“There is a sound that comes from gospel music that doesn’t come from anything else. It is the sound of peace. It is the sound of ‘I’m going to make it through all of this’”
Yolanda Adams
Hard Relate! We were alternatively tickled and appalled by the story of the excellent gospel singer and keyboard player Harmonie London, only 20, being told not to play that sort of music outside of a house of worship. Harmonie who has over 300k Insta followers and is very good indeed, was told off by a fake volunteer cop, who completed her admonishment by sticking her tongue out at a videographer who was taping the whole thing. Not only the opposite of the grace, composure and sheer magnetism of Harmonie, but she, the fake cop, just came over like a jumped up PC Plod, trying to ruin a moment of peace and beautiful music in Oxford St. OK, so we wuz checking out the sales, which is not very spiritual, but a moment of peace and beautiful music in the chaos of Oxford Street in January, is not to be sniffed at.
And we say the same of The Premises, a house of music, not necessarily always peaceful, but an oasis of calm and fun within the madness, sirens and general brouhaha of Hackney Road. PLUS, we have a gospel recording course coming up very soon indeed, so check it out, there’s just a coupla places left. So move fast!
Gospel Recording Course
Pretty much every great and established soul singer of old times and even now gives a shout out to a gospel background, so it just ain’t so that the devil makes all the good music. In this Gospel Recording course, which we are running in partnership with the Gospel Music Industry Alliance, gospel singers both novices and experienced will get a chance to learn everything they need to know about the recording process and the specific skill set needed to record in our top-notch Studio A. Prime tutors Goziam and Karen Gibson MBE founder/director of the Kingdom Choir (who sang at Harry and Meghan’s wedding) will coach you to cut your track with a great session band of keyboards, bass and drums. You just need to bring your vocal talent, a gospel song you’ve either written or a cover, and willingness to work hard and have fun. You MUST contact ASAP to reserve a place as the course starts on 21st of Feb. More info here.
ART OF ARRANGING COURSE WITH JANETTE MASON
This is our third year running this ever-popular course. The idea is, you bring a song you’ve written and top Arranger/Producer Janette Mason will help you prepare to record it with A-list session musicians in Studio A. The course is split over two weekends so you have time to digest and work on what you’ve learned on the first day, to apply it to rehearsals on the second weekend and tweak and perfect it for recording on the third day. This is what one participant wrote about last year’s course: "If you’re a songwriter looking to learn new skills or improve on your craft, I highly recommend this course. I did it last year and it was a wonderful experience, the best money and time I spent doing anything in 2023. I’d do it again in a flash!" Mark Choueke
Places are strictly limited so get in touch asap if you’re interested.
LURINE CATO BACKING VOCALS COURSE
If you’ve got the moves, vocals, instinct for harmonies, hard work ethic and a little bit of sass, we have the very course for you. Lurine will put you through the paces of rehearsing, rehearsing and more rehearsing so when it comes to that audition or gig, you are pitch perfect, flexible, easy going but hard working, and performance ready for a backing vocals job. It’s a highly competitive business so why not get the edge by being the best you can be, and get some great insider tips on the industry as well. The course is work-friendly, the first two days, the 22nd and 23rd of Feb, run from 7- 11pm, and the 24th, the Saturday, is from 11-4, with the possibility of a surprise guest to do BVs with and give it loads. A very budget friendly £195 for 13 hours of intense tuition. More info.
LIVE PERFORMANCE PIANO COURSE WITH NIKKI YEOH
We’ve lost count of how many of these great three-day sessions Nikki Yeoh has run. The emphasis is on live piano comping with a bass player and drummer, learning how to lock in and groove with the band, including elements of jazz, blues, Latin and a lot of stuff in-between. To join this course, you need to be a reasonably proficient (if you do the grades, at least level 4) player and keen to play in front of a live audience. Other tutors are Tim Richards and John Crawford. It’s a three-day session of intense tutorials culminating in a live performance on the final day, featuring you and the other participants with a fabulous band. It’s like a gig, with drinks and snacks and a night club atmosphere, to which you invite family and friends! Book early though as this course fills up quickly. £275 for all three days, including tuition, treats and gig. Dates are 17th -19th of May.
For more info and to book: michele@premiseseducation.org
HANNAH V... FINDING GREAT TALENT IN SOUTH AFRICA
One of our resident producers, Hannah V, basically Prozac in human form, with lush eyeliner, has been scouring the streets of South Africa for talent and recording and sharing her adventures with us on the Zoom thingy. Though we miss her, we love that she is spreading The Premises love in a place where she doesn’t have to wear a duvet coat and is able to find and tap into untapped potential.
She says, “I hold a special enthusiasm for collaborating with emerging artists, aiming to nurture their innate talent and passion - a genuine privilege. In collaboration with CTT Beats and Premises Studios, I am on a quest to identify two promising artists in South Africa, bringing them to Cape Town. We do studio sessions and visuals. Anticipation is high!”
AND HOW DOES IT WORK?
“We craft a song from the ground up. We collaborate with Steve Knight, an A list Topliner, who conveniently has his studio at The Premises. It exposes participants to the swift and dynamic nature of writing, recording and producing. Following that, the tracks are handed over to our engineers in London for mixing and mastering.”
WHAT HAPPENS THEN?
“The artists will be flown out to London with the view to release by the end of February. Watch this space!”
AND PLEASE GIVE US THE OBLIGATORY BRAG ABOUT HOW LOVELY CAPE TOWN IS…
“The sheer beauty of the city, majestic mountains, pristine beaches, the welcoming people, the rich cultural tapestry, the vibrant music scene…”
SORRY YOU’VE FROZEN , WE CAN’T HEAR ANYTHING…. (goes off and weeps in loo)
WHO’S BEEN IN?
Last month we were pleased to welcome, amongst many others... Salene, Sola, Eden, Autoheart, Nu Co LTD,CCL Pimlico, Paul Williams, Do No Harm, Jane Diab, Luke Vyner, Celebration Church, Business As Usual, Ensemble Bash, Triggerfish, Bedhed, Martin Creed, London Voice Academy, Danny Monk, Too Much, Chris Jungle, Funk Force 5, Kawala, BCNR, Trinity Laban, Fossils, Folded Wing, Writhe, Steins Dotter, Kaeto, Vidura, Wendy Bevan, Eden, Kamal, Johana Pirila, Albion, Mice Park, Miles Kane, Swingle Singers, Irene Taylor Trust, Michael and Michelle, Louise Flemming, Soo Joo, Amelia Sherren, Moonshine Heavies, Alfie Whitbread, Florence Rose, CTVC, Miranda Hall, Jack Neville, Young Guns, Sunrise and Jupiter, Jake Gidley, Harry Nye, Reme, Passing Ships, Attawalpa, Cymande, Lucy McWilliams, House Gospel Choir, Zara Larsson, Gia Ford, Dellaxoz, Nothing But Thieves, Springfield Quartet, Elephant Kind, David Tuehan, The Last Dinner Party, Tom Goodger, Riot Jazz, Jocelyn Brown, Rachel Chinouriri, Good Neighbours, Kelly Murray, Blanco White, ODY-C, Ladyhawke, Chris Batchelor, Wesley Nash, Bob Moran, Pip Brown.
Meanwhile, up in Recording Studio A... the ever-wonderful Sigrid, recording her new series for Radio 2 where the Norwegian star shares her passion for Neil Young, a man who was once sued by his own record label for making music “not representative of Neil Young”! We love that and we love Sigrid, seen here mid-session with guest Will Taylor from the band Flyte.
NEW CHAIRS, NEW STANDS!
Courtesy of our good friends at Ratstands, we now have a full set of top-of-the-range orchestra chairs and music stands available for your rehearsal or recording sessions. We think you’ll love these strong, lightweight, foldable music stands so much that you’ll want one of your own, so we’ve struck a great discount deal for you. See here...
AND FINALLY...
New sub-woofer in Studio A. Ably assisted by his owner, uber-cool producer/engineer Marta Salogni. News of that project next month.
(Although, before he gets too settled, a reminder that we’re still looking for a resident studio cat. So if you have, or know of, a sociable young feline in need of a loving home, please text Viv: 07764 191918)