THE PRODUCERS 5 go Mad in a Studio?

Rip It Up, Issue 204, 1 August 1994, Page 14

THE PRODUCERS 5 go Mad in a Studio?

Are music producers failed artists — frustrated and unsuccessful musicians — or are they artists in their own right? What do music producers actually do and what motivates them to do it? Is is possible to get an international profile while working in New Zealand? Read on, you may find the answers surprising.

NICK ROUGHAN

Produced: David Kilgour, Head Like A Hole, Bailter Space, Solid Gold Hell Absolutely perfect doesn’t mean absolutely right in music production according to Nick Roughan, producer of the critically acclaimed Sugar Mouth album for David Kilgour.

“If you want something with soul and character you sometimes take the warts and all and that’s the way to get the best performance from an artist — to give them the confidence to do their best and not worry about petty mistakes.” This producer has strong views on the subject — he believes it’s easy to make music “perfectly boring". “If it’s a real clanger you can always do it again but doing it this way leaves the life in the music. When things are mixed absolutely perfectly it really gets up my nose — it’s totally dehumanised.” He believes Bailter Space are a good example of a band that will write and record a song at the same time. There may be some imperfection in the recording but the version they decide on will have something special about it. “They could do the track a hundred times over and never recapture that certain something. There’s a magic you capture when things are really fresh. Often you have to weigh up perfection against the magic and the spontaneous things that happen,” he says from his sunny Mt Eden porch. Once a song has been mixed, Roughan says it’s very important that it doesn’t sound like separate pieces put together but rather a whole thing in itself. On most projects he acts as engineer as well as producer and enjoys the challenge of keeping track of what’s going on technically as well as keeping the big picture in mind. But finding out what the artist wants the finished product to sound like can be half the battle.

“Bands usually have a vision in their heads of what they want but to facilitate that for them can sometimes be a hard job. It’s part of the job to be able to bring people together and work with them all. Everybody has the same goal — to get a good recording — so that usually makes things easier.” Roughan has just finished producing a new album for Flying Nun’s Solid Gold Hell.

The album was recorded at the Kiwi Bacon Factory in Auckland over six days. “It was pretty full on having such a short time in which to do it — we were working nearly 24 hours a day.” In the future Roughan hopes to branch out from guitar music and work on more diverse projects. He and wife Jane Kemp (who sang backing vocals on Sugar Mouth) intend to make an album soon. “We can’t afford to go on holiday this year so we’ve decided to make an album instead.”

MARK TIERNEY

Produced: Strawpeople, JPSE, Moana and the Moahunters, These Wilding Ways, Hallelujah Picassos Straw person and producer of just about everyone, Mark Tierney believes that anyone who is serious about music production and engineering should go on the next plane out of the country. The population here is, according to him, too small to adequately support the music industry. There is definitely no room for specialising and all those involved in producing music have their fingers in other pies as well. But there are advantages for bands in such a small country. “Overseas when you have the record company trust you can, as a producer, do just about anything with a band, you can even sack a band member — the power lies with the producer, whereas here it lies with the band. It’s really good in a way.” He believes the main role of a producer is to contribute to the ideas pool of the band. “A lot of great producers don’t know too much about the technical side of things. As a producer you can bring energy or advice on an intellectual level or maybe you’re just the guy who provides the dope.” Tierney has worked with many artists and always produces his own music. He’s currently finishing the new Strawpeople album on which he is loathe to comment.

“It’s impossible to make any worthwhile comment when you’re this close to a project.”

Tierney says that if the album doesn’t take off overseas the music side of he and Paul Casserly’s production company Wireless will become a smaller and smaller concern.

“I’ve spent ten years in this industry and it

just gets a bit boring really,” he says in the resonant voice for which he is well known.

Like the other producers Tierney enjoys working with creative bands which are not afraid to experiment. “The Hallelujah Picassos were amazing to work with because they just spit out ideas like a grinder of pure metal. There’s these sparks coming off them the whole time — let’s fuck this up — let’s rewind and play it back at a different speed — that’s what excites me about them, they’ve got good ideas and they wanna have some fun." Despite the fact that there are many talented people here both in music and production, Tierney doubts that New Zealand will ever be taken seriously overseas. If anything gets released overseas it is invariably remixed, Tierney says. “They just don’t care. Australia has all the equipment, money, gear and people to make great music and they are still looked down on by America and Europe. It’s just total snob value. It doesn’t matter that Hyundai will give you great economy and a fast engine — people want a Rolls Royce.”

PHILIP FUEMANA

Produced: Fuemana, Proud Compilation The desire to “Live and die by my own hand” led Philip Fuemana into producing his own music. “I can always see the big picture of a song and I never sawy myself as a producer but I wanted to be involved from the concept to the end so I learned." Fuemana is the lead male vocalist in a band by the same name which also features his sister Christina. He believes a good producer need not be musically talented but rather be the one who is able to bring all the elements together. He’s not keen to be involved with producing projects in which he doesn’t believe.

“I won’t really do anything unless I created it or I’m really into it — that way I don’t mind taking the flack or the praise.” Good producers provide creative direction. Fuemana has a strong vision of the way he wants things done and he with not be dictated to by anyone. “I was interviewed by this Maori magazine the other day and they asked me when I was gonna start putting coconut drums or tradi-

tional beats in my music and so I told them that I’d never seen a coconut tree or been to a marae so why should I? It’s not what I’m about. People like that want to make Fuemana the saviours of the world.” Fuemana worked on the Proud compilation which brought together various artists from South Auckland — many of them on the Second Nature record label’s back catalogue. The album, distributed by EMI has found success both here and in Australia. He enjoyed the Proud experience, especially the nationwide tour but Fuemana says the whole project was and is a political nightmare.

“Proud is now embroiled in some political stuff and basically I’ve pulled away from the whole thing. There is another compilation scheduled but I want nothing to do with it.” He says production reasons have stopped his involvement as he found it impossible to get any control. “White guys sabotaged the whole thing — hardly any of the bands were happy with the finished product. The Pacifican Descendants hated that version of ‘Pass It Over’. But it was a case of people taking over because they thought they knew better than the band.”

Fuemana is resigned to the fact that it’s necessary to go further afield to get any real success either with his band or in production.

“It’s just too small here and so we need to be looking beyond New Zealand. We can’t afford to think small. We’re treating Fuemana’s three year contract with Deepgrooves as a demo period and after that we can take our stuff overseas and see how we go there.”

ANGUS MCNAUGHTON

Produced: Three the Hard Way, Moana and the Moahunters, Headless Chickens

The best thing a producer has to offer is the fact that they’re not in the band, says Auckland producer Angus McNaughton.

“Sometimes all a band needs is someone to cast an objective eye over the whole thing and give some advice.” At 25 McNaughton has been messing about with music for more than a decade. “I don’t think I knew what a producer was back then but I was into being an engineer and I wanted to make music. I had a studio in my bedroom and it was a pretty minimal set-up. I made some great experimental music there though, banging around with pots and pans. I love those tapes now —

naive music with good ideas," he says from the mixing suite at Incubator Recording Studios, of which he is part owner. Like most music producers in New Zealand, McNaughton has no formal training — he started in a small studio as an engineer and learned quickly. “Courses are a good idea but I don’t think people should expect to get jobs after completing them. You really have to get into the studio and actually do it before you really learn.”

He believes that there seems to be growing acceptance of less mainstream ways of producing music and in some areas he feels we are leading the way. “Slick sounds are not a problem now — it just depends what you wanna do. Flying Nun are world leaders and they defy the usual production values anyway.” He agrees with Roughan about production styles, “A lot of alternative music bucks a lot of 80s trends in production where you layer 12 guitars on top of each other, mixed over and over until they are totally perfect. Often the imperfections and spontanaiety add a lot to the record and are a desirable element.”

McNaughton loves the music of the 60s and 70s. “There’s a lot to be said for music production in those days. It sounded amazing with a nice big room with two or three mikes and musicians who could play live. Just by

capturing what is going on in the room you get great imagery, sound and warmth.”

MALCOLM WELSFORD

Produced: Shihad, the Nixons, Supergroove Welsford can be found in his studio in York Street, Parnell, for an average of 18 hours a day.

“I keep pretty busy around tne clock. I start at 10am and usually finish at about 3am so there’s not much time for anything else,” he says from his well worn seat at the mixing desk. He has “found a niche” as a producer of alternative rock bands and lent his talent to Supergroove, the Nixons and Shihad, for whose album Chum he won the Best Engineering title at the New Zealand Music Awards this year. Welsford believes the 90s herald a return to a more reality based sound compared with the over production of the 80s.

“Computers are so easy — so controlled. It’s pretty hard to get it wrong, whereas with live music it’s so much more challenging. No matter what, the main formula stays the same, you have to have good instruments and good musicians and the rest will follow because you’re only recording the source and if it sounds bad it always will.” He’s annoyed with the attitude that anyone from overseas can produce better than locals.

“Record companies think they should get a producer from overseas so they get a second rate one from the United States which is all they can afford. The guy doesn’t care and he’s not that good anyway and thousands of dollars get wasted — and they expect me to do it for next to nothing.”

He produced Supergroove’s latest album Traction and was not suprised when the single ‘Can’t Get Enough’ became number one.

“I knew it would be platinum as soon as I heard it. The band are young and the song is tougher than the previous one had been. I think they’ve got a good chance to make it internationally.”

Welsford prefers to work in the arena of alternative rock and hopes to continue working with bands. “I like the energy of these bands and although 1 wouldn’t necessarily listen to them at home I respect what they’re trying to do. They have good hooks and they’re really into what they’re playing.”

EMMA FARRY