No Time to Play...Well, Maybe a Little

Downtown studios, Strasbourg.

Strasbourg-aka the Capital of Christmas-is in full festive swing from late November. The landscape is barely clear, if at all, of its majestic autumnal display.  Yet winter has made a head start with the biting temperatures. Across the city, various fixtures, lamp-posts and trees light up with some of the prettiest Christmas décor you’re likely to see.

I’m continuing my in-between job schedule of studying, searching for work and appointments with municipal employment agencies. Somehow I also find time for church activities, writing workshops, meet-ups with chums, telephone conferences on UK GE campaign strategy and, of course, choral events. After a tame start to the Rentrée on the performance front, the High Rock Gospel Singers’ diary has suddenly become quite active.

On the last Sunday of the month, the choir directors book an all-day session at a studio in an obscure location not too far from the central station. I’m still a relative recording novice. It’s been a decade or two since I was last in the booth. We gather in front of the cave-like establishment on a chilly weekend morning. I've hitched a lift with a kindly alto.  The choristers turn up in full force except, as usual, for the men. The idea is for this recording session to be a test run for the album. Instead of trying to knock out a track during an intense afternoon session, the administrative team thought it would be more productive if we take our time over the course of a day. It turns out to be a fruitful gamble.

To our astonishment, the studio is far more modern and inviting than its less than prepossessing exterior. (It's to discourage thieves, according to the proprietor) The spacious brick and wood-panelled surroundings would be an ideal setting for a making-of documentary. I expect the establishment to be presided over by a young-ish fellow of African-descent. Instead we’re greeted by an ageing Frenchman, not nearly as curmudgeonly as first impressions suggest.

The day begins with some relaxed warm-ups. We then proceed to record a Gospel medley – chosen for its relative ease and familiarity. I also happen to sing the opening solo. We begin by attempting to record the bulk of the track separately according to harmonies; sopranos and altos together, then tenors and the solitary bass on his own. We discover by chance however, that the sound is richer and more cohesive when the first three registers record in the same room. This aspect of the recording is far less painful than anticipated.

It’s time for lunch. I abstain from the specially-ordered sandwiches, hoarding mine for later. A baguette won’t go down well with my vocals.

It takes a while for me to unwind during my solo. Although I have a booth all to myself, I am overly-aware of the other choristers listening in the main mixing room. The directors sense tension in my voice. They give me some pointers to help me relax ‘Take all the time you need...try and be a vehicle for the lyrics...think of Whitney...’

Chief soprano and occasional choir director Nicole, gives me a measured but supportive pep talk. By the time other members start adding their two pence however, I’m overwhelmed and a tad peeved. I remain polite; maybe more so because it would be hard to get the nuance of my feelings across in French without sounding curt.

I mention my self-consciousness around the rest of the choir. The directors ask them to clear the room. I further suggest it would help me to relax if I sang whilst lying down. The engineer graciously adjusts the microphone and equipment. He adds some reverb to set the mood. After a few takes, just as I begin to get the hang of it, I’m summonsed to the mixing room. The choristers are called back in. The directors are happy with some of my rough drafts. Very rough to my mind. Left to my own devices I would do a couple more takes.

The rest of the choir are effusive with praise. My British-influenced unease with compliments rubs up against my vanity.

There’s more trial and error recording the medley intro. We experiment with various configurations. Finally, each register is whittled down to a handful of vocalists to ensure a better blend. It’s the first time in the day a hint of demoralisation sets in. Choir director, Kiasi is a little cranky. The team decide to cut their losses with the best take of the bunch.

It's been a long day. Just after 5pm, most of the choir are released into the late autumn evening. A few of us stay behind for the finishing flourishes. Kiasi and Evan record some killer ad-libs in a handful of takes; like a couple of seasoned pros. My improv goes down well. So well that Kiasi sings it back to me in a voicemail later that evening.

But it’s the same-ol, same-ol ad-lib I always do!

Before leaving we listen back to the days efforts, as we have been doing periodically. Nicole and the boys pick up on a quarter-tone’s difference between the intro and the main medley. It’s difficult to know how we missed it. We routinely checked for pitch.

A few weary expletives fly around. The engineer reassures us it can be adjusted in the final mix. We manage to wrap everything up by early evening. Despite some of the tuning issues, we’ve had a blast.

Soundtrack: Sempre by Marcos Valle, The Legendary Riverside Albums (re-issue) by Chet Baker