Itai Simon is a music producer and a pro recording bass player from Israel, who has recently launched a website offering Online Bass Recording Services. In this interview he talks about his love for music, his latest and current projects, and the ins and outs of the online music world.
Voicu Mihnea Simandan: Music is your passions. How did it all start?
Itai Simon: My love for music started from an early age. I remember listening to bands and artists like Dire Straits, Beatles, Sting and Bruce Springsteen when I was 7 or 8 years old. I was loving it and I just couldn’t get enough, but the first time that music as a true art form really opened up to me was when I was 9 or 10. One morning during the summer break I opened the TV to find Pink Floyd’s Live at Pompeii psychedelic concert and I was blown away; you can only imagine what it is for a boy that age to discover this kind of artistic freedom even possible.
MVS: You have just launched a website where you offer to help musicians record bass for their tunes. Tell us about the concept behind this project.
IS: I’ve been doing this for years now with local artists, singer-songwriters etc. and in time I started getting offers from international artists as well, finding it very interesting to be involved with different music scenes around the world. I love the challenge of finding the perfect bass track for a song, and sometimes I get such great songs to work on that it really inspires me as a musician and artist myself.
MVS: What makes a good bass part for a song? What are some of its most important features?
IS: You can look at it from two different directions:
One would be for the bass line to have a great 1) Groove – makes you move the right way, 2) Sound – feels ever so interesting to the ear and teases your brain so you’ll want more and more, and 3) Melody – I think that bass lines with catchy hidden melodies in them tend to enrich the song itself and give it a sub-layer with enough musicality to even stand alone apart from the rest of the song.
The other way I like looking at it is from a “magic” point of view; sometimes you just can’t explain it but you know when you hear it, by listening with your heart instead of your brain. Once you find the perfect bass part you’ll know because suddenly the song becomes so much better and everything clicks.
MVS: How does the recording process work?
IS: It’s very simple and that’s why I love working via the internet . No distractions, no ego, just pure creativity. First, you upload the best version that you have of your song when you make an order via my website, and of course add any directions and comments that you want me to pay close attention to. Then, I go to work and do my magic, and once I record a bass track that I’m totally satisfied with, I will send you back an MP3 rough mix to review and approve. Only after you are truly happy with the rough mix, I will send you the final version files in the highest quality format. I will do modifications and retakes of the bass track until you approve the rough mix I send, with no extra charge of course.
MVS: What are the benefits musicians can get from an online recording service?
IS: Nowhere on earth you can get a real professional bass player to record for your song a really great bass part with quality studio equipment and superb sound, in these budget prices, unless for an online music recording service. The differences in costs are enormous, plain and simple. An online service lets me cut down the costs for my clients in half, at least. There is also another benefit to this which is probably less obvious, by working alone in my studio and not having the artist himself beside me, there is no ego at all, and I can concentrate entirety on the song, and that’s where the magic comes in. This is how it’s done for years in the music mixing business, they prefer to work alone in the mixing room, without anyone bothering them, because sound design in a delicate process, they need their full concentration to make the song sound just right.
MVS: You’re also part of the international instrumental electro-pop duo Rendezvous, Tell us about your latest release.
IS: We released our album Another Round Please last year in Europe and digitally worldwide and sold very nicely; been in the top 40 UK club charts with our two singles C Sharp and The Murf. We worked with producer Dave Bascombe (Depeche Mode, Tears For Fears, Kylie Minogue, etc.) and also were remixed by John Digweed & Nick Muir, Carl Cox and other famous DJ’s… Now we’re working on our second album.
MVS: How would you describe your music philosophy?
IS: Music is all about freedom, expressing yourself, a true way to communicate with yourself and others. There are no rules in music. Music is for everyone. No limitations, no right and wrong. The first thing that everyone encounters in this world is music, as heartbeat in the womb, and this is the sound of life, of creation. Human beings respond to music, as do animals and plants, now we even know that this is also true for every element in the world, metal, water, everything. Music is pure energy. Philosophers wrote about it hundreds and even thousand of years ago. I think we are only starting to understand the power and importance of music. This is only the beginning.
MVS: Who influenced you the most in your music career?
IS: I’ve been influenced by so many things, some I’m aware of and some not, but if I have to choose only one I’d had to say it’s listening to Pink Floyd and especially their late sixties and early seventies live concert recordings. Never have I heard such music that is free and creative in my life; I like to call it “the soundtrack of life”.
MVS: Do you have any upcoming performances?
IS: I am concentrating on studio work at the moment. Artists usually break down to two kinds, the ones that love live performance and the ones that love studio recording; I relate more to the second kind these last couple of years. There is a level of perfection that one can achieve only in the studio I think.
MVS: With the advent of so many ways to promote and sell your product, do you think it’s possible for Indy musicians to make a name of themselves even if they don’t have a big record company behind them?
IS: Yes, of course, and that’s where the music industry is heading to I believe. Huge music labels and big record companies are becoming a relic of the past.
MVS: What are some of the promotional tools a musician can use to find listeners?
IS: Besides of the obvious social network sites ranging from Facebook to Twitter to YouTube, the best tool in my opinion is to directly approach music publishers, music bloggers, A&R of music labels, music management agencies and so on. You can search for them online one by one and look for their contact email address, but that’s hard work indeed, or you can just get your hands on a contact list which includes a list of many key music professional contacts and send them all your music to hear. You’ll be surprised to know that these people, although sometimes take their time, do listen to new artists and their music and from there the possibilities are endless, from publishers who need interesting music for TV series, commercials and movies, to music bloggers who are eager to review new artists and their music. I happen to offer this kind of key music professionals contact list, it’s one of the music services I offer on my website. I highly recommend it.
MVS: Where do you see the online music industry in 5 to 10 years?
IS: Hard to say. I’m sure a great change is ahead of us, but nobody knows when this is going to take place and how. Could be a year from now, could be more, but my guess is that in 10 years from now, things will be so different from now that it will be impossible to foresee the changes and the direction from this point in time. Looking back, on the other hand, the change will be so logical.
Listen to Rendezvous play Distorted live in Tel Aviv:
