Butch Vig Partners With Native Instruments
Native Instruments teamed up with renowned drummer-producer Butch Vig at United Recording in Hollywood, CA for Native’s Play Series instruments. “Butch Vig Drums” is the first of producers’ signature sounds, made accessible to program by any MIDI controllers or DAW. Vig is best known as a co-founding member of the band Garbage and the producer of seminal albums such as Nirvana’s Nevermind, Smashing Pumpkins’ Siamese Dream and Green Day’s 21st Century Breakdown.
Pictured (l-r): Dinos Vallianatos, Priscilla Jimenez, Zane Gedler, Ryan Gruss, James Ellington, Mike Fasano, Butch Vig, Wesley Seidman and Billy Bush.
SpiritHouse Recording Studio
SpiritHouse Recording Studio has moved into a newly built studio space inside a 120-year-old carriage house in western Massachusetts. Chief engineer Danny Bernini started SpiritHouse Productions in 1995, after leaving The Hit Factory NYC. The first album recorded is by the group Stryper. “We did this record in February 2020, just prior to the pandemic hitting,” Bernini explains. “We do a hybrid between old-school analog and modern digital technology… with file sharing across the country and ultimately mixing remotely due to Covid.”
reed. on Both Sides of the Board
reed. has been making a name for himself as a producer, with credits and collaborations with Migos, Lil Xan, OG Maco and more. This year, he will make his solo debut with the release of an upcoming EP via Substream Records. Along with OG Maco, the EP will feature friends and collaborators he has worked with on the other side of the mixing board. Pictured above is reed. in his home studio in North Hollywood, CA, working with vocalist Matty Arsenault from the band A Loss For Words. About his collaborations, reed. explains, “It was more important to me to work with people I love than people with clout.”
Brother/Sister Duo Charlie Belle
Sister and brother Jendayi and Gyasi Bonds are Charlie Belle. For over 12 years, the duo has played fun, upbeat genre-bending pop music, with Jendayi’s effortless vocals and Gyasi’s drums and knack for structure, along with help from local pay-by-the-hour studio musicians and producers. After each finished high school and attended college, Jendayi graduated, Gyasi currently attending, the group has returned with a latest single, “What About Me?,” and is currently recording in a home studio in Chicago, IL, owned by Eddie Burns from the band Clairo.
SteelHeart Still Rocking in Studio
The metal band SteelHeart earned a gold record for their self-titled debut in 1990. After breaks and three decades of lineup changes, the group is recording new music under the leadership of singer-producer-songwriter Miljenko Matijevic, and recruiting bassist Marten Andersson of Lynch Mob and Lizzy Borden. Pictured is SteelHeart at Paramount Recording Studios in Hollywood, adding orchestral arrangements to the new song, “Trust in Love.” This song also features hundreds of fan-submitted vocals.
Sam Robinson’s No Deal Disco
British composer and producer Sam Robinson describes his project, No Deal Disco, as “Sam Robinson’s Imaginary Band.” Claiming to have “reunited during lockdown,” Robinson has been busy in his Oxford home studio, recording and recruiting members to tour in 2021. The debut single, “Nationalism is a Gateway Drug,” was released Jan. 1, followed up with “Charity Starts at Home.” The music, much like Robinson, is cheeky and rocking, where Blur and others have left off.
DIY Darlings Lowertown
Lowertown is the indie rock duo, Olivia Osby and Avsha Weinberg, both hailing from Atlanta, GA, and both just 18 years old. Their love of Radiohead and interest in synthesizers and ambient noise led the pair to DIY recording in basements, and eventually Weinberg’s garage, which doubles as their home studio. Lowertown is a recent signee of U.K. label, Dirty Hit, with a full EP in the works.
