There are the fans of course, the always organic no-formula formula, and how a little Drake goes a long way to brighten Sades day. Yeah. Its great; its this guy from Germany, who I guess hes a cross-dresser. 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.. We talk about the earliest days, go record by record through the Sade catalog, Live Aid, hit some of About. Were a lot of things, but when youre singing, when youre presenting yourself, you dont give everything away. tuart Matthewman of Sade joins Eric of Pods \u0026 Sods in conversation. When we moved back from Nigeria, we didnt have anywhere to go, so first we lived with my grandparents, and then my mom got this job as a nurse. Stuart Matthewman started marketing in the mid-'90s and actually changed careers half way. Cookie Notice It was an Irish bar on 14th Street. He is known for Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010), Sea of Love (1989) and Spanglish (2004). This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. But, hes also pretty punky and rocky at the same time. La French Radio Portugal : Ne le 16 janvier 1959 au Nigeria, dans le village d'Ibadan, la jeune Helen F Not just people hanging out with their parents! I always do that, start talking about something else. Back in the day, marketing was about positioning things so they seemed better than they really were, says Matthewman. And the history as well. Privacy Policy. Matthewman says Sades label home, Epic Records, respects her artistry and doesnt pressure the release of new music. Matthewman has discussed diverse musical influences including Junior Walker, King Curtis, Art Pepper, Ernie Isley, Steve Jones, Wah Wah Watson, Issac Hayes, Bill Withers, Lee Perry, Tony Iommi and Gustav Mahler.[12]. I know theyre out there but are there any that are kind of over the top? Last edited on 15 February 2023, at 12:40, "Maxwell Wasn't Sure He Wanted to Be a Star. Maxwell then caps the first half of. Seconds. And also, if we leave it ten years, well never be able to get up on the side of the stage anymore. They asked if I wanted to be the singer, but I told them, Im not a singer. Are you a perfectionist when it comes to your music? Chipboard we called it. We dont always agree, but I always get my way. I wanted it to happen, but I was secretly afraid., Maxwell Wasnt Sure He Wanted to Be a Star. I possess a strong community focused outlook, serving as a long-term executive member of . There is always a new story to tell. I know theyre out there but are there any that are kind of over the top? I listened to Drakes Take Care and Alison Krauss Forget About It. He is the father of Clay Matthewman and two magical white cats, Chet and Billie. is dashing and assured, its creator was profoundly ambivalent about his place in the music industry at the time. It was amazing. I tended not to venture into the stuff that I didnt understand. Some 20-year0-olds, some college kids seem to be. 'Urban Hang Suite' Left Him No Choice", "How Maxwell Captured the Sounds of Timeless Soul on 'Urban Hang Suite': 25 Years Later", "Driver in Fatal 154 Crash Was a Ticking Time Bomb", Stuart Matthewman Career Retrospective Interview from August 2015 with Pods & Sods, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Stuart_Matthewman&oldid=1139495855, This page was last edited on 15 February 2023, at 12:40. They released two albums, Sweetback (1996) and Stage 2 (2004).[5]. We never think about the record company, we never think about friends or fans, we never think about radio. The band features instrumental songs and songs with guest vocalists. Others you have to manipulate to get what you want out of them so they can say what you want them to say. L+T: When you finished recording By Your Side, did you have any idea that it was going to be so gigantic? Do they think youre some kind of sad poet walking around dressed in all black? Maxwell collaborated for the first time with guitarist Hod David, who co-wrote three songs and has worked with the singer ever since. I also liked the heavier stuff as well, like Gil Scott-Heron. Stuart Colin Matthewman (born 18 August 1960), also known as Cottonbelly, is an English songwriter, record producer and musician. Along with her constant mates Stuart Matthewman (guitars and sax), Andrew Hale (keyboards) and Paul S. Denman (bass), this would be the groups first album since 1988s Stronger Than Pride. Stuart Colin Matthewman (born 18 August 1960), also known as Cottonbelly, is an English songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. When were going back into the studio, I dont know. He reluctantly confides that his breakup with marketing came about partly because of his dissatisfaction with the way companies were doing it at the time. And they dont even speak English! Weve managed to get that right. It was the epitome of the English village; our family was accepted really well. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Weve got some various bits and pieces to do individually and then well get back together again. 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. How long does that formulation of ideas take? As for me, I was always Mrs. 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, . Copyright 2023 Penske Business Media, LLC. A true player of many musical instruments and amazing writer. Matthewman co-wrote, performed, and produced tracks on Santessa's 2000 trip-hop album Delirium released on Sony. For the first three numbers, my foot was stuck and I couldnt move. I mean youd think as we get older, I guess our audience kind of grows with us. I was walking in like, I think youre incredibly valid. We travel quite a bit. We wanted to make sure that we really covered songs that weren't expected as well for us to do. I had these stiletto heels on and when I walked up to the microphone, my shoe got stuck in one of the planks. Stuart has been with Sade since before they were signed - playing guitar, playing sax and co-writing. How do you help a global marketing team manage that? In the early 1990s, Stuart Matthewman, the writer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist known for his work in Sade, heard a remarkable demo: a ballad that stretched out over nearly seven. Matthewman is tentatively optimistic about the brand update because it has passed the pub test (a concept that the Americans he works with find very amusing), but one thing is clear: his is no ordinary approach to marketing its an evolutionary approach. L+T: What still keeps you so passionate about making music? He just wears like latex dresses and hell film himself getting ready for the concert like putting on these dresses at home and then kind of films himself arriving at the concert and then hell film himself at the concert. Sade & Stuart Matthewman Discuss Music, Hip-Hop and Longevity. Some of the things I write down, theyll never be on a record. Making music is like life: you never really know whats round the next bend in the river. Sometimes the best songs come out when you discuss them less and just let them happen. Sade Adu of Sade and Teddy Riley are among the 2023 Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees. 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. Im sure a lot of people hate me because of that, theyre like, Yeah, that bitch, Sade, I hate her. [laughs]. When it comes to trusting people, I have quite good instincts. Its about war and killing somebody. Nobody knows all the answers. It liberated the industry and gave people a lot of opportunities. L+T: How do you feel working with Hip-Hop artists or being sampled by them affected your music/career? I would have asked JAY Z to rap on Soldier Of Love in 2010. ', Maxwell follows that intro with four gently danceable cuts, including the Ware co-write Sumthin Sumthin' originally titled Hot Chocolate, the track has, the albums most aggressive bass line, whipping and wriggling and popping and the single Ascension (Dont Ever Wonder), co-written by Shur and originally titled XXX., Ascension sold more than a million copies, and its not hard to understand its allure: Theres the gliding economy of the groove, which seems to walk on water; the reckless falsetto run from Maxwell that opens the song; the strangely sticky lyrical construction of the hook, which swings from questioning to emphatic (Shouldnt I realize/Youre the highest of high/If you dont know, then Ill say it/So dont ever wonder); the subtle tumble of drums that precedes the chorus every so often. Having that local knowledge gives you something intrinsic in how you approach what youre doing. Matthewman can be heard on saxophone, guitar, keyboards, and programming. But he believes that his bosses back then would have been supportive of the lessons that working for a software company has taught him now: to fail fast and fix problems, if only hed been more open to making mistakes and learning from them. But no I mean yeah, the audience has always been really appreciative and very vocal with it. Stuart has been with Sade since before they were signed - playing guitar, playing sax and co-writing many of the biggest hits in their 50+ million album selling career. Although Im proud of them, it was the most that we could do at that time; at that moment in time, we did our best. A guy from the record company came in and said, Its, really beautiful, have you got drums coming in? mark into a region where Brown Sugar never went, and that Baduizm only flirted with. In the early 1990s, Stuart Matthewman, the writer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist known for his work in Sade, heard a remarkable demo: a ballad that stretched out over nearly seven minutes, making room for daredevil falsetto and a bass line as elegant as a spiral staircase, building to a description of a sexual liaison so ecstatic that it lasts for days and eventually brings police to the door. Recently, Stuart teamed up with singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Vanessa Bley, daughter of Jazz legend Paul Bley, to form the band,Twin Danger, resultingina unique sound described as "The love child of heroin jazz and seductive darkness. So I think that its like oh wow! to the younger people who maybe didnt know about Sade are discovering her, which is great. [laughs] I think now, Im less open than I used to be sometimes, because I have to protect myself. Urban Hang Suite Left Him No Choice, Russ Doesnt Trust Other Labels. In a recent interview with GQ Magazine, the renowned band revealed they are wrapping up the follow-up to 2010's Soldier of Love. We know what to expect from each other and how to deal with each other as well. As beautifully sweet as she was wickedly talented, Sade was the anti-diva Diva. Late for sound check, late to get ready Thats my defense. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful. 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. Press J to jump to the feed. His most vital album, Urban Hang Suite 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. I was like, Its amazing, but it sounds like its already done. And America is obviously always an amazing audience. L+T: Its hard not to, right? and our I tried to write it before, but it didnt quite work out. Then, when I was 13 I discovered a pirate radio station that played all sorts of stuff: folk, rock, soul, everything. Ascension sold more than a million copies, and its not hard to understand its allure: Theres the gliding economy of the groove, which seems to walk on water; the reckless falsetto run from Maxwell that opens the song; the strangely sticky lyrical construction of the hook, which swings from questioning to emphatic (Shouldnt I realize/Youre the highest of high/If you dont know, then Ill say it/So dont ever wonder); the subtle tumble of drums that precedes the chorus every so often. I try to write so that it is indecipherable. Im sure people tell you that. Now I collect books, but I never have time to read them. 23K views 7 years ago tuart Matthewman of Sade joins Eric of Pods & Sods in conversation. Its about how people in different regions like to be communicated to, learn and educate themselves that impacts marketing.. Required fields are marked *. People would get together there one night a week; it was outside of London and the stage was made from beer crates. That seems like a marketing ploy thats obvious in todays world, but I was actually scared that something would happen. He and I both agree that back in the day marketers saw each other as competitors. Matthewman reflects that as a young marketer he was very afraid of making a mistake or a campaign not working. So when its ready, it will come out., Matthewman tells a funny, yet relevant story that perfectly sums up the expected time frame for Sade to drop new music. Try to find people who help you. I wanted the cover to not be my face, Maxwell says. You wont be sacked. Honestly, were a little bit amateur in the studio, the way we work. Between Sade albums and tours, Stuart stays quite active in the music world: composing film scores for the Polish Brothers' TwinFalls Idaho (1999),Northfork (2003),The Astronaut Farmer (2006), and Nelson George's TV movie,Life Support(2007) as well as producing and co-writing with various artists, notably Maxwell on his first three albums, and with English singer/songwriter Paloma Faith. But it always ends up kind of sounding like us anyway. 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". It doesnt really help the process, he says. We dont always agree, but I always get my way. You know we just do what we do and hope that people like it. Matthewman reflects that although nobody wanted to be the person who runs out the dud campaign, this often manifested itself as competition with everyone you were working with. Send us a tip using our anonymous form. Working with Paloma Faith on her third studio album, Stuart Matthewman co-wrote two songs on her album A Perfect Contradiction released March 2014. If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. His niche is seasoned R&B acts, along with radio stats on urban and R&B formats. In 2016, Stuart has kept busy back in his recording studio with several projects underway: co-writing and producing two songs on Maxwell's latest album earlier this year and composing the film score for the movie The Erotic Dreams Of The Chelsea Hotel. So were definitely not going to leave it that long. The record company knows theres no point in nagging us or giving us deadlines. ' Maxwell recalls. Many love affairs have begun to a Sade album. 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. While Urban Hang Suite is dashing and assured, its creator was profoundly ambivalent about his place in the music industry at the time. Running a global content team is always a business challenge. What I like personally when I listen to other peoples music is when the music makes you feel something. So the way that we did that instead of just playing the songs we really wanted to do it visually so we wanted every song or every couple of songs to have its own visual theme. L+T: Who are some artists you are interested in these days? While Whenever Wherever Whatever is another demonstration of Maxwells dexterity in the upper register, Suitelady (The Proposal Jam) has more hoarse bite, along with a rhythmic slink not unlike what Prince was, was released, its frequently been name-checked, along with, (1997), as a foundational album for the neo-soul movement. Its funny, most of the songs I cant tell you if I really like them or not; its really hard to be objective about it. I do think you should think about the fans but hopefully our fans will grow with us. Maybe Stuart [Matthewman] or Andrew [Hale] will come from a bassline and then we build on that. We wanted to make sure that we really covered songs that werent expected as well for us to do. Stuart: Well we have very odd ones. Sade: I dont want to be a one trick pony. If I were somebody else, Im not sure I would like Sade. I learned more during that time than at any other time in my life. They asked me if I'd like to write a bio for superstar singer Sade. While other artists are content with releasing music more frequently to remain in the limelight, Matthewman says, [Sades] not interested in the fame or any of that [other] stuff. . We talk about the early days of Stryper, some of his childhood guitar heroes and influences, the classic days of To Hell With The Devil, his solo career, songwriting and the unique spot that Stryper inhabits in the music world in terms of music and message. The internet and content have had a huge part to play in this you have to be up front about how youre educating people and helping them with a buying decision. Intelligent questions and a wonderful conversation. Did you start listening to jazz at that time? Their work featured instrumental songs and songs with guest vocalists. You get some perspective on why youre making a record. ' Not long after, Karl Van Den Bossche, a percussionist who also worked with Sade, came through New York to do sessions with the young man behind the demo: A then-unknown Brooklyn native named Maxwell. Stuart: Yeah thats because its ourselves as well. I was pretty much one of the lads, but I was an old soul even when I was a child. 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. We carry a pipeline and a revenue target. Eventually somebody was supposed to replace me, but that never happened. 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