The Dunham Records studio is a bit of a time-warp: the vintage equipment, the smell of the tape, the Curtis Mayfield calendar from 1971...the only thing that pulls you out of it is the platinum record on the wall for The Menahan Street Band's performance on Jay-Z's American Gangster album. But that's why we came to Dunham - for Tom Brenneck and Homer Steinweiss' ability to create classic sounds for a modern audience.
The process starts with the drums. Just ask Barnaby, who played the same steady beat on the studio's vintage Ludwig for a half-hour straight while the guys changed microphones, placements, and levels. In the end, every instrument got its due, and, with plenty of daylight left, we were officially ready to start laying down tracks.NO ANSWER
Since everything at Dunham is based on live recording techniques of the past, there's little room for error. There's also little room for the horns! Three guys with big instruments standing in one tiny space that permanently houses a Hammond organ and an upright piano makes for a tight squeeze - but that tightness definitely translates on this track.
After Nadav's solo the first time through, Tommy made it clear that regardless of how many times we played the tune, we already had a keeper. So it didn't matter that we laid down a few more takes for safety's sake - when we walked in the next morning, they'd been erased!
THE PRISONER"I am not a number! I am a free man!" Ah, The Prisoner - Patrick McGooan's rugged, defiant captive who battles an unknown agency and its giant, white weather balloon. Vince somehow channels #6's tortured soul in this tune to create a deep, sensual vibe that still hits you in the gut. Morgan's devestating bari solo and Robin's slinky guitar add some special Ikebe flavor.
HARD STEPPIN'
Since we're going archival on this recording, we're gonna dust off a word once used to describe something that grooves so hard, it puts creases in the floorboards - Hard Steppin' is heavy! After some suggestions from the production team, we perfected a raw, powerful arrangement that'll move your hips! In fact, the tune took so much energy that when it finished, we simply pumped our fists and called it a day.
But what happened on the second day? Did Jason blow a note so high that wild dogs came charging into the live room? Did Dave's dry wit drive Vince to the brink of insanity? Did the keg explode and fill the room with more foam than an overused laundromat? Find out in the thrilling blog post Doin' It Dunham - Part II (coming as soon as we figure out a name for one of the other tunes)!
Since we're going archival on this recording, we're gonna dust off a word once used to describe something that grooves so hard, it puts creases in the floorboards - Hard Steppin' is heavy! After some suggestions from the production team, we perfected a raw, powerful arrangement that'll move your hips! In fact, the tune took so much energy that when it finished, we simply pumped our fists and called it a day.
But what happened on the second day? Did Jason blow a note so high that wild dogs came charging into the live room? Did Dave's dry wit drive Vince to the brink of insanity? Did the keg explode and fill the room with more foam than an overused laundromat? Find out in the thrilling blog post Doin' It Dunham - Part II (coming as soon as we figure out a name for one of the other tunes)!
