Mixing / Production

Since Lamb first came to prominence at the height of the mid-'90s trip-hop movement, Andy Barlow and Lou Rhodes' distinctive blend of electronica and organic songwriting has gone from strength to strength.

With their number one album Absolution, British three-piece Muse have established themselves as one of the most ambitious and innovative rock bands in the world — and in Rich Costey, they've found an engineer and producer who understands their aims and encourages them to experiment.

Over the last decade, Mouse On Mars have become one of the leading names in European electronic music. Their experimental approach brings together analogue and digital, lo-fi and hi-fi, real instruments and samples to create an organic-sounding whole.

With the death of producer Sam Phillips, the music industry has lost one of its greatest pioneers. In an interview given towards the end of his life, he looked back on his work with greats like Elvis Presley, Howlin' Wolf, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison and Johnny Cash, most of whom were unknowns before they signed to his Sun Records label.

Liam Watson went against the grain to build a studio with the retro sound he loved. And now that sound is back in fashion, he's had a number one album with the White Stripes.

There's a drum & bass revival going on, and London Elektricity are taking the genre in new directions — including live stages across Europe.

Depending on your point of view, prog-rock survivors Marillion are the least cool band in the world — or the best-kept secret in the music industry. They've certainly found a different way of doing music for a living...

Norbert Putnam was part of the original Muscle Shoals rhythm section, and as a million-selling producer, helped to bring pop music to the country capital of the world.

When Steely Dan ended a 20-year hiatus with 2000's Two Against Nature, they took full advantage of today's digital recording tools. For their new album Everything Must Go, however, they've returned to analogue tape and live band recording. Paul Tingen reports...

Many record producers are content to remain out of the public eye, but Mickie Most was a household name. In a unique interview before he passed away in May, Britain's most successful hitmaker looked back over his extraordinary career.

Blur's latest album has taken the band 18 months to make, commuting between London, Devon and Morocco. Somehow, producer Ben Hillier also found the time to produce new records by Elbow and Tom McRae...

Kieran Hebden of Four Tet is a producer who puts the intelligence into Intelligent Dance Music.

The success of soul legend Solomon Burke's comeback album is a testament to the virtues of keeping things simple in the studio.

A gaggle of famous MCs, a star of the extreme sports world, and a laptop recording setup in a hotel bedroom: could the MuskaBeatz project show the way ahead for rap music?

Production music's sub-standard image means that many composers and producers ignore it, despite its commercial potential. Extreme Music are a London-based company who are trying to change the perception of library music.

Joe Zawinul is perhaps the best-known and most influential keyboardist in jazz. He pioneered the use of electric keyboards and synths with Weather Report, and at 70 he's still at the peak of his powers.

BBC Bristol's natural history series 'The Life Of Mammals' was a high-profile production, with stunning visuals that demanded an equally impressive soundtrack.

Heavy rockers Nickelback have enjoyed amazing success with their multi-platinum album Silver Side Up. Frontman Chad Kroeger is not only their main songwriter, but also plays an active role in production and looks after an expanding business empire.

Engineer Richard Chappell has been at Peter Gabriel's Real World Studios for over 15 years — and he's spent seven of them working on Gabriel's latest solo album.

Production music will never be glamorous, but it can be very lucrative. As head of music production at one of the UK's largest libraries, Tim Geraghty is in the perfect position to offer advice to SOS readers with an eye on this market.

If you don't think the sampler can be a musical instrument, then you haven't been listening to the music of Amon Tobin!