GomezBeatx on skills boost in studio
Gomez Tito Marshall, better known as GomezBeatx, is a respected name in Ghana’s popular music scene as he has helped to extend the creative capabilities of the artistes he has been responsible for in the studio.
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A music producer since 2004, Gomez feels strongly that it is always good for contemporary recording artistes to learn some amount of music theory to help them better understand what exactly they want when they enter a studio to work with a producer. He believes the ability to reasonably play an instrument helps artistes formulate better ideas of what they expect from producers.
Gomez expressed his views on what sort of relationship should exist between artistes and producers when he answered a question at the recent Goethe Institut-sponsored workshop in Accra. The workshop aimed at getting young acts to use more traditional Ghanaian rhythms in their music.
An artiste wanted to know what he should do if he went to a studio and the producer was not able to capture what he (the artiste) had in mind for the final product.
Gomez, who is also a keyboardist, bassist and drummer, said there had often been conflicts between artistes and producers but the former would come away with material much closer to their original ideas when they took the trouble to improve their level of musicianship.
To Gomez, it is up to music producers to sharpen their skills in the instruments they play and also deepen their understanding of the different styles of contemporary music.
“The ability to express himself well on an instrument also gives the producer a much better understanding of the artiste’s expectation. Some artistes, because they have no grasp of the least bit of music theory, leave everything to the producer who may not have the requisite experience to render what was being expected,” Gomez said.
He has so far proved his knowledge and experience by producing all the different versions of Epixode’s award-winning ‘Atia’ hit song. The young man has also produced songs for Dela Botri, Mr Drew, Kurl Songx, Afro Yesus (formerly Naa-K of Nkasei fame) and more. He has also produced soundtracks for movies and television series.
“I’m learning new things all the time. A good producer can have an incalculable effect on the progression of an artiste’s career. If the producer applies his skills improperly, he can set an artiste back in terms of the artiste’s creative growth,” he said.
He strongly advises that Ghanaian artistes and producers should be innovative and not be distracted by what others are doing in other places.
