Have a field day at ArtistCongratz ! Inside a legendary studio.
Did you know that one of our most sollicited Belgian record studio’s is owned and directed by Patrick Hamilton in the lovely town of Bruges? Join us following heartbeats of music industry, blogging and vlogging on holy production-ground.
Over the years (nineties and nillies), Patricks studio became the center of attention for a lot of national artists. That is still very much the case to this day.
But the bigger picture lay ahead. Patricks ability and talent to also lift up music talent worldwide did not go unnoticed.
His international career as a producer took off about a decade ago.
Patrick: I had a manager in Nashville. It kind of bothered him that I was never available because of numerous national projects. But once I came across some major international A & R-folks on a yacht in the south of France, I quickly left my Flemish way of thinking. The time had come to leave my comfort zone.
The first international artist I came across was Mark Masri. When he was nominated the Juno Award for Best album in Canada, Universal England seemed interested. I thought they were signing the artist I produced, but actually it was me who ended up working with one of the biggest names in the UK.
Considered an almost unreachable star, Katherine Jenkins would become one of the first to perform the new anthem “God save the King”. So you can imagine I was honoured to be able to work with her.
I studied classical music at the conservatory in Ghent, so technically I was able to do arrangements for big orchestra. Although I had never done it before, I felt I could do it.
Honoured as “Officer of the British Empire” Katherine Jenkins is a neo classic cross-over singer, who’s style can be compared to Andrea Bocelli’s. She has her own television program on BBC, called “Songs of Praise”.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/profiles/s9kl5ssM7Qwq5p2sJ9N294/katherine-jenkins
In December Patrick was invited to perform with her, his quatre mains-compagnon Nel Swerts & Sir Cliff Richard in the Royal Albert Hall in London.
Nel Swerts 🎹🎹
AC: How often are you in your studio?
Patrick: During COVID, I was here all the time. Just a few days before the lockdown, I had finished an album with Katherine. I needed a vacation because of the hard work but it turned out to be a holiday of two years. Literally locked into my studio, I could have layed down and got depressed.
But that’s not really my nature. So I took it as an opportunity.
There was nothing else to do. I started with some solo piano music.
AC: Some extra time as a gift for your inspiration and development as a songwriter?
Patrick: I think it was a twist of fate. Into a new world. Suddenly I found myself to be an artist you can find on Spotify. Before I was a producer. You could find a lot of my music but not my name. That has changed during Corona.
AC: Should a producer not be considered as an artist as well?Patrick: Combining producing and songwriting opens the door to all kinds of connections.
But you are right, the producer is definitely part of the artistic process of an artist. How the songs are born, how you’re colouring them as a producer, is like picturing a painting.
You have all the ingredients but then you have to combine them in all the right ways. There are so many different ones to approach a production. You might want it to sound big, like music played in a hall. Or very intimate in a small room. Both require very different approaches.
Overall mine is to follow your guts. Trying to make the best production possible. That’s how I say see it.
AC: Pushing all the right buttons you showed us on the tour trough your studio. (Soon to be published on our TikTok-account)
Patrick is quite happy working in the shades. I worked with so many famous people that can’t walk on the streets. Recognition has two meanings. You can get bothered that people recognise your face. Them being aware of your work is so much more important.
But once connected with music-executives like Martin Dodd and Ricardo Fernandez, working with Britney Spears and The Back Street Boys among others, Patricks career as a songwriter and producer took an international turn. Holding over 27 million streams (on Spotify only) of his songs combined, this goes way beyond his expectations. Patrick: I was hoping to get one million streams one day (laughs).
Do you feel you have developed your own trade mart as a producer?
Patrick: I hope so, as I mentioned: You can’t put me in one basket. Hopping from genre to genre. But some people recognise kind of a trade mart in my productions. That’s a huge compliment.
Patrick celebrated his 60th birthday with a special concert in Bruges.
And a stunning biography (In Dutch), full of tales like these.
ArtistCongratz 