Sponsored by Tascam Best Produced Band AWARDS 2011
Turning Plates
www.facebook.com/turningplates Enigmatic and
unconventional Scots band Turning Plates reveal some of the sonic secrets behind their winning demo Tin Man…
creative process. Glaswegian band Turning Plates are worthy winners of the Playmusic Unsigned Best Recorded category, the warm earthy tones of their demo Tim Man – recorded at SAE College in Glasgow by Producer Ophir Shamir – demonstrate a sophisticated musical sensibility that tips a nod to Radiohead’s more experimental moments. Not a rock and roll band in the conventional sense, Turning Plates shared musical influences owe more to classical music than the typical background enjoyed by most young musicians.
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Lead vocalist Duncan Sutherland, Jacen Matthews (piano/bass/ clarinet), Helen Rendell (Cello) Stephen Coleman (Percussion), Tom Smith (trombone) are currently preparing to enter the studio to record a complete set of tunes for an EP that they plan to release in August 2011, building on the high standards set by Tin Man, the only song that the band has recorded professionally so far. “Most of our demos are recorded at home, relying on my rather limited understanding of how to record music!” Duncan Sutherland admits, going on to explain how working in a proper recording studio with professional producer Ophir Shamir helped the band to realize the full scope of their musical ambitions. “You want to work with someone who cares about the music.” Duncan says, “Ophir had lots of good ideas, not just on production but also for
Turning Plates’ owe more to classical music than typical indie rock…
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hat is it that makes a good track sound great? If you believe that songs are living breathing entities that require careful nurturing to reach their full potential then you probably already understand how important a good producer is in the
the general feel of the song. Tin Man is a very narrative song and Ophir had some great suggestions regarding what instruments should be ascribed to the different characters within the song. For example, when it’s talking about the girl, its more acoustic and sweeter sounding, then it changes and gets very thick and dark at the appropriate moments. It was very good working with someone who could take a look from their perspective and add in their own ideas. We didn’t have a massive opinion about any of it, so we definitely welcome someone who can contribute ideas besides being an engineer.”
Insisting that a pop sensibility lurks among Turning Plate’s dark Celtic soundscapes, Duncan argues that his band’s comprehensive grounding in orchestral and choral music – he claims not to have got into rock music until he was aged 14 years old – doesn’t necessarily box pigeonhole Turing Plates as post-Radiohead miserablists. “We don’t want to stray too far from the standard pop formula because that would terrify people and they wouldn’t listen to it! We try different structures in every song to give each song a more interesting twist. From a songwriting point of view, the music I grew up with is all from the 90s: OK Computer and Siamese Dream by the Smashing Pumpkins. I was always a big fan of The Cure, but more recently I am a fan of The Postal Service and atmospheric things like Sigur Rós, whose latest LP I won’t try to pronounce the name of! We have a very eclectic taste, even within the world of rock.” As Duncan prepares to sign off, proudly clutching Turning Plates (virtual) Playmusic Award, he confirms that the band is focused on boosting its profile over the coming months. “Hopefully the new EP will be a bit of a springboard. Tin man is the only song that we’ve properly recorded, so we need more of a body of work to push on with. We have plenty of other songs that we play live but we need a way to let more people hear our music en mass.” PM
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