Kipper Eldridge

Quite simply, Kipper Eldridge is one of the most effervescent human beings we have come across. He is like an exploding champagne bottle 24/7. Of course, his most high profile work has been as producer and band member with Sting on Brand New Day, All This Time and Sacred Love. He has also worked with Gary Numan, Curtis Stigers, Stevie Wonder, Chris Botti, James Jaylor, James Morrison, Mary J Blige & Richard Marx. 

We went to see Kipper in his studio in Surrey and he was so generous with his time, just talking through Simon’s ideas and bringing a hugely experienced eye and ear overview which was massively reassuring. We had just finished the Sphere Studio session of ‘There Is A Dream’ and were planning a few overdubs for Robbie McIntosh to come back and do and Simon Wood Harris wanted to get Kipper along to see what he could come up with by way of adding details, colour and texture. Kipper turned up and totally nailed it with what we came to know as the KIPPERTRONICS session! He carefully layered, intertwined and in his words, provided some ‘cloudy bedding’ to the track which has us on the floor! Something about his interpretation of the track lifted it to a whole new level and despite being the last person to contribute, it felt like the entire track had been built around his work. 

What proved to be testament to Kipper’s astute understanding of his role was this: the sounds he seemed to be producing, played back in isolation and therefore out of context, were sometimes discordant, sometimes jamming, sometimes almost a-tonal, and moments of concern flashed across Simon’s face. However, when ‘flown-in’ to the rest of the track, his creation became a porthole to another sonic universe. It did just ‘fit’, it enhanced, embellished, detailed, gilded, transformed, enlarged and emboldened. It became something else - In a very, very good way!

His understanding of harmony, texture and tonality enables the listener to be transported to ‘that other place’, a place which can mean different things to different people at different times, a whole gamut of emotion, sometimes warmth, bliss, wonder, awe, trepidation, fear, sadness, joy and often odd or unpacked combinations of the above. Is there such as thing as a ‘Sound Architect’? If so, Kipper is clearly the Richard Rogers of the music world.

Throughout the project, one of Simon’s overwhelming mantra has been about all the artists having complete space throughout each of the tracks. Each part is a work in itself and in isolation, will be able to stand up entirely on its own. No one part is chief. When considering electronic soundscapes as a possibility for any track, it is really easy to just plug the gaps to actually hide some of the rawness. But here, Simon works obsessively to prevent that happening at any time. To find musicians and producers that understand that is a tough call. Kipper gets it!

Kipper plays on ‘There is a Dream’ & ‘Dance the Rain’

www.kippermusic.co.uk https://studiowithoutwalls.jimdofree.com/