Resources
Jazz and Soul
We bring the studio to your venue, call us now for more info.
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Solo Singers
We have thousands of backing tracks available, special rates for soloists.
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Rock and Blues
We can record your gig or you can hire us to multitrack record without an audience
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Multimedia
Voiceover recordings, any voice in any style in any language available. Also here a selection of radio adverts, sweeps, film music and idents.
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Brass Bands
A selection of our concert and session recordings of Brass Bands.
Ensemble recording and compact disc duplication packages are our speciality.
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Male Voice Choir
Our most recent recordings from the world of Male Voice Choirs
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Latest News
August 2010 - Bamjimba - Sunny Spells
Just had a really great time working with Bamjiba on the new charity single "Sunny Spells" an instrumental Cuban mambo groove track. ALL proceeds from sales go to Tanzanian Orphanages for children affected by HIV AIDS.
The single is released on September 1st available from all the major download sites, more details about the charity can be found here www.causes.com/causes/512252/about please support the cause by purchasing the single.
*** UPDATE Sept 1st 2010 RELEASE *** Available NOW from itunes
July 2010 - Key Arts
We're continuing to build the Key Arts catalogue of incidental music throughout 2010 and we're now also back into songwriting with a view to pitching our songs to recording artists. We are still looking for people to join us so if you are a composer or songwriter and would like to speak to us about a joint venture you can contact us here info@absoluterecordings.co.uk
Redding, Coghlan & Bell Album almost done !
I'm in the final stages of mixing the Noel Redding, Eric Bell and John Coghlan live album recorded in 2002. I was asked to record the concert by the tour manager and a mutual friend neither of who shall we say remembered to reimburse me for my time and energy so I contacted Eric Bell and John Coghlan and asked their permission to go ahead with the release as a tribute to Noel who sadly died on May 11th the following year. All being well i'm planning to release as a download only album initially in late October early November 2010. Will keep you all posted.
June 2010 - The Convulsions - Live Recording and Studio Single
The Convulsions are a Mod Punk Boogaloo band originally based in Chicago. Ben Ruth, band founder member had taken with him from England the old concept of British Rhythm and Blues with roots in bands such as the Yardbirds, Pretty Things, Animals and Big Three. Now back in the UK Ben has assembled a band which has developed a repertoire comprising of that same 1960’s British RnB vibe with funk and 1990’s punk rock energy and incendiary inventiveness.
May 2010 - Noel Redding - Eric Bell - John Coghlan - Live Recording.
Ongoing project.......news to follow
April 2010 - Lost Citizens - Fires - Video
I really like this band LOST CITIZENS so I asked them if I could re-mix some of their recordings, I am a big fan of Mark Jones songs and have been since I recorded his first band 'The Sound' ( Purple's a Fruit EP ) some years ago, since then he's put together this line up who set out playing covers but now write and play their own excellent songs, they are all good down to earth lads with not an ego in sight. We're going to be shooting a video later in the year featuring their brilliant song 'FIRES'....watch this space.
March 2010 - Monster Music - ELC Nursery Rhymes Project
Been working pretty hard on a nursery rhymes project this month with Mike Croft of Monster Music for the Early Learning Centre, it's the first time I've written or arranged any childrens music and it really is an entirely different discipline and I was well outside of my comfort zone for the first couple of weeks. I was really suprised at the amount of hard work and dedication that goes into to producing educational music to the high standard that Mike has done for years, he's a nice guy and we quickly formed a good working strategy and a solid friendship developed over the many sessions recording and mixing together. We'll be working together a lot in the future starting with a re-record of one of Mikes hit songs 'True Harmony' later in the year.
February 2010 - Live recording for bands in 2010
We can now record your gig/concert at your favourite venue straight from our front of house console and also capture the sound of your audience with ambience microphones.
There is a choice of two fully engineered PA / live recording systems, first is a compact but powerful 2.5 K for the tighter venues on your circuit or our full 5K rig with four way monitor mix. Because everthing is now under our control we can provide not only a fantastic live sound but also ensure optimum recording signals to our multitrack. See our mobile recording section or contact us for further details
January 2010 - Key Arts - Production Music
Working really hard on our production music library this year and on course in keeping with our new years resolution of tracks per month composed and recorded. We have another fine composer recruited to our team who is fantastic, we want to build our catalogue as quickly as possible this year so if you are reading this as a composer and you have your own production facilities and original music why not get in touch and let us hear your work.
December 2009 - Brass Band Concert - Keyarts.tv - Starpoint Radio
The run up to Christmas has been a busy time (long may it continue into 2010) there have been radio shows to record on location, original compositions to write for Key Arts and more and more solo singers have been recording tracks to give as Christmas gifts which has meant quite a few late nights and early mornings getting things recorded, mixed and mastered in time.
Following the success of the Morecambe Brass Band Easter concert release 'Live and Winning' I was asked to record their Christmas concert in late December. As it takes around four to six weeks to design artwork, edit, licence and produce a release it was decided by the MBBA that the CD would be manufactured sometime early this year in plenty of time for next Christmas.
November 2009 - Paul Hayes - IVR - Starpoint Radio
It's been a busy month recording shows with Sean Oconnor and planning our 2010 schedule for Starpoint Radio which is a London based soul music station. There has also been an unusual amount of audio editing to do for IVR (telephone systems) in addition to recording a few new solo singers one of which was BBC TV presenter, antiques expert and all round good egg Paul Hayes.
Paul was discovered by chance by the BBC1's Bargain Hunt programme, the producers were so impressed with him that he appeared as one of their regular experts. In January 2001 he was asked to appear as the antiques specialist on BBC1's popular daytime show Housecall, sharing his considerable knowledge about different categories of antiques and collectibles. He has been co-presenter of Cash in the Attic since Autumn 2002 and was the expert presenter on BBC1’s Star Sale in 2004 and has also been the expert contributor to Crimewatch UK.
Paul contacted me at the beginning of November, he is clearly very passionate about music and wanted to put some of his favourite songs to disc, we recorded three tracks at his home and he was so pleased with the results that he came to my project studio to record more tracks later in the month, he's a talented and likeable lad, we had a lot of laughs along the way and made some very good recordings too.
October 2009 - Focus DVD - Release
Following the recording we featured back in April at the Robin 2, Focus have now released their 'Live In England' dvd to coincide with the extensive ' Classic Legends Of Rock' tour of the UK on which they headline with Martin Turners Wishbone Ash and The Strawbs.
At the time of writing, the dvd is currently only on sale at live shows from the merchandise stall, for future availability updates and further tour news visit the bands website at www.focustheband.com
September 2009 - Keyarts - Dan In Gdansk - Soundtrack
Alone in the historic city of Gdansk once a place of great conflicts and struggles for the freedom of the human spirit, Dan is free to walk the streets and contemplate his own place in the Cosmos. As time seems to pass, he senses the distinction between himself and the rest of the material World starts to blur.
There’s only one conclusion he can make !
http://www.keyarts.tv/Projects.html
Produced and directed by John Pagan
Music composed and performed by Neil Gowland
August 12th -13th 2009 Phillip Fawcett. Pianist
One of the things I enjoy most about being a recording engineer is that you get to meet and work with some nice people, we’ve had the pleasure of working with Phillip before and have just spent the last couple of evenings with him recording material for his new Grieg CD featuring The Holberg Suite, Lyric Pieces Op.65 (including the great 'Wedding day at Troldhaugen'), the much-loved 'Notturno' and the charismatic 'March of the Trolls'.
We’ll be putting the CD together over the next week or so and it will be available to order sometime in September from Phillips website here
JUNE 13th 2009 Massed Choir Recording
I've been recording with my good friend David Wood for many years, he and I were asked back by the
K Shoes Male Voice Choir to record and produce their second cd of 2009, this time it was to be ‘Live’ and the main concert event of their 40th anniversary celebrations at the Leisure Centre in Kendal, Cumbria.
The concert was a huge success performed to an enthusiastic ‘sold out’ audience who enjoyed pieces by massed choirs and performances by guest choirs from Steeton, Chapel - en - le - Frith and Much Wenlock.
Joining the choirs on stage was Mezzo Soprano Wendy Sharrock.
The cd is on sale from the K Shoes MVC website
MAY 29th - 31st 2009 Starpoint Radio Show with Sean OConnor
I’ve been producing soul radio shows with Sean since his Solar days but this weekend was going to be very special as we were out and about to record interviews on location with some of the top soul dj’s from around the UK .
The Seaside Soul Club pulled out all the stops to promote the third annual event and Sean O'Connor's intimate knowledge of the soul radio scene got the message across the whole country.
Ian Dewhirst, a soul DJ based in London and who can command a four figure fee for a night's work, raved over the great setting for the weekend. "You walk down that promenade, take in the beautiful view across the bay to the lake district and you just couldn't wish for a better setting for sweet soul music," he enthused.
The two hour show eventually featured music and chat from the Morecambe weekend festival for a Starpoint radio special which attracted peak listening figures at the station so we're very pleased about that, well done Sean.
You can catch regular shows by Sean at www.starpointradio.com
APRIL 28th 2009 FOCUS at The Robin 2 Wolverhampton
As a life long fan of this fantastic band I was delighted to be asked along to assist my very good friend and Focus engineer Geert Scheijgrond with the recording of the live sound for a brand new CD & DVD.
This was to be the bands first DVD shoot since the 2003 release of Focus Live in America.
With their unique classical, jazz and progressive rock style Focus manifested themselves at the start of the seventies as the most successful and the most appreciated of all the Dutch pop-rock exports.
The band had split in the late seventies but after an initial careful comeback which resulted in a well received album "Focus 8", the band are now back on the frontline with a fantastic line-up with founder member and musical genius Thijs van Leer still holding the fort and with Pierre van der Linden the drummer who is internationally renowned for his unique style and technical skill, together with Bobby Jacobs on bass who stems from a well acclaimed Dutch jazz family they are responsible for the rhythm section and that unmistakable Focus groove, the line up is completed by the sensational guitarist Niels van der Steenhoven.
www.focustheband.com
APRIL 11th 2009 - MORECAMBE BRASS BAND - Live & Winning
The band performed their now traditional Easter Concert at the Platform, receiving glowing reports from the packed audience. The programme included a number of beautifully played solos - Share My Yoke (Paul Woodhead - Prinipal Cornet), Dmitri (Carol Blaylock - Flugel Horn), The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face (Jeff Cunningham - Solo Horn). Particularly moving for both band and audience alike was Pie Jesu, a duet showcasing the talents of both Carol Blaylock and Samantha Barbary (Soprano Cornet).
You can buy the cd from the MBBA website
http://www.morecambebrassband.co.uk/