Al Heslop (Creative Control Studio / Heights) [Interview]
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Way back in the day, a little band called Flipcycle were one of the best acts in my local area. Their sets marked some of the earliest times I was exposed to progressive-leaning music, something entirely different from the rap metal and boy-bands that were popular at the time. Even back then, Flipcycle guitarist Al Heslop was already incredible at placing the oddest riffs and licks in precisely the right places, a master of musical timing and tasteful composition.
Since then, Al’s moved on from Flipcycle (and the equally cool but sadly also defunct pilot.passenger) to form Heights – a band who boast not only none-more-prog album titles (their most recent being Phantasia On The High Processions of Sun, Moon And Countless Stars Above) and a trio format including über-bassist John Hopkin and Tesseract drummer Jay Postones, but also a style centred once more upon perfect timing. Every note counts when Al Heslop’s involved, and he’s also been busy making a name for himself as a producer for most of the past decade, running the Bracknell-based Creative Control Studio in the luxurious grounds of South Hill Park Arts Centre. Al’s worked with some of the UK’s most promising underground bands, including my own personal favourites Eschar and For Astronauts And Satellites, applying the same level of painstaking attention to detail to others’ tunes as he does to his own.
For this in-depth interview, TMMP caught up with Al to discuss his past, present, and future…
What’s your earliest musical memory?
I can remember mucking about on an old out of tune upright piano that my grandparents had at the time. I was probably about two or three at the time; I remember trying to write my own melodies and trying to play simple chords. It probably sounded awful!
What first inspired you to pick up a guitar and start playing music? How old were you at the time?
I think the turning point was seeing a video of Dire Straits playing Sultans Of Swing on The Old Grey Whistle Test when I was about seven; I remember thinking that I really wanted an electric guitar and to be able to play like that!
About a week later, my parents bought me a little classical guitar and I started having lessons at school and doing classical grades. Not exactly what I had in mind, but it was a great grounding in learning the instrument.
What’s the story behind Creative Control Studio? How did it first get going?
I’d been engineering at the previous incarnation of the studio (then called Park Studio). It was originally run by an excellent session drummer called Damon Sawyer, and I would do quite a bit of engineering for him whilst he played on other people’s albums. I also started recording and producing local bands at the studio.
In 2008, Damon decided to move on – and I was given the opportunity to run the place as my own business.
How did Heights get together? What’s your Avengers-style origin story?
Haha! Not quite as epic as the Avengers I’m afraid.
I had started writing songs, originally with the idea of them being band songs (with a singer). John and I had played in a couple of bands together, and he’s the best bass player I know and an awesome chap, so he was my first choice for the project and luckily he was keen to do it. Jay also had played in a different band with John, and we were all mates at the time, and I just suggested that we have a jam sometime. That was about the same time that Jay started playing for Tesseract.
Its sounds very clichéd, but when all three of us got in the same room there was an immediate chemistry. Everything just seemed to fall into place, with the exception of a singer. We held a few auditions with about three or four different people. I had written some vocal melodies and had a good idea of what I wanted the vocals to do, but we just couldn’t really find a great fit and it was a real struggle to actually get a vocalist to cut through above the huge sound we were aiming for – so after a while we just decided to be an instrumental band.
The focus was then to make the compositions as interesting as possible for the three-piece lineup.
Could you list off a few bands you’ve worked with so far (both with Heights and Creative Control)?
Heights-wise, we’ve had some interesting and sometimes bizarre support slots!
We supported Dr Feelgood at the Agincourt in Camberley in 2010 (I think). It was a sellout show and we actually went down surprisingly well with the older blues/prog kinda audience, getting compared to Genesis, King Crimson, etc. Other highlights included supporting Meshuggah and Between The Buried And Me at Euroblast Festival in Cologne; we’ve played the festival a couple of times now, and it’s always an amazing time.
At Creative Control, I’ve worked with a whole bunch of awesome bands. The ones that have been a highlight recently would be Eschar, Throatpunch City and For Astronauts and Satellites – all fantastically talented bands!
Can you give some examples of the creative processes you go through with different bands? Do you follow a pre-set series of stages, or does it differ from band to band?
I suppose the process is quite similar from band to band.
Before recording I’ll usually get sent a demo, usually a live recording from a rehearsal or gig, just to get an idea of the song and possibly highlight any things that might benefit from tightening up in the studio.
Most bands have a clear vision of what they want to achieve, and I try not to get in the way of that. I might make small suggestions along the way. I mainly try to focus on getting a good sound and performance from each player, whilst retaining the energy you’d get from watching the band playing live.
As I generally take on every phase of the recording, from pre-production through the final masters, I ask for some reference tracks to get an idea of influences/what sort of sound the band is into. That might have a slight influence in terms of the approach I take.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received about pursuing a career in music?
I think the best advice I’ve had is to not follow trends, and do your own thing. I think many bands fall into the trap of thinking they have to sound a certain way to fit in with a scene.
That piece of advice aside, what other tips would you offer to up and coming musicians?
I would say it’s really important that you actually enjoy what you’re doing and get something out of it. It’s extremely difficult to get recognition in the music industry; it takes an awful lot of hard work and dedication and probably a fair bit of being in the right place at the right time!
What’s the best thing about being a musician in 2016?
I think with the technology we have today it’s very affordable to get good quality instruments and recording equipment for not too much money, compared to things say 20 years ago.
It’s also easier than ever to get your material released. With iTunes, Bandcamp, Spotify, etc., pretty much any musician can self-release and reach an audience.
What’s the most difficult thing about being a musician in 2016?
I think it’s really tricky for a band to establish a fanbase from the ground up, with gig attendances in decline and the sheer number of bands around these days.
I think there’s a lot of pressure on bands to be “studio tight” live too, so you really need to be as well rehearsed and pro as possible – which again comes back to dedication and spending hours in a rehearsal room.
If money and good taste weren’t issues, what would Heights’ stage show look like?
We’d go full-on Spinal Tap! Stonehenge, wizards, etc.!
In seriousness, we’ve always liked the idea of having visuals running live, synced up to the live set. I remember seeing Tool when they had visuals at their live show and being blow away by the experience. Unfortunately, it’s probably not going to happen any time soon with our budget and the kind of venues we play!
What does the future hold for Creative Control and Heights right now?
I’ve just finished recording an album for a new artist who goes under the name Alex & The Ark, who’s a great singer/songwriter. I played a bit of guitar on the album alongside some great session players and it’s turned out really well; it should be out later this year.
I’ve also just started a mini album for a great new band called How To Dress A Monster, who write songs based around horror films. They’re great guys and it’s been a lot of fun!
Heights-wise, I’m demoing new album material at the minute. It’s probably about 60/70% written, so hoping to have a complete album written by the end of the year, with the view to recording and releasing in 2017. Knowing us, that’ll probably mean 2022!
What’s on your bucket list?
Bit boring, but I’ve always wanted to compose a large scale classical work. I know very little about arranging on such a scale, so would be a great challenge!
Better put something more interesting: Wingsuit flying off Christ The Redeemer!
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See you in the next video!
Creative Control Studio official website; if you’re interested in working with Al, you can also contact him directly at info@creativecontrolstudio.com
Heights on Facebook and Twitter.
Eschar on Facebook and Twitter.