Paul Dakeyne is a pioneer of remixing and megamixing and pretty much a huge reason why I have a career.  From his legendary creations for the DMC DJ Only mix albums from the late 80s onwards his masterpieces inspired a generation of producers to experiment in the studio and left them baffled as to how he could achieve the results with what was then limited technology culminating in his 'epics' series . He took me on as his apprentice around 1990 and I watched and learned everything I could as he worked on groundbreaking remixes of everything from Yazoo, Expose, Yello, The Jets , James Brown and Take That and later on his own projects including Tinman.

His roots as a DJ and love of electronic music has formed the basis of an incredible 40 year career and he is still entertaining a captive audience with his streams on Twitch and work with music technology companies. 

The kindness and belief he showed in me at such an early age is something I will treasure forever as much as I do our friendship. He is a true maverick whose influence on music creation is undeniable. 

I absolutely loved this chat with my good friends and incredible singers Adetoun Ayoola and Katie Holmes Smith who collectively have performed background vocals for the biggest stars in the world including Adele, Kylie, Robbie Williams and Ed Sheeran. They started their incredibly successful venture The Vocal Code to try and find new talent to bring forward into the music industry and through a series of auditions have been responsible for putting some amazing talent into key roles with artists and nurturing them through the process.

I’ve been lucky enough to be part of these auditions on the panel and the quality is second to none. They also have their own podcast Vocal Code Unlocked which is an incredible source of information from some of the best experts in the world. And more recently they have opened up a new section of the site exclusively aimed at finding virtual recording solutions for backing vocals delivering world class sessions.

Hearing this two incredible women talk about how they got their breaks and choosing to share their experiences to help others is truly inspirational - enjoy!

More on Vocal Code at  https://www.vocalcode.co.uk

More on Adetoun at https://www.adetounofficial.com

More on Katie at http://www.katieholmes-smith.com

Another special edition of the podcast where I speak to pop aficionado's Larry Flick (Vero/Billboard/Sirius XM) and Lee Bennett (Teases And Dares Blog) about their choices of hidden gems , this time we are back to the 80s complete with espadrilles , white jackets and some truly amazing music! See if you can guess the songs before we reveal them and please hunt them down if you are unfamiliar - every one is a true diamond.

More on Larry https://vero.co/site/newsroom/my-vero-larry-flick

Lee's Blog https://teasesanddares.wordpress.com

Having worked in studios after being in bands growing up, Pete Hammond found himself at the centre of The Hit Factory mixing and remixing hit after hit for Stock/Aitken/Waterman and developing his trademark sound that is still in demand for current artists and records. Here we talk about his journey from making reggae records , building studios and of course classics by Kylie, Rick Astley , Take That, Donna Summer , Mel & Kim and so many more as well as his epic remixes for Tracie Spencer, Velvet and Alphabeat and even the phenomenon that was , Roland Rat! 

More on Pete here http://www.petemixmasterhammond.com

Spotify playlist https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2Po4JZSBR7AaXEoKJX2Lww?si=d4b4190be9464ec2

From an apprenticeship in bands and a studio making karaoke tracks (which came in very useful later) , writer and producer Jez Ashurst has been part of some of the finest moments in modern pop music including "Secret Love Song" (Little Mix) , "Favourite Ex" (Maisie Peters) and the Christmas classic "One More Sleep" (Leona Lewis). Alongside this he's worked with artists including Tom Walker (who was originally his student when he taught at music colleges), Tom Grennan, Gabrielle Aplin, Claire Richards and Ella Henderson.

Here he talks about how he found himself at his first writing camp with Carole King and his time working on Biff Stannard's music team for the X Factor plus some incredible insights into the writing process and his continued love of being in rooms with talented people making records.

More on Jez here https://www.karmaartists.co.uk/talent/jez-ashurst/

Without doubt one of the best singers the UK has ever produced, Nicole Simpson (aka Red) is a Scottish force of nature having grown up listening to divas including Whitney and Christina and trying to emulate them she's forged her career through social media platforms gaining an army of fans ready for her own music which she's released over the last couple of years. From two stints on the X Factor both learning processes in their own way, to uploading a YouTube video of her singing "Never Enough" from The Greatest Showman which not only got noticed by its original singer LOREN ALLRED but also provides her with an opportunity to travel the world singing it at some incredible weddings for some very lucky brides!

Her original EP is out shortly and her collaboration with the exceptionally talented producer Rob Eckland "Together's As Good As Alone" from his "Beyond The Lights" EP (out now) gives her the opportunity to showcase everything she's learned on a truly epic Whitney style gospel ballad and arguably the best vocal you will hear this year.

I couldn't be more proud of her and everything she's achieved , this is only the beginning too - hope you enjoy this wonderful chat and please check out her music in the links.

https://www.instagram.com/itsredredred/

https://open.spotify.com/artist/0zr3lEdAVIcvw08DqEMsNh?si=rRpro5VsQP6L23lsnF-o8w

https://open.spotify.com/track/3LnXayot03C7PXpyoV7Bwp?si=5759287f22994bc3

There are so many times I hear a song that I instantly fall in love with then find out it was written by Fiona Bevan. I describe her to people as 'magical' , her lyrics are poetry and her melodies are divine plus that truly angelic voice on her solo material is perfection. Here she talks about growing up in a house without pop music but finding inspiration in books and movies to forming a band and that moment  when she called her friend Ed Sheeran to try a co-write which ended up being "Little Things" covered by One Direction a year later and one of their biggest and best records.

From then on it's been a fine balance of writing with and for other artists including Steps, Aurora, Billie Marten , Claire Richards, Natalie Imbruglia and Kylie alongside releasing her own superb EP's and albums culminating in the current project "Faultlines" and "Revelations" which see Fiona producing herself and with breathtaking results.

You can probably tell I absolutely adore her and I know you will too after listening to this episode - please do check out her songs and original material too especially "We Carry On" by Peter Greenwald which encapsulates beauty in a way rarely captured in a piece of music. 

Website https://fionabevan.co.uk

Playlist https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1EFIk3cz5XarjV?si=58c2b20c8da244ba

After initially meeting during their apprenticeships at PWL with Stock/Aitken/Waterman working on so many classic records including for Kylie, Bananarama and Jason Donovan  , Barry and Jules went on to become one of the most successful producer/remixer/writer partnerships working with the best pop acts in the world including Steps (producing their latest 3 albums including "Scared Of The Dark", "Heartbreak In This City" and "Something In Your Eyes") , Little Mix , Sophie Ellis Bextor, The Saturdays, Rachel Stevens, Demi Lovato and Britney Spears firstly as Jewels & Stone and then The Alias . Here they talk about the inspirations and love of early electronic music plus how the partnership works in the studio and just how that "Pop Idol" theme came about with Cathy Dennis. 

More here http://www.thealiasmusic.com

From his beginnings working as an assistant for Giorgio Moroder to joining forces with him and Donna Summer to write and produce her biggest hits, Pete Bellotte is partly responsible for the soundtrack to so many peoples lives including "I Feel Love" , "Love To Love You Baby" and "Hot Stuff". Here he talks about his beginnings in a group which led him to moving to Germany where his life changed forever. Alongside the many albums with Donna he has written and produced for Elton John, Janet Jackson and the disco classic "Giving Up Giving In' by The Three Degrees.

Such a privilege to spend time with him after us initially meeting up a while ago and just the most wonderful man with a love of music and the process of making it that is still as strong today as it ever was.

More on Pete here http://www.petebellotte.com

More on Donna here https://donnasummer.com

More on Giorgio here https://www.giorgiomoroder.com

Another special episode speaking with the brilliant Larry Flick (Billboard/Sirius XM/Vero) and Lee Bennett (Teases And Dares Blog) about some of our favourite hidden gems whether they be songs, albums or artists that may not have quite got the attention they deserved over the years we shine a light on them in the hope more people might discover the wonder within. 

Episode playlist here https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2vYUl01Srvuhocl3NLtROq?si=e3a3b07370ab4b15

More on Larry at https://www.instagram.com/larry_flick

Teases And Dares Blog https://teasesanddares.wordpress.com