- The producer behind some of the biggest albums in recent memory shares his creative process and musical journey.
- Fraser T Smith has been shaping popular music as a producer, songwriter and instrumentalist since the early '00s. He made his way into the industry the old fashion way, turning from self-taught enthusiast to gigging musician, then graduating to session work with the likes of Craig David, with whom he earned his first credit. The experience equipped him with an understanding for the interconnected roles of songwriting, production, engineering and performance, and earned him a front row seat on some of the defining albums of the last five years. Besides being credited for Kano's Made In The Manor, Stormzy's Gang Signs And Prayer and Dave's Psychodrama, Smith developed close creative relationships with each of those artists that continue to this day.
They all appear on 12 Questions, Smith's album as Future Utopia, which addressed existential questions like "Nature Or Nurture?" and "How Much Is Enough?" by asking musicians, activists and poets to try to answer them. It's since been remixed by a collection of artists including club staples like India Jordan, DJ Seinfeld and HAAi. Smith spoke to Martha from his studio about the particulars of his creative process, and what it's like to juggle a wide range of musical roles while working with some of today's defining artists.
TracklistFuture Utopia,Ghetts & Jelani Blackman - Nature or Nurture (UNKLE reconstruction) [70Hz Recordings]
Future Utopia, Dave & Es Devlin - Children of the Internet (HAAi rework) [70Hz Recordings]