ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: Silver Man
After years championing artists through Outpost Media and 3 Bar Fire Records, Silver Man is stepping back into the spotlight with Paint Me In Gold. Having worked with names including Diplo, Mr Scruff, Nightmares On Wax, Skream and Example, he joins us to discuss creativity, confidence, storytelling and his exciting new musical chapter.
1. You've built an incredible career through Outpost Media and 3 Bar Fire Records. Looking back, did you ever imagine you'd be releasing music under the name Silver Man?
Thank you! Well that was how I got into Music in the first place: being in bands and that evolved into producing. I had a deal with Tru Thoughts in 2003 as Silver Man and had various releases on my own label 3 Bar Fire over the years since then. The question of whether I would revive the Silver Man project and start writing again after 19 years away from producing is something completely unimaginable a few years ago - it simply happened very naturally, messing around with Garageband (and thinking hmm I used to know how to do this!) writing a few lullabies for my children and it evolved from there.
2. You founded Outpost Media in 2005 and have worked with labels like Warp, Sony, Def Jux and !K7. What are some of the biggest lessons you've learned from working with so many different artists and teams?
It's a front row seat to running an independent record label in a professional setting; and seeing how artists operate. So this isn't like going into the studio with them, I honestly can say I was never in a studio with any of the artists I worked with - except to do a press interview for instance. PR, radio play is hidden from most people - they don't connect the dots between hearing a track on the radio and wondering how it got there - no idea. Of course - you hire a radio plugger and they get it to the producer of a show for you - and then it appears on radio. It's like magic.
Some of the biggest lessons I've learned are the obvious ones - resilience, keeping going. Invest in PR. Don't be afraid to switch genres if the one your doing isn't quite working for you. I've seen careers take off when that happens - Isabella Summers from Florence and the Machine for instance who was doing hip hop before, and also Example who moved from rapping to singing and dance music.
3. Over the years you've worked with names like Diplo, Mr Scruff, Nightmares On Wax, Skream, Example and Pitbull. Has working with artists of that calibre changed the way you approach your own music?
Not really, not more so than any other artist that I haven't worked with. I am always trying to learn though so I never feel that I know it all. You’re in a different frame of mind when working with these artists. It’s about plotting a PR campaign for them, you're working for them. You aren’t involved in the creative side of the product, just the promotion of it. The lessons learned are much more business side of the industry rather than creative. For me, the 2 sides don’t overlap. You are working a wide range of music, and its all a certain standard or quality but it doesn’t mean you love every piece of music you are working - its about whether there is a market for it, is there an audience that is going to be interested in this.
4. Your latest single Paint Me In Gold feels both personal and cinematic. What was the spark that first inspired the track?
I had the instrumental already and I was looking online for some vocals for another track I was simultaneously working on. And then these samples appeared on Reddit and I just thought they would go well with the instrumental I had written. It was kind of a dark, gritty Burial type sound and the Scottish poetry felt unique once I put them together. The vocals were all jumbled up as single lines, so I rearranged them into an order that made sense, and this was the result.
5. The spoken word vocal has a really unique story behind it, coming from a Reddit upload by a Scottish poet known only as Cass. What was it about those words that made you want to build a song around them?
It was more that the vocals went on a track I was already working on when I discovered them, rather than building the track around the vocals. Although I expect I edited the structure a little once I had the vocals to work with. There's 2 different drum beats on the track.
6. Lines like "the cracks stopped being wounds, they became windows" really stick with you. How important is storytelling when you're writing and producing music?
Yes there's some cracking lines in there hey! Music is only ever about the meaning and how it makes you feel. The best songs ever are simple guitar and vocals. Music isn't about the more instruments you use, the better it sounds - it's a about creating a feeling, a vibe - developing meaning within the music.
7. You grew up in Manchester during the 1980s, with The Haçienda, The Stone Roses and The Smiths all shaping the city's music scene. What memories from that era still inspire you today?
The Stone Roses and Oasis are still relevant today and with their relaunch / tours they developed new audiences and gave the existing audience the chance to see them again. I was a teenager in the late 80’s so that Madchester scene was in full swing, hooded tops and flares, and the birth of house music. I look for inspiration from artists that are performing now - producers like Fred Again…, who has redefined electronic music production. This new artist I came across I’m Loam is unbelievable-I've a sneaky suspicion it's a side project from someone already big though. Artists that are holding on to melodies but putting a modern twist on it. Music by definition will always evolve.
8. Your music blends influences from artists like Fred again.., DJ Shadow, Bonobo, Burial and Bicep. Which of those artists has had the biggest impact on your sound, and why?
Bonobo really, his first album ‘Animal Magic’ in particular, DJ Shadow’s ‘Entroducing’, Quantic’s early releases. Portishead’s debut album and the Massive Attack releases, Tricky - that whole trip hop vibe just struck a chord with me and that’s what I seem to be drawn to when i write.
9. You've spent years helping other artists get their music heard. Has stepping into the artist role given you a whole new appreciation for what they go through?
I have been releasing something every few years even though i wasn't writing anything new since working in PR, and prior to that i was in bands. I think therefore that I always understood what artists were going through - i understood it on a deeper level and maybe that’s why Outpost did so well because i wasn’t faking it, I wasn't just trying to get into the music industry for the sake of it. I was an artist that fell into doing music PR so i always had that understanding of the dynamics of making music. Stepping into an artist role - i don’t think it is much different to how everyone experiences things - periods of self doubt, periods of confidence, having to develop a thicker skin. These are also the attributes everyone should try and develop whatever work they do.
10. Paint Me In Gold moves from tension to hope over the course of the track. Was creating that emotional journey something you planned from the beginning?
It started to evolve when i got the vocal samples for it and started rearranging them. Maybe the instrumental took 30 mins or an hour, and then the vocals maybe another hour or so. So it came out quite quickly, as fast as i could produce it! 🙂 I try and work quickly when i get the chance. Of course there’s a bit more time finishing it, but the main parts were done quickly.
11. Running a successful music company while making your own records can't be easy. How do you balance the business side with staying creative?
I actually find it difficult. Its like I have 2 brains - 1 is the music business and the other is the creative one. And they are mutually exclusive. If i’m doing music business stuff, my creative side just switches off naturally, its odd. Then when the business side dies down, the creative side appears and can dominate for a period of time. So that’s actually what happened when i started my PR agency - I stopped producing for basically 19 years although was still playing guitar and DJing. Then when the PR agency finished, I started writing again. I think you almost need to be bored to write music, to have that creative space - it feels like a bit of a cliche but for me it’s true.
12. You've already received support from outlets like DJ Mag, Beatport and Music News. How does it feel to see your own music connecting with listeners and tastemakers?
Of course its nice to receive positive feedback but there comes a point where as an artist you have to accept that you are good enough, and with that comes confidence. With ‘Paint Me in Gold’, i felt i turned a corner in terms of confidence. Even after 2 albums, and several releases, being in 3 bands and so on, this track is a turning point in my own self-belief. I've written about 5 albums now although only 2 of them have been released.
13. If you could sit down with one of the artists you've worked with over the years and collaborate on a Silver Man track, who would it be and what do you think that session would sound like?
Nice question. The one that springs to mind is Wes - Diplo. He’s so massive now, had a long career. He came over from the US when I did his debut album for Big Dada - ‘Florida’ - one of Ninja Tunes labels that they’ve just resurrected- Roots Manuva’s label. So yeah Diplo I think would be pretty special. I only met him briefly, we did an album launch at Deal Real Records in Soho, it was a hot day and I was doing some T-shirt promo at the time for a label called Trickster - I took one down to Wes and he seemed happy with it! I doubt he’s still got it though!
What would it sound like - crumbs knows! He has such a wide variety of styles. I suppose we'd just jam a bit and see what happens. I’d take my bass and put down a nice bass line.
But I can say, maybe its me, but I’m not really in touch with any of the artists i worked for. Some of the labels became friends over the years, some old clients i still hang out with. But for the artists …i was just the PR guy !
I kept it separate I didn't mix business with pleasure so to speak. Maybe in the very early days I would send some of my tunes to Mr Scruff and some labels I was working with; but when I started my own firm I stopped doing that - I don't think it is professional when someone is paying you to do a job for them and you're simultaneously trying to get feedback on your own music or work with them creatively - it blurs the lines. Best keep it simple.
Elliot Gleave / Example i had a good relationship with so possibly him too, he could do some vocals for me 🙂
Air - We did some work for them years ago too.
Alex Patterson from the Orb - we did Bicycles and Tricycles for him and another album too.
George Nightmares on Wax- he could do a remix for me!
This is like a wishlist now hey.
14. What do you hope people take away after listening to Paint Me In Gold, especially if it's the first time they've discovered Silver Man?
I want people to get into it, feel the beat! I think people should apply Cass’ lyrics to their own life. It's a powerful song, with meaningful lyrics and something we can all relate to : something going wrong in our lives, a break up; something that didn't go to plan. But rebuilding and going again, using our past experiences as a teaching and realising that imperfection is something to be accepted in our lives. ‘Get up and get on with it’ as my mother would say.
15. This feels like an exciting new chapter in your career. What's next for Silver Man, and is there an EP, album or live shows on the horizon that fans should keep an eye out for?
Thanks, yes it does feel like a shift in my music career. I’ve got about 2 albums worth of unreleased material, maybe 20 + tracks, half of them are mastered. But the market is just flooded with music, and AI is part of that issue so its even more difficult than ever to be heard and for people to find music that they connect with. There’s too much out there. But I’m just going to keep writing and releasing; there’s maybe some DJ slots lined up for the future, but probably not much live action unless there was a demand for it - i could probably pull it together. But I’m naturally a behind the scenes guy - i probably wouldn’t say much on stage so any live show would probably be pretty dull !!!! 😂Although I once did made a cameo appearance on stage with El-P and Cage at 93 Feet East in Shoreditch - as a waiter who brought them some wine as part of their set! But I don't think there is any verifiable footage of this momentous event!