Then, when I was 13 I discovered a pirate radio station that played all sorts of stuff: folk, rock, soul, everything. Its about how people in different regions like to be communicated to, learn and educate themselves that impacts marketing.. He and I both agree that back in the day marketers saw each other as competitors. I mean it sounded very different from what we usually did. Maxwell then caps the first half of Urban Hang Suite with the demo that entranced Matthewman, Til the Cops Come Knockin, which had originally been written by Hod David with a bass line that reminded the singer of Motown great James Jamerson. Its just whatever we feel like. Matthewman says, Its important for people to understand that the brand isnt a logo or PowerPoint template thats meant to stifle your creativity but the brand is who we are intrinsically. We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website. He has appeared on all of Sades albums: Diamond Life, Promise, Stronger Than Pride, Love Deluxe, and Best of Sade, all of which went triple platinum in the U.S. and have totaled sales over 40 million albums worldwide. How did he do it? She likes to put out art. I grew up on a council estate in a village. You wont be sacked. I was like, Thats the point it starts with an instrumental and ends with a slow version of the same instrumental. SYDNEY, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- IR (ASX:IRI) a leading global provider of performance management and analytics for unified communication and collaboration, IT infrastructure, and payment. Whether its messing with guitar or reggae bass line or some strange keyboard thing that Andrew might do or snare drums on a song that Sade might want to try. I just like it. We travel quite a bit. Matthewman practices the principles of collaboration, engagement and education as much as he preaches them. They released two albums, Sweetback (1996) and Stage 2 (2004).[5]. L+T: Who are some artists you are interested in these days? People would get together there one night a week; it was outside of London and the stage was made from beer crates. I would think after all these years, you guys must have a pretty tight relationship. When were happy, then well let everyone else hear it., Like his comment in a previous interview with Rated R&B, It might sound funny but we write and do music to please ourselves and just hope that [we] have good taste and other people will like it.. Being a musician and fans of music, were obviously influenced by whats going on, but we never make a conscious decision to go oh we should do a track with more hip-hop or we should do a track thats kind of more reggae. We just do what we do and it comes out in some way. The first time I listened to it I heard The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, and I was like, Wow! In fact, thats when I also heard Why Cant We Live Together for the first time. L+T: Amazing! So, the picture someone has of you is never completely true. is more subdued, a series of Quiet Storm ballads. I think the general consensus is we cant possibly leave it that long next time. Born August 18, 1960, in Hull, North Yorkshire, England, Matthewman started playing clarinet as a child. Antwane joined Rated R&B in January 2013 after graduating from the University of South Carolina. But it always ends up kind of sounding like us anyway. I used to read a lot back then as well, at least up until the age of 15. So I mean yeah we have such a cross-section of people out there. But those two albums are really separate endeavors; Maxwells music is airier and often more dance-floor friendly, pushing past the 95 b.p.m. L+T: Do you think that that preserves the organic quality of the music? Thats why hes about to unveil a brand evolution a project which received a standing ovation from the sales team at their internal/soft launch. What do you think the biggest misconception about you would be? But today in the B2B space its more about educating people. Thank YOU Neil for listening! So yeah, I think working with Stuart was actually one of the best co-writing experiences I've ever HAD - just because he works in very simple ways". In addition, the bass-heavy rhythmic engine for DAngelo and Badu was hip-hop both their debuts were co-produced in parts by Bob Power, who helped mix and engineer A Tribe Called Quests The Low End Theory. In 1995, percussionist Karl Vanden Bossche introduced Matthewman to then unknown singer Maxwell. Sometimes we can work together without any talking, and thats the best. helped prove that a prehip-hop R&B tradition could still be creatively and commercially viable at a time when rap was already taking over popular culture. There are more licensed stations now, but when I was growing up, there werent many options. The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time I wanted it to happen, but I was secretly afraid., Then Ascension came out, he adds, and the whole lack-of-visibility part didnt really work.. Sade: I dont want to be a one trick pony. But, rather than putting a flash new design out there, Matthewmans brand refresh has taken the form of spending a lot of time with people in his organisation talking about what the IR brand means to them. Hopefully the organisation outlives all of us; but when were here, were the people that live and breathe the brand and we need to project those brand values collectively out to our people and the rest of the world., The new brand is easier to use but, more importantly, employees believe in it. L+T: Have you noticed a change in your audience over time? Urban Hang Suite Left Him No Choice, Russ Doesnt Trust Other Labels. Well, apart from putting a calendar in place to manage multiple public holidays happening all over the world, he knows that the answer lies in working collaboratively. So, however long it takes; sometimes the songs come really quickly, they just fall into place. Matthewman says Sades label home, Epic Records, respects her artistry and doesnt pressure the release of new music. I was pretty much one of the lads, but I was an old soul even when I was a child. He doesnt put in so much when were composing; its more Andrew and Stuart. The lead A&R was like, Whats the deal with the instrumental? Nobody knows all the answers. You dont partially choose, Im going to show this, but Im not going to show that. But it happens that way. Its quite a responsibility. Their work featured instrumental songs and songs with guest vocalists. ' Maxwell recalls. Stuart Matthewman started marketing in the mid-'90s and actually changed careers half way. A lot of the results Matthewman has seen at IR relate to how he defines success, both in life and in marketing. Yes we speak English a kind of English compared to the Americans. As beautifully sweet as she was wickedly talented, Sade was the anti-diva Diva. Sades longtime collaborator and famed British musician Stuart Matthewman who is an original member of the band exclusively tells Rated R&B, Were working on a new album., Matthewman says Sade and their creative team currently have a bunch of songs, that eager fans will hear once theyre satisfied with the final product. Below we countdown to Stuart Matthewman upcoming birthday. Basically I found him very easy to work with because to me he is really like a beautiful facilitator. I wish I could take it out on other people. For all intents and purposes, they thought the industry was done with them. Were you aware then that your family was different? I think its really quite deep, but at the same time its a love song. And the history as well. She did, however, tease us with an original song (Flowers in the Universe) contribution to Disneys A Wrinkle in Time soundtrack. I was like, Its amazing, but it sounds like its already done. They asked if I wanted to be the singer, but I told them, Im not a singer. About. Our mission is simple: help marketers excel. This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. In that I could just hum something to him and, though it could seem like a really shoddy idea, he would somehow immediately just play the right chords that would make it sound like something really special. According to Matthewman, Sade Adu and company have already written . So He Built His Own, A Breath of Fresh Air: How Giveon Became R&Bs King of Warmth, It Started as a College Project. When you make a record its so concrete, you know? I saw in the media how people are mocked and destroyed I didnt have that kind of thick skin., Maxwell assembled an unusual group of musicians: not just Matthewman, who recalls that the singer was very enamored with the Sade album, at the time, but also Leon Ware the singer-songwriter-producer, who, in one of the most outrageous acts of generosity in music history, donated a planned 1975 solo album to Marvin Gaye, resulting in the singers, Those were just a few elements of what the singer describes as a smorgasbord of cultures flowing into, . Seconds. Sade Adu of Sade and Teddy Riley are among the 2023 Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees. L+T: What still keeps you so passionate about making music? Stuart is also a member of bands, Sweetback and Twin Danger. I know that sounds a bit odd. Trivia (1) Is the saxophonist and guitarist of 80s-present pop group Sade. You are awesome!!! Stuart: Exactly, yeah! I hate that Im so hard on myself, really. Stuart Matthewman | Press Stuart Matthewman Collaboration with MaxwelL In this interview, R&B singer Maxwell discusses his latest album and collaboration with Stuart. We carry a pipeline and a revenue target. The record company knows theres no point in nagging us or giving us deadlines. In 1982, Matthewman relocated to London. When I was ten, I quite remember liking Maggie May, but that was it. ' (No.) Using the pseudonym Cottonbelly, Stuart released the dub/electronic album, X Amounts of Niceness in 2010 [1] and produced remixes for artists. Yeah, I think so, but thats only because they see one level. We were forever butting heads., Now he does things differently. So, that got me interested and I started collecting albums. Its almost unreal; almost magical. We never think about the record company, we never think about friends or fans, we never think about radio. Now I collect books, but I never have time to read them. Stuart Colin Matthewman (born 18 August 1960), also known as Cottonbelly, is an English songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. Sade Adu is hip-hop. [3] Matthewman co-produced, co-wrote, and played saxophone and guitar on Maxwell's albums: Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite (Columbia, 1996),[4] Embrya (Columbia, 1998), Now (Columbia, 2001) and blackSUMMERS'night (Columbia, 2016). You wont be in trouble. Some organisations focus on leads or marketing qualified leads (MQLs). Stuart Matthewman: We knew that we were going to have to play a lot of the old songs but we didnt want to make it into like a Greatest Hits Tour or anything like that. We were no threat to anybody, but it mightve been different if we had grown up in the city. And thats partly why Stuart and I gathered these insights, and are sharing them with you, readers: because we believe that success comes from learning and sharing. Not everything is going to work., He uses this approach with his team. I mean its amazing going towe played in South America that we hadnt done before. In the years since Urban Hang Suite was released, its frequently been name-checked, along with DAngelos Brown Sugar (1995) and Erykah Badus Baduizm (1997), as a foundational album for the neo-soul movement. Stuart: Oh yeah, absolutely. Or, slightly later, when I was 14 or 15 I started listening to Billie Holiday and Miles Davis; Kind of Blue and Sketches of Spain. It was the epitome of the English village; our family was accepted really well. No one was doing crazy smooth-jazz solos.. While Urban Hang Suite is dashing and assured, its creator was profoundly ambivalent about his place in the music industry at the time. He is known for Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010), Sea of Love (1989) and Spanglish (2004). Married to Michele Matthewman (19902018), they had a son, Clay Matthewman. My father is totally into music and surrounds himself with music, but I didnt grow up with him. Urban Hang Suite is really just soul, with a lineage that reaches back to Keni Burkes Risin to the Top, Sades Haunt Me, the English group Loose Ends we both loved their mix of drum machines and live stuff, Matthewman says and Shuggie Otis, among others. It opens with The Urban Theme, a vocal-less funk workout that bleeds wah-wah guitar; the track is reprised later on the album in slightly different form, a trick that Gaye used twice on, . Ive been writing songs since I was a child. The lead A&R was like, Whats the deal with the instrumental? Late for sound check, late to get ready Thats my defense. Risk takers with an appetite for the unknown." Their self-titled album was released on Decca/Universal in 2015. He went on to compose the music scores for various films;[10] with Maxwell the music for the short film To Be A Black Man (1997), and Twin Falls Idaho (1999)[11], Jackpot (2001), Northfork (2003), The Double (2005), The Astronaut Farmer (2006), Life Support (2007), The Smell Of Success (2009), Nona(2017), and short Erotic Dreams of the Chelsea Hotel (2017). Home, Epic Records, respects her artistry and doesnt pressure the release of music. Whats the deal with the best experience on our website beer crates it mightve been different if had. I told them, Im not going to show that I used to read them and education much. Was outside of London and the Stage was made from beer crates takes ; sometimes the songs really!: do you think the biggest misconception about you would be pressure the release of new music of. The first time uses this approach with his team I think the biggest misconception you... We have such a cross-section of people out there record company, never! 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