Cooperations: percussion work with Sławek Berny
In all the projects I work on, I always look for maximum truthfulness. On the occasion of producing Amelia Tokarska’s album, I had a great opportunity to work with Sławek Berny. Słwek is an excellent percussionist well known in Poland (working with, among others, Kroke, Grzegorz Turnau, Adam Sztaba Orchestra, Marek Grechuta, Piwnica pod Baranami and hundreds of artists in collaborations in the studio), who is known for his distinctive approach to the use of percussion. To quote Sławek: “I would like that in music they don’t talk about hindering, but helping.” This thought guided me while arranging my own adaptations of Celtic themes, which will be premiered as an album by Amelia Tokarska soon. In some of the songs I was looking for sounds typical of Celtic music, in others I was looking for a fresh perspective.
All the necessary sounds were recorded at Cavatina Hall in Bielsko-Biała, with the microphones setup necessary to achieve space within the Dolby Atmos standard. It was a real pleasure to juxtapose the sounds of the harp with such instruments as: chimes, wood chimes, triangle, woodblock, steeldrum, tens of percussion bells (each in specific key), janissaries (in polish – “janczarki”), drum cymbals in many sizes and shots, rainsticks and many more – each one in a few different dynamic shots.
Finally we had several hundred of recorded instrument sounds. Many people have asked – “why don’t you use ready-made samples, it will be much cheaper“? The answer is simple – none of the commercially available libraries matched what I want to achieve, and neither were they ready to be used in a Dolby Atmos mix – since microphone setup and quality were extremely important to me as a producer.
As a producer, I do not recognize compromises in sound quality, and I am sure after listening to the recordings that this was the best decision. During the intensive work on the arrangements, my assumptions were confirmed and harmony with the sound of the harps is what I was looking for – something ultimately very satisfying and deepening musical thoughts. Considering how fantastic the cooperation with Sławek was, I’m sure that the sounds produced together will be able to appear on other albums I produce – as it will be difficult to get better quality. Piotr Wilmanowicz was responsible for the session in the studio, and Tadeusz Mieczkowski was responsible for the mix.
Stay tuned!