As We Speak by Dream Skills & G.W. Sok
As We Speak by Dream Skills and G.W. Sok
In April 2022, Jos (G.W. Sok) and I had a tour booked in the Midwest, and had a day off after our Detroit show, and before our Chicago date. Normally I like tours to be an every day affair, but we couldn’t find anything before Chicago, so I thought about other ways to use the time, rather than sit in some shitty hotel room. I wondered if it would be worth asking electrical audio if they had a free date on April 19th 2022, and if possible, could Steve Albini engineer the session? It so happened this was a possibility, an expensive one for me, but still, I’d get to record at a studio I’d thought about since being a shellac/big black obsessed young man. I asked about the various options in regard to the session being tape or digital. Albini would only record to tape solo, but if you wanted a pro tools session, you could hire an assistant engineer. I ummed and ahhed about the price of the tape, the idea that I’d only have 30 minutes on the reel, weighing this against the idea of an unlimited pro tools session, and with an assistant engineer. Ultimately, I decided that if I was indeed going to Steve Albini’s studio to record, it would be best to keep it all analog, and all on 2” tape. At least for the recording process.
With the 19th April booked, the idea was to be at Electrical audio for 11.00am on the 19th April, so this meant driving straight after our Detroit show, getting a motel somewhere about an hour outside of Chicago, and sleeping for a few hours before the session. I knew this would be knackering, but whatever, the session had to happen now. I felt bad making my compadres do this.
Prior to the tour/recording, I had drawn a schematic plan of what wire would go where, and what signals would be split up during the session. I had messed around on the synths and planned some interesting stuff, especially with a sequencer and the monologue, which was making sounds like a heavily distorted guitar. I thought that by sending the synth through his amps, and using his mic’ing techniques, we’d discover some really interesting sounds with the synthesizers.
I ended up taking both cases of modular synths, plus a Korg monologue, a drum machine, and even an akai mpc, though unsure if I even wanted to use it as it is a digital sampler. I didn’t mean to bring the kitchen sink, but I wanted options at the studio. I also brought along a glass jar with some tea inside. I don’t know why I picked a glass jar, but along the way, unbeknownst to me, the jar exploded in my bag! So when I went yo retrieve it at our Detroit show, I ripped my finger open on the remaining shards of glass jar! It was absolutely gushing everywhere, but luckily I had a load of band aids to wrap my finger well enough! This happened to be a major bummer for me. I was like, “how the fuck have I managed to mangle my finger right before one of the most important recording sessions of my life”?!
After a rubbish sleep in a motel just outside of Chicago, I made my way with a heavily bandaged finger to electrical audio. This was surreal to me, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous. When we arrived, I rang the doorbell. Albini arrives, wearing a mask, and immediately says “hi, I’m Steve”. , like, dude, we know. I thought this was telling of the kinda man he is. He knows we know he’s Steve Albini, but he’s humble about it. I loved it. I felt bad having to shake hands with my bandaged finger, which was massive and visible for all to see!
When we went into studio B, masks on as planned, he said to me, “okay, please write out every song in order and what instruments will be played on the tracks”… lol, I thought back to interviews with Albini whereby he states that bands should come to his studio well rehearsed and make the best use of the time. I thought about how he likes bands tight and well practiced. “Well, I am mainly an improvisational musician. I know the machines well, and have ideas for this sessions, but I don’t have specific songs and song names”. I was very pleased that he was so understanding, and he seemed open to trying any of my ideas. I think it helped that I had all the channels planned, I had ideas to separate tracks and knew specifically what I wanted from electrical audio. He said to me, “so you want to try and make one long 30 minute song”? “well, I’m probably going for 8 x 3-5 minute tracks…” “good luck”, he replied. “You think I’m being ambitious”? “Yeah, I think so”!
I asked about recording Jos at the same time as tracking my instruments. Though Jos had decided that he would listen to my tracks while I was recording, and then add later on during the day. Albini agreed.
When it came to tracking the instruments, I wanted to put the 909 through his desk. I remember talking to him about what he did with his drum machines in big black, but he couldn’t recall for sure. He informed me that it was a combination of into the desk, and re-amping. “Though I’m not an expert electronic producer”. I didn’t exactly have time for experimenting with drums and amps, so I stuck to the initial plan of putting the drums through the desk, and having my modular synths going to amps, and the desk. It was essential to have room mics! “I have these two samplers which are digital, you don’t mind this”? “It’s all the same to me, I don’t give a shit”.
I recorded my initial parts for ‘An Idea’ in two attempts. First time I was nervous as hell and messed up the tempo change. He let me go back and do another try! After the initial guitar line was recorded, I went back and layered some Synths. I did this completely forgetting that Albini dislikes overdubs! When we listened back, he was nodding along with approval! Having tracked one song, and being desperately nervous, I had to have some ‘tea’, so went out and did that while also buying him a coffee. I can’t help but be relaxed at recording sessions, because the alternative is to be pensive and uptight, and I just don’t want this to ever impact my music. What was immediately clear to me is that Albini was a consummate professional, and if you are working with him, you better know what you are doing. He’ll suffer no fools. So while I had my tea and coffee break, I knew it was time to get back to work.
For the second track I decided to enlist my old friend Armando Morales to help me add something with his korg Minilogue, which is a lovely ambient sounding polyphonic synth. Armando is a long term collaborator and was on tour with us as part of opening bell. Although this was not part of my original plan, Albini was cool enough to set up his synth and send it to the board and an amp. A few tracks includes Armando, and a number are layered with my synths.
I remember at one point during the session, it was getting on, and I asked him if he wanted to eat, if i should get us some dinner. He told me that he doesn’t eat until late, and by late he meant after midnight. I found it strange and interesting that the man didn’t eat a single thing the whole day, so I thought, well, if it works for him I’ll just keep recording. He said “don’t worry, we can go on late” .
During the session, I kept asking him how long I had left on the tape after each ‘song’. He found this funny, and was like, “You can always buy another tape if you want”. I was trying to be more economical and also keep to my plan of 6-8 tracks. In action beat, we always used to keep track of times related to the session, being sure that we stuck to particular times on the reel so that it would make a 30 minute session. Theses sessions were always improvised.
I got to the last song, as we speak, and I accidentally ran past the reel’s length, so it abruptly ends. Jos and I both loved this! Albini said it was one of the most economical uses of a tape he had ever seen! He said to me, at 8pm, “well, unless there is anything else you desperately need to record, I have to sanitize the studio for tomorrow’s session, and you’ll have to pack up all your gear”. I was rather taken a back by this, because in my mind we were going to 10pm at least, and I thought I was going to have Jos’ vocals recorded. “Is there any way we could record Jos’ vocals really quick? Like I know by gear so well that it’ll take me 30 minutes, and you can set up around me”. He looks me dead in the eye and says, “I have to sanitize the studio for tomorrow’s session, and you need to pack your stuff, I won’t have time for vocals and I’m not staying past midnight”. I had always read that sessions at electrical are ended at times everyone agreed on, and in my min, I thought that if I ended instrument tracking around 8, we’d still have a few hours for vocals. I was kinda bummed, but also understood the guy was a serious about the health and safety of his staff and clients, plus, I wasn’t about to get in an argument with someone I admired my whole life. “No problem, man”.
When we paid up and were all finished, he said “congratulations” and shook my hand.
We receive the digital files about 2 weeks later, and they sent the 2” tape. I wasn’t sure what to do with it in terms of mixing. I reflected that even though I had taken the kitchen sink, and 3 digital samplers, 2x 1010 bitbox, and MPC, the only digital sample on the record is the digital bird sample on ‘as we speak’. The rest is analog synths and drum machines. Although it would have been lovely to have Albini mix the tape, it was simply too pricey for me, and I thought it was best to give it to someone who knew my music better. This so happened to be Seth Manchester at machines with magnets, who has worked on a number of my records, and having mixed Albini sessions in the past, he knew exactly what to do.
I reflect that by having the vocals recorded months later, Jos had time to sit with a mixed recording of the synths and decide how his voice would best fit the tracks. Of course I will say this, but the results are spectacular. Albini somewhat did us a favor here.
Thank you Steve Albini. Even though you prefer tight well rehearsed rock bands to improvised avant electronic musicians, you were so kind to me, and it was a pleasure to watch you work. The best compliment was to see you nodding along approvingly to my tracks. Simply one of the best audio engineers in living memory. I only wish he got to hear the record.
