PRODUCING

From bedrooms to big budget studios, producers get urban music out there. Scout and consultant Jade Richardson, who brought Ms Dynamite on the UK scene, explains what's involved.

What is a producer? Someone who makes music and creates a template for the artist to write and perform to. The role has evolved a lot over the years as technology is always challenging the creative process. With so many programmes available to make music on, there is probably a producer in a bedroom near you right now.

The music is where the food chain begins, and it needs to inspire the artist otherwise they will move on and work with someone else! The producer can often make up showreels (CDs containing examples of their work) to distribute to various artists or their managers.

The best producers know how to bring the best out in an artist. Often the amount of time artists and producers have to make a record is tight, and being able to cut to the chase and get on a vibe is essential. It's all about people and getting inside their heads. Some artists prefer to create the music with the producer together in the studio, ideally bouncing off each other's vibe and ideas.

Getting established can often begin by being a beat-maker. Whereas a producer is mainly concerned with the vocal delivery, song, melodies and structure, and the final mix, a beat-maker's goal is to have the hottest track on road or in clubland. Once the track has become popular, via pirates playing the instrumental and MCs free-styling over it for example, the instrumental has a life of its own. This is the perfect position to be in as a beat-maker, you have a hot track that everyone wants to spit on.

Most recently Dizzee Rascal used Youngstar & Wonder's tracks on his new album Showtime, now called 'Stand Up Tall' and 'Respect Me'. This is a clever way of getting the street's attention immediately as they recognise the beat! And the beat-maker now becomes a 'producer' as he/she has a record on an established artist's album.

The underground scene or clubland are really the only places to start if you want to make credible music – the goal is to then cross the music over to the charts and make it mainstream by re-educating people that there is more to life than pop music!

Various organisations across England offer courses for people who are interested in making music. It's worth trying some out so you can learn by trial and error, then invest in the right equipment when the time is right.