Skip to main content

KILLER SOUNDS: ADAM FIELDING

We find it out 'Icarus' style


“Most of my electronic production work takes place with a rather minimal set-up of my computer and a copy of Reason. I’ve been using Reason for the best part of twelve years and I find it incredibly inspiring to use, though I do use Cubase and a plethora of plug-ins for additional sound design work and string composition."

"I composed some early string parts using Cubase and East West Quantum Leap’s Symphonic Orchestra software — these were pretty straight-forward and set the mood for what I was after, but nothing beats the sound of a live string recording."

“I’d had this idea of writing an album that dealt with issues of light versus dark and a great rise followed by a great fall for quite a while, and 'Icarus' was the ideal embodiment of that.

“Something I was very keen to do with the track and the record as a whole was to combine my electronic production style with more of an organic edge, to give it some warmth and a more human, very cinematic feel."

Using a combination of the earlier parts I had written and some additional references, I worked with Pete Whitfield on arranging some live orchestral parts for the track. Pete was able to come up with a truly fantastic orchestral arrangement, swelling and contrasting in just the right places.

These parts were performed and recorded by the City Of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, and upon receiving the final recording session I decided I needed to re-work 'Icarus' to bring out the strings a bit more.

“Most of my electronic work is quite texturally dense, but the strings added such a huge emotional weight to the track that I felt like they deserved more attention. I stripped back the electronics, brought up the live instrumentation in the form of piano, vocals and guitars, and gave the strings space to breathe.

The whole process took about a month. It really brought out that cinematic edge without taking away from the emotional clout I wanted, combining the emotional live instrumentation with the more polished, clinical electronic production.”