Andy Gray
You may not know Andy Gray by name, but you've definitely heard his music in film, TV, radio, and videogames. Andy has written or co-written (with collabrators like Paul Oakenfold) for movies like Swordfish, The Bourne Identity, Collateral, The Matrix: Reloaded, and Baby Mama. In addition to scoring and composing for films, Andy has also released top charting remixes for artists like Tori Amos, Korn, U2, and Gary Numan. His own bands, Amoebassassin, Bunker, Element Four, and Fatal have all gotten critical acclaim. Video games like Kineticia (Playstation 2) and television shows like Big Brother UK have also featured his compositions. With an impressive discography, Andy has earned a reputation for creating immaculately produced tracks and powerful, driving beats. Aside from having his hands in every aspect of the music industry, Andy owns a historical English manor house and is an avid horticulturalist. Recently, Andy emailed to let us know how DrumCore has become the newest addition to his sonic arsenal. Check out the interview below:
How did you first get into the music industry?
Playing around with Roland Sh09s and the EMu SP12, ended up working in a synth shop in west London. I then got a job as tea boy in a studio, then assistant engineer, then moved to programming, then end up writing parts when I was programming, then moved to producing and ended up writing more.
You're known for your dance and electronic music production work, what are your biggest influences?
Its been a while since I worked in the dance world. I do the odd remix, but have moved into alternative music of all styles, film scores, but when I started I guess I liked most of the Detroit House. Simple minimal vibe. My band Amoebassassin started writing tracks that had vocals. Steve (Steve Sacre, singer of Amoebassassin) was in a punk band when I meet him. We quickly started to create a new sound, mixing vocals and what became progressive house. You hear the follow on from that in the charts these days.
What is your studio setup like?
I am a mix of vintage and ultra Modern (but no tape!). Most of my synth's are 80s or early 90s. My mic collection starts from the 40s to 60s. I love old mics (and love ribbons the most). I have an old 60s Ludwig kit. I aslo have a selection of mic pre's SLL/Helio's Quad8/EMI and some compressors, after that its all done 100% in Protools. I use an ICON Desk. Before the ICON I had a ProControl with Protools for 10 years so it's been about 15 years of mixing and recording in Protools, and it's just getting better and better! I like to record the warm old synths and the sound the old mics capture from the sound and still have the flexibility of Protools.
What do you think of DrumCore? Has it affected your songwriting or workflow at all?
It's a great and very fast plug-in for writing thats for sure! The fact that after you start with a quick loop you can drag it to a PT track is so fast, then turn it to midi if you what to add some fills, or change the sounds around. Also working with style makes it really quick to hone in and not have to listen to a lot of wrong breaks that can put you off your original idea.
What are your current projects?
An album of Alternative covers with Craig Douglas an artist from the late 50s, a couple of film trailer tracks, and just finishing the Score to the "TT3D Close to the Edge" film.
Is there a song, album, or project you are particularly proud of?
I am very happy with the TT3D sound track. It's always great when you get to use a live string section (which I did in Prague) on the track "Ready, Steady, Go - Bunkka" I wrote about 10 years ago. You still hear it all over films, that's a good one, and back then sounded like nothing else.
I read somewhere that in addition to music, you own a bed and breakfast and are into horticulture. Is that true?
I live in an old Manor house, my wife in the summer does a couple of rooms BnB. That's her thing. Yes, I love my garden. I have 5 acres, most of which is formal. Nice change from looking at a screen all day!
Where can our users learn more about you and your projects?
You can learn more about me and my productions on
http://andygrayproductions.com/
http://www.myspace.com/grayedout
http://www.myspace.com/fatalmusic
I also work under the name Grayedout, so search under that. Also, I have someone working on my own site grayedout.com, not up at the moment but will be soon.
