Interview With Stephen Hunter From Discovery Sound
Among lots of producers of sample libraries there is one gem that stands out - Discovery Sound. They make the effort to bring local folk sounds onto the world stage. From Brazil to Japan and from Thailand to Spain, they travel the globe and bring audio straight from the source. Stephen Hunter, who runs the DS operation shares some of his experience with us. Enjoy the reading!
Among many sound design labels nowadays that produce sounds with pop or club music in mind, Discovery Sound stands out as a company that delivers recordings of folk music from around the world. What pushed you in the direction of World Music?
When I first started recording I just wasn't convinced that the sounds I was hearing were the "real thing". Sure, I could of done what everyone else was and start making pop and club music and sounds, but that wasn't my thing. I wanted to give the rest of the world something new. Something original. I had the vision of future artists and producers mixing and composing new songs and tracks with authentic music and sound from around the world. That is when I made the decision to gather as much of the music I could from around the globe.
Your samples come from around the world, literally. How do you prepare yourself and go through projects such as “Tuva Khoomei”, ”This Is Vietnam” or “Bom Dia Brazil”?
Nowadays preparation is not so difficult due to the internet and email. But 20 years ago that wasn't an option. Before traveling to a country to gather the music I needed I would send out faxes and phone musicians to get as much information as possible and if lucky set up a time and date to meet. Sometimes when I couldn't get the info needed I just "flew on a whim" hoping for the best. That is how it was for the "Legend of China" album. Nobody in China wanted their ancient music to be shared with the rest of the world. I got on a plane and headed for Peking. That is where I met and made friends with fellow musicians like myself who introduced me to a whole new world of China.
Organizing the recording trip the "traditional way" may sound like quite a challenge to those accustomed to the Internet. What about the recording gear? Mobile studios are only a recent technological development...
Recording live is nothing new. Since I am going to be cutting and slicing in the studio I try and grab as many hi lo mids as I can without losing any of the ambients. I keep everything in its natural habitat unless a studio deal can be worked out. I usually end up in the studio one way or another anyhow.
I can imagine some of the trips were quite exotic, both for the body and the mind. Did you ever have any misadventures or find yourself in dangerous situations? Or - wherever there's music, there's peace?
Most of the trips were really fun, but some are dangerous. Probably the most challenging task was getting into Tibet to record. There were lots of problems and I thought we might even get deported for recording. We were fortunate enough though to get some of the purest sounds of the Tibet Culture. I couldn't imagine what it would be like to not be able to play your music freely, but the Tibetan people always perform with caution. At least that is what I got from the experience.
In most cases folk music has great value to its performers, often it has spiritual or “magic” connotations. For you there must the “convincing” factor involved. How do you convince these musicians to share their sounds and culture with the rest of the world? How do they feel about their instruments making their way to computers and studios around the world?
True, most performers are not keen on having their talent broken up and sold, but when traveling to really isolated locations and finding musicians willing to cooperate it comes down to only one thing. Money. A lot of the cities I traveled to had some of the greatest unknown musicians in the world. When I told them who I was and what I wanted to do they were a little weary at first but in those parts of the world money does the talking. Giving the performers the option to received payment now or royalties for life most of them wanted the money up front. This of course is a producers dream come true so I wasn't complaining, but just surprised at how much money as an affect in negotiations.
Today's world has shrunk, it is easier to move around for everybody. I suppose that for high-budget musical projects such folk musicians are invited and perform personally. Then, who are the samples for? Computer-based folk music? Pop? Chill-out? As a producer - where do you see the applications of these recordings?
My samples are for anyone interested in using world ethnic sounds in their music and productions for whatever reason they want. For those musicians and producers who are not fortunate enough to travel to exotic locations for live recordings, they can still get the feeling from our samples when incorporating into their own masters...
Any tips on integrating world music with the modern production methods?
I recommend everyone to try a little "spice" for their productions no matter what the genre may be. You may just invent something new. It may hit or it may not but nevertheless, for the moment, music is life.
Thank you for your time!
