Plenty of music talent in Ayrshire

Jul 24 2009

Ryan Bennett, Studio Engineer at PULSE Recording Studio takes a look at the Ayrshire music scene.

THE MUSIC scene in Scotland for the most part has always been about Glasgow and Edinburgh.

In recent years, however, there has been a growing resurgence of home-grown talent in more remote parts of Scotland.

Part of this resurgence has seen a growth in local band activity. This has paralleled the leap in modern technology that now allows bands to produce lo-fi demos at home on a tight budget. There's also the ever-popular MySpace website serving as a tremendous platform for bands and artists to; share their creations, make new fans and step up another rung on the ladder.

One of the shortcomings often seen in local music scenes is the formation of cliques, which can be resistant to new people and fresh ideas. This isn't always the case though, when a group of different organisations working together in true partnership put on an event the results can be nothing short of fantastic.

PULSE Recording Studio is currently filling a vacuum in the Ayrshire music scene, with a fully professional recording studio available for hire.

Some examples of music projects pointing the way ahead for Ayrshire include; the Darvel Music Festival, which attracted a whole gamut of talent nationally and internationally. They also entered into partnership work with our PULSE-CD Compilation. There are smaller scale projects such as the Young Scot overload team in North Ayrshire aimed at stimulating live music for young people.

The studio has built up a roster of artists, who have chosen to record their music with us to a high standard. One artist yet to have his moment in the spotlight is young Colin Hunter. I’ve been working with him for a number of years producing demos of an excellent standard. Colin has been touring the local circuit for a number of years fronting various bands and released his debut solo EP 'Summary of Progress 2008' at the turn of the year. Hopefully we will release a record together in the near future and he will go on to fulfil his true potential. You can listen to selected tracks at - www.myspace.com/colinhuntermusic.

Another local artist worthy of mention is my good friend Tragic O'Hara who released his self-produced debut solo EP 'Above the Below' also at the turn of the year. Tosh, as Tragic is known, is a talented troubadour with an ear for finely spun tales of blues and woe you should check him out at - www.myspace.com/tragicoharauk.

I have been hoping to resurrect interest in the local music scene in Cumnock and the surrounding areas by hosting Acoustic Open Mic Nights the first Monday of every month inviting bands/artist from all over Ayrshire and beyond. There’s the opportunity to have their live performance recorded over the course of the night as an added feature. We are also including a partnership with Wrecked Chord Records (Ayrshire label aimed at developing local talent).

I am currently working on a compilation, which will bring together all the best studio work I have been involved with at PULSE Recording Studio inour first year. The compilation hopes to complement the artistic intent of the musicians involved in PULSE in one small CD Package. This should be available soon.

For more information regarding PULSE Recording Studio - contact Ryan Bennett on 01290 422364 or visit www.pulserecordingstudio.com or www.myspace.com/pulserecordingstudio.

*There are introductory prices of £75 for one-day recording.*