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Bryan Cook - Photo: Bill Wadman

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Interview by Svein Gisleson / bigbangfans.com
Photos from various sources, credited below
Recording session video: Silverfilm / YouTube
This interview was originally published just after the Norwegian Edendale release, in April -09.
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- Congratulations with your contribution to the record. Regarding numbers Warner Music Norway usually refuse to comment (Note: After sending these questions, Warner announced official news that the record reached platinum status, 30.000 sold copies), but according to sales charts it performs better than any of the previous records after 5 weeks of sales. 1, 1, 2, 1, 2 is the positions on the Norwegian sales charts, last week only topped by Neil Young’s new record. It also received very positive reviews more or less all over the press here in Norway. The album is already a great success!

Edendale album cover - Photo: Stian Andersen

You are very welcome. I am honored to have been a part of the “Edendale” record and glad to share whatever thoughts I can. With a catalog as large as BIGBANG has, for this be their fastest selling studio album ever is an incredible achievement! Particularly if you factor in the general music market downturn of today. Its not as easy to sell records as it was 5 or 10 years ago. So I am very proud of this accomplishment.

- We asked Øystein some questions when the record was due for release here in Norway, and I quote: “….but the songwriting process, the interaction between Niko Olaf and myself and the recording process has been the best by far in my opinion, especially Olaf´s drumming and Bryan Cooks engineering.” It sounds like like you and Øystein work well together, and that you achieved what you aim for according to your MySpace vision. What what is your view on the recording process, and how long did it take to complete?

My view on the recording process is about balance. Sonic excellence balanced with the best possible performance. When you can get both, thats great, but thats rare. I do love great sounding recordings and take as much care as possible to make that happen, without it getting in the way of the creative process. It (the technical/sonic side of record making) needs to be balanced with the “art” and emotional side of recording. Meaning, I am not going to spend 30 minutes experimenting with microphones and equalizers if the singer, guitar player, or whoever is really in a great mood and inspired and ready to record. My view is that a really well recorded, great sounding average performance is just that: an average performance. But something that is emotional and conveys something special will touch people, it doesn’t matter if its not the best sonically. The “heart” of that comes across loud and clear, despite sonic flaws. I know Greg feels this way too and I noticed early on that Oystein is very much of things thinking too. This made us the perfect team (trio). We all like to make it sound great, but the emotion of it is most important.

As far as how long it took to complete, we recorded the entire record in 14 days at Sound City in Van Nuys, all to 2inch analog tape. During this time we did basic tracking, we edited the tape with a razor blade to put the best takes together, and we did all of the overdubs- lead vocals, background vocals, guitars, & keyboards. 14 days is a very short amount of time to completely record an album in my experience!!! Its exactly how I like to work… fast! Keeps the energy up and the music fresh.

We then mixed the first two singles, took a holiday break and mixed the rest of the album when we got back. I think mixing took about 14 days too. We mixed off of the analog tape through a console with moving faders… there was no use of computers on this album. No plug ins, no tuning, none of that. It really was a rare treat, and I feel lucky to be one of the last (youngest) people to get that sort of
training in analog tape editing, analog tape management, commitment, punching in, etc. Working this way really forces you to build towards something, it does not allow you to wait on decisions, you decide now and move forward. It really feels like a team effort and its very exciting. I think it makes for a better product musically in the end because you have a goal and you constantly work towards that goal, as opposed to trying to “force” the goal to happen at the end with too many options.

Bigbang live @ Union, Drammen 04.17.09 - Photo: Svein Gisleson / bigbangfans.com

- Considering all the success Bigbang have in Norway, and you operating in the US. How important is the success for you personally, and what does it mean to get such a positive feedback on your work?

Its incredibly important for me personally. Success is success, it doesn’t matter where it happens. Good music is good music! Doesn’t matter where it comes from or what language its in. It always feels good for people to love things that you’ve worked so hard on. Its easy when you work on something to develop a bias for it, and just love it because you are working on it. Its always nice for people not involved in the process to love it when the projects done because they are impartial, they could spend their time listening to this or that, and for them to choose our album feels great. And having a platinum record for Big Bang on the wall of my studio is going to be great for my career, no doubt about it.

- After working with the record from the start to the end when it’s sent to mastering, what track is your own favorite on the record? Is there any of the song(s) that was more of a challenge than the others?

Thats a really difficult question… you are putting me on the spot! If I absolutely had to choose, I’d say either “Play Louder” or “Freeway Flowers”. I like poppy, catchy hooks and memorable songs. They are also so many great & emotional moments that are so memorable for me… a couple spots on “Isabel” give me goosebumps every time.

Most of them came together very naturally because of all the great preproduction Greg and Oystein did. All that was left in the studio was finding the right sounds and waiting for the right take! Thats the way it should be.

Mixing “Swedish Television” was really difficult because the rough mix we did at the recording studio was really great but we had to re-do it because there was a musical part in the rough mix that wasn’t supposed to be there. Recreating the emotion of the rough was hard to do for some reason. Even though I did the rough mix we liked. <shrug> I’d say that was the only real difficult part in the process. Chasing that rough mix. Its a common problem. <shrug>

- How did you get to work with this album? Your personal CV also lists the “Greatest Hits” album, so you recorded songs with the band before?

I often work with the producer, Greg Richling. Greg and Oystein connected about 6 months before we did Edendale, at which time we had a very fun and successful studio session where we realized we work well together. So that just evolved into the making of the full-length record. Greg, Oystein and I got along great and we couldn’t wait to do more work together.

- When you are going to work with a (for you) unknown band which already did several previous records, did you listen to any other Bigbang material up front or even after starting the work?

The producer, Greg Richling, and myself met a few times before I met Oystein. Greg played me a few isolated tracks here and there to get a grasp of where they are coming from. But really I only listened to maybe 6 or 10 songs from various stages in their career. I did not listen all the way through or closely analyze it, I was just trying to get a feeling of where they are coming from. I didn’t want to focus on this as much from a sonic level, I think it was very important for Greg to focus on it (he’s very good at that) so he knows their musical background. But from a sonic level, I wanted to bring something fresh and interesting. What I did notice was a lot of their previous work was very well recorded and mixed, so I had a feeling Oystein had very good taste in engineers/mixers (as well as being one himself!) so I had a very high “bar” to live up to, that’s one thing I noticed right away.

After we finished the record, I listened to more of their back catalog just for fun.

- What impact did your work have on the final product, what makes this a Bryan Cook mix?

Well, we all hear things differently. And fortunately, the way I hear things compliments the way Oystein and Greg hear things. My job is do bring out the best bits in a mix and make the song the best it can possibly be. I do this by making sounds fit together well on a technical level, and then using faders and other things to make dynamic changes and exciting loud moments or soft moments. Mixers straddle the line and share roles: you are both trying to do whats best for the songwriter and whats best for the listener. Its a diplomatic process and the most important thing is communication and translating adjectives and feelings into tangible reality. Not always easy. What made this process a success is that Oystein and Greg liked what I brought to the table and in addition we all were able to express ourselves well to each other to take the mix that last 10%, from an A to an A+, so to speak.

I’m sure I have patterns in the way I do things, but if I do, its not something I do consciously. The only thing I always try to think about is what is timeless. A lot of my favorite mixers have influenced me, some are rocking and aggressive and others have clarity, others have layers of emotion and ambience. All I can hope for is that I’m blending that all together to be unique in some way. I’m just happy to be working in this crazy business!

- In Norway Bigbang is considered among the best bands, and they sell large amount of records, but they are still considered even better live acts. Have you ever been to any of their US concerts, or maybe you have seen their live DVD?

Live @ The Troubadour, LA - Photo: Miles Lauridsen

I saw them at the Troubadour, a small club in Los Angeles before we started making the record. They were absolutely amazing. I was blown away with what a huge sound could come out of 3 people. And very impressed with Oystein’s charisma and songwriting. It was no wonder to me that they were very popular in Norway. Seeing them live i was immediately excited to work with them in the studio.

- Considering your track record with your work with larger and smaller artists in the US, and even lots of television material: Bigbang is already almost as big as you can get in Norway. What do you think their chances are in the US, and what is the key to international success? What do the band lack in terms of selling records and do sold out concerts internationally? What are their strongest side? Would Bigbang music be TV material in the US?

Absolutely. International success is hard to come by because all markets have fads that are not lined up at the same time worldwide. For example, just a few short years ago, the US liked boy bands and girl pop groups. Not happening anymore. Similarly, a few years after that you wouldn’t get played on UK radio if you had “real” instruments, it was all electronic. Now they are into soul/retro. So temporary popularity is one thing, but International success is for timeless acts. I think BIGBANG falls much more into the timeless category- they are not gimmicky, they just write good songs and they play them with all their hearts. And I think people are smarter than we might give them credit for, I think people can tell right away when a band is just trying to dress the right way to advance their careers. BIGBANG has the substance, and the ability to deliver it live. Perfect recipe for cross-cultural success, in my opinion.

- I read on your MySpace page some of your favourites are from Iceland and Sweden. Where do you discover them, and what is your relation to scandianvian music? Do you know and/or like any other norwegian music?

You know, I just try to get my hands on as much music as possible. I tend to really like melodic rock from the UK as well. I’m not sure there is any reason why exactly. I don’t know much about other Norwegian music, no. I’ve heard Motorpsycho and really like them. I’ve also heard Ida Maria and really like her!

From The Basement cover

- One of your other projects, the TV show “From the basement”, looks like a good show for music lovers worldwide. When will we see it aired in Europe/Norway?

That is a very special project. Its something I’m very excited about – its something that really makes you remember why you like music in the first place. Its so pure and unfiltered. Looks and sounds amazing.It just draws you in.

They air on Sky Arts television channel in the UK. I don’t know about the rest of Europe. There are a few episodes available on iTunes (such as White Stripes and Radiohead). I know they also just released a DVD sampler of Season 1 which you can buy on Amazon. I really really hope they get enough funding to do complete releases, DVD box sets. They have done so many great sessions – they really all should be seen. I think they are working on funding for the DVD box sets… manufacturing and promotional. I really hope more people get to see this series. Simply spectacular. Nigel Godrich is the musical force behind it, and he is an incredible talent that has fantastic taste and really knows when to say when. He pushes artists to get the best out of them, and then doesn’t squelch it or over-think it once he has their best.

- What artists are you currently working with, and what are your future plans?

I recently did another “From the Basement” session with Nigel Godrich, this time at the famed Capitol Studios in Hollywood. We recorded Cold War Kids and Queens of the Stoneage. That was really exciting. Both bands were incredible, and working with Nigel is always inspiring. Some of the board mixes were used, and the other mixes were done later in the day after the bands left. It was a long day, 10am-2am, but a great day.

I just finished an exciting project with a band called Theft from Los Angeles. Its fronted by Matt McCartie (he used to be in a band called Driver 8 and then later National). It is produced by Dwayne Larring (who is friends with BIGBANG coincidentally). I think of Theft as the kind of music I would make if I could. I’m a jazz saxophone player, but I think Theft is great because its both rocking, but has emotional depth and layers. They combine atmosphere and mood with raw power. And its very catchy. Love it.

Up next for me is mixing for Beck! I’ve worked with him before recording but never mixing… very excited! I don’t know what we are doing yet, but I’m just happy to be involved with someone I respect so much.

- If there is any other bands or artists who likes your work and reads this, what would you recommend they do to get in touch with you?

juicemonster.net

To download some examples of my mixes or to see my credits, or to
contact me directly you can do that by visiting www.juicemonster.net

For booking, rates and scheduling you can contact my management: Mike Kato at BK Entertainment. mike@bkentertainmentgroup.com or by calling
+1-818-728-8200

If you want to read more about Bryan Cook and his work, you can check out this interview by Sound Bites Dog.