Howie B is a producer of remarkable pedigree, having worked with the likes of Bjork, Soul II Soul and U2, before going on to release a string of idiosyncratic and critically acclaimed solo albums such as Turn The Dark Off. His productions spawned some of the most interesting tracks to come out of the 90s: tracks such as Bjork’s ‘Army Of Two’ and Tricky’s seminal Trip Hop track ‘Hell Is Around The Corner’, in which he made bold and unique statements with his productions.
Not confined to giving into the demands of family life and the day-to-day grind of running a studio, he is still a popular and in demand DJ playing for audiences almost half his age and still produces his own brand of electronic music.
His latest album, Down With The Dawn, came out on April 14th. Howie seems filled to the brim with enthusiasm about it, having lost nothing of the vigour of his early career. It seems to be as inspired as anything that he has ever done; “I lost two of my closest friends, and this album was about trying to express that.” Does it bear any connection with his acclaimed début Turn the Dark Off I wonder, with the similar titles hinting at some thematic link: “It’s about light. It’s about dealing with tragedy, and about the tragic things in life. It’s about coping with the bad.” As always, he is focused on developing his sound forward and progressing musically from what he did on previous LPs: “A poet can’t write the same poem over and over. What would be the point in that? I have to develop as an artist, so every record is going to be different and distinct. But it’s still me, it has my signature and the themes I’ve been dealing with for so long.”
His Scottish roots are something that continue to influence Howie to this very day. He holds that they had a significant effect in shaping him as a young man making music, “It would have been totally different. I’m not sure how, but it would be. Everything I do is an accent. An expression of where I’m at and what I’ve been though. Everything I do is Glasgow [sic].”
Despite these gritty 60s routes, the former tea-boy is unremittingly optimistic about the benefits that technology can bring modern musicians, particularly the internet: “It’s a very positive thing. It’s great. It’s like a library. When I was young I had no money, so I went down to the local library and listened to music. It’s a great platform for young people to discover music and for artists to promote things. I don’t think it’s negatively affecting things in any way.”
There are however, both positives and negatives that come with these new developments. Howie seems confidently convinced of why the popularity of vinyl is still so very high years after the introduction of digital technology: “It’s just better. That’s it. It just sounds better. We still haven’t invented anything better”
Though he is quick to acknowledge their shortcomings, his faith in the methods behind the classics remains completely unshakeable. “It’s all simple stuff. Drum machine, bass guitar, vocals. Nothing beats three piece. A great live band. You see a great band live and it blows you away. You don’t think how do they do that? You just enjoy it. No technology has been able to improve upon that. It’s about the music not about the gear you name it with.” With producers and studio technicians obsessing over what variety of microphone to use, his back-to-basics attitude is a breath of
fresh air.
Far from being out of touch, the current music scene is something that Howie remains in touch with and positive about: “The current scene is great, as good as it has ever been. I love all of it. It’s changing all the time. New things coming about.” But even though the scene is always changing, for Howie, music will always be a profoundly personal thing: “Even your life affects the way you hear music; you can hear a song a year later and it will be completely different to when you heard it for the first time. The song didn’t change but you do. Music is never static.”
Beneath this love of the old school lies an unremitting optimism that he has something to offer the modern music scene: “I have a responsibility to be good. If it wasn’t good I wouldn’t realise it. I’ve got a responsibility to do good work as a DJ and producer, no matter how old I am.”
Continually pushing forward, Howie is equally confident in the potential of new blood entering the recording industry: “China is a massive growth area. In Britain we’ve been recording music for 100 years, in China it’s only really been apparent for the last 15. There’s immense potential. We’re going to see some absolutely wonderful music coming out of there in the next 15 years, I guarantee it. No question.”
Howie has the utmost respect for DJing and production as an art form. I asked him how he dealt with criticism that he is “just” a producer: “I’d give him [a] hug. He’s being pretty rude. But I’d still give him a hug. There’s a lot of skill involved in DJing, production, in mixing, in engineering. It’s an art form. It’s a skill. Even if you don’t play an instrument. It doesn’t mean there’s not a lot of talent in it.”
But looking back over the scope of his career, it’s not been the music that has challenged him the most: “Raising my children. That’s by far the most difficult thing that I’ve done. More than music. But they are inseparable, because they inspire the music.” Howie seems like a remarkably happy man. Although he’s been in the music game for a long time he still has his feet firmly planted on the ground. Music remains an extremely personal, passionate thing for him. He’s definitely someone that today’s generation of producers can learn from.
