Hot on the heels of the announcement that Mercury Award winner Talvin Singh and Ivor Novello winner Iain Archer are joining next year’s Pro7ect songwriting retreat comes news of a third major signing – award-winning songwriter/producer Matty Benbrook.
Based in East London where he has his own studio, Benbrook has written and produced music with a range of artists including Paulo Nutini, LENA, Jake Bugg, Jack Savoretti, George The Poet, Rebecca Ferguson, Beverely Knight and many others. He also has a production company to develop new artists and has cultivated talents such as singer/songwriter Katie Sutherland, French noir-pop vocalist Sarah Leo and minimal electronica act Aosoon.
Among the many accolades Benbrook has received during his career are numerous Silver, Gold and Platinum albums from the BPI for sales success with Dido, Paulo Nutini and Jack Savoretti and an ASCAP Award for Paulo Nutini’s New Shoes, which was released in 2007.
Lisa Fitzgibbon, Pro7ect Creative Director, says: “The addition of Matty Benbrook to our Pro7ect Writer/Producer headline is a real bonus. Matty’s experience in artist development and production will give the Pro7ect 2018 songwriting retreat a totally different dimension, and we are all looking forward to working with him.”
Matty Benbrook adds: “I’ve been keeping an eye on the Pro7ect writing camps for the past few years and have always liked what I’ve seen and heard about the experience, both from other writers and the featured artists. It seems very well organised, with a high calibre of ‘headline’ writers and some great industry partners. It has grown year on year and I’m extremely excited to be involved in Pro7ect 2018 and work with the great writers and artists that are lined up for next February. I’m sure it will be the most successful yet.”
Pro7ect 2018 will take place at the Hotel Pelirocco in Brighton from 19th – 23rd February 2018. Songwriters and artists taking part will have the opportunity to work with A-list producers to write, record and produce great music. In previous years these have included Youth (Sir Paul McCartney/The Verve/Echo & The Bunnymen/The Orb), Roni Size (Reprazent, Method Man, Zac de la Rocha), John Fortis (Razorlight, Ellie Goulding, Yellowdays), Stew Jackson (Massive Attack/Phantom Limb) and Andrew Levy (Brand New Heavies).
Talvin Singh, Iain Archer and Matty Benbrook will each operate a pop up studio at Hotel Pelirocco, all of which are equipped with the latest recording technology from manufacturers such as Prism Sound, PMC, Focusrite/Novation, Roland and Audio Technica. Participants work with producers to write and record a track a day for three days. The teams are changed each day and the songs are either written for one of the artists in the room or to spec using tip sheets. Every evening there is a feedback session where teams play the result of their day’s work to the entire group.
The Pro7ect experience is highly collaborative and often results in a large volume of material being written and recorded in a very short pace for time. In 2017, for example, 20 songs were written and recorded in just four days. Six of these songs were optioned by artists and publishers less than a week after the event concluded.
The cost of participating is between £1089 and £1299, which includes food and accommodation for four nights. Places are limited and anyone wishing to take part should visit www.pro7ect.com to apply. UK applicants can now apply for funding through the PRS Foundation Writer/Producers Fund. For more information please visit: http://www.prsformusicfoundation.com/funding/writer-producer-fund/
To find out more about Pro7ect, please visit the website: www.pro7ect.com
To listen to tracks written and recorded at previous Pro7ect events:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/d3d0xz06lbu1t9u/AABWWPIHKt4CSF9mmX8_eHcZa?dl=0
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About Pro7ect:
Pro7ect is a global network of musical professionals that facilitate creative opportunities for songwriters, producers and musicians to collaborate at residential writing retreats. We inspire musical collaboration.
www.pro7ect.com
