I have been joined by Sam and Andy from LDN Features who have answered some questions so you can find out how they support independent artists!
Welcome to Totally Music would you like to introduce yourself? Hi, I'm Samer Al-Sharawi, but you can call me Sam. I'm the bass player, and I'm joined by Andy Wilder, our drummer, and we're here to represent LDN Features.
LDN Features is more than just the two of us; it's a collaboration of extraordinary session musicians which form the LDN Features house band and videographers who come together to create live the LDN Features video sessions. These sessions involve guest artists who perform one of their songs live, all captured live and in one uncut take! What got you into your love of music? For me (Sam), my love for music started at a young age when I used to listen to tapes and CDs until they were worn out. As a bassist, my initial influences were bands like Red Hot Chili Peppers and Rage Against the Machine. However, my musical journey expanded into jazz, and I've been continuously learning and evolving ever since. For Andy it was a similar story "My musician journey started when my uncle was giving away his drum set. When I joined my first band and played my first gig I knew I was hooked on performing. I hadn’t planned on doing music as a job but as the years went past I couldn’t see myself doing anything else." You run LDN Features; would you like to tell us about it? Andy and I, both playing our respective instruments, formed a rhythm section that's been supporting various artists in London and the USA as session musicians for quite some time. Four years ago, we embarked on a mission. We wanted to do three things: firstly, to support artists, secondly, to showcase the incredible collective of London's session musicians with whom we work, and thirdly, to return to the roots of recording - doing everything live and in one take, without edits. Thus, LDN Features was born, and we now have a rock-solid studio band to accompany guest artists. What got you into supporting independent artists? As session musicians, we've had the chance to see the not-so-glamorous side of the music industry. We've encountered plenty of "yes men" surrounding independent artists, often more interested in extracting money than genuinely supporting them.
Although there are undoubtedly good people in the industry, we wanted to counteract this by creating a safe space for artists and building their trust. It's always been our role, as a rhythm section, to provide unwavering support within a band. You use your platform to create ‘live’ sessions of artists' songs; would you like to tell us about the work that goes into it? Absolutely, it's a process we're continually refining to make it as smooth as possible for everyone involved. Firstly, we conduct a thorough assessment of the artists to ensure they're comfortable performing live, as many singers rely on auto-tune and studio tricks for their recorded vocals. Next, we set up a Zoom interview with the artists to get to know each other and explain the process. It's a bit like a speed date where we answer any questions they may have. Then, it's recording day. The most exciting part in my opinion! The artist comes into the LDN Features session with our fully prepared studio band. We strive to impress the artist during the first soundcheck run of their song. Once we hit record, there's no messing about - the band is that professional. It has to be one continuous live take with no overdubs or edits. What goes into the creation of the videos that go on your YouTube page? We're fortunate to have Matt Allen as part of the LDN Features team; he's a fantastic video editor. He brings his creativity to the table, handling the video editing and lighting. I, Sam, take care of audio mixing, and Andy is in charge of scheduling and communication with the artists. Why do you feel that a platform like yours is good for independent artists? Our platform provides artists with high-quality live videos that they can use to secure gigs. These videos authentically showcase their live performance skills, both in terms of audio and visuals. What has been one of your most memorable moments since running LDN Features? I'd say one of the most memorable moments has been the session with Eckoes. It was an extraordinary experience, and something truly magical happened that day, which you can feel when you watch the video. Her vocals were out of this world! [Here's the link to the video: https://youtu.be/VrXxXcHcJ3s?si=P75A3RuI_g9depkg] If an artist wants to feature on LDN Features, what do they need to do to be a part of it? Artists interested in featuring on LDN Features can get in touch with us at team@ldnfeatures.co.uk or DM us on Instagram or TikTok. Even if we can't feature you, we always love discovering new talent. What's next for you? Our future involves more sessions and working on expanding our audience. Building a larger following will not only benefit LDN Features but also the artists featured on our channel.
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