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10 May 2017


‘Sound stays with you’


Introducing the producer who’s introduced Tony Bennett, Lou Reed, Yoko Ono and Patti Smith


BY WILLIAM PEAKIN


On a sunny morning in early May, Josh Rabinowitz is in Brooklyn, where he grew up and where he still lives, walking his dog before heading into his office in the Flatiron district of New York. It’s a long way, and 30-odd years,


from Glasgow’s Sauchiehall Street where he used to busk before he became, as he describes it, “a strug- gling musician” - or leader and trom- bonist for funk band The Second Step, described by one music writer as a “pulsating force” of which Rabinowitz was the “incorrigible pillar of groove”. He had spent his ‘junior year’ (the penultimate year) of an American uni- versity course, in Edinburgh; a peer of composer Max Richter. “When I finished my course, I went back. I had a girlfriend, from Kirkintilloch – she was still at university in Edinburgh – and I spent a good four or five months living in Edinburgh, busking there and in Glasgow, in Sauchiehall Street. I wanted to play music. I found that I didn’t have a lot of time to play, because I was always looking for work - and I thought, ‘why not just play’. It was fun. I met so many crazy people.”


After years of “struggling, starving


if you will” as a band musician, in 1996 he moved into the world of compos- ing and producing music for brands, first at JSM Music, then tomandandy and Young and Rubicam. Now he is executive vice-president and director of music at Townhouse/WPP in New York. He has written and/or produced more than 8,500 tracks for brands, cinema, recording labels and televi- sion, and worked with artists such as Cyndi Lauper, Rihanna, Queen Lati- fah, the Black Eyed Peas, Run DMC, Smokey Robinson and Macy Gray. “It’s kept me interested, every day,


for the past 20 years,” said Rabinow- itz. “It’s an all-encompassing job. There’s the left side of the brain; bud- gets, negotiating, dealing with talent, licensing. And there’s the right side; the creative side, the ideas, helping to bring those ideas to realisation. “Connecting people with a brand in


a meaningful way, connecting it with their lifestyle. Music is such an impor- tant part of culture. Sound stays with you in way that surpasses even taste, smell; it kind of tattoos itself on your brain. Done properly, it’s great, done improperly, it can be a disaster.” Do artists not feel conflicted, though, about selling their creativity to promote a brand? In retrospect, this is a gauche question, given the energy (and not infrequent shame- lessness) with which musicians have, for decades, indulged in levels of self- promotion that bear no relation to the merit of their work. But Rabinowitz said that he had


experienced how difficult it was to sustain yourself as a musician. And if you are passionate about music, and if the traditional routes of recording or touring are not sufficient, then artists need to find different ways of connecting with, and growing, their fan base, of continuing to be able to make music. This will be his third year at


XpoNorth: “I made a lot of friends during my time in Edinburgh and I have a real affinity with Scottish cul- ture. When I met Amanda [Millen, the festival director] at a conference in the US and she told me about XpoNorth, I was excited. It has grown so much and my favourite thing about it is meeting new people.” Rabinowitz also created, in 2007,


“This year we are bringing over Pussy Riot. We wanted to do something a little, how would you put it, left field” Josh Rabinowitz


the now renowned Grey Music Semi- nar at the Cannes Lions International Festival, where in its first year he presented John Legend and Donovan. Subsequent years have featured a ros- ter of greats, including Tony Bennett, E Street Band guitarist Steven Van Zandt, Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, Marilyn Manson, Courtney Love, Yoko Ono and Patti Smith. “This year we are bringing over


Pussy Riot,” said Rabinowitz, during a telephone interview, before catch- ing the train into his office to review work on campaigns for clients such as Häagen-Dazs, Marriot Hotels, Volvo and Gillette. “It’s the 100th anniversary of Grey. We wanted to do something a little, how would you put it, left field.”


Tamzene goes to Holywood


Creating a route for Scottish artists to global leaders in music


BY MARK SHERIDAN in Los Angeles


Tamzene is a 20 year-old student at Leeds college. Her family home is in Cromarty on the Black Isle, where on a good day you can see dolphins in the firth. Last week, Tamzene was in Hol- lywood, singing to some of the world’s top music industry leaders in A&R and management. The thing is, Tamzene is a remarkable singer and performer with natural skill, presence and charm on stage. On both occasions I saw her perform at the MUSEXPO, LA, she captivated the seasoned audience. Not an easy thing to do with exceptional people who make instant decisions about what will fly and what will fall. Tamzene is very good, with excep-


tional potential. And this is just as well because in this business “pretty good doesn’t cut it.” says Zach Katz, president of repertoire and marketing at BMG USA. She also has honesty and integrity in her music, “essential ingredients for success in the global music industry”, according to the Lipman brothers, founders of Republican Records. These folk mean business and they know what they are looking for and how to shape it. And that is why Tamzene is here, sup- ported by Alex Smith, of XpoNorth, and Dougie Brown, of Belladrum Records, to map out a route for her music and for market development. Alex has been coming to this event


for as long as it has been running “to make connections, and to have a presence for music and artists in the Highlands.” Alex believes that Scottish artists need international visibility and his aim has been to create a route to the global leaders. “It’s all about relationships, trust and meeting face to face with the decision makers. It’s


not just about being here. We have managed to formalise the XpoNorth role here alongside Atlantic Records, Live Nation and Universal Music.” Sat Bisla, president of A&R Worldwide, is impressed by the work of XpoNorth. “Alex has worked hard to make the most of the contacts and opportunities. He is constantly networking and his teams are entrepreneurial. Some del- egates come here and need to be led by the hand. You show XpoNorth the way and they go for it. I am very supportive of what they are doing in Scotland.”


FOR DOUGIE BROWN, it is an excel- lent opportunity for the first signing to the new Belladrum Record label. “I first heard her busking in Inverness outside M&S and I phoned Joe Gibbs and asked if we had any spots still available at Belladrum [festival]. We had to have her.” And the label? “We want to maintain the same feel for a family event and local talent … and this was a natural direction. Tamzene was the catalyst really.” For Tamzene her focus is on the music. What is the plan? “Make more music.” Her family life was surrounded by music – she played at school in Fortrose and her singing developed at Gordonstoun where she won a scholarship. “I was really encouraged. One of my songs was arranged for school orchestra – it was very exciting!” She also played fiddle and attended Feis Rois. And that is the connection to my


presence here. Highlands and Islands Enterprise and XpoNorth are helping Feis Rois to plan a new development for the professional strand of our work and Alex insisted that attending this event would help with perspectives on the contemporary industry and A&R. Feis Rois is the quintessential grass roots organisation, and the weekly classes, the Feisean and community engage- ment have made a lasting impact in the last thirty years in Ross-shire and beyond. The ceilidh trail initiative and


the professional engagement strategy with emerging performers coming through the Feis community has added new dimensions to the success. Led by chief executive Fiona Dalgetty, her small team and the numerous musi- cians she employs, the organisation has evolved to the extent that the turnover is just below £1m per year. Impressive when you consider that £500,000 of that is paid to the musicians. “It is really great that Feis Rois and


the University of the Highlands are here at MUSEXPO. The presence of UHI in the north of Scotland is essential to retaining creative talent in the Highlands,” says Alex Smith. “We are entering new territory.” Many of the students and graduates of the Applied Music course at UHI are associated with Feis Rois and this synergy will help strengthen the future of the profes- sional development strategy in col- laboration with XpoNorth. Meanwhile in Holywood, “It is so nostalgic but a bit grubby,” says Tamzene. “But this event has been awesome.” Holywood Boulevard is jaded. But the walk of fame still impresses and sparkles - celebrating every star imaginable from Sinatra to Caruso, Christine Aquilera to Patsy Kline and the Rugrats. I suspect there may be a wee space in future for Tamzene.


Tamzene is part of the XpoNorth 2017 Music Showcase (bit.ly/2quJBcj).


Mark Sheridan is vice-chair of the Board of Directors of Feis Rois and Reader in Music and Creativity at the University of the Highlands and Islands. Formerly at Strathclyde University, he has worked with UHI since 2011. He is a composer and writer. His newest work,’Dreaming Agrakas’, a one act opera about migration, celebration and tragedy, will be performed at the ‘Expressing the Earth’ conference in Seil Island, Argyll on 23 June. He also plans to tour the work around small venues in the Highlands and Islands.


MUSIC MAKING


XPONORTH


Tamzene was talent- spotted busking outside M&S in Inverness


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