MI7 is a collective of independent minded music production specialist's working together to develop and produce unsigned talent & promote creativity in music.
A response to the major labels' A&R policies that endorse short-lived pop careers whilst ignoring creativity & long-term artist development. The major labels largely choose to invest their money in commercial charting 'nice butt no talent' pop and not in encouraging musical development in anyway. This is where our passions lie.
MI7's support ranges from; Artist development, Album production, Studio time, Management advice & performing at the MI7 hosted event at the legendary Marquee Club.
Lucy Pullin
Born in the Isle of Man, Lucy Pullin is a singer/songwriter whose recently been receiving interest following some one off performances.
Having performing at various venues in London including the Kashmir Kluband The Acoustic Trip Lucy's sound has been described as personal, unique and haunting. Lucy has fronted various bands to date and spent a stint in
Asia sang at a drugs awareness concert to 15,000 people. She moved to London in 1996 and has spent the last few years writing songs and has recently begun collaborating with MI7.
Lucy was a featured artist on a Robbie Williams dance remix of his smash hit 'Feel'. Lucy wrote and performed an additional verse for the remix which is currently included on the Now Dance 2004 CD.
Lucy says this about her music:
I had done a lot of singing and for the past few years I took a break from fronting bands because I just wanted to find my own sound and find the right people to work with - it's not always easy! I hate having to box music into categories and it's not for me to say what it's like really but I just to get some light and shade into everything I do and just be true to whatever is going on
Lucy sang lead and backing vocals with One Giant Leap at Glastonbury this year and in August sang for Craig Armstrong in Bristol on August 2nd where they supported Massive Attack as part of the Grolsch summer set.
The Sweet Chap
The Sweet Chap is a man at one with technology, a man at ease with his ability, a man who realises, and can manipulate, the power of song.
From the seaside town of Brighton, The Sweet Chap [AKA Mike Comber] was privy to the diverse influences only Brighton can provide. Student nights, live gigs @ the legendary Concorde or pure soulful summertime jamming on the beach, all these experiences and influences were wrestling for space within The Sweet Chap's psyche from a tender age.
Fast forward through numerous bands, singing/songwriting, lead and rhythm guitars, all gaining The Sweet Chap priceless performing experience. Developing a natural feel for the studio, The Sweet Chap moved into production and manned the panel for Lumen Essence studios in Brighton, collaborating with artists on the Lumen Essence label such as 'The Shadowless Man' and 'Leon9'. The Sweet Chap learnt the studios capabilities swiftly and soon began recording his first album 'Disco for a Domestic'.
'Disco for a Domestic' is the sound of The Sweet Chap's multi-faceted approach to music. A technological genius fighting with a soul laid bare, the genre-breaker who utilises New Orleans brass alongside P-Funk basslines but isn't yet willing to deny his folk roots. As bass, beats and twisted disco entwine with the stark beauty of a crumbling ego and torn priorities it creates a sense that you're eavesdropping on a private musical conversation between a man and his mind.
From the opening track 'Rummage' the clever lyrical twists draw you to the point where you're hanging on the storytellers every word, tales of unhappy marriage [Rummage], the workaholic we're all glad not to be [Novelty Mouse Mat] and the fight between a mans libido and his sensibilities [Horsey]. 'Disco for a Domestic' is littered with situations we all know…or know someone who knows.
If you're still searching for your soundtrack to our twisted new millennium, look no further because you've just discovered Cyber Sleaze, Sweet Chap style.
www.thesweetchap.com
Aletha
The Daze and their Lovely Ladies
Charlie Haddon and Freddie Cowan met in the harsh confines of a midlands school and immediately impressed each other with their musical ability and general ?too cool for this shit schoolness?. Freddie had been a guitarist from a young age, nurturing his talents listening to Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page amongst others. Charlie had been singing along to the greats such as Led Zeppelin and The Doors and soon enough he was applying
his raucous growl to Freddie's exciting new guitar riffs. The boys quickly formed a band, recruiting their good friend and talented drummer Felix Matthews, with Charlie taking up bass and vocals (like a girl he can do two things at once!). So by March 2004 'The Daze' was formed. Three handsome teens with a love for great music, tight clothes and loose women.
Later that month the band played their first London gig in an unknown Camden bar. That night the unforgettable live performance of The Daze was born. Young girls swooned at the spectacle and guys nodded in appreciation of the rock n' roll sounds they were hearing. By July 2004 The Daze had played Saturday night slots at The Bull & Gate and the East End gem, The Pleasure Unit. In early
August The Daze followed up on a chance meeting in Rugby Town (going along the lines of- 'You guys look as if you're in a band! Can I have your number??) and teamed up with MI7 Music. MI7 and The Daze worked together and secured headlining slots at The Elbow Room and The Halfmoon. It soon became apparent that The Daze had a set of great tunes on their hands, comparable to the music of the sixties but distinctly set in the future. Choruses on such songs as 'Runaway Girl', 'Red Slipper' and 'Take A Stand' stick in the heads of all who hear and are truly unlike any band at the moment.
September brings us to the present were The Daze are developing their act in conjunction with MI7 and ie: music. The songs are coming together fantastically, blending musicianship far beyond their years with melodies and song structure that cannot be learnt. The boys played a recent gig at The Turnmills were it was achingly clear that the possibilities were endless for this up and coming band. The legion of female fans was stronger than ever and the lovely ladies can't wait to tell the whole world of their debauched experiences as they shout out to the masses, 'I was done by The Daze!'
The Casuals
Thomas Suter (vox) and Dave O’Neill (guitar) had jammed only a few cover versions together, hadn’t written any songs, but just knew that there was something there.
Starting life as a token bedroom band, Thomas and Dave clicked immediately. The guys were mates at school in Glasgow long before playing music together and back in the day were trading favourite albums and checking new bands out at King Tuts Wah Wah Hut. Dave rapidly became a regular at the legendary Glasgow venue and started hanging out with most of the bands, eventually sharing a drinking session with soon to be bassist Dave Gilles that not only created the band but the name as well. ‘The Casuals’ was “Just picked from the air,” by the Dave's, and so, over that fateful final pint, The Casuals were born.
Casual jamming became regularly organised practice sessions, songs began to form and finding a drummer became a priority. With a plethora of hungry young Glaswegian drummers auditioned and after months of sniffin’ around they finally found the drummer who was to become the final piece of the Casuals jigsaw, Craig McKinnon. Once they'd found their backbone the songwriting process really began to kick in. “The more we played together, the more ideas we had in common. We knew there was something we had between us that would become awesome'.
Songwriting qualities were evident from the word go, killer riff-driven rockers (Good People), lyric driven power pop (Mister Mystery) and epic balls out, emotive masterpieces (Angel of Mine) all came together with the minimum of fuss. The sound the Casuals have created manages to find the priceless distinction between youthful energy and a songwriting maturity that belies their tender years. Confidently striding the middle ground between the fearlessness of youth and world wiseliness of a band who've experienced the darker side, the Casuals have created the sound that transforms angst-ridden melody into sonic bombs of musical authority.
Triumphant shows at the Glasgow Garage and Strawberry Fields were greeted with delirium by steadily growing rock hungry crowds and their gigging schedule went into overdrive. They have been gigging regularly for the past 18 months in their native Glasgow and beyond and can now boast a far-reaching fan base. This has materialised purely through word of mouth and their ability to capture a crowd and engulf them in The Casuals own single malt blend of unapologetic rock, melody driven songs and a live show that leaves an audience gasping for breath.
They have been hailed as the finest unsigned band that have spouted from Glasgow in almost two decades by leading journalists and top radio Dee-Jays. The songs hark back to flashes of Jimi, Led Zeppelin and The Stone Roses, but there is something so entirely fresh and unmistakably original that the comparisons fall short every time.
In the current state of affairs, these guys are a time-bomb waiting to explode on the unsuspecting people of the world. Watch this space, because when the time is right… They will snatch you into their whirlwind world of energy, take you for a breathtaking dance along a timeless journey of rock ‘n’ roll swagger and leave you gasping for more.
It’s all good, good, good…
www.thecasuals.co.uk
Keyboards
Kurzwell 2000
Oberheim: Cosmos stage piano
Electric Piano
Wurlitzer
Fender Rhodes
Piano
Tokai Upright Piano
Compressors & Mic Pre
Summit Audio Inc: Tube pre-amp/compressor limiter
Tubtec: Dual Compressor CL2A
TLA: C5021: Valve compressor
Avalon Design: AD 2055 Equaliser
TLA: Dual Valve Equaliser
Apogee Digital: 24 bit digital audio convertor AD8000
Moto: 2408 Audio interface
Emagic: Unitor 8 Mk II
Tc Electronics: D2 delay unit
Telefunkon V76: Mic preamps
Lexicon MPX: Reverb unit
Amplifiers
Gibson: G7 amp
Vox: AC 30
Ampeg STV Bass amp
Standel
Messa Boogie studio
Marshal
Guitars
Gibson: Lg2
Music man: Bass guitar
Fender precision: Bass guitar
Fender Jazz fretless Bass
Ovation: Acoustic guitar
Sigma:Acoustic guitar
Fender: Telecaster custom 66
Fender: Stratocaster 79
Computers
G4 Tower: 1.25 Gigs Dual Processor Dual boot
2 Samsung SynchMaster: 172m: Flat screen monitors
Logic Audio pro, Alberton Live
Waves plug-in
Desks
Spirit 328 Digital: Mixing Desk
Neve:20 channel analouge desk
Other Sound modules
Digitech: guitar processor
E-MU: Vintage keyboard module
Proteus 2000 E-MU: Keyboard sound module
Shure PSM 700 Transmitter: In-Ear Transmitter
Microphones
SM57, SM58, U87, AKG D12,
AKG 414, Rhodes
Pedals
Pedals: Assorted Pods Big Muff ect
Headphones
AKG: Hedphones
Bayer: DT100
Drums
Premier 1960’s kit
Zildijan Cymbals
Stands
Ultimate:guitar stand
Proel:Equipment stand
Stands: Guitar stands
Ultimate:keyboard stand
Sound Utillities
Yamaha NS10M: Studio Monitors
Studio Spares: Enhanced patchbay
Denon: CD Player DCD660
Tascam: Cd burner
Tascam: DAT Player 20 Mk II
Samson: Studio Amplifier
Tascam:Headphone amp
Fender Jaguar guitar 64------------- Guitars EAR 660---------------------- EQ and Compressor section URI 1176 Compresssor------- EQ and Compressor section Ludwig 1960s Drum kit -------- Drums AD 16X &DA 16X Apogee convertors---------- Convertor section 1xAKG D12, 2x AKG 414, 1x AKG 415, 1x Valve SE Gemin-------- Microphones
Headline: Mi7 Collaborating with Greenpeace on their ‘Oceans’ campaign to stop bycatch.
‘The unintentional capture in fishing nets of dolphins, porpoises and other marine species is recognised to be a major problem world-wide. It is estimated to kill some 300,000 whales, dolphins and porpoises a year.
Overall, it has been estimated that 23% of the global fisheries catch is returned, dead, to the sea.’ Greenpeace
During the spring of 2004 Mi7 wa s comissioned to compose 3 music pieces for the Greenpeace ‘Oceans’ campaign. The acoustic/ice-sculptor production was aimed at drawing public and political attention to the issue of bycatch and threat to small cetaceans.
MI7’s directive was to reinforce the urgency of the issue by creating a haunting soundtrack for the campaign. The result, a blend of three indivual peices that evoke the seniments felt by those who oppose bycath. The use of the sound-bites from a news piece (about bycath) against the urgent hydrophone tones andbeats are aimed at sonically representig the trauma of bycatch.
The event took place on the 07-06-04 outside the doorstep of Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) where a dead dolphin encased in ice(a structure weighting around two tonnes) was delivered to the sound of mi7’s ‘underwater’ sonic message. The dolphin had been killed by a trawler and had recently been recovered in the Channel by a Greenpeace ship investigating dolphin deaths caused by fishing fleets.Pair trawling involves two boats dragging a net, which can have a mouth as large as two football pitches, and is directly responsible for killing large numbers of dolphins.
For more info go to greenpeace.org.uk
amachi@mi-7.co.uk
james@mi-7.co.uk