Party like it’s 1975…

“Even though my career has been spent in the box, I still have this fascination with live music. Specifically, soul and disco from the mid-70s, which is what I grew up listening to. About six years ago, I got started on a side project that involved recreating the sound of 1975. Philadelphia, Tom Moulton and John Morales. Trying to record everything like it was recorded back then.

“With all the tech and plugins that we’ve got today, it’s tempting to think that you can stick anything through an analogue tape effect and it’ll sound 40 years old. Sorry, but it doesn’t work like that. You can’t take something sterile and revive it with a plugin.

“One idea I quickly developed was limiting the number of tracks. Like the studios at the time, I worked with 16 or 24 tracks. That means bouncing down. It means committing to a take. It means compromise. But that immediately frees up tracks and it also frees up your creativity. You’re not getting bogged down in endless tweaks. Keep the vocals simple. It’s bounced down… it’s finished.

“That’s why I wanted a live room in the new studio. I want to start introducing some of that into my own music next year. Record a decent take, get it in the computer and move on to the next job.”