(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)
It's hard to define exactly what a music producer does. The title to us, sounds a little serious. But after talking with Dubai based music producer, re-mixer, and writer Shaun Warner, we got a more 360 degree understanding of the process. A producer needs to intrinsically understand music. The emotional texture of sound, the flow of lyrics, along with the power of composition.
Despite his humble protests, Shaun possesses all those traits including an amazing musical ear and real forward vision on where a track can go. Which explains why his first album, Shaun Warner and Friends since signing with Universal MENA has now hit number one on the iTunes album chart in the UAE.
Featuring an eclectic mix of sounds, with a number of musical collaborations of some really talented Dubai and regional based musicians an album like Shaun's is imperative to Dubai's music scene. Why? Like we said Shaun has vision and his passion for finding real talent in Dubai and region and working with them not only elevates those artists to a bigger platform and a broader audience but the music he's creating is unique, interesting and speaks a lot to the interestingly diverse time we are living in here in Dubai and in the region.
City Times caught up with Shaun before the launch of his album, to discuss the Dubai music scene, the creative process behind his first album and the fact that, he isn't, as he puts it, very musically talented.
This might seem like a simple question, but what do you do musically?
Since moving to Dubai I've become almost exclusively a producer and writer. I obviously produced my own album but I also write the album. The majority of it. Some tracks I'll write with a vocalist. So I'll write the music and they'll write the lyrics. The majority of the tracks in the album I would have written the music, written the lyrics and maybe gotten a vocalist to come in as a featured artist to come in because my voice wouldn't sell that many records (laughs).
What would be the title that encompasses all that?
I don't know man! (Laughs) Up until I moved here I used to play as a DJ a lot. DJing was just me playing other people's music. I always produced and played a little bit of my own music but it wasn't like you're going to a show and I was playing an original set for two hours. It was just like a club gig where you're playing x, y, z, and maybe slipping in your own tracks. Since moving here I decided to take a back seat because I've been talking about finishing this album for a long time and I just decided that if I was going to do it, I'm going to do it. I was newly married with a baby boy, I started a new job. I realised that time wasn't infinite. So what I had to give up was DJing, and TV.
Do you think the term music producer really encompasses everything you do, everything from the creative side?
I guess there's a separation, between a producer and an engineer. The engineer would be the one who records it, mixes it, masters it and the producer, a lot of the time, would be the guy with the vision.
How would you describe the Dubai music scene?
I would say that in terms of the creation of music, it's very healthy. Dubai has some of the best musicians in the world. Like someone like Jay Wud. On the guitar, I would put him up there with the best globally, the most famous, the best, whatever. And to have someone like this who is only a text message away... since the scene is so small and everyone helps each other out. So, if I go out in another city, I know if I hear music it can range in the spectrum from ordinary to really, really good. But here in Dubai, I think performing out is so difficult, and there is a cost involved and it almost acts as a filter. So when I go out and I see a live act, I've never seen a band here that aren't musically tight. There are probably one or two but I haven't heard them, so you kind of have that automatic filtration process. The scene here is super strong.
What has been your motivation in the first album?
The motivation has changed throughout. Every song on the album might have a different motivation. With the whole motivation for the album, was my son. I was picturing myself when I was in my mid 40s he's just becoming a teenager and he's like 'dad you don't understand, you're fat and bald you don't understand what its like. You're not cool.' And to be able to turn around and be like listen, I do get it, one time in my life I was pretty cutting edge, I was pretty cool, I have been through the same range of emotions that you're going through, I can relate. Obviously, not in such clinical terms, but I wanted to have a body of work that I could turn around and be proud of to my son.
How was the creative process? How did you learn to edit yourself?
I cut it from 30 tracks to 16. And then cut that down to 13. the label helped me cut it down too. And 13 was still loads. For me it wasn't difficult, not really. Because if I'm not feeling a song or if I don't feel as though it's there. for me to go through and get to the end of the song, I need to know that I'm going to be happy with it at the end. If I feel that I'm going down a dead end and I'm not that happy it's such a process to finish it that I'm not going to go down that road unless I'm happy. So, when I go through the 14 that I didn't pick, I'll know I'll probably still use those at some point for something else.
What would you say your first album is about?
The majority of it is about relationships and communication. Even the tracks where I didn't write the lyrics, they really tie into the whole theme of the album, which is about being able to communicate. Most of the tracks I have on there are about that.
Is there a musical theme in the album?
Musically, the only real link . . . it's very up and down. The album, the way it's even laid out goes from soft track to harder ones. Each track is a very definite snapshot of my life. I can remember exactly why I wrote each song. From all the ones where I wrote the lyrics there isn't one where I thought, this will be a hit. I don't really care. Genuinely I couldn't care. I guess the only thing that links them is that they are snapshots of my life. There is nothing musically. they are a million miles from each other. But also I don't really subscribe to the notion that an album has to sound the same. That there needs to be a musical theme running through it. A musical theme running through an album isn't necessary. From a very practical point of view, people, aren't really likely to buy albums these days. They cherry pick the songs they like off it. So you don't need that continuity.
Do you get precious about songs or criticism?
The very first song I got to the studio, I thought, yeah I'm killing it! And the guy was like 'Where is the bass line? You just sent me a track with almost zero bass.' So, I was learning as I was doing. There was no formal training, I'm not a talented musician. I think I know what sounds good. And I know where I want to get to. If you know where you want to get to and you have a little bit of patience, you can play a song note by note. You just record, because you already have the song in your head.
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