Monday, 26 February 2007
Some tech stuff... (Matt)
I use Logic Pro 7 running on a fairly powerful Mac with a whole range of plug-in synths such as Imposca, Oddity, 2600v, Minimonsta, MS-20, Poly 6, ES2 & ES1. I tend to use synth sounds for drums and percussion rather than samples. My favourite tool is my SSL Duende, this is an external piece of hardware that gives me 32 channels of SSL quality EQ & Compression. I have a borrowed AKG vacuum tube mic which is very nice and I mix everything through a pair of Dynaudio monitors. No REAL synths are being used on this album.
In the begining (Matt)
I first met Sarah in 2001 after remixing a song for a band she was in called Minithin. I was introduced to them by a mutual friend called Stuart Ball. I also produced and recorded a track with Minithin called 'Between Love & Hate'. They sort of fizzled out, however I kept in touch with Sarah and we did another couple of tracks together but nothing really ever happened with those. One thing that came out of this was my introduction back into music and I guess my fascination with the new software synths that were starting to emerge.
It took another four years before I started to get serious about finally doing a new music project. I think this desire was spurned on by a couple of albums, notably Goldfrapp and I AM X. For me there was a genuine lack of music that I really wanted to hear so I just thought about creating something that first and foremost was for me.
I initially contacted singers through Myspace although I think the official term is stalked :-), nothing really materialized then one day I was sorting through old phone numbers after getting a new mobile and came across the name Sarah, I only really knew one Sarah so I thought I would send a TXT. I didn't hold out much hope as I had changed numbers about three times in fives years but surprisingly I got a TXT back from Sarah who seemed genuinely interested. Weirdly she had been checking out my Northern Kind site only a few days before after searching for old Minithin songs. We exchanged a few emails and I sent her a bunch of ideas including some tracks from Goldfrapp and I AM X. In June 2006 Sarah came down from Sheffield and we recorded some of her vocal ideas that she had written around the tracks I had sent. Step Back & Home came out of this initial session although it took a while for Home to take shape, I think there are about three previous versions to this song. We then continued to work like this for a few more months. At the end of 2006 we had written and recorded six tracks, not bad considering we had only met up three times to record. We both felt that there was something worth pursuing and we now have another 5 tracks in production which should go to complete our first album.
It took another four years before I started to get serious about finally doing a new music project. I think this desire was spurned on by a couple of albums, notably Goldfrapp and I AM X. For me there was a genuine lack of music that I really wanted to hear so I just thought about creating something that first and foremost was for me.
I initially contacted singers through Myspace although I think the official term is stalked :-), nothing really materialized then one day I was sorting through old phone numbers after getting a new mobile and came across the name Sarah, I only really knew one Sarah so I thought I would send a TXT. I didn't hold out much hope as I had changed numbers about three times in fives years but surprisingly I got a TXT back from Sarah who seemed genuinely interested. Weirdly she had been checking out my Northern Kind site only a few days before after searching for old Minithin songs. We exchanged a few emails and I sent her a bunch of ideas including some tracks from Goldfrapp and I AM X. In June 2006 Sarah came down from Sheffield and we recorded some of her vocal ideas that she had written around the tracks I had sent. Step Back & Home came out of this initial session although it took a while for Home to take shape, I think there are about three previous versions to this song. We then continued to work like this for a few more months. At the end of 2006 we had written and recorded six tracks, not bad considering we had only met up three times to record. We both felt that there was something worth pursuing and we now have another 5 tracks in production which should go to complete our first album.
Sunday, 14 January 2007
Influences Part 1 (Matt)
When I started to think about my influences for the NK biography there was obvious a theme relating to electronic based bands and artists. I started to wonder where such tastes in music had originally come from.
The early 1980's where when my tastes started to develop, with bands like Depeche, Human League and Ultravox appearing on TOTPs, I was fascinated by the instruments they were using and the sounds they were creating. Whilst bands like Kraftwerk weren't in the charts that much, bands like DM and THL would always credit them in interviews. There were also a few TV programs that I had watched, one in particular was a documentary about Jean Micheal Jarre playing in China. The program not only focused on the fact that JMJ was the first western artsist to play in communist China but also the insutruments he used. I started to buy his albums, he would always list the instruments. There was always a vast array of Synthesizers and bits of equipment mentioned so I guess my interest in Synths started there.
I had been aware of the term Synthesizer after reading the sleeve notes on my mums Abba albums, Benny Anderson would always be credited with Piano & Synthesizers. I noticed when the appeared on TV there would always be this little keyboard sitting on top of his Piano. I wanted one even though I didn't really know what one was, my mum said it was a kind of organ and that Christmas 1978 I got a Bontempi. It wasn't quite what I had expected but never the less I learnt basic keyboard skills even though it sounded like a cross between a hairdryer and a recorder.
When Punk was in it's heyday 1976/77 Kraftwerk and Jean Michael Jarre were making totally electronic music. For me Punk was nothing new, it was just guitars and drums. To me electronic music was the future, I became very blinkered in my music buying and refused to buy anything that had a real instruments on it. This became more difficult when bands like DM started getting into sampling, I let them off because they were still being played via a keyboard and at that time sampling was cutting edge technology.
All of my school friends seemed to be following the trends in music and fashion, the 80's started with Two Tone/Mods & SKA then came the New Romantics with bands like Duran & Spandau. Although I liked their music I stayed pretty faithful to electronic music which was fairly underground still.
The early 1980's where when my tastes started to develop, with bands like Depeche, Human League and Ultravox appearing on TOTPs, I was fascinated by the instruments they were using and the sounds they were creating. Whilst bands like Kraftwerk weren't in the charts that much, bands like DM and THL would always credit them in interviews. There were also a few TV programs that I had watched, one in particular was a documentary about Jean Micheal Jarre playing in China. The program not only focused on the fact that JMJ was the first western artsist to play in communist China but also the insutruments he used. I started to buy his albums, he would always list the instruments. There was always a vast array of Synthesizers and bits of equipment mentioned so I guess my interest in Synths started there.
I had been aware of the term Synthesizer after reading the sleeve notes on my mums Abba albums, Benny Anderson would always be credited with Piano & Synthesizers. I noticed when the appeared on TV there would always be this little keyboard sitting on top of his Piano. I wanted one even though I didn't really know what one was, my mum said it was a kind of organ and that Christmas 1978 I got a Bontempi. It wasn't quite what I had expected but never the less I learnt basic keyboard skills even though it sounded like a cross between a hairdryer and a recorder.
When Punk was in it's heyday 1976/77 Kraftwerk and Jean Michael Jarre were making totally electronic music. For me Punk was nothing new, it was just guitars and drums. To me electronic music was the future, I became very blinkered in my music buying and refused to buy anything that had a real instruments on it. This became more difficult when bands like DM started getting into sampling, I let them off because they were still being played via a keyboard and at that time sampling was cutting edge technology.
All of my school friends seemed to be following the trends in music and fashion, the 80's started with Two Tone/Mods & SKA then came the New Romantics with bands like Duran & Spandau. Although I liked their music I stayed pretty faithful to electronic music which was fairly underground still.
Tuesday, 9 January 2007
First post
Well it was about time that I started to write a blog, I don't actually like the work "blog" so maybe that's why I haven't done one before. So to document the process of starting Northern Kind to hopefully completing an albums worth of material ready to be released I hope to share my experiences but first I thought I would give you a bit of background info.
I thought I would initially write about my musical history, this is really going to be about my first encounters and early appreciation of music, the things I listened too, to the things that influenced my own music. The first encounters with other musicians and my early blinkered views. So I guess this will start off more as a retro blog.
I thought I would initially write about my musical history, this is really going to be about my first encounters and early appreciation of music, the things I listened too, to the things that influenced my own music. The first encounters with other musicians and my early blinkered views. So I guess this will start off more as a retro blog.
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