Martin Jenkins
- I’ve always had a great love of music. One of my earliest memories is sitting around at my Gran’s house listening to The Beatles on headphones, while the adults did boring adult things!
I played guitar in a couple of bands in my teens, and managed to scrape together enough money, working Saturday jobs, to buy a 4-track portastudio. I was blown away by the fact that you could record a sound on one track, and then overdub more on the others. This was truly the future!
I then became obsessed with recording sounds from the TV and radio over a musical backdrop. I like to think of these as ‘the lost tapes’ (literally), I began to spend so much time doing this that an idea began to form in my mind… what if I could make a living doing this? Impossible,or so I thought, but after a failed degree in Computing, I found myself at Wandsworth College doing a course in Music Technology.
From there I landed a placement at the infamous Falconer Studios in Kentish Town. Although it was fun carting their only DAT machine every day to which ever of the three studios was mixing, I soon yearned for better things. A fortuitous meeting with Milo engineer Pete Hofmann persuaded me to jump ship, and crossover to East London, and Milo Studios (as it was then).
Being the home of Pussyfoot records, there was plenty of opportunity to work with their roster of artists, and after a few months of assisting, I was thrown in at the deep end and asked to mix a couple of tracks on the Naked Funk debut album. I proceeded to work with most of their artists, including Howie B, Spacer and Dobie (with Bjork). These guys gave me an insight into the power of simplicity - all you need is a sampler and an Atari ST! I also released several EPs on Pussyfoot through their off shoot label, Fragments - as Jackal.
Hoxton was a hub of activity in the mid-nineties, with labels such as Wall of Sound, Soul Jazz and Mo’ Wax all coming through the studio at one time or another. I engineered for The Wiseguys, Jadell, Skitz and Unkle during this period.
More recently, I’ve been doing a fair amount of work with French artists and producers, both here and over in Paris. Along with producer Teo Miller I’ve been involved in the debut album by Subway-“Silence Abord�?, and two albums for agit rocker Damien Saez-“God Blesse�? and “Debbie�?. I also have a good working relationship with uber pop producer Francois Delabriere, programming for him on the latest albums by Kyo, Thierry Amiel and Marc Lavoine.
And last but not least (when I’m not busy with clients), I also have two of my own projects, Stratus and Optimus. For more info on these please refer to my Collaborations link.
- Programmer, Engineer and Producer
- Martin excels in all aspects of recording and production, most notably as a top Protools and Logic engineer. His diverse list of recent clients include David Sylvian, Cathy Dennis, and producers such as Trevor Jackson and Matt Johnson. Martin has also remixed Serge Gainsbourg, Lambchop and Calexico to name a few, and regularly collaborates with top producer Teo Miller.
Mat Anthony
- I first started working with Mat when he was working at Pussyfoot Records, and also running the Fragments label. He released a couple of my Jackal EPs and we joined forces first as Nexus and then as Stratus. Our debut album 'Fear Of Magnetism' was released on Vienna's Klein Records in 2005, along with the singles 'Vapour' and 'Looking Glass'.We have also produced remixes for Serge Gainsbourg, Lambchop, Calexico, and Skye (formerly of Morcheeba)We are currently putting the finishing touches to our second album, due for release in the second half of 2007...
We have also had some success in getting our music onto ad campaigns, our track 'Uplink' was used by Sony on their 2005 European TV ad for the Walkman, and Guinness used us for a 2006 TV campaign.
Teo Miller
- I've known Teo for almost as long as I've been working in studios. I first met him as an assistant when he was engineering for Phil Vinall. We worked with several bands during this period including Placebo, Black Box Recorder, and Salamanda.Over the years we've developed a really good working relationship, and I feel that I've learned an awful lot from him. We make a good team, him producing and running the desk, and me running the ProTools, and it's always a pleasure to use his formidable collection of vintage analogue outboard.
One of the things that I've learned is that it's vital that the band are feeling comfortable in order for them to perform at their best, the performance is the most important thing, sure you can perform miracles in a DAW these days, but the 'vibe' still needs to be there.
He's always searching for different sounds, often using unorthodox methods, and sometimes this search leads to exciting and unexpected places.
More recently we've worked with Robert Plant, Martina Topley-Bird, The Rain, Zico Chain, and three albums by French artist Damian Saez.
Woven Birds (Stratus Remix), Calexico
- Remix
- City Slng Records
- This remix was included on the 'Alone Again Or' EP.
Low Ambition (Stratus Remix), Lambchop
- Remix
- City Slang Records
- This remix was included on the 'Somethings Going On (And On)' 12"
- www.lambchop.net
Listen Up 2007 (Single), The Gossip
- Additional recording/Mix
- Back Yard
- I re-recorded the vocals, bass and guitars on this new version of the album track. Beth's voice just blew me away, it's so soulful with such power. Trevor Jackson produced and the recording and mixing was done at Miloco's Garden Studio.
- www.gossipyouth.co.uk/index1.html
- iTunes
Film Soundtrack, Damien Saez
- Prog / Eng
- Own Label
Involver (Album), The Rain
- ProTools
- Mantaray Records
- A great example of what I call 'itchy rock', this was produced by long time friend and collaborator Teo Miller. The single Big Lie was included in Colin Murray's Top 10 singles of 2006.
- www.myspace.com/therainrock
- iTunes
We Run This (Duke Dumont Remix), Missy Elliot
- Prog / Mix
- Wall Of Sound
- www.myspace.com/dukedumont
Album Track, Casino Royale
- Prog / Mix
- V2 Italy
What's Wrong With Me (Stratus Remix), Skye Edwards
- Remix
- Atlantic Records
- www.skyewebsite.com/site.php
- Mike Barnes-musicomh.com
- The new single from the former voice of Morcheeba sees Skye embarking on her eagerly awaited solo career. Staying in the same genre, this is the sort of deliciously soothing tranquillity that we've all come to know and love.
With its dreamy, slightly ethereal quality this is another slice of bliss that takes you to that part of your psyche where everything is totally peaceful and stress free. It's the audio equivalent of a long hot bubble bath with nice dim lights and some of those little floating scented candles.
The absence of anything remotely resembling a chorus comes as something of a surprise, but it actually makes no difference. The song actually benefits from it, as it provides continuity to the melody and harmonics that the repetition of a chorus would have disrupted.
This is a definite must for any Morcheeba fans, or anyone that simply wants a nice relaxing air to chill out to. Skye's vocals are as flawless as ever, and you get the distinct impression that this is merely a hint of things to come. She might ask what's wrong with her, but the answer has to be - not much.
- I Like Music.com
- Skye - What’s Wrong With Me?
"I try not to think about the distance of the setting sun. I try not to think about the rain". These are opening lyrics of 'What's Wrong With Me?' the beautiful new single by amazing talent Skye. As the voice of Morcheeba, Skye sound tracked our lives on albums such as Big Calm, sold over five million albums and graced stages all around the world.
'Mind How You Go' finds Skye singing her own songs, telling her stories and finding her own way on an album that's is both personal credo and a realisation of her inner strength. 'What's Wrong With Me?' was written by Skye alongside renowned songwriter Pat Leonard (Pink Floyd/Madonna/Bryan Adams) in Los Angeles and brought a new experience to Skye. "I didn't know you could write like that," she says. "I was saying [to Pat] where's the chorus? But he simply said it didn't need one. It was strange but enlightening. A whole change of style for me" she recalls.
Five hot new remixes of 'What's Wrong With Me?' are also available and include mixes from dance producers Nouvelle Vague, Mickey J, Phonique, Jim Noir and Stratus.
"Skye is about to step into the spotlight in her own right at last." Music Week
"Effortlessly elegant with crystal clear vocals and after hours beats" M8
"A voice that's the definition of tranquil." Red Magazine
"A pleasingly lilting collection of electro flecked soothers." Time Out
- Whats Wrong With Me? (Stratus Remix)
Voodoo Sandwich (EP), Optimus
- Prod/Mix
- Eskimo Records
Film Soundtrack, Damien Saez
- Prog
- Own Label
Thierry Amiel (Album), Thierry Amiel
- Programming
- Sony BMG France
- www.thierryamiel.com/
Walkman Advert, Stratus
- Prod
- Sony
Zico Chain (EP), Zico Chain
- ProTools
- Full Time Hobby
- www.myspace.com/thezicochain
Tracks, Ben Onono
- Eng
- Tri-Tone
Tracks, Mark Owen
- Eng
- 10 Management
Tracks, Velarsound
- Eng / Co Prod
- SBM
Snow Borne Sorrow (Album), Nine Horses (David Sylvian Project)
- Rec Eng
- Opium Arts
- It was a great pleasure to work with such a legendary artist...I recorded drums and percussion for several tracks on the album.
- www.ninehorses.com
- Uncut
- Nine Horses "Snow Borne Sorrow"
David Sylvian back on sublime form.
Sylvian collaborates with brother (and fellow ex-Japan man) Steve Jansen and avant-electronica scenester Burnt Friedman for what may be his masterpiece. If you've kept the faith through his years of sonic exploration, covertly praying for one you can mope along to like Brilliant Trees or Gone To Earth, be assured: this marries epic Cohen-style narcissism and post-9/11 poetry to deft and sumptuous music. "Darkest Birds" and "The Banality Of Evil" are among the most well-guaged, melancholy songs he's ever written. Bone-dry humour, too, on"Serotonin" and "The Librarian" - if those titles show winking self-awareness, wait until you hear the lyrics. Stina Nordenstam and Ryuichi Sakamoto guest.
5/5 stars
CHRIS ROBERTS
Mighty Rearranger (Album Tracks), Robert Plant
- Rec
- Sanctuary Records
- www.robertplant.com/
300 Lesions (Album Tracks), Kyo
- Prog
- BMG France
- www.kyomusic.com/
The Way We Go (Album), Seelenluft
- Mix
- Klein Records
Kik Off (Tracks), Blak Twang
- Prog/Eng
- Wall Of Sound
Tracks, Velarsound
- Prog
- Stephen Budd Management
Debbie (album), Damien Saez
- Prog/Eng
- Island France
- myspace.com/damiensaez
Landrover Advert, Howie B
- Prog / Eng
- Landrover
Confide In Me (Remix), Kylie
- Remix
- BMG
- Optimus remix
Film Soundtrack, Oh Marbella
- Mix
- Marbella Films
Mixes, Trevor Jackson
- Eng
- Warner Music
Tracks, Tubby T
- Eng
- Relentless
Album Tracks, Steve Williamson
- Eng / Mix
- Mac 2
Milkshake (Freq Nasty Remix), Kelis
- Eng / Mix
- Skint Records
Can't Get You Out Of My Head, Kylie
- Remix
- Parlophone
Album, Subway
- Prog
- Mercury France
God Blesse (Album), Damien Saez
- Prog
- Island France
Cursory Rub, The Beamer, Spacer
- Remix
- Pussyfoot
L'Hotel Particulier-Stratus Remix, Serge Gainsbourg
- Remix
- Compilation
Old Skool New Skool, Iceberg Slim
- Prog
- Polydor
Take Me Home, Sophie Ellis Bextor
- Remix
- Polydor
War On Plastic Plants (Album), Regular Fries
- Prog
- Junior Boys Own
Uplink (E.P.), Stratus
- Prog
- Pussyfoot
- www.stratus.mu
Mat Anthony
- I first started working with Mat when he was working at Pussyfoot Records, and also running the Fragments label. He released a couple of my Jackal EPs and we joined forces first as Nexus and then as Stratus. Our debut album 'Fear Of Magnetism' was released on Vienna's Klein Records in 2005, along with the singles 'Vapour' and 'Looking Glass'.We have also produced remixes for Serge Gainsbourg, Lambchop, Calexico, and Skye (formerly of Morcheeba)We are currently putting the finishing touches to our second album, due for release in the second half of 2007...
We have also had some success in getting our music onto ad campaigns, our track 'Uplink' was used by Sony on their 2005 European TV ad for the Walkman, and Guinness used us for a 2006 TV campaign.
The Engine House (Album), Anamorphic
- Mix
- Animal Noise
Night Skool (Tracks), Meccaheadz
- Mix
- Europa
Remix, The The
- Remix
- Sony
Overload (Single), Sugarbabes
- Remix
- London Records
MOBO Allstars, D-Influence
- Remix
- Polygram
Wide & Shake Up, The Wiseguys
- Remix
- Wall Of Sound
Soundtrack, Safe As Houses
- Prog
- ITV
Forthcoming Album, Jenna G
- Recording
- Audio Authority
- www.myspace.com/j3nnag
Away Fom Here Acoustic Version (EP Track), The Enemy
- Record/Mix
- Stiff
- We recorded and mixed this acoustic version in about three hours, and the lads had killer hangovers too! Stars!
- www.myspace.com/theenemycoventry
- iTunes
Fear Of Magnetism (Album), Stratus
- Writer/Prod/Prog/Mix
- Klein Records
- Stratus' first album, released in 2005 on Klein records.
Watch out for their new album in 2007. See collaborators for more details.
- www.stratus.mu
- iTunes
- Vanity Project
- The work of Mat Anthony and Martin Jenkins, this is a huge album that refuses to be anything less than invigorating. From ‘Barocco’, a droney, plinky heat hazed panorama pricked by flute, it moves into ‘Uplink’ which swirls but in jagged shapes rather than concentric circles. ‘Downstream’ takes a Land Of Nod style approach with a clicky buzz through the schizophrenic, eccentric mood music, while ‘Looking Glass’s psyche-sheen is taken up a notch by Asha Puthli’s gorgeous vocals. The real killer for me is ‘Vapour’ that bounds like a camp 60’s superhero theme, but perhaps more for the arch-villain. The guitar line hops from foot to foot but not in time or even sequence, a creeping villainy that builds into full monsterism, an evil-genius to hulking beast metamorphosis. In all, it’s ambience with a spring in it’s step, making vibrant departures from the electronic norm
- Juice
- Having surrounded the fringes of acoustic-electronica since 2000 as remixers for the likes of Serge Gainsbourg, Lambchop and Howie Beck, Stratus have finally committed their talents to long play format on this, their debut album for Vienna's sublimely innovative Klein label. And while plenty of bedroom boffins are currently turning off their samplers and re-discovering the joys of real instruments, the duo succinctly traverse the limp meanderings of numerous lesser acts with a genuinely touching album of wistful, melancholic instrumentals, covering the ground between fragile electronic blips and woozy, psychedelic country with finesse. Soporific, occasionally sad, but endlessly engaging, it's an album to truly lose yourself in. Let them transport yourself to another place."
(4/5)
- Uncut Magazine
- "Following inspired remixes for Lambchop and Calexico, this production duo release their debut of lush, atmospheric grooves, mixing DJ Shadow and Air with gentle prog influences. Guest appearances from Asha Puthli and Howie Beck add further class."
(4/5)
- Future Music
- Stratus have released tracks on Howie B's Pussyfoot Records and remixed everyone from Serge Gainsbourg to Japanese minimalists Honolulu (yes, them). This is their debut album and it seems they've taken a bit of everyone they've worked with to come up with one of the most refreshing and complete albums I've heard in a while. From the very cinematic opener Stratus take you through some more beat-laden material, some dark songs and insistent riffy retronics that's unified with memorable hooks and phrases. 'Prog' is one word that comes to mindbut one that also does it a disservice. This is not the kind of desperate noodlings you shied away from when you were younger, but progressive in the true sense of the word. Damn fine too."
(8/10)
- DJ Magazine
- It's been a while since the rousing downbeat of Uplink, and indeed the resultant LP from Stratus may be four years down the line, however this is no cold offering. Incorporating a plethora of listening influences Fear Of Magnetism trips through a well-programmed spectrum of crisply spliced breaks, road movie atmospherics, and pastoral electronica that straddles the live and electronic divide with consummate ease. Indian vocal legend Asha Puthli makes an appearance too to bolster the case, on what is an album that should raise the game in the lounge stakes. Invest and explore, after all fear is just a prejudice of the unknown.
(4/5)
Mat Anthony
- I first started working with Mat when he was working at Pussyfoot Records, and also running the Fragments label. He released a couple of my Jackal EPs and we joined forces first as Nexus and then as Stratus. Our debut album 'Fear Of Magnetism' was released on Vienna's Klein Records in 2005, along with the singles 'Vapour' and 'Looking Glass'.We have also produced remixes for Serge Gainsbourg, Lambchop, Calexico, and Skye (formerly of Morcheeba)We are currently putting the finishing touches to our second album, due for release in the second half of 2007...
We have also had some success in getting our music onto ad campaigns, our track 'Uplink' was used by Sony on their 2005 European TV ad for the Walkman, and Guinness used us for a 2006 TV campaign.
This is the text-only version of the site. You might be seeing this because your browser doesn't support Javascript. Enter the flash version of the site here.