In pictures: Crazy P's Nottingham studio
Intro
Starting out as a duo in 1995, huddled over an Atari and Akai S-series sampler, Crazy P draw influence from the broad branches of House, taking a distinctive live approach and combining it with a DJ-friendly production slant.
With 15 years production experience to speak of, riding the wave of their most successful album to date, and with the Disco revival seemingly here to stay, we headed to their Nottingham studio to discover the story and gear behind the sound.
The studio
"When we got this place, it became a lot easier. We mixed the first couple of records for Paper Recordings in their studio because they were essentially written in our bedrooms and we didn’t have the means to record. Since getting our studio, it’s been a slow learning and building process to get our sound by taking more risks and jumping in feet first.”
Nord Lead 2 and Nord Electro
“The Lead has been a go-to since the early days. So versatile and sounds great. The Electro is a great studio and gigging keyboard. An essential for us. With downloadable patches you can always be tinkering with your Rhodes and piano sounds keeping things fresh. Both of these keyboards are real work horses."
JEN SX1000
"An underrated mono synth. Used to be a staple in the live show before the Moog barged it onto the subs bench. Still worth a look whenever you need a dirty squelch or two."
Moog Voyager
“Whenever there’s a call for bass the Moog is never far away. Just so large sounding, it fires out lines for songs like Love on the Line and Changes and makes your knees tremble on stage.”
Roland Juno-106
“Another brilliantly versatile synth. Fat from top to bottom. A sound that cannot be truly replicated by a plug-in.”
Godwin String Synth
"A wonderful present from a friend. That classic string synth sound with a bit of dirt and character. Add a nice reverb and you’ll hear this is not just a one trick pony.”
Guitars
“A wee selection of electric, acoustic and bass guitars. They’re generally out and about and getting strummed. Chris’ guitar sound and style is a big part of what makes Crazy P.”
Auratone
Great for hearing the ‘mix’ and how things are working in mono. With people listening to their music through phones and laptop speakers more and more these days, it’s always helpful to reference that. Saves the ears too.”
Tannoy Reveals
"They say if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. We’ve had a pair of these since year dot. We know them inside-out so we’ve remained loyal.”
Novation Impulse Controller
“A recent addition but we’ve had it straight into the fray. Great switchable DAW controls and semi-weighted keys.”
Allen & Heath GS3
“This desk is a little aged now but it still sounds grand.”
Crazy P 's latest album, Remixed, is on sale now. Go to www.crazyp.co.uk for the latest information, album details and live dates.