RPM Direct Newsletter - June 5, 2002- Record Producer and Engineer & Recording Studio News

The RPM Direct Newsletter

June 5, 2002

Read up! RPM Direct is back with Vol. 2 of it's (now) famous unsigned artist compilation CD series. Only this time we're going to double the distribution and even add a few exciting new elements which will be announced soon. Did you miss Vol. 1? Click here for the basic info and a link to get your copy. If you have music for us please send without delay! And please be sure to pass along the news to your artist and bands friends - the more the merrier. Are you a studio manager? Please click here for details about the upcoming international recording studio directory RPM Direct is launching as well as our 2003 Recording Studio Calendar. All press releases, industry news, music for review and other materials of interest should be sent to Jerimaya Grabher at the RPM Direct headquarters in Manhattan Beach, CA.

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RPM Direct Announces Volume 2 in Unsigned CD Series After what turned out to be a very well received experiment, RPM is back with Volume 2 in the RPM Direct Presents: Unsigned compilation series. We are now accepting submissions so if you are an artist or an artist manager, attorney or producer send us your music and we will screen it for Volume 2. This time our distribution will double - 2,000 top creative execs will receive the disc - talk about exposure with an impact! For the full scoop, rules & regs, frequently asked questions, submission form and all, click here. If you have any questions, please send email to Submissions@rpmdirect.com ^BACK UP^

Erick Eger Forms Threee in NY, Repping Producers and Artists Erik Eger, former GM of Taste Media US and producer manager for SJP's US operations, has started his own enterprise, THREEE. We recently caught up with Erik to talk about the new company and its various facets: producer management, artist management, and the recording studio. On the producer management side, THREEE now represents the following producers/engineers: MICHAEL H. BRAUER (Coldplay/Jeff Buckley/New Radicals), RON SAINT-GERMAIN (Tool/Soundgarden/Creed), and DANIEL WISE (Joan Osborne/Maceo Parker/Vega 4). Brauer has been seemingly unstoppable in all genres; having received an engineering Grammy for Best Alternative Album for mixing Coldplay's Parachutes. Recently he has been mixing albums for Trailer Park Pam and The Briefs for Interscope, Leslie Mills for Atlantic, as well as Aimee Mann, and Ron Sexsmith and is currently in the studio mixing the Tim James album for Hollywood Records. Ron Saint-Germain, having seen a little bit of success from his mix of Creed's My Own Prison and his production and mix work on the Grammy Award winning "With Arms Wide Open" on Human Clay, has recently lent his production and engineering skills to Northern California's critically acclaimed Interscope signing, Dredg. Currently, Ron recently started pre-production with 311 for their new album. Since opening the studio, two months ago, Daniel Wise has been developing two artists for his and Erik's new to be named label venture. Erik has also partnered up with Daniel Wise to run his new recording studio - THE SHED. The only studio of its kind in Manhattan, The Shed, with its 60 input Neve 8038 console that was originally in the Kink's Konk studios, Studer 827, and 16 track Sony/MCI 2" tape machines, was designed specifically with one thing in mind - huge, warm sonics. For a complete equipment list and pictures, click here. On the artist management side, THREEE currently represents the young Detroit rock band, EVEN THE ODD and Erik co-manages the Israeli hard-rock band EMOK. Update your rolodex people: THREEE is located at 378 Third Avenue, Penthouse, New Yorl, NY 10016. Contact Erik Eger at 212.684.9242 ^BACK UP^

Crest National And Philips Team To Bring SACD Mfg. To USA Royal Philips Electronics and Crest National, a leader in the film, video and optical media industries, recently announced a partnership agreement to develop a Super Audio CD (SACD) hybrid disc production line to be installed in Crest National's replication facilities in Hollywood, CA, USA. This is the first step of the agreement to jointly develop hybrid SACD production lines, and to roll out SACD into a mass-market proposition. The production line is scheduled to be installed this summer, with full production by autumn of this year. The first line will have a production capacity of 3 million SACD hybrid discs a year with more lines to follow. This SACD hybrid disc production line will be the first to be established in USA and will increase the available hybrid disc manufacturing capacity to meet the rapidly increasing demand for this new medium. The agreement also includes post-production activities in SACD authoring. "Philips is pleased that SACD hybrid disc production will now be installed by one of the leading disc replicators and post production facilities in the world," says Jos Bruins, Philips' Marketing Director for the Super Audio CD format. "This is an important part of the next phase of the roll out of SACD into the mass market." "Crest National is pleased to be taking a leading role in SACD hybrid disc manufacturing," says Ronald E. Stein, President, Crest National. "We welcome the opportunity to partner with Philips to bring this exiting new medium to North America. It is a further reflection of Crest's experience and expertise in implementing new technologies and bringing high quality products to the world's most demanding customers." SACD, Super Audio CD, developed by Philips and Sony, is the evolution to the audio CD offering ultimate sound quality in both stereo and multi-channel surround while maintaining complete backwards compatibility with all existing audio CD players. It uses the latest DSD (Direct Stream Digital) technology that delivers superior sound reproduction quality, with the ability to render all the nuances of a live performance. SACD has wide industry support from professional audio companies, as well as major music labels. There are about 650 SACD discs available worldwide with over 1000 titles expected to be available by the end of the year. Crest National is one of the world's leading media facilities with over forty years experience providing motion picture film, video, audio, language and DVD/CD services to major film studios, record labels, software companies and industrial clients the world over. The company has a well-earned reputation for developing new technologies including many industry "firsts" combined with an unwavering commitment to the industry's highest standards of quality and service. For more information please contact: Doug Palmer, Crest National Tel: (323) 860-1314. Please visit www.crestnational.com. ^BACK UP^

Citrus College AES Chapter Hosts Producer's Panel
The Citrus College AES Chapter recently held a 2 hour panel and Q&A that featured producers the Dust Brothers, Chris Vrenna and Bobby Owsinski, and was moderated by producer/educator, Gary Mraz. Over a hundred students turned out to hear the panel cover several issuess, including the responsibilities of the record producer and how technology has changed their relationships. Mike Simpson who attended Citrus College over 15 years ago remembered the 8 track analog recorder and single synthesizer available in Gunnar Isels electronic music class. Today his students have 24 workstations equipped with Digital Performer, Pro-Tools, Mackie Mixers, Roland JV 2080s, Compressors, FX racks patch bays in a state of the art Lab. Citrus College students learn recording engineering in two world class rooms on campus. Studio A houses a 76 input Neve V Series, studio B a Euphonix CS 2000. Designed by Karl Yancher Citrus College Recording Technology Program offers students a truly in depth hands on education. The block program starts every semester enrolling 48 students. For more information contact Gary Mraz. www.citruscollege.org ^BACK UP^

King Britt To Do Remixes For Jazzanova, Kidjo, Kuti And More One of the busiest DJ/Producers in the electronic and hip hop worlds has just gotten busier. King Britt has been tapped to provide his signature club remixes for some powerhouse artists including Angelique Kidjo's "Tumba" (Columbia Records), Yoko Ono's "Woman Power", Jazzanova's "Mwele Mwele" (Compost / Sony Music), Femi Kuti's "Traitors of Africa" (MCA) as well as debut artists including Kindred's "Rhythm of Life" (Hidden Beach/ Epic), Cosmo Vitelli's "Robot Soul" (Virgin) and Rosey's "Love" (Island Def Jam). In addition, King remixed Tony Scott's classic "Hare Krishna" for the Verve : Remixed & Unmixed CD, which is topping the jazz charts worldwide. King is currently in the studio finishing up 3 new studio projects including his King Britt Beat Generation CD featuring Bahamadia, Madlib and former Digable Planet founder Ishmael Butler as well as King's deep house Scuba CD. He has also recently completed producing the upcoming CD of King Britt Afro-tech protegeOba Funke featuring guest appearances by Zap Mama and Diva Blue. A major force in soul, hip hop, house, acid jazz, R&B and electronic music, King Britt has honed his writing and producing skills as an elite Artist/DJ for the better part of a decade, notably during his years as Sylkworm for Digable Planets and as the creative force behind the dynamic SYLK130. As a prized remixer, King has contributed additional award winning production and mixed singles for MACY GRAY, BEBEL GIBERTO, TORI AMOS, BRANDY, ZAP MAMA, MILES DAVIS and G LOVE & SPECIAL among others. For more info, please contact Jeff Antebi at Waxploitation. ^BACK UP^

Jewel Invites Unsigned Canadian Rebeka Reed On US Tour
It's a chance of a lifetime for 21-year-old Rebeka Reed of Halifax, Nova Scotia. She has been handpicked by Jewel to perform at three of her US concert dates this summer. Reed is one of six performers selected to open for Jewel as part of Soul City Cafe Developing Artist Platform. The platform is designed to provide encouragement and exposure to new artists. Reed has been invited to perform on June 15th in Ft. Lauderdale, June 23rd in Boston, and July 28th in San Diego. "I'm still in shock," says Reed. "I'm proud to be one of the first performers selected to play the event because I'm sure she's been approached by people all over the world."” Soul City Café performers are responsible for their own tour support, travel and accommodations. So now the challenge is coming up with the $18,000 necessary to get there. "I'm an independent artist. I have the opportunity of a lifetime and because I am not signed to a record label yet, I don't have access to tour support funds." says Reed. "Artists in Canada rarely get the opportunity to perform with major recording artists when they are in the emerging stage of their career," says Reed's manager, Colleen Killorn. "This is such an opportunity for Rebeka and we are hoping businesses will show their support by sponsoring Rebeka with either financial or "in-kind" donations. Rebeka Reed's debut album Pharaoh's Daughter was launched last November in Halifax. Most recently Reed performed at Juno Fest 2002 in St. John's, Newfoundland. She also showcased on the Music World Stage and opened for the Irish Descendants during the 2002 ECMA weekend in Saint John, New Brunswick. For more information: Contact Colleen Killorn, Artist Manager, Faerie Grove Productions Phone: 832-4837 Email or visit www.rebekareed.com. ^BACKUP^

Checking In With Burbank, California's Ocean Studios Burbank's Ocean Studios has been busy. SR71 was in in the studio for the month of May with engineer/producer Neal Avron and Pro Tools Engineer Howard Karp, tracking and doing overdubs for their new RCA release. Ocean's Dean Nelson was assistant engineer. Boy Sets Fire spent all of April finishing overdubs for their new Wind-Up Records release on Ocean Studios' large 80 series Neve. Jay Baumgartner is Executive Producer, Dave Fortman is Producer/Engineer and Jeremy Parker was Pro Tools Engineer. Assisting was Ocean's Dean Nelson and Jason Cupp. A&M act Lo-Ball spent a week tracking full band recordings of their entire repertoire with Engineer/Producer Joe Chiccarrelli to showcase new singer Trina Renea. Assisting were Dean Nelson and Robert Breen from Ocean. Interscope group Ours were also in tracking basics for their second album. Engineering was Steven Rhodes, Ethan Johns was producer as well as drummer. Dean Nelson and Robert Breen assisted. For more information on the studio and availability contact Bob or call (818) 955-9010 ^ BACK UP^

RPM Readers Save On Digital Music Panel: "What's Next?"
Digital Media Wire Presents... is an ongoing series of monthly panel discussions and networking events that attract professionals from the digital media and entertainment communities to explore emerging industry topics. Events are routinely hosted in Los Angeles, New York City, Washington, D.C. and San Francisco. DMW is hosting a series of upcoming panels toward the end of June. The upcoming panels feature an incredible line-up of speakers including the brilliant and always entertaining John Perry Barlow, a self-described "Cognitive Dissident," better known as Co-Founder & Vice Chairman, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Berkman Fellow, Harvard Law School, and Grateful Dead lyricist, Ted Cohen, EMI, Richard Conlon, BMI, Sean Ryan, Listen.com, Marc Schiller, ElectricArtists and many others. RPM is a Supporting Organization for each and RPM Direct Newsletter readers will be eligible to receive a 20% discount on the price of registration. Click on your city to register: Los Angeles ; Washington, DC ; New York. To inquire about speaker and/or sponsorship opportunities, please contact David Peebler at david@digitalmediawire.com or 323-464-0793. ^BACK UP^

Let Us Be Your Rolodex, RPM has 2,500 Producers & Contacts RPM Direct has compiled updated discography and contact info. for nearly over 2,500 top record producers, engineers and mixers. If you are a creative executive, here's what a subscription will get you: Access to Updated Discographies for top US, Canadian, UK and Australian Record Producers, Engineers & Mixers; Access to nearly 1,000 Confidential Producer/Engineer Management and Production Company Contacts Including: Contact Name(s), Address, Phone/Fax, Direct Email, Website URL, Full Company Client Roster; Worldwide Producer Locator Service and coming soon, access to our international recording studio directory featuring listings for 2,000 of the world's top recording, mastering and post facilities. If you would like to borrow a guest password to check out the site, send email to Jerimaya Grabher to request one. Or click here to sign up today. ^BACK UP^

Former SBL Founders Form Oversoul7, Join Tollman Mgmt. Following the success of Supreme Beings of Leisure, the team of Rick Torres and Kiran Shahani have announced that they have formed a new Production Company, Oversoul7. "We're incredibly excited about Oversoul7, the recently completed projects we have in the pipeline, as well as the phenomenal opportunities that have opened up for us on Madison Ave. It's a truly exciting time for us" stated Rick and Kiran. The songwriting/production team are now being represented by Gerry Tolman at Management Network, Inc. and are currently available for production, re-mixes, film and television soundtracks and advertising projects. To obtain a discography and reel, Gerry Tolman can be reached at (818) 783-0707. ^BACK UP^

Paul Brown Management Announces New Site Features
Paul Brown Producer Management recently added a new feature to their website. Thanks to some nifty new software, interested parties will now enable to upload sound files (wav or mp3) to their website so that they and their producer clients can download them for review. To use this feature you need to call Paul Brown or Jim Chancellor to get an entry password. Or visit them online www.pbmanagement.co.uk/filemanager/ or call +44 20 8994 8887 ^BACK U P^

Digital Documentary "DeviantRhythms" Premiers in SF
The current plebeian productions documentary, DeviantRhythms, uses music from Bay Area Artists to illustrate the influence of technology on traditions. DeviantRhythms is designed to bring out the implications of inclusion -- some might say diffusion -- of music that originates from a traditional cultural context, and blends with a world full of synthesizers and samplers. We find out where they meet, and hear views on the impact of cultural music's adaptation to new age structures. DeviantRhythms investigates the meaning of historic musical craft, colliding with musicianship of a cut-and-splice era, and follows the evolutional paths of musical origins, subcultures, technology, and traditions. It takes a look inside some of the electronic music that is challenging traditional concepts of musicianship, and discovers that music reflects life -- showing us something about a society infused with prodigious technology. It asks what might happen if past methods of tradition disappear, and searches for the truth. The filmmakers talked specifically with artists in the San Francisco Bay Area, and through dialog reach traditions in Africa, India, The Middle East, and Australia. From classical Indian music to hip-hop, drum n' bass to didjeridu, DeviantRhythms is a snapshot in time, of the transmittance of music and culture. For more information, visit www.plebeian.org ^BACK UP^

Advertisers, Secure Your Ad In RPM's 2003 Studio Calendar RPM Direct has several advertising spots available in the 2003 RPM Recording Studio Calendar.The RPM calendar will be distributed to all RPM producer/engineer and producer manager members and all A&R, publishing, film & tv and management subscribers and will be made available to all newsletter readers - nearly 10,000 in all.To see a very basic mock up of what it will look like click here. The calendar will also feature significant music and recording industry events such as SXSW, Popkomm, AES, Womex, NAB, Winter Music Conference, NAMM etc. already written into the dates. Contact Jerimaya Grabher to for more information or to secure your spot today! (310) 545 7530. ^BACK UP^

Feel Like You're Missing Out? Visit The Newsletter Archive Feel like you're missing out on what we do? Then visit the RPM Direct Newsletter Archive to catch up on reading you may have missed. If you'd like to browse our producer database but you aren't a subscriber, request a password for access. ^BACK TO TOP^

"Missing" Producers

Due to constantly changing management rosters and a handful of unexplained "disappearances", we have lost touch with the folks on the list below. If you know where they are or are able to reach them, please ask them to get in touch with RPM Direct. We want to update their listing in our database so that people who can hire or collaborate with them know how to get in touch. We are currently trying to make contact with:

Nick Addison
Michael Andrews (Elgin Park)
Mark Arnell
Chris Arvan
Rob B./Da Loops
Kevin Bacon & Jonathan Quarmby
Rob “Fonksta” Bacon
Andy Baker
Ball & Vauk
Chad Bamford
Martin Bisi
Boilerhouse Boys
Charles Bouis
Charlie Brocco
Bruce Brody
Bug City
Bonzai Jim Caruso
David Castell
CC Groove
Laurence Jay Cedar
Ronnie Champagne
Phil Chill
Rob Christiansen
Jessica Corcoran
Jason Coreare
Warren Croyle
Jamie Cullum
Lee Curle
Andre Cymone
Da Lata

Darkman
Lee De Carlo
Dave Dederer
Peter Denenberg
Steven Dubin
Anjali Dutt
Phil Ek
EZI-CUT
Steve Fisk
Tom Frederikse
Eric E. Garten
Eric O’Brien Garten
Global Communications
Dito Godwin
Jim Goodwin
John Gosling
Richard Gottehrer
Lindsay Gravina
Roger Greenawalt
Tom Grimley
Mark Haley
Ray Hedges
David Hemming
Dave Hillis
Stephen Hilton
Mike Hoffman
Dave Hummel
Stephen Hussey
ILS
Loren Israel

Ivan Ivan
Bob St. John
Vincent Jones
Juno Reactor
Ben Kape
Ken Kessie
Neill King
Rob Kirwan
Ko-Jo
John Lee
Ken Lomas
Reggie Lucas
M Beat
Jamie Maher
Ollie Marland
Ray Martin
Glen Matlock
John McEntire
Eric "E" Miller
Gustavo Moratorio
Roli Mosimann
Richard T. Norris
Eddy Offord
Doug Olson (Mr. Colson)
Jon P.
Randy Pekich
Dave (Deptford) Pine
Marco Pirroni
Pistachio Boys

Tony Pizarro
Poetic
Prince Paul
Prophecy Entertainment
Rickidy Raw
Mykaell Riley
Jim Rondinelli
Tim Russell
Micajah Ryan
Michael Schlesinger
Paul Schroeder
Shad Scott
Skold
Soulshock & Karlin
Mike Stewart
Studio 7
Dave Swanson
Paul Taylor
Louie Teran
Eric "E.T." Thorngren
Tim & Bob
Tosh
Haig V. (Vartzbedian)
Simon Vinestock
Richie Wermerling
Mark Wilkin (Solo)
Geoff Wilkinson
Sam Williams
Aaron Zigman

Please send interesting news items for this newsletter to News@rpmdirect.com

RPM Direct, Inc. PO BOX 3328 Manhattan Beach, CA 90266 USA

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