Fireberg’s Eclectronic EP “Aphonic” Is Out Now!

With a compilation of songs that he has worked on for the past 3 years, Fireberg brings “Aphonic” EP to light. The “Aphonic” EP is truly one of the most original albums worked on here at MetroSonic.

With its base genre being Electronic music, Fireberg blends and transcends multiple levels of Jazz samples into the essential sounds of todays Hip-Hop.

To read the complete article, click here!

DAMEHT- NYC Punk Rock- Live@Metrosonic HD (+playlist)

Check out this exclusive video of Smoota performing "These Are The Things (That Fuel My Desires)" LIVE at our last "Live@Metrosonic" Showcase! Stay tuned for more updates!

Also head over to our blog for the main article! Just click here!

EMEFE Live At MetroSonic on February 7th

This month at MetroSonic we put on another fantastic Live At MetroSonic Event! The crowd came out for what was possibly the best mix of New York City Independent artist that we can dream up.

Comedian Myq Kaplan was the host for the night. Kaplan, who is well known from his time as a standout on the 7th season of the hit TV competition “Last Comic Standing” and his own “Comedy Central Presents” special, warmed up the crowd with some friendly interactions, personal “ghost stories”, and a free english lesson as he taught us all fun haikus.

Along with keeping the crowd happy in between sets we had 81Neutronz here playing his blend of Hip-Hop and Dance Music. Nick “81Neutronz” Low-Beer is based right here in New York City. As a composer, Nick has been credited for his contribution to the track that became “Cinderella Man” on Eminem’s Grammy Award winning album “Recovery”.

 

Our first musical artist for the night was Smoota, A singer/trombone player from Boston, MA that has drawn his inspiration from Sly Stone, Parliament/Funkadelic, and the treatment of sex that he has found in movies and books. His sensual presence on stage absolutely melted the crowd and got them ready for the Main Event.

 

Our Headliner for the night was an Afrobeat band from New York City named EMEFE. Lead by Miles Arntzen, a 22 year old drummer, singer, and composer, EMEFE who is comprised of 11 members tore the roof of the MetroSonic Show-Room with their dance worthy instrumentals backed by great gang vocals. Our audience were truly in love with their music, seeing to how not one person was still for their entire hour + long set.

Check out our blog here for the COMPLETE article AND OUR FIRST HD VIDEO from this night!

Live@MetroSonic Presents - DAMEHT - "I Love You Too"

Watch NYC Punk Rock band DAMEHT's 11/15/13 performance of "I Love You, Too" taken live from the MetroSonic Show-Room in Brooklyn NY! (presented in HD)

Making Waves in Electronic Music: Dan Berg Speaks On His Upcoming Compilation Album and More

Daniel Berg stopped by the studio to work on some new material this week!  I sat down with the “Fireberg” producer who, originally from Philadelphia, moved to Brooklyn in 2009. About a year later he started working under the pseudonym “Fireberg” in which he produces electronic music and loops for live performances.

Dan is putting the finishing touches on a compilation EP made up of plethora of songs recorded over the past three years. If you had to give the album a concept, Dan says,” The concept would be without a voice”, and for the simple fact that the album has no recorded vocals.  Where Dan lacks in vocals, he makes up for in varying samples of old school informational videos telling you things you should already know like not to do drugs or stay in school. Throw a couple vinyl samples, hip-hop influences, and an understanding of the different components of jazz into the mix and you have the self-proclaimed “Eclectronic” style of music Dan loves to make.

To read the full article click here!

DAMEHT - Make It Hurt - Live @ MetroSonic Nov 15, 2013

Marina Rosenfeld Makes Boomkat’s Top 100

Congratulations to Marina Rosenfeld for making it to the top 20 of Boomkat’s Top 100 albums of 2013 list with her album “P.A./Hard Love”!

Marina Rosenfeld is a talented composer from New York City, who blends Art and Music for a experimental blend. Marina Rosenfeld, along side of virtuoso cellist Okkyung Lee and Warrior Queen collaborate sounds that should not mix but find away to be a very surreal collision of sound that will entice the listener for more.

Boomkat describes the album as, “The inter-dimensional blend of Warrior Queen’s vocals and Okkyung Lee’s cello infused, electro-acoustic scapes draped by the intense frequency modulations of Rosenfeld really sounds unlike anything you’ll have heard before: it’s sort of like Rashad Becker, Kode 9, Ryoji Ikeda, The Bug and Laurie Anderson all playing at once, somehow sounding cohesive and startling all at once. Adapted from a series of quasi-sculptural sound system installations, ‘P.A. / Hard Love’ unfolds around morphing location recordings with unstable acoustic parameters in electronic sound fields strafed with eerie sci-fi tones and complex synthesizer patterns. Warrior Queen sounds like she was dialed in as a mischievous AI presence; something like a character in the latter chapters of Necromancer, singing and spitting amidst the laser zaps and gyroscopic diffusions.”

They continued, “Most crucial to the record’s appeal, though, is that constantly morphing patina of electro-acoustic flux; like the scramble suit in Philip K Dick’s ‘A Scanner Darkly’, perpetually shifting and realigning your ear’s focus between the peripheries and the foreground with something approaching a slow, controlled, cybernetic psychedelia. Quite simply, it’s a stunning and highly idiosyncratic record, one that sucks you in deeper with every repeated listen.”

Metrosonic Recording Studio had the pleasure of Mastering Marina Rosenfeld’s album and we are proud to see how far her work has come! Check out the track “Hard Love” below and for more of Boomkat’s Top 100 Albums of 2013 click here!

DAMEHT Live@MetroSonic 11/15/13

The entire DAMEHT performance from the Metrosonic Showroom – Video originally broadcast and recorded live on November 15th, 2013:

Here’s some pics from Live@MetroSonic music series!

All photos courtesy of  Clay Patrick McBride.

For more photos click this link

Pete’s November 15th article in Glide is out now!

Aziza & the Cure’s Debut Album Release Looms Near

As the AES (Audio Engineering Society) convention was just in NYC I had intended to offer a brief overview on some highlights.  I usually look forward to the event where I get to catch up with people only spoken with on the phone most of the year.  Walking into the show & learning the unfortunate news of Michael Spitz’s passing away on October 12^th understandably & unquestionably dampened my enthusiasm that day.  I decided to abandon my plans & just go home & be with my family.  Mike was one of the many “behind the scenes” people most never knew, but who’s technical work for Ampex & later ATR services touched upon countless creative projects.  If you ever recorded an album on tape, his work likely touched yours.   Mike was an invaluable source of knowledge, a true mentor.  He will be greatly missed.

Michael Spitz

In my last article we left off discussing how artists today have so many more options available to them for producing a music project.   The question is, can you be honest with yourself (or bandmates) about which activities you need to outsource and which ones you not only want to do yourself but are actually skilled to do on your own.   Here is some insight into what some of the musicians I’ve been working with lately have to say on the subject.

Aziza & the Cure is a Symphonic Soul Pop duo based in NYC & devoted to happiness, health, and good music. They compose and arrange all the music that their duo/band performs.  They outsourced the production and recording of their Kickstarter video to Artem Agafonov, an experienced and sought after videographer who’s work they enjoyed and were familiar with. Though the band has sample tracks and an EP that they recorded, mixed and mastered on their own, they decided to enlist the skills of MetroSonic for the recording, mixing, and mastering of their debut album. They also contracted additional musicians to perform and record in the studio. The design they wanted for their album artwork required a professional in the line of photography, Ben Zank, an up and coming photographer who’s work the group greatly admired. But when it comes to marketing and promoting their new album, the band is still weighing their options.

Aziza and the Cure

 Currently, we are debating whether we should outsource for the marketing and sales of the album. While we are willing to cultivate our marketing and sales experience, the Dec. 12th release deadline we have set for ourselves has forced us to consider combining our efforts with a publicist, promoter, and/or marketing team. We believe in the power of sound to soothe, empower, and enrich our lives. While we take pride in doing all we can ourselves, we realize that outsourcing for specific services and unique skill sets is at times the best choice.” -  Violinist Joelle Britt and guitarist Bradley Rouen

And this brings up an important factor for weighing whether or not to hire a professional. Beyond just knowing that they need a marketing campaign, Aziza & the Cure also feel that there isn’t enough time for them to learn how to properly manage their own marketing with a looming deadline. Given time, surely they would learn how to effectively launch a campaign and reach levels of success. And this isn’t to say that with future albums theywon’t decide to develop and manage all or a significant portion of their own marketing on their own.

A music campaign with tight timelines though is not the time for trial and error – especially if you are not experienced or don’t have the proper contacts to reach your target audience. Sometimes the window of opportunity for releasing new music is very small. Often enough, this is because the quantity of new music that is released each week happens so rapidly and on such a large scale that without the right marketing behind it, a new song can get lost against all the other music that’s either already on the market or better promoted for an upcoming release.

This would be a situation where an artist would be better served to outsource or hire a professional to manage specific tasks (i.e. PR blasts, radio outreach, etc.) especially if that person has strong contacts and can make a meaningful impact. Of course, the band can continue to market and promote directly through their existing social media outlets by themselves as this comes across as more authentic anyway. But for high priority outreach, it makes absolute sense for them to hire someone experienced in marketing and promoting music.

Aziza & the Cure seem to be very adept at understanding exactly which tasks are best managed in house and which ones should be outsourced to professionals. So, I’m very confident that we’ll be hearing more from this band as time goes on.

The Biz is a Glide column by guest columnist Pete Mignola, who is the owner and chief engineer of MetroSonic Studios which is located in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.  MetroSonic Studios is a world renowned fully analog & digital studio where major & independent labels have recorded & produced, ranging from EMI, Island/Def Jam, Chromeo, Flight of the Conchords and ABC TV. Mignolia opened the studio in 1991 and is still successfully managing & operating it. In addition to this, Pete is also an artist and has a full understanding of what’s necessary to take a music career to the next level..Originally published in Glide Magazine:
http://www.glidemagazine.com/41836/aziza-the-cures-debut-album-release-looms-nears/

Lad Mags release “Dig My Grave"

Released 29 October 2013

Recorded at MetroSonic studio in Brooklyn NY, October 2013. Mixed and Mastered at Edmontone Studio, Edmonton. Engineered by Pete Mignola, produced by Doug Organ and The Lad Mags.

Featuring Travis Sargent on guitar and Fish Griwkowsky on ghost moans, creaks and howls.

Exclusive Rolling Stone Video: Black Lips at MetroSonic with Mark Ronson

Atlanta’s raucous Black Lips and Amy Winehouse/Lily Allen producer Mark Ronson — whose album Record Collection came out in September — might seem like an odd couple. But as Ronson says in this video, “You can tell when you’re working with people who love music as much as you do because there’s an excitement to it.”

Ronson is helming the band’s sixth LP, due in the spring, and judging by the material captured here, he hasn’t changed what he calls their “lo-fi garageness.” The sound is a bit tighter but the songs could have come from any of the group’s recent LPs.

Our Debut Column in Glide Magazine

Debut Column – “The Biz” – Insider Perspective of the Music Biz by Engineer Peter Mignola

Originally published on: http://www.glidemagazine.com/category/columns/the-biz/

The Biz is a debut column by guest columnist Pete Mignola, who is the owner and chief engineer of MetroSonic Studios which is located in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.  MetroSonic Studios is a world renowned fully analog & digital studio where major & independent labels have recorded & produced, ranging from EMI, Island/Def Jam, Chromeo, Flight of the Conchords and ABC TV. Mignolia opened the studio in 1991 and is still successfully managing & operating it. In addition to this, Pete is also an artist and has a full understanding of what’s necessary to take a music career to the next level..

 Last week I had the opportunity to participate in a music biz panel Q&A.  Events like this inevitably generate some anxiety.  My routine does not include speaking to a large group. Truthfully, I’m locked away in the studio most of the week.  Aside from the time I spend with my family, I really don’t get out much.  The experience reminded me of my gigging days.  As a musician, you live for that reaction you get from an audience, but the initial “getting up on that stage” is always a bit nerve racking.

The chance to listen, observe, & catch up on what others had to say about the current state of the music biz was a chance well taken.  While many topics were covered & opinions offered, I found two themes that seemed to repeat throughout the evening: First: The music industry is a constantly changing landscape.  Ok, nothing new there.  The evolution of the music biz has been shaped by each wave of new technology and new music adopted by the public.  Second: Today’s “do it yourself” environment is wrought with new choices, new opportunity, and a whole new world of dilemmas.

There are two strong factors behind the movement of artists into the world of DIY: Advancements in technology used in the music industry have led artists away from relying on pros for production.  As software and hardware have advanced, it has ultimately brought the cost of production down and opened up the process to just about anyone.  And, the consumer focused Internet has replaced the role labels have traditionally provided for marketing & distribution.  Social media and music & video sharing sites have made it easier for artists to release music to a virtually limitless audience.  We see this is as a positive change because more people now have a chance to pursue their musical ambitions.

Over the past decade we’ve witnessed huge changes in the music biz that have lead to greater access and opportunity for the independent or “indie” artist.  As technology has advanced, it has changed the way albums are created and distributed for artists all around the world.  Now you can release music directly to the consumer via digital platforms and control all the aspects of the production process.  In many ways, this change is fantastic because it gives the artist more ownership and control over the development of their music and brand. However, with all the new outlets and control of your product there will also come more challenges and problems for the indie artist to solve.  Some questions we will be asking and trying to objectively answer over the course of our upcoming articles :

Is it wise to take on everything yourself just because you can?  Does this approach really save you money over the long term?  Maybe most important, will my DIY approach achieve the expectations I have for my project, and my music career goals?

Indie artists face a real challenge of being taken seriously (or not) by industry professionals.  Your project will be held to the same standard as artists who are signed to labels with budgets for production, management, marketing and distribution services.  To save money, you may choose to produce your own tracks, manage your own marketing campaign, and act as your own manager.  But do you have the skill & experience to really pull it all off?  In some cases, you may have no other choice, as this is the only way it will get done.  But, be realistic…

As an indie you need to be willing to have the hard conversation with yourself or band, about which activities you’re willing to outsource and which ones you not only want to do yourself but are actually skilled to do on your own!

I thought it would be a good idea to offer feedback through actual artist responses. Since I work with artists regularly, I hear first hand what they’re experiencing as they push to reach their goals and dreams. In the next installment, I’m sitting down with some of the artists I have recently worked with to explore how they came to decide what to pursue on their own, and where they thought it was best to engage others to help them out.  How did those decisions work out for them? What changes, if any, did they make to their plan along the way as they were able to see results? Some of these artists may be new to you, and others might already be on your music discovery radar! But you’ll get an understanding of the dedication that goes into actually “making it” in this industry.

In the Studio With Fractal Caravan

We have been having a great time with Fractal Caravan this past week who have been recording their debut album “PARADOX LUST”, here at MetroSonic! Fractal Caravan consists of lead Edwin Quirk, Fabio Montenegro, and David Cornejo. The three piece band who are based out of Brooklyn have a very distinct funk sound that, we here at MetroSonic, only want to make funkier! They have a single out as well here and make sure to follow them on Facebook.

A-Trak @ Metrosonic

We’re very proud to announce that internationally acclaimed DJ, producer and Fool’s Gold co-founder A-Trak is finishing up his stay at Metrosonic this week. Mr. Trak was at Metrosonic working with several other artists and producers this past week on a yet to be announced project. Among his collaborators were producer Childish Major and punk band Dameht.

You may recall his 2012 EP entitled Tuna Melt also featured a few excellent collaborations. Perhaps most notable of which was his partnership with Australian producer Tommy Trash on the EP’s title track  “Tuna Melt”which in 2013 got a video of it’s very own. A-Trak & Tommy Trash “Tuna Melt” (Official Music Video) – YouTube

For a long time fan like myself it was absolute torture keeping my cool this week, but I’m proud to say I didn’t geek out even once. I made it.

Jet Jaguar, Blunderbus, and Yachtclub at MetroSonic

Saturday was alive here at MetroSonic as Jet Jaguar, Blunderbus, and the DJ duo Yachtclub, took to the Show Room for an electrifying night of music, sweat, friends, and dancing.

Jet Jaguar in March of 2013

The show kicked off with Jet Jaguar taking the stage. Their style of Punk really set off the crowd’s mood with the highest energy possible. Along with playing songs off their two EPs, the band covered songs from artist like the Misfits and Patti Smith.

Next on the stage was Blunderbus who put together a great set for the crowd. The four piece band hails from different areas of the East Coast but they made Williamsburg their home for the night, keeping everyone hype enough to steam up our windows and get on our dance floor.

To round out the night the DJ duo Yachtclub turned the event into a “Black Out” dance party, putting the finishing touches on a successful night for everyone involved.

We here at MetroSonic thoroughly enjoyed the artists and guests that came out Saturday. We’re hopping to have another night, like this one, soon.

From Start to Finish: A Journey with Aziza and the Cure

Symphonic Soul Pop duo Aziza and the Cure is the brain-child of violinist Joelle Britt and guitarist Bradley Rouen, a musically gifted couple sharing their love of composing soulful, melodic ballads with classical & Jazz sensibilities. The two held a successful Kickstarter campaign to fund the recording of their debut album. Appropriately so, they kickstarted their stay at MetroSonic with a live streaming concert held in our Showroom. The concert was simultaneously recorded, mixed, and live streamed. A first for MetroSonic. As you can see in the pictures, a diverse & talented group of musicians accompanied the duo, including Ian Baggette on bass, Jamie Eblen on drums, Jujari Britt on cello, backing vocals, and a string section.

Bradley and Joelle returned to MetroSonic to produce and record their album over a period of two weeks.  The process began with recording basic elements from where the compositions were originally inspired, guitar and vocal parts. Next were drums and bass, followed by strings and vocal overdubs. As seen in the photo, MetroSonic’s RCA 44-BX pair were used to record drums, allowing for the uncolored sound the album aimed for. Later, the string section was recorded in our Show-Room, also to enhance the recording’s live and realistic feel.

Once recording was completed, Pete worked in solitary mixing the album’s tracks as Joelle and Bradley graciously took some time to talk about the album with us. We began to discuss the concept of the album and what they wanted their listeners to experience. The two exchanged glances and Bradley began, “It is a song cycle, portraying the first few years of our relationship, meeting, being enamored, our issues, societal issues, in order for us to be in a good place. There are themes throughout like an opus, or symphony that reoccur throughout keys, time signatures, songs.  It was not intellectualized, we wanted to have fun writing music, doing things we thought were cool.” Joelle added, “We want the listener to take something out of, it does not have to be how I felt, I want everyone to connect on some level even if its subconscious or subtle. Its a pretty honest album, not just the story, but how we recorded it. Its supposed to be like a live performance, people can relate to that fact, its intimate and exposing. Listeners will feel you’re probably telling the truth when there’s no auto-tune.”  Bradley described a ride he envisioned the listeners to be on with the couple, “They are going with us to all these places, up and down, dynamic changes, an emotional roller coaster. At the end of the album, the first few seconds of silence I want the listener to be there in awe. We want each song to stand on its own and interweave together to form a well constructed tapestry.”

Joelle spoke of the difficulties they encountered while writing the album, “Its about a relationship, and we are trying to put it in one person’s perspective. It’s like, ‘I didn’t do that’, and you reply, ‘Uhh yes, you did.’ There was a lot of growing we did to perform those songs, they were so personal. The first time we preformed we did the songs in New Orleans for Bradley’s friends and family, it was so exposing, I was yelling at him in his house, in front of his mother, like should I stop? Its so hard separating yourself from it, accusing, ranting at the other person. Then explaining it to them, you have to sing like this, cause they can’t sing it right if they don’t understand what they are singing about. Just organizing it was hard, writing for 12 people, especially the string parts."

Bradley concluded, ” We just want to make the best music we can, live the best we can, and make the world the best it could be. Joelle smiled, “Its true but when you read it or say it, its like sure. Everyone is so jaded, like ‘Hah, right’. Aldous Huxley said words are like laundry, people feel ‘I don’t care about this anymore, I’ve heard it so many times’. We just want to be as harmonious as we can.” When asked about their experience working at Metrosonic, Bradley replied, “Pete got what we wanted without us having to tell him, he captured the concept. It was a special place to perform in as well, the showroom  has a great energy, a supportive environment.”