James Ford on producing Arctic Monkeys: “I still try push Alex Turner as hard as I can”
Music producer James Ford has recalled his time working with Arctic Monkeys – explaining that he still tries to push the frontman out of his comfort zone.
Ford was talking in a new interview when he provided insight into his time in the industry, namely, his time working alongside iconic Sheffield-band, Arctic Monkeys.
Working with the indie four-piece since 2007 – when he joined them during the production process for their second album, ‘Favourite Worst Nightmare’ – Ford explained how his relationship with the members has developed, and how he consistently pushes frontman Alex Turner to venture into new territory.
“I’ve known them so long now. I’ve been working with quite a lot of new bands … But with the Monkeys, it’s a totally different thing where there’s this deep trust that we’ve grown up together,” he told The New Cue.
“Me and Alex, our music tastes have grown together, I’ve introduced him and he’s introduced me to so much different music … sometimes that’s good and bad.”
He continued: “It’s a funny thing, but I still definitely try and push him as hard as I can. I’m aware I don’t want him to settle into a comfort zone and it just become boring, you’re trying to keep finding ways to move forward and do new things.”
Ford also discussed what Turner’s writing process was like ahead of the band’s latest album, ‘The Car’, which was released in October.
He explained how the album was recorded at a country house in Suffolk and Turner had taken a more hands-on approach to the songs than ever before.
“Alex is getting very into recording stuff himself,” Ford said. “I seem to remember the writing process for ‘The Car’ was quite long [because] he went to and fro with a few different direct directions. … He’d do four or five different versions of the same song with different tempos and he’d played some of them to me and I’d be like, ‘Oh, that one’s sounding great.’”
Last October, Turner explained how the writing process for ‘The Car’ differed from the rest of the band’s discography. Talking as part of NME’s Big Read, he said: “The records we’re making now are definitely different now to the ones we probably thought we would be making when we started out – actually, we didn’t think we’d be even making records anymore.”
“When I think back to earlier times, I feel like we were just running on instinct, creative decisions included,” he continued. “But beyond that, I don’t really think that much within the band has changed a great deal; we might know a few more tricks, but we’re still rolling on that very same instinct.”
In a five-star review of ‘The Car’, NME described the album as “a summary of the band’s story so far,” adding that it demonstrated the members’ “sharp songwriting, relentless innovation and unbreakable teamwork”.
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Liberty Dunworth
NME
