FEATURE If Josh Pyke’s career as a recording artist writes a song they have the chord progression, should ever founder, he has a contingency the melody, the lyrics, and that’s the core of the plan – a career as a record producer. Based on song. For me, production then involves things the evidence thus far it would seem unlikely that like sonic embellishments, ideas and motifs and he’ll need a Plan B any time soon. His debut signature melody lines. It can involve writing, album, last year’s Memories & Dust entered the augmenting the song and the structure, and the national charts at No. 4, and went on to win the arrangement. It’s very hands on, and for me as a 2007 ARIA award for ‘Best Adult Contemporary songwriter it’s very much a natural step. It’s also Album’. The obvious commitment of his record getting the best performance out of musicians, label, Ivy League, not to mention a sustained having little techniques to ensure the musician touring schedule of the UK, all bode well for a is fulfilling his or her potential with each take. long career. And Wayne’s amazing at that. I learn something from everybody that I work with, but Wayne Yet notwithstanding the unlikelihood of his [Connolly] in particular is amazing at eliciting artistic demise, the prospects for an alternative the best performance out of the musicians that production career are already looking good. he works with. At those same ARIAs last year he was awarded ‘Producer of the Year’ along with Memories & MOC: But what with the success of Josh Pyke Dust co-producer, the much respected Wayne the Artist, it seems the Josh Pyke the Producer Connolly. will need to take a back seat for the time being. But Pyke insists that the whole music JP: Right. But I’ve been in the game long production thing is not so much a backup plan, enough to realise that you’re only ever as good but rather an abiding passion, an inseparable as your last batch of songs. But I’m incredibly and indispensable part of his creative process. passionate about the development of songs. That It’s something he’s always done since he first creative process of taking the rough song and began knocking quietly on the door of the turning it into something sonically lush and Australian independent music scene as part of amazing – that’s still my favourite part of music. Sydney band, An Empty Flight, in 2002. I’ve got a little studio setup at home and I’m actually currently demoing for the next record, Josh Pyke “Music and the production element have pretty and all I do is sit there – it gets quite hot in my much gone hand in hand ever since I started, apartment during the day with all the valve gear as far back as my first band. We always co- heating up – so I sit there in my underwear produced the demos, and we co-produced an Recording Chimney’s Afire demoing all day with the blinds drawn! I love it, EP with Paul McKercher years ago. Then, when it’s just the best fun. I went solo, there was still never any separation With his new album, – I was always either producing or co-producing MOC: Do you put on a songwriting hat first, my demos and my EPs.” then the producer’s hat? Or are the two roles Josh Pyke turns his hand inextricably intertwined? After knocking more loudly for a while with That creative process of to producing his own work. a couple of solo EPs and some Triple J high JP: For me they’re inseparable. That’s the thing taking the rough“ song and AT follows the creative flow. rotation – Kids Don’t Sell Your Hopes So Fast about demoing: I’ll have a song’s basic structure turning it into something won the Jaxter songwriting prize, the prize thrashed out on the acoustic guitar, but in my Text: Mark O’Connor money from which he invested in a ProTools head I can hear every other little bit that needs sonically lush and amazing 002 rig – Josh finally broke down the door with to be on there – harmonies and interesting – that’s still my favourite Middle Of The Hill, a lyrically relentless three- instrumentation or whatever. The process of minute autobiography which, without drums or demoing is very much fundamental and just part of music. even a discernible chorus, lodged itself at No. 19 as important as the initial songwriting process on the Triple J Top 100. because it takes the song from an acoustic track into this whole other thing. For example, when PRODUCTION PYKE I first wrote the song Memories & Dust I could What follows is the result of two conversations ” hear the timpani and orchestral bells motif, and with Pyke. The first, conducted by phone early I didn’t exactly know how to get that happening. in the year, took place as Josh had just submitted So I did a rough demo of it and went into the completed demos for his next album to Ivy studio with Wayne and we worked it up. He had League and was awaiting feedback. The second the experience to get it happening exactly the occurred some months later at a Sydney studio way I was hearing it in my head. during recording sessions for the album. DEMO QUALITY Even over the phone, one senses that Pyke is not MOC: So at what point do you generally let a here to get his picture taken; that his thoughts commercial studio take over from the home are seldom far from his music. It would seem he studio? barely has time to look up from the console of his home studio to check his chart position, let JP: I’ll usually demo a song at home and then alone ponder what he should wear to the next take that template to the studio where we’ll gig or awards night. basically either redo things that have too much of a demo quality, or sometimes we’ll leave stuff We began by discussing his production in there specifically because it has that demo aesthetic, and indeed, what constitutes quality. ‘production’. MOC: So elements of your demos might Josh Pyke: Production is such a difficult thing to eventually end up part of the finished product. actually define. When somebody sits down and AT 50 AT 51 JP: Yes. I do everything at home on ProTools, and working up from there. So it’s kind of JP: Yes, I think the acoustic guitar has such a and always to a click so we can fix stuff and be backwards, but it’s always worked for me. rhythmic, percussive quality, it often takes the able to work to a solid template for the song. role of the snare. So particularly with those two MO’C: The songs seem to have an organic feel Often we’ll redo the acoustic guitars in a more songs that you mentioned, I just did them at notwithstanding the click. hi-fi way than just one mic in a bedroom, home. For Beg Your Pardon I had a kick drum recording them properly in the studio. Contrary JP: I’ve always heard criticisms of working and snare at home in my room. I recorded to what is probably common practice, we to a click and I can understand it sometimes the kick, and then just turned the snare drum usually do the drums last. makes things sound too rigid, but I think the upside down and was brushing across the snare thing that counteracts that is how the rest of the chain on the bottom of the drum, while tapping MOC: How so? instrumentation is mostly done by me. And, with my fingers on the snare – that’s the whole JPL: I’ll always build the track up the same while I’m not a super tight bass player, I have a drum track. That sort of improvisation often way: I’ll do an acoustic guitar and vocals, then certain clunkiness that can sound quite organic. arises out of not having access to a drummer at I’ll do the harmonies, then I usually do bass MOC: And if you’re playing all the other the time of doing the demos. I think a lot of the and electric guitars, and then whatever other instruments then I suppose the groove is going time that works best for my sort of songs. instruments are involved, by which time I’ll to have a consistency. SONG WRITING have an idea of what drums and percussion I want, if in fact the track needs drums at all. I’ll JP: That’s right. I did get other musicians to MO’C: Can you tell me something about the work that up in MIDI just to convey the basic play on various tracks but… yes, I think there’s songwriting process for you? idea – I might do an acoustic shaker but I’ll do a cohesive kind of clunkiness to a lot of the JP: I think I probably write more when I’m on kick and snare on a keyboard. Then I’ll give record. And that’s what I wanted, I didn’t want it the road because I’m a bit more displaced, and that to a drummer to figure out a part along to sound too polished. I find that if I’m in uncomfortable situations those lines.