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Home , Chaos and the Calm, Jake Gosling, Lego House

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Back in2008,JakeGosling wassenta MySpace linkbyhis managerpointing him to the musicofa 17-year-old kidcalledEd Sheeran. Gosling wasat thetimeasinger/ keyboard-playingveteran ofvarious also-ran indiebandswho'dmovedinto engineering and production,mainly inthegrimescene, workingwiththelikesofWiley and Kano. . "With Ed,there wasenormous potential," Goslingreflects."Iwaslike,'He's got something incrediblydifferent and unique.'" AlthoughSheeranwasan acoustic singer-, he also had a sideline ?&& interest in urban musicwhichemerged inhis first writing sessionwith Gosling.

The write stuff: Jake "Hewasreallyinto what Iwasdoingwith Gosling, the man behind ,"saysGosling."Hewasvery excited Ed Sheoran's 2011 single about that angleand the factthat 1was and a track on probablya bit more immersed in that scene at 'k *»T*l0i James Bay's Chaos And that point than anything else. Ed rapped a bit The Calm (both top right), in LA,2016. as well. The fusion ofthefact that hewas rappingand singingseparatedhim from the »

MARCH 2018 Q 53 what it is that makes someone tick, 1guess. Iliketo build a relationship I with an artist. It's not like speed dating." Sometimes the environment of itselforthe recording process provides inspiration. When Scottish singer-songwriter Nina Nesbittworked at the studio, shewasgazingone dayout ofthe windowinto "You're there to try the orchard. Voila: the title of her 2012songThe Apple and understand where Tree. "Itwas a natural they're coming from. progression," saysGosling. "That led toAdam and You hare to work out Eveand the relationship with love." what it is that makes Workingwith James someone tick." Bay, who was in one session at StickyStudiosplayinga straightforwardsinger-songwriters. We metal-bodied resonatorguitar,Gosling wentinandwrote a trackcalledThe City remarked that the soundwas somehow that wenton +.Iwasveryexcitedabout it." "incomplete", leadingto the name ofthe Gosling's writingprocesstypically closing track on 2015's . involveshim asking at the outset of each "A soundcansuddenly bearanidea," says sessionwhat isgoingon in the singer's life Gosling. "WithIncomplete, it was thefeeling and seeingifanylyrical themes emerge. ofeverythingyouwantand needbeing This method produced Sheeran's 2011 aroundyou.Butthere's always that feeling hit LegoHouse:"The concept wasabout that maybe there's somethingslightly howsimplelovecanbe,intermsofyoucan incomplete about it." buildit upasmuchasyoucaneasilyknockit Goslingreckonsthat the ultimate goal down. Itwastryingto lookat love, Iguess, forthe co-writeristo helpthe artist stir the froma childish point ofview." emotions ofthelistener. "It'sahardprocess," Following LegoHouse,otheroffers hesays. "You've gottacontinually check the startedcoming inandGosling began earning songasyou goalong.Isit asgood asit can be? a reputation as the go-toguyfor polished, Isit deliveringwhat youwant?Andforwhat confessional, commercial songwriting. His purpose? Intheend,all youwantisforpeople production skills have alsobeenincreasingly to feelsomething from it." in demand, withsuch mega- sellers as and ShawnMendesamong his credits. Goslingowns his own recordingfacility, Sticky Studios, builtinan apple orchard in rural Surrey,and reckons that this relatively cut-offandartist-friendly environment helps the songwriting process in terms offocus. Butcan being matched with an artist sometimes feellikean arranged marriage?"Funnily enough, it doesn't," he laughs. "I don't find it that awkward. Obviously people have insecurities and peoplecanbeshy, but you'rethere to try and understandwhere they're coming from. "I don't find it that awkward" You have towork out Gosling with , who he produced in 2016. 54 Q MARCH2018