Interview with Brattwell Recordings.

Name: Rory Brattwell
Job: Producer
Location: Haggerston, East London
Website: brattwell.com
Twitter: /brattwell



Welcome to DEER BRAINS, How are you today?
I'm good, sat in the garden having a rare day off after working an 18hr day yesterday!


Tell us a bit about your life, Where have you been? What have you seen? What
else do you want to achieve?

I guess I've been pretty busy the last 8 years, I moved to london when i was
19 from a town just outside of the M25 called High Wycombe, I kinda fiddled
around in a lot of different creative fields. I spent a lot of time doing
photography, fine art, graphic designer and after a few years of trying out
a lot of different things I was finally about to commit my time to being a
restorer full time and working with art and museum restoration but just as I
was about to complete my bachelor of science my band, which was very much a
hobby at the time, got involved in a label bidding war and got signed to
quite a large record label (although we made sure we chose independent
label, Domino Records). I've since toured the world with various bands, both
touring and doing sound, now music Production has taken the honors.

Although part of me misses making things with my hands and testing the
acidity of medieval weaponry, haha.





What bands influenced you when growing up?

My dad was a very avid listen of the John peel show and really into all
sorts of 'weird' music and i grew up listening to post-punk/post-beefheart
bands such as the shrubs, bogshed and jackdaw with crowbar. So i kind of
had a bit of a helpful shove from my father as a kid. My favourite bands
when i was 10 weren't quite as extreme however, i think my favourites would
have been the Fall, the Cure, Sonic Youth, Butthole Surfers and Mudhoney, oh
and De La Soul and the Happy Mondays. I think these bands have been pretty
influencial on my musical output and still, well maybe not the last two so
much.


What was it like to be in semi famous band 'Test-Icles'? Do you still speak to Dev (Lightspeed Champion) or Sam?
I've seen a few post testicicles interviews, and there's generally a lot of
whinging involved, it was far from the ideal experience and it was pretty
tense between members at times but i feel really privileged to have been
part of such a bizarre entity. In the short life that band had some pretty
unexpected shit happened, it was definitely an 'interesting' experience and
seemed to have a pretty positive impact on teenagers at the time.



Only yesterday i was recording a band in scotland and they were gushing
about how they loved test icicles, i find it flattering that people still
feel like that about the band and wouldn't want to bitch about it too much.

I don't really talk to the other two really, dev's seems pretty busy and sam
is quite illusive so i leave them to it, there no bad blood between us.


What made you want to go from playing in a band to recording them?
Basically there were a few bands around about 5 years back that i really
loved and no one really seem to be giving them much time and they didn't
really have the facilities and/or money to record, so i took it onboard to
buy a load of recording gear and record them, the first two bands i recorded
were tracked in the basement of a pub in dalston and the kitchen of the most
infamous house in dalston, 2 millers terrace. They weren't amazing
recordings, but they had charm and the music was great! That gave me a taste
for it and decided to start my first studio.


Who's been your favourite band you've worked with?
i've been lucky to work with loads of good bands, haven't got the point
where i've had to record loads of crap to pay the bills.

I'd say may favourites and most regular clients would be Male Bonding, Fair
Ohs, Not Cool, Sound of Rum and in particular Cold Pumas, although i'm
growing a little tired of them calling me "Roy" in recording sessions.


And your worst?
worst is pretty mean, there's definitely been a few things i didn't like. I
did a deal a couple of years back when a friend from puregroove records got
me to record a few bits and bobs in return for cheap studio space, the stuff
i did for those guys that wasn't really my cup of tea. Although it was a
good learning experience and also it shows that i should probably never be
an A&R man as one of the acts they ferried my way was marina and the diamond
and it's impossible to avoid her these days. Although to be fair she was
very nice and a pleasure to work with, haha.

Oh and to back-track further puregroove did send a guy called Leroy Palmer
my way, he writes soulful black 60s/70s psychedelic folk music under the
name Family Saturn, that was really great and I really enjoyed working with
him.


When did Brattwell Recordings start?
It would have been about 5 years ago. Iused to do recordings inbetween touring.


Do people approach you to get recording space or do you do all the chasing?
I'm incredibly bad at chasing, people always come to me, infact great bands
email me and i total forget email back. I've just got a manager because of
it. He used to run Wiiija records and released some seminal records, he's
now a great manager and really gets what i'm trying to do and the music i
like, it's pretty exciting.






What are your top 3 songs of the moment?
Hmm, Cold Pumas new single 'Beat Mystery' (Upset the Rhythm) is amazing,
Harrow & Wealdstone by Please and Franklin by Male Bonding.


Which websites do you visit regularly?
I sometimes browse music blogs, usually US based to be honest and some
bigger sites like pitchfork to try and keep up to date with what music is
going on outside of my studio and i'm trying not to use facebook as i feel
it's ebbing away at my soul, i've decided it's the internet equivalent of
daytime tv.


Where is your favourite place to be?
Right now i'd like to be lying in a summer meadow, high on prescription
drugs listening to Nowhere by Ride.


Thank You! XOXO Any thing else to say? Any advice for aspring bands?
Do it for fun and don't try and be what you think people want you to be.
Great bands always go with their gut.