[Michael Ward]

New Human League album " Credo" featuring me on electric alto sax. A first for the League having a sax on their recordings. Yay!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Credo-Human-League/dp/B004EPXK7C

 

[Enviroguy]

That's some great jogging music. Where are your best parts in this new album?

 

[Michael Ward]

I was only given a copy today by the producers so I will have to have a listen myself to remember. I don't think there were titles when I did it last year.

 

[selmer]

Great job Mike! Sounds great!!

 

[daigle65]

.... featuring me on electric alto sax....

What do you mean exactly by electric alto sax?

 

[Michael Ward]

I have an old RB pickup drilled into my mouthpiece and basically used two set ups. On one I triggered a Korg MS20 Synthesizer using the pitch to voltage converter.
On the other I used a 1970's fuzz wau pedal into an old Wem amp and cab that was miked up.
The producers used vintage analog synths throughout so in this spirit I opted to use vintage electronics myself. It was great fun.

 

[nachoman]

You seem to get a fantastically eclectic variety of sessions....

 

[Michael Ward]

I do a lot of stuff with alternative bands. I don't rely on it for a living so I just do music these days that interests me creatively. In the past I did a fair bit of bread and butter gigs and recordings but I enjoy myself a lot more now. You know what it's like having to try and copy well known players...I'm just me these days. Being involved in the writing and production game really helps too because I know most of the other producer/ writers around here and we all tend to use the same pool of tried and trusted players.

What's the recording scene like around your way? I know you do a lot of interesting live work.

 

[nachoman]

Apart from my incessant gigging habit with pretty much anyone who’ll have me I’m a bit out of touch due to having two small, bouncy kids. Brighton, being Brighton, has a huge amount of stuff going on but a lot of musos vying for it- used to have a good gig with the horn section I played with, doing loop-able horn parts in various styles for dance tracks and sample CDs.
Aside from that the only recording/session work I seem to get is on blues harps and musical saw (the secret of getting session work, play a bit of kit so obscure that there’s no competition!).

 

[Michael Ward]

That is very true..getting obscure kit. I have started getting bits and pieces. I just bought a hammered dulcimer from Tim Manning in Somerset for a new project that's shaping up nicely. We have just started a concept album that amongst others features the notorious 19th Century Sheffield murderer / burglar Charles Peace who was also an amazing musician and inventor..he played a one string fiddle and poker in the pubs around where I live. We were doing a track this week and to represent Charles one of the lads played the Musical Saw..it's the first time I've worked with one and I love the sound.

 

[Yofis]

Will I Want it Baby?

 

[nachoman]

top saw tips- mike them from underneath and slightly behind, also loads of reverb and, for a really good bit of atmospherics- stick your reverb on a different track and then only use the reverb, not the original recording.. lovely..

 

[Michael Ward]

Great advice thanks I will pass it on.

 

[Fader]

Good stuff - Hope they sell a million! (and you have a contract with a performance pecentage)

 

[Michael Ward]

Thanks. I think those days are long gone. I got to fill up my Beetle , couple of boxes of reeds and a round of Stout. Gone...cheers!

 

[JayeLID]

Will I Want it Baby?

I dunno...and while half of me says "congrats" to Michael, well-done !...that was only after the other half had an apopleptic fit at learning this band still exists....:fftheai:

 

[Michael Ward]

The Human League are still going strong, have a worldwide fan base and have never stopped. They are touring South America now.

There are many bands that reform to do a tour/ album and split up again after the fuss has died down but I quite admire groups that never split up
and carry on making music they believe in regardless and the League have an unbroken history stretching back to the mid 70's as electro pioneers.
They were part of a major scene in my hometown in the late 70's/ early 80's with Cabaret Voltaire, Vice Versa ( who became ABC), Heaven 17 and a band I was in Clock DVA. They were all very influential and the League and ABC had worldwide success. Most of the participants are still involved in music full time.

Incidentally I was talking last week with a manager of a well known and successful Scottish group who had just returned from China. There is a great market for live work
out there for any band /artist who had even the slightest success in the past. He was amazed at some of the bands working out there playing live and selling merchandise at gigs.

 

[differencetone]

I had one of their albums before the big one. It was surprising to see them pop up here. They still sound about the same too. I imagine they were bigger in the UK than here. They had one huge hit on the radio I remember.