LDN Features: The best kind of showcase [Interview]
Music and much more
When is a band not just a band? LDN Features are the answer to that question. Both a highly-skilled studio band and a “multimedia platform showcasing the very best original emerging talent live”, the collective are subtly building a community of like-minded musical people.
After LDN Features came to my attention with their Katherine Priddy session, I spoke with founders Andy Wilder and Sam Sharawi. They explain that, along with a few other musicians, they spent some time as a backing band for artists including Elle Exxe, Sarah Darling, Andrew Cassara, Miko Marks, JJ Rosa and Belle Roscoe). From there, the idea formed naturally: morphing into a house or studio band who could offer solo artists the chance to record high-quality live sets which would be promoted online.
“It was also as a way of giving back to musicians,” says Sam. “For some of the artists, it’s very risky for them to hire out a recording studio and do everything live. This is the group’s main ethos: to record everything live in one take, “to really showcase real musicianship”.
“We want to work with as many musicians as we can, but they have to be able to sing live, in tune completely and to that level … regardless of their numbers and things like that,” Sam says. “It’s been a really nice growing process of me, Andy and The Collective (the house band), and the solo artists, learning.”
That process has led to a series of successful sessions which — thanks to the skill of videographers Matt Allen and Benjamin Scarsbrook — have resulted in well-produced, beautiful videos hosted on the LDN Features YouTube channel.
“It’s slowly gaining a really cool name and bigger and bigger artists are coming on board; and some record labels are working with us and putting forward their artists, too,” continues Sam.
“There are other channels doing stuff, but no one’s got a house band. And it’s a big risk for the artists — it’s really nice to see them adopting it. They’re coming into a room with people they don’t know and who they trust only because they’ve seen the stuff they’ve seen beforehand, and they’re handing us their precious song,” Sam says.
The group spends only 2 hours with each visiting solo artist: one hour for a rehearsal and sound check, a 15-minute break, and then one hour to get that one, perfect take.
“You can see it when artists first come in with a bit of anxiety, but then as soon as we do the first proper take, they know it’s going to sound good. You can see the relief!” says Andy.
The project — like all brilliant ideas — has evolved at its own pace. Sam had found himself learning the intricacies of live studio engineering and mixing, as well as performing music. I’ve noticed the quality of the LDN Features sound and so it comes as no surprise to find out that Sam had picked up some tips from online sessions run by the engineer behind NPR’s Tiny Desk sessions.
The team have had expert help with mixing the sessions, too, including from Joe Rodwell and Oliver Heyward as well as Charlie T from Konk Studios — bringing in another element to the growing collective.
“We’re kind of expanding this massive, collaboration thing — it’s really cool.”
It’s testament to the commitment and talent of the founders and members of the LDN Features collective that the project has grown in this way. And also that, according to Andy and Sam, there’s a relaxed but laser-focused atmosphere during the recording sessions.
“It’s almost like the days of the Motown band — it’s quite a high pressure thing to get it done in one take, but at the same time it doesn’t feel like that in the room,” says Sam.
“That’s something we’ve taken away from it too — that red light syndrome is gone,” Andy adds.
There’s a very beautiful honesty to the LDN Features project — a combination of commitment to quality, clear talent and a real desire to support other parts of the wider music community. But where do they go next?
“We’re always pushing for better quality — that’s one thing we’ve always taken with us,” says Andy. “So the next session we might have an even bigger studio or an even bigger arrangement.”
LDN Features have teamed up with Future Hits Radio, SE Microphones and video distributor Horus Music, with more collaborations planned.
“When you start to do good things, other people who are good also want to help out. So it’s about finding good people and companies who want to come on board and work with us, and help the artists as well,” says Sam.
In these days when, almost every day, we hear bad things about the music industry, it’s refreshing to hear such goodness and positivity. Expect even bigger and better things from LDN Features.
