TN:167 Kae Tempest & Fraser T. Smith
Tape Notes
From Demo to Arrangement for Statue in the Square
They explain bouncing from Ableton to Pro Tools, sample replacement, adding low-end brass textures and the sparse production choices.
John is joined by Kae Tempest and Fraser T. Smith to discuss how they wrote and recorded the album “Self-Titled”.
Kae Tempest is an English recording artist and author. He began his career performing at open mic nights around London, quickly gaining a reputation for his powerful lyrical performances blending rap and spoken word poetry. Between 2008 and 2012 he toured internationally with his band Sound of Rum, launching a solo career with debut album ‘Everybody Down’ in 2014. It and second album ‘Let Them Eat Chaos’, released in 2015, were both nominated for the Mercury Prize. Kae has since released three further solo albums, including BRIT Award-nominated ‘The Line Is A Curve’. Kae is widely recognised as one of the UK alternative scene’s most essential voices, acclaimed for his exceptional lyricism and acute social commentary. Both are particularly evident on his fifth studio album, ‘Self Titled’, released earlier this year. ‘Self-Titled’ is Kae’s first collaboration with multi-award winning UK producer, songwriter and musician Fraser T. Smith.
The trio sit down at Fraser’s studio, Utopia, where the album was written and recorded, to discuss developing creative harmony working together for the first time, the process of building a song using ProTools, the influence of drum textures and bass sounds on the record, how one creative choice can completely change the direction of a track and much more.
Tracks discussed: Statue In The Square, Forever, Till Morning
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LISTEN to ‘Self Titled’ here - Self Titled by Kae Tempest
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