onomono, playing live shows using only hardware gear and appearing at numerous rock festivals and music events. Elektron caught up with O.N.O to interview him about his musical career, the equipment he uses, and what role Elektron machines play in his sound.
Andy Sneap is one of the go to producers for modern metal productions. Kemper Profiling Amps caught Andy right after the production of the current Testament Album “Dark roots of earth!” He shares with us how the “Profiler” did work for him since he discovered it in September 2011. Thanks to Andy Jones and Oz Owen for shooting and editing this for Skating Dog Productions!
Kid Koala has adopted a compact iLive system to mix his new Space Cadet live project. Touring venues such as planetariums, biospheres and space museums, Kid Koala performs a live rendition of his latest album, Space Cadet, and each member of the audience is equipped with their own set of headphones installed in individual inflatable ‘space pods’. The show uses an iDR-16 MixRack and an xDR-16 expander unit to cater for the large number of mixes required.
South Korean duo Ether blurs the border between the visual and the aural. Snippets from obscure films are mixed with post-punk inspired music, forming a totality greater than the sum of its parts. Rule-breaking, borderless and unique – which is exactly how good art should be.
The world of drum loops has just changed. Introducing Eric Harland – “Looped”. A groundbreaking collection of loops and samples that intimately captures the Multi-Grammy nominated drummer’s innovative approach to rhythm. Harland is renowned for his performances and recordings with a diverse set of artists including McCoy Tyner, John Mayer, Zakir Hussain and Dave Holland.
Allen & Heath’s iLive digital mixing system has been selected by FOH engineer, David Millward, as the console of choice on Morrissey’s 2012 worldwide tour. Requiring a small, lightweight console to travel with the production, Millward selected an iLive-80 Control Surface and iDR10 modular MixRack fitted with a Dante Card for multitrack recording and virtual soundchecking.
Hoobastank drummer Chris Hesse pounds tracks with HAMMER and NAIL. Hoobastank recently put the finishing touches on its highly anticipated new record, Fight or Flight, which makes its official debut in late August. Nearly two years in the making, the album was partially tracked at Woodland Hills-based studio The Lighthouse, owned by Hoobastank drummer Chris Hesse, who found frequent opportunities to use his A-Designs HAMMER equalizer and new NAIL compressor.
German producer and electronic artist Kris Menace, or Christophe Hoeffel as his mum knows him, has been one busy body in recent years. Not only has Kris released an impressive array of singles under this specific moniker and runs two highly successful record labels, but has also remixed his way through a vast catalog of tracks for Lana Del Ray, Kylie Minogue, Depeche Mode and Robbie Williams to name but a few. His latest long player Electric Horizon was released a few months ago and is deemed to become one of this year’s most distinguished albums associated with electronic music.
Montonn Jira has more than one string to his bow. Actor, producer, engineer, DJ — name a field of work and he’s probably involved in it. His strong connections to both USA and Thailand, which is where he currently resides, is evident in his music. His productions are melting pots of influences, giving his sound a distinct and refreshing character.
When Paul Epworth co-wrote and produced “Rolling In The Deep” off Adele’s instantly classic album, 21, little did he know just how far that track would take him. Flash forward to the 2012 GRAMMY Awards ceremony where Epworth humbly accepted statues in two highly coveted categories — Song of the Year and Record of the Year — for his work on the track. To further hammer home the point, Epworth also triumphed in the categories of Album of the Year for 21 and Producer of the Year — an impressive feat, by any measure.
Surf Dude with Attitude provides the perfect soundtrack for a weird and happy summer. What else can be said when ocean samples, hazy delay lines and bent FM-sounds are involved? When the quirky and upbeat sound gets accompanied by her special take on beach-themed lyrics, you just know the circle is complete. Surf’s up!
Irish electronic act, The Japanese Popstars, selected an Allen & Heath ZED-420 USB mixer as the permanent mixer in their tour set up.