ILL MANORS - THE SOUND AND THE "FINAL TOUCHES" AT THE EDGE STUDIO:

Well, i'm back again with the second part of my work on 2012 Plan B's, Ill Manors.

"Lets get loud" and straight to sound craf. 

At the Edge Recording Studio, Plan B made a 5 day sessions before the release of the record. They were - as per Studio's blog entry - the final touches:

http://www.theedgestudios.co.uk/blog/?p=65

I've contacted Jon Delf and sent him a few questions about those sessions. Jon got me Mark Winterburn, one of the engineers who worked on the sessions to answer me. To both a big Thank You.

Bellow you can find some more stories behind this record creation and even one about using a different microphone  at one of the record finest tunes. Hope you like it :)

(Mark Winterburn - Sound Engineer)

KING_LEER (KL):

Can you tell us where in time your work relation with Plan B started? How and when was the approach for the Ill Manors project?

MARK WINTERBURN (MW):

I worked on ill Manors for 5 days at the start of June 2012, when Ben came to Edge Studios. The bulk of the album was already finished apart from vocals on 2 tracks and another track that was recorded and mixed from scratch.

KL:

As per your blog entry, it was a 5 session in your studio. How's Ben's method as a producer? Does he seeks for outside inputs or he has the hole thing planned and goes directly to his goal?

MW:

Ben works fast and is very precise about what he wants, relying on little input from others. He pays particular attention to vocals and there was a lot of comping takes to get the best possible results. The attention to detail was incredible, working right down to the smallest of edits and tiny uses of automation that, when done, made a huge difference to the feel of the vocal. Although he was just as comfortable leaving me to edit takes on my own and listened to other people's opinions.

KL:

I always ask a kind of tutorial question since this article is also about learning about a craft and what's behind a record like this one. So, as you were editing and recording at Edge, there were guitar parts that was recorded in London and sent online to you. How is that work sent? Is it downloaded from a server? Specifically, how do you keep the digital quality when dealing with those files, is it through a special software? Probably the readers think that some sound quality can be lost this way. Help us out learning how it's done.

MW:

In the case of ill Manors files were constantly being swapped between various studios in London and Edge. Everything we tracked was sent to the either Al Shux or Labrinth to hear and then, when approved, to Ben's engineers to mix into the original sessions. Obviously sending MP3s is out of the question so files are consolidated in Pro Tools and uploaded to an online file-sharing server. This method of sending files doesn't result in any loss of quality as the sample rate, BIT-depth and file format (WAV, AIFF etc.) remain the same.

KL:

Share with us an interesting moment that occurred on this sessions.

MW:

When recording the track 'Great Day For A Murder' which was recorded in full at Edge, Ben used an SM58 in the control room to record the vocals. On the other tracks he had been on a Neumann M147 in a vocal booth so seeing the performance close-up was a great experience, and seeing visually how much energy went into the takes was fantastic as he was really giving it his all, and I think you can hear that on the album.

KL:

One last question – a general one about running and studio and the craft within:

If you were at a school talking to kids that were about to decide their future careers what would you tell them why they should follow a sound engineer degree?

MW:

Having worked various jobs in a variety of industries I can say that the level of satisfaction and enjoyment that comes from engineering is something that can't be matched by any other profession. Whether it's working with unsigned bands or big artists I'm always learning something new and every session is different. Even if it is just for a hobby making music is hard to beat in terms of fun. My advice to people that want to pursue music or sound as a career is to give it all the effort you have and never stop trying. Perseverance and a little luck can lead to unexpected things.

THE END

PLAYING WITH FIRE - ILL MANORS TAKE I WITH ELLIE ROBINSON, COUNCILLOR FROM FOREST GATE NORTH, NEWHAM COUNCIL.

So, let's start the "Games".

Ellie Robinson was kind enough to give her contribution to this work. I believe it is important both for Plan B's fans and other people that eventually are not acquainted with this reality and others that share a different punt of view:

   

                          

King_leer (KL):

Ellie, first of all tell us if you know Ben Drew (Plan B) and in what way this record was received by you and since you are part of the local Labour party how did the Council react to its release and major attention brought to that particular region in the UK both by the record and also the motion picture release.

Ellie Robinson (ER):

I do not know Ben personally, I am acquainted with his family. His mother was on the same governing body as me.

I wrote this article on the film which explains my views:

http://labourlist.org/2012/06/representing-ill-manors/

The Council did not respond to the film and to be honest it did not get enough coverage for the Council to have been expected too.

(KL):

Being this record mainly a social picture of a certain Britain, more focused on the 90's give me your view as a citizen about growing up around Forest Gate and surroundings that are mainly the central landscape of this record and the place Ben was raised.

(ER):

Most people who grow up in Forest Gate do not experience the type of social circumstances the film portrays. However I have known people to experience knife crime and prostitution and other issues highlighted. These are definitely things that happen in Newham as they do in other deprived areas. However Newham is also a place of opportunity, we have the youngest population in Europe, and the most multicultural community in the country. We have just had the Olympic Games in Newham which has bought regeneration. Our schools, against popular belief, achieve very well for our young people, above national average. I have really enjoyed growing up here as you learn so much about humanity.

(KL):

As a social active person what you think that should’ve been done in the past to avoid – and I’ll quote Ben on last week’s (at the time this Q&A took place) interview at the Jonathan Ross show – “the main reason that we had the riots is because we have a generation of kids that in-parent (I suppose the parents) no one show them love...they feel they are not worth, they walk at the front door and read the newspaper and the media tells them the same and the society reads the newspaper and they believe it as well. And when they contact with a kid like that they are pre-conception of them and treat the accordingly...” – what should have been done in the past to prevent this to happen and what are you major actual social activities to avoid this in the future?

(ER):

I think we have to make sure young people have a range of good role models, not just their parents, this can be achieved through schools and is increasingly so. The local school, Forest Gate Community school runs a project called Future First in which alumni return to the school and advise the young people on their futures, these are good role models for young people.

(KL):

Besides when I was younger I was never connected to any political party but if I was I’d like to embrace the spirit around a creative moment like this and use it as a social catalyst to improve local policies. How the council interacts with this cultural achievements?

(ER):

We haven't used the film in this way.

(KL):

Have you watched the movie ?

(ER):

Yes.

(KL):

What is your favourite track from Ill Manors?

(ER):  

 ill Manors and Playing with Fire.

THE END

Let's take a look at one of Ellie's favourite tracks, "Playing with Fire":

  

                  

Hope you liked it.

To Follow:

·         Mark Winterburn, Engineer from Edge Studios after John Delf indication.

·         Faith SFX - Beatboxer and long time Ben's colaborator and friend.

Cheers,

LG

AFTER ALL THERE'S MORE THAN A......PLAN B!

My dear friends and followers. I do apologize for being absent for so many time. Writing this stories and articles is something that I love. Music is not my daily activity (banking business is) but is a passion. I've been also searching for a plan B. During this year I was "off", I’ve ended a almost 20 years relation, returned to my childhood house downtown Porto to live with my father unfortunately just for 5 months since he left us last October. A new relationship also emerged but again unfortunately at the present time back to stage zero. My Random Access Memory almost had an overflow :) but my two kids are ok and I’ve also started my second experience at a local TV weekly talking on music and it's been great. Hope to return in the new season well prepared and with more stories on music. 

Usually I don't get personal but this time I’ve chosen this path to justify why I’m back to talk and return to my in-depth works on the records that I thought were the best on their year of release. And personally because in fact, there is really another Plan B, and it helped me too to move along. Lyrically speaking it was very well structured, a master-piece and make us remember that there's a lot of people with other kind of problems sometimes greater and dangerous ones and Ben is a 'Pro getting his message delivered.

I'm working already on my favorite 2013 record until now - Nick Cave's Push The Sky Away - but I couldn't skip the work I did on Ben's record. At the time I’m publishing my first post I hope to still receive more contributions from people that worked on the making of Ill Manors. This record was released in a time where the 2012 Olympic Games were about to start in London and it contains a strong social message that I believe you should ear if you are discovering this record just now. This was the return to the early sound, a mix of rap,hip-hop and soul, may I call it hip-hop soul? I've a global vision on music but I’m more a pop-rock man but loved this record and thought it'd win the Mercury Prize Award but it didn't.

So, let’s start with this quest. Since this record (The soundtrack for the movie too, also directed by Ben) talks about the growing up around  Forest Gate in Newham, UK I’ll start not by someone that worked at the record but with Ellie Robinson, councilor and chair of the and young people scrutiny committee and a member of the labour group to whom I’d like to thank for her kindness on replying my questions:

Before that, let me show you the song that made me "connect" to Ben:

Next Post, in a couple of hours with Ellie Robinson.

LG

SINCE THERE IS NO PLAN A......I'LL USE MY "PLAN B"!

Hi,

After this long pause, i'll return to my writings now that my musical spirit is more quiet right after the season at a local tv show called Porto Alive. I´ll promise not to be absent again for so long and i hope you like what i'll publish from now. Since in 2011 i dind't publish my "inside" work on the record i must liked (Hurts - Happiness) since the management reacition was bad and rude i'll restart with 2 in 1. First my 2012 favourite record, Plan B's Ill Manors and  right after the best from 2013 until now, Nick Cave's And the Bad Seeds, Push The Sky Away.

I really do hope that you enjoy and there's a taste just bellow :

Cheers

LG

AMIGOS EM PORTUGAL II, ONE MUSIC, ONE TRULLY PORTUGUESE STORY!

While revisiting this Durutti Column’s work i thought that one of the essential tasks should be to discover a little more about the song “Sara e Tristana” that was a little far more personal to one of the major “architects” of this piece of art. You can listen to the music on the video list at the blog, it’s the opening theme.

  

Being so, and used the actual social tool i went down through my Facebook account and soon i discovered Tristana. She was lovely, since she answered my questions promptly and together we’ve created this piece of dialogue that you can read bellow.

KING_LEER (KL):

    What meant to you and at what part of your life you thought about this – having a song

    named after you and your sister as a dedication from a great musician as Vini Reilly?

TRISTANA ESTEVES CARDOSO (TEC):

Well, music is linked to my life since the early days. It came to my attention later in my life although our father used to show us since we were children. Our dad, was always a box full of surprises and being addicted to good music, feeling it his own genius way only could have ended like that, bringing Vini to Portugal and get him to record with Fundação Atlântica. We’ve been very lucky, first because the music is genial and secondly because Vini Reilly is a great musician and we fell in his grace when we were kids and of course because our father that included us on this awesome project.

KL:

Have you met the band in person ever?

TEC:

No, he was in Portugal for a short time. He “met” us by photo, that’s the main reason for that song’s name.

KL:

Surely your father told you both what was behind the songs name, right?

Can you share it with us?

TEC:

Sure! My father met them in the Manchester. Me and my sister Sara born in England and he invited them to record a single here in Portugal. 

Vini came and recorded a hole album, a great record in my opinion. He wrote the songs and show them to my father and said that the song now called “Sara e Tristana” remembered him about his two daughters and show Vini a photo and, that’s it, in my (suspicious) opinion this is the best track from the record.

This record was a magnificent friends project. The sleeve was written by my father and inside there’s also a picture. The label was created by great friends all of them genius in their own way.

THE END

And folks, one more step concluded in this journey dedicated to discover a little more about this record, created almost thirty years ago. I’m pretty sure convinced that in fact, this was a work of art, created between great friends……Amigos em Portugal.

I would like to thank Tristana for her sympathy and quick feedback to my questions.

P.s Sorry about the layout but this blogger is getting harder to work with pals!

"AMIGOS EM PORTUGAL" - THE DURUTTI COLUMN RECORD REVISITED BY FRIENDS IN PORTUGAL, 30 YEARS LATER.

Dates are references in time but and we always like to use them. Since a couple of months ago I’ve been gathering testimonies from people that worked on “Amigos em Portugal” a Durutti Column album that was recorded here in Portugal and released by the now extinct Fundação Atlântico, a local label. Almost 30 years ago this project was thought and the songs written and recorded. I believe it’s the perfect time to dig a little deeper and discover more stories on this work of art. On the blog players you can listen to some tunes from that record among others. In the next weeks I’ll post more stories with José Valverde(sound), Tristana Esteves Cardoso (song named Sara & Tristana) and Vítor Rua (musician opinion and more stories) and more…

KING_LEER(KL):

Vin and Bruce,

“Amigos em Portugal” was recorded in 1983 so, probably it makes 30 years from now when the music and the project for a record to be recorded in Portugal were thought. Can you remember us how this adventure started?

DURUTTI COLUMN(DC):

We were part of a festival show in the north of Portugal, Our posse was A Certain Ratio,The Tom Robinson Band , The Durutti Column and Tony Wilson. In the early 80’s Tony had a Portuguese  friend called  Miguel who had started a record label called Fundação Atlântico. Miguel I think organized a recording studio in Estoril and Vini and Francesca Wraith went over and recoded very quick (The Vini Reilly style !!). I couldn't make it because my wife Jaqueline had been  taken seriously ill.

KL:

I have in front of me the 1998 digitally remastered Another Setting record. In the inlay card there’s a Tony Wilson note about the record and it’s a bit harsh on the record company. What went wrong at the time?

DC:

When we did the re-release in 1998, Tony had a disagreement over royalties with Miguel and Tony enjoyed writing up his complaints with the record company on the sleeve notes.

KL:

Musically speaking what is the main difference from Durutti Column in 1983 and now in 2012 - besides the age of course.

DC:

Musically, Durutti Column follows the same line as ever. Vini gets inspired with ideas and we go to the studio, usually with Keir Stewart of "Inch" studio  and we try to get it down as good as possible.

KL:

Any of the “Amigos em Portugal” songs was composed in Portugal?

DC:

We were inspired by Portugal and the Portuguese fans, and most of the music came from this.

KL:

In the 90’s Durutti Column edited a song called Fado. Fado has been recently declared by UNESCO an Intangible Cultural Heritage.

DC:

"Fado" was one of my favourites. Vin only played it a couple of times on stage, but it did feature in the film "Cities in the Park" recorded at Heaton Park Manchester in 1991 and Still available!

KL:

Last question. Vin and Bruce – I’ve been at several Durutti Column gigs since 1991.I never saw a string section live with you. Ever thought of playing your music with a grand orchestra? And if, 30 years later an invitation like that would came from Portugal would you consider it and embrace that challenge?

DC:

We did use strings and horns on the album "Without Mercy" in the mid eighties and we did film this in Tokyo for the "Domo Arigato" album and it is an ambition to re-record some Durutti songs with a small orchestra soon or maybe a GRAND orchestra! Thanks for the encouragement,Best wishes and good luck.

THE END

SILENCE, THE BASS PLAYER IS TALKING:

Well my friends, the title i've used for this post is a common expression in Portugal when someone is about to start singing our typical song, Fado - "Silence, someone is about to play Fado", it's a matter of respect.
This is a short interview i've made a couple of weeks ago with Andy Rourke, former Smiths bass player. I've made a lot of interviews in the past but it's always a milestone when you have the chance to do that with someone that was part of a gang (Andy's own words) that was also part of your life and it meat to you a lot. So, i'll share this short moment with all of you and i'm sure that on the other side of this screen someone too will share the same thoughts and will have a great time reading this lines with Andy, the Ex-Smiths, the bass player, the DJ but above all, the musician.

KING_LEER (KL):

As an introduction – as usual – I would like to know what you’ve been up to in the last years. One of your major occupations nowadays is being a DJ. You and your ex-band members spread the word “Hand the DJ” so, how come  J ?

ANDY ROURKE (AR):

Firstly, I am not a DJ, I am and will always be a musician, DJ'ing is something I do for fun, it started as an accident at a DJ (musician) friend of mine's party in Manchester (Clint Boon, Inspiral Carpets) he asked me if I would like to jump up and spin some tunes one night, I said OK and I realized I actually enjoyed myself! It continued from there.

(KL):

You are one of the most famous bass guitar players. As a tutorial for those who are reading this interview, tell us exactly what is a rhythm section in a band. Most people think that being a rhythm section means that can be easily replaceable. Is this true or one more “urban myth”? I’d like to add my view also to this question. There are bands that you can clearly identify the drummer or bass player. For instance and using one example from actual bands. Jared, from Kings of Leon, I could know if he was involved in the tune or not. Share your thoughts with us Andy:

(AR):

Hmm, I would say that the rhythm section is the backbone of any band, they dictate the tempo, the feel. If you change them you change the whole dynamic of the band. Of course they are replaceable, everybody is!! Regarding your question on "actual bands"

well… you would have to ask Jared! But me speaking from personal experience, I have always written my own bass lines and wouldn't be involved with a band who tried to tell me different. Me and Johnny met when we were 11 years old and started playing music together soon after, so we had a very close understanding of each other musically and also as friends , so things happened very naturally with us. 

(KL):

What bands are you following these days?

(AR):

I'm terrible when it comes to naming bands! There are so many, so I won't go there, if I start I will have to name 50!!

I'm still busy working through the music that happened before I was even born!

(KL):

Kevin Cummins also was kind enough to contribute to my blog a couple of years ago. I’ve got in front of me one 1985 Babylon publication called “The Smiths in Quotes” with photos by Kevin. I don’t know if you recall but the book ends with your comments on five issues. I’ve chosen this one. Would like to know if the answer is still the same:

Andy Rourke on……THE SMITHS : “We are the best band in the world, there’s nobody better”. – I believe you have the same opinion but since then, did anyone came close to your standards?

(AR):

Wow! Now you are putting me on the spot!

You know what? I think I stand by my bold statement, fuck it!

(KL):

I’ll end with a double question. First, what was really your moment with The Smiths? The song that had more from you – as a musician and composer? The other one is the tricky one……share with us something that few people know about you and the Smiths.

(AR):

Another tough question, I am so proud of all my work in The Smiths, some stand out tunes for me? ……"The Queen Is Dead" title track, then "Barbarism Begins At Home", "Bigmouth Strikes Again", "Sweet and tender hooligan" for me the list goes on and on. I'm more proud about what we did together as four young people (The Smiths split when I was 23). We had a lot of  things to deal with, and people trying to ruin us but we showed solidarity, we were a gang!

-The last question? Well!!! I think all of my skeletons are out of the closet, I lived my private life in public during those brief but wonderful years :o) )