Posts Tagged ‘San Francisco music’
Over the last week I’ve been mixing a new record by Warbler (this project was tracked and is now being mixed at SQ). I’ve finished the first round of mixes for 6 songs and wanted to share a couple of them with our blog followers. Both have not been mastered and are not final mixes.
- John
Worry:
Skism:
The following are a few tracks from Le Vice’s debut self titled release (due out August 17, 2010). This record was tracked, mixed, and produced by John (SQ):
“Shy Guy”
“Why Fight”
“Uh Huh”
Dubious Ranger was a Deli SF Artist of the Month winner. The following three songs appear on their “Big Ghost EP” which was tracked at Studio SQ and later mixed/mastered by Jonathan Eccles:
“Sailor King”
“Carillon”
“Why Call It A Crime”
The following is an article was published March 8, 2010 on The Deli Magazine SF by Nicole Leigh. It is copyright 2010 by The Deli Magazine and may not be reproduced without permission. We love the Deli – you can check it out, along with other great articles on SF music at http://sf.thedelimagazine.com.
This Thursday! The Deli SF and Studio SQ present: Le VICE!
Thursday, March 11th, El Rio
Start your weekend early and come dance your pants off with The Deli SF and Studio SQ as we present Le VICE live at El Rio, Thursday, March 11th! Le VICE is one part electro funk, one part rootsy hip hop with some sprinklings of pop and R&B. They’re the perfect solution to your next dance party and a breath of fresh air.
Le VICE took third place in our annual Best Emerging Artist of 2009 Reader’s Poll and will be celebrating the release of their self titled debut along with Bay Area folks F*ck, I’m a Ghost and Red Blue Yellow.
Come out and dance with us!
Thursday, March 11th
El Rio – 9pm
Le VICE, F*uck, I’m a Ghost, Red Blue Yellow
$5
- Nicole Leigh
The following is an article titled “In the studio with Chloe Makes Music” which was published February 17, 2010 by The Deli Magazine SF. The article is copyright 2010 by The Deli Magazine and may not be reproduced without permission of the owner. You can read it and other great articles on SF music at http://sf.thedelimagazine.com.
In the studio with Chloe Makes Music
Chloe Makes Music
For some artists, their time in the studio can be a working environment that is rather personal and closed off, not for the public. For those of us on the outside of the event, it can seem like a mysterious and secret process that piques the curiosity of those that appreciate a persons ability to communicate through song. That’s why when Chloe Roth of Chloe Makes Music contacted The Deli to see if we’d like to sit in on a recording session at Studio SQ we jumped at the chance. Who wouldn’t want to observe and listen like a fly on the wall in the moment that an artist puts their creative expressions into a fixed medium?
Twice a month, the readers of The Deli SF vote for their favorite nominated artist of the month. These artists not only rewarded with a banner on the site but also with free studio time from the poll’s sponsor Studio SQ. As a musician trying to make it in the second most expensive city in the US, free studio time is a very good thing. Back in the second half of October 2009, Chloe Makes Music was chosen by the Deli readers as the Artist of The Month and this was the first time that anyone at the Deli was able to see the poll process come full circle.
We visited Chloe in the studio on day 5 of a 6 day recording marathon as she laid tracks with producer Chris Chu [vocalist for The Morning Benders] for her upcoming debut LP. Studio SQ has a nice warm welcoming feel. You’re greeted by a friendly brindle boxer the door who naps on the couch when shes not monitoring the activity around and the studio itself is large and open and filled with a lot of wood which gives it that comfortable, home-y feel. It’s almost hard to believe that such an intimate place can exist in what is a primarily industrial part of the city.
Chris Chu
Chloe is recording backing vocals for the current track that they’re working on, “The Puppeteer,” and Chris is preparing to sit at the piano for the next segment of the recording. Chloe explains, “I want it to sound like there are puppets singing” – an appropriate request for a song about a person that manipulates marionettes. Chloe was concerned that I might be bored but I wasn’t, not even the slightest bit. Boring is watching me sit in my small studio apartment trying to create sentences to describe what had taken place. Mostly, I was intrigued by what sounded to be an almost complete track with some lovely haunting harmonies.
As the afternoon begins to wind down, Chloe and Chris discuss which elements are left to record and begin to coordinate their final day in the studio. I decide to take this as my cue to slip out and allow the creative flow to be uninterrupted. I say a quick goodbye and quietly leave. Outside, the sun is almost gone and I realize that there is a catchy melody of puppets still singing in my head.
The Deli SF would like to thank both Chloe Makes Music and Studio SQ for allowing this unique opportunity and we look forward to hearing the finished product!
-Nicole Leigh
The following is a track off “The Dead Western’s” recent self titled release (tracked and mixed by Jeremy at SQ):
“Thunder Road”
The following is a track from artist Red Blue Yellow:
This month we finished up principle tracking on a new record by Frances England, a truly gifted artist in the world of childrens music. We first worked with Frances back in 2008 on her second album “Family Tree” which received the Gold Award in the 2008 Parent’s Choice Award. After playing at Lollapalooza last summer, she teamed up with 2010 Grammy nominated producer Tor Hyams for this third record.
Working with Frances really is a treat. Those of us in the music business can sometimes get caught up in the everyday “hype machine” which naturally follows many genres of music. But I have to say, working with Frances is such a refreshing change of pace. Her music comes from a place of love and purity and NOT record sales (ironically, she is extremely successful and has consistently high sales). I know it sounds cliche, but her music really can be enjoyed by everyone – children and adults alike.
Since we had such a great time working on this new record, we thought we share some pictures taken by both Frances and her husband John (also a member of the band) during their 6 days of tracking. Stay tuned as I will share samples of the music once we finish the mix phase!
- John
Frances in the overdub booth
Frances singing away
Jeff Koch on drums
playback
Tim Thurman on electric guitar
Jeff and bassist John Funke having fun on the Wurly
Teamates! SQ house engineer Justin Sachs with producer Tor Hyams
Justin and Tor in action
This is how the magic happens
Sean Sullivan on acoustic
Remember, this is for the kids!
Justin, John, Frances and Tor in the control room
First photo of the new Otari console
Frances doing her thing
Yesterday we got our masters back for the debut self titled Le Vice record (releasing February 16, 2010). As this marks the first project that I have both engineered and co-produced here at Studio SQ, I thought I’d take a little time to share some things about the band and the process of this record.
As our good friend Mike Wells put it, “how can you not like this music”. While many people would define the Le Vice sound as pop, r&b, or hip hop, I view them as first 80′s electro, disco, and funk – which is supported by a backing theme of pop, r&b, and hip hop. In simpler words, this is shake your ass music:
- SHY GUY:
- UH HUH:
- WHY FIGHT:
So far I’ve found that this record is appealing to just about everyone I’ve played it for. While it is being highly regarded by the local hip hop and r&b community, it is finding even greater success with the SF hipster scene and alt. pop enthusiasts. As cheesy as it is to say, I do think that there is something for everybody on this record.
The Band:
Le Vice is made up of four extremely talented musicians:
- Alex Lee (Vocals)
- Sean “Stilly” Stillenger (Bass & Keys)
- Renzo Staiano (Guitar)
- Darrin Thomas (Drums)
Alex (A.Lee) has been a successful hip hop artist for a number of years. In her new role as front woman for Le Vice she has broken free of the traditional “hip hop” role. Now a seasoned vocalist, she is delivering soulful melodies that are reminiscent of the disco age and early 80′s. Combine that with her powerful pop sound and rootsy hip hop swagger, and you’ve got A.Lee of Le Vice.
I first started working with “Stilly” back in 2007 on the debut Drone Hooligan record (indie folk/rock). He is a precise yet expressive session bass player (electric & upright). Originally schooled in jazz, r&b, and classic composition (romantic and post romantic) he eventually found his way into the punk/post punk scene. As one of the main songwriters for Le Vice, this diversity is ever present throughout the record.
Renzo simply rips on guitar. He is a Berkeley school of music graduate with a masters in ethnomusicology from UC Santa Cruz. As a professional touring musician in both Boston and California, he is well versed in many styles including affro peruvian, classical, son, jazz, funk, rock, metal, and more. In Le Vice, he brings that essential Quincy Jones guitar sound that makes even the most self conscious individual want to get down.
Darren is a solid, heavy handed, good old fashioned hip hop and soul drummer. He came from a musical family (both his father and uncle were musicians) and therefore first started playing drums at the age of 7. As teenager he found his way into gospel music and played regularly at his church. Later he attended the University of Nevada on a music scholarship and was the center snare of the drum line in the school’s marching band.
There are also a number of other talented musicians that made truly significant contributions to the record:
- Will Bates (drums)
- Travis Carter a.k.a. “Dj Traps” (turntables)
- John Bomarito (keys)
The Process
The band was formed in early 2009 and we first started working on this record back in May. As a newly formed band, a lot of their attention was focused on adding “live” instruments to a handful of A.Lee’s original hip hop works. But with such influential members the band quickly found its own unique sound. Therefore in October we took a fresh new approach to the recordings and began adding all new original Le Vice music. This record marks the success of that effort.
From a production point of view, I am proud to say that this record is 100% Studio SQ. Every instrument used came from our collection of in house gear. Some notable sounds that you will find on the record include Mini Moog, Prophet 08 Synthesizer (big part of their sound), Juno 106, custom Gretsch rosewood drum kit, 1976 Fender Precision Bass, 1981 Rickenbacker Bass, modified Fender Showman bass amp, custom Tweed Delux amp, Jeremy’s custom guitar amps, a handful of classic guitars and amps, and more.
My partner in crime for tracking this record is my business partner and good buddy Jeremy Rosenblum. Jeremy knows something about everything it seems, but in my opinion his most significant contribution to this project was with the key selection and guitar tonality. Jeremy knows our synth collection inside and out and was easily able to translate the needs of the band into the essential synthesized sound that you hear all throughout the record. In fact, many times he would simply ask “what are you looking for”, think about it, pull out a synth, and tweak a patch – to which everybody’s wide eyed response would be a unanimous “YES”. Its also important to recognize that one of Jeremy’s custom guitar amps is featured all over this record (as well as a few others modified by him).
As for my role, I focused on tracking, all mixing, editing, production advice, production direction and some structural composition. From a mix perspective, I relied on a balance between vocal presence and vocal layering. There is also a bit of vocal delay throughout the record – it turns out that both Alex and I have an itchy trigger finger when it comes to delays. Also this is a synth heavy record so the keys take center stage in the mix on many occasion. The guitars tend to sit in the pocket but do break out here and there. The bass is forward and midrangy. The drums are punchy when they need to be and subtle when they don’t. All in all it is pretty straight forward.
On another note I’d like to thank Stilly for being my mixing cohort. All of the band contributed to the mix process, but Stilly tended to be the one who was there everyday and worked with me into the wee hours… long live Glasses!
Again, this debut record by Le Vice is releasing on February 16, 2010. Feel free to visit the Le Vice website at www.levicemusic.com for links and future news on the band/record.
- John
The following is a track off of Big Blue Whale’s 7″ titled “Bees and Ants” which was mixed and mastered at SQ:
“Time’s Saw”
