Nicholas Sillitoe (Producer)

As a producer, Nicholas Sillitoe is naturally involved in almost all +47 artist releases, music and soundtracks.

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In some ways Nicholas is a classic "old-school producer". More often than not seen either perched over a mixing desk listening intently with his eyes closed, or pacing up and down, deep in thought, or else lying horizontally on a sofa, meditating over what "gorgeousnesss" he hears coming out of the studio monitors. And, of course with plenty of half-drunk coffee cups, and exasperated assistants, engineers, or musicians waiting by his side for the next cue.

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In his formative years, Nicholas Sillitoe absorbed all the knowledge he possibly could from his mentors, collaborators, and producers. Right from the day he set foot in Abbey Road, London, as a boy soprano auditioning for his eventual classical album release "On Wings Of Song" (EMI/Classics For Pleasure), he sensed something special in the magic confines of the studio control room.

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In the early 1990's, Nicholas started working at the legendary "Beat Factory" studio in London, mentored by producer/studio manager Graeme Holdaway. This was an "anything goes" studio collective, where artists like a young pre-Blur Damon Albarn, Sonja Kristina, Transglobal Underground (amongst others) all spent their days (and nights) recording their tracks.

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Nicholas, eager to learn how to "demo" his own material, learnt the hard way. Making countless cups of tea, hanging around recording sessions, watching his peers at work, and using any available dead time to explore the myriad of possibilities in a buzzing, creative environment.

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More of a writer/producer than a skilled engineer/programmer, Nicholas primarily bases his production work on the telepathic, symbiotic relationships he develops with the artist, co-writers, and whichever team of coveted co-producers, assistant engineers and programmers he pulls together on a project. All there to collectively serve the song, the mix, the sound and his vision.

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A look through all the various +47 artist discographies and soundtrack credits on this website should give you an in-depth glimpse at all his production work, and the names (and places) of all involved in the process. Or else a quick peek at discogs may well suffice.

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Over the years, Nicholas's production output has seen him explore many different music genres. From intricate soundtrack scores, folk-pop, post-classical, ambient, to downright dance-floor-only releases. All created in a number of different studio locations in Norway and The UK, with whatever equipment is (or was) available, together with an inspirational crew of musicians and collaborators.

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In Norway, his music production team has included esteemed colleagues such as, Per Martinsen (aka "Mental Overdrive")

- in their Illumination/Chilluminati guise, Ken Theodorsen, Øystein Aamodt, Kenneth Silden, and Marius Christiansen. More recently he has worked closely with next-gen producers like Alf Vaksdal, Even Sarruco (aka "EvenS") and Markus Eldevik.

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His many album productions for Anne Marie Almedal have also given him the opportunity to learn from, and collaborate with some brilliant British engineers, mixers, and recording legends. People like John Wood (engineer/producer for Nick Drake, John Martyn, etc.), Keith Grant (recording engineer for The Beatles, Dusty Springfield, Portishead, etc.), and more recently, Tim Bran (producer/mixer for London Grammar, Dreadzone, The Orb, etc.). All hugely influential figures and guiding lights.

Nicholas has also done some one-off collaborations with Torbjørn Bruntland (aka "Røyksopp"), and a young Tor Erik Hermansen (later to find fame as part of "Stargate"), to name but a few. Again, all credited here on various +47-related discographies.

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Nicholas is (once again, like a true "old-school producer") often very picky about who he works with.

Preferring the idealistic instead of the obvious, the cred versus the "credit". He thrives in the shadows of "pop", working way beyond the call of duty, and prides himself on being seen and heard as a precursor, rather than the successor, in all his music productions.

True to his roots, and the symphonies of sound he hears in waking dreams.

Music for today, soundtracks for tomorrow.

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Photo: Thomas Ekström.