The art of sound design. Plus: summer hits of 2022

Life and Art from FT Weekend

Forhecz Topher

Tv & Film, Arts, Society & Culture

4.6 • 601 Ratings

🗓️ 27 August 2022

⏱️ 32 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

This weekend, we meet a British pioneer of sound design. Errol Michael Henry invites us to the Air-Edel studios in London to show us how a song gets made. Errol is one of the few black sound designers in the UK. He’s been producing music through his independent label, Intimate Records, since the 1980s. He breaks down how he creates his distinct sound, layer by layer. Then, we explore what makes the perfect summer track with music critic Arwa Haider. She and Lilah take a tour through the top hits of the season, from Beyoncé to Bad Bunny to Pussy Riot.

Want to stay in touch? We love hearing from you. Email us at [email protected]. We’re on Twitter @ftweekendpod, and Lilah is on Instagram and Twitter @lilahrap.

Links and mentions from the episode:

-Yasmin Jones-Henry’s piece in HTSI: ‘My father, the pioneer of sound design’ https://on.ft.com/3JpA2zD

-Errol’s music is under the name The Sound Principle

-“You Threw Our Love Away”, by The Jones Girls, sound designed by Errol: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-vpFCn6Ros

-“You Left Me Lonely”, by Lulu (1993), sound designed by Errol: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UILaejQFcJA

-You also heard Intimate Records tracks “Please Come Back” by Dean Edwards and “Keep It Comin” by Julianne, both written and produced by Errol

-Here’s the song Errol says is closest he’s gotten to designing something that matched what he’d imagined: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFPgZv-5zbQ

-Errol’s organisation is called Music Justice

-Arwa Haider is on Twitter @ArwaHaider. Errol is on Twitter @ErrolMHenry, and on Instagram @thesoundprinciple. Yasmin is on Instagram @yasminrjh

-Arwa’s review of Lady Gaga live: https://on.ft.com/3ANGkrV

-Arwa’s music recommendations: "Renaissance" by Beyoncé, "Verano Sin Ti" by Bad Bunny, Nigerian singer-songwriter Tems, "Hold the Girl" by Rina Sawayama, "Matriarchy Now" by Pussy Riot, and opera singer Julia Bullock.

Music clips copyright: Streamline, Interscope, Parkwood, Columbia Records, Rimas and Neon Gold. Julia Bullock clip from NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert (2020)

Special offers for FT Weekend listeners can be found here. Join us at the FT Weekend festival in London on September 3rd: ft.com/ftwf. Your special £20 off promo code: FTWFxPodcast22

Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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Transcript

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0:00.0	You're listening to a song called Believe It by Sound Principle.
0:12.9	Don't worry, it isn't out yet, so if you don't know it, it's not like you missed it.
0:17.5	But it does sound familiar, doesn't it?
0:20.0	It's got that smooth, early 90s sound.
0:23.3	You can almost imagine the singers synchronously moving their arms to the beat.
0:28.4	The song was composed, produced, and sound designed by Errol Michael Henry,
0:33.4	whose record label, Intimate Records, has been around since the mid-1980s.
0:38.3	Errol has this incredible way of talking about how he approaches sound design.
0:43.3	You don't do sound design.
0:46.3	You don't start sound design. It's happening all the time.
0:50.3	And what happens is that I need a reason to put the latest iteration together.
0:57.0	So, you know, I've been listening to elements of sounds and elements of arrangements.
1:02.0	All of these elements that I've been in my mind, I'll put them in there.
1:06.0	And I will overlay the, if like, the design in my imagination with the thing I've actually ended up making.
1:14.2	And that's the whole point.
1:14.9	Sound design is what's in my imagination.
1:17.5	There's nothing to compare it to.
1:19.9	Back in April, Errol's daughter, Yasmin Jones-Henry, published a story in the FT called My Father the Pioneer of Sound Design.
1:28.6	It was a very moving tribute, so we reached out to Errol.
1:33.2	He hadn't shared his process with anyone before, but he agreed to trust us with his story.
1:40.0	Errol is one of the very few black sound designers in Britain's music business.
1:44.7	He's worked with some pop stars, but more importantly, he's held on as an independent music producer
	...

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