When I was 12, my Dad taught me four chords on the guitar… That was the start of it…
I practiced every day for years. My first recordings involved the use of 2 tape recorders with built in microphones and speakers. I'd often record basic chords onto one machine, and then playing it back I'd pick out melodies and tape both melody and chords onto the other machine…I'd layer up tracks like this until the tape hiss took over… It was magical…
In 1989, I left my home town of Newry, to go to Art College in Liverpool.
It was there that I started going to gigs and I developed a deeper interest in music, realizing pretty early on that I wanted to be a musician and not a graphic designer. I found myself gravitating towards and socializing with musicians mainly and this lifestyle really appealed to me.
I volunteered for a community arts project (Hope St. Ltd.) which took me to Spain and Germany with musician exchange schemes. On my return, I was asked to run music sessions for L.I.P.A. in its opening year. Both experiences were great training for my future role as a music producer working with creative groups and individuals.
For the next few years, I started playing guitar in any band I could find, everything from a 9 piece jazz band "The Doo Doo Chasers" to a female fronted punk band "Hoop", playing all the usual haunts - The Cavern, The Picket, The Lomax, L2 etc.
In the late nineties I joined a band called "WOMO" (World of my Oyster) as lead guitarist. At the time they were working with producer Ronnie Stone (Mansun, The Pixies, The Christians, Throwing Muses…) and it was during this period of my life that I learned most about the ins and outs of the music industry. I also learned a lot about myself.
We signed to Phonologic records in 2000 and successfully released our debut single in June of that year. We recorded in Parr Street studios and Area 51 in Liverpool, played venues all over the U.K. and enjoyed the attention of major record companies and publishers, playing showcases in London with bands like Sparklehorse and Coldplay.
Though we were doing really well as a band, my interest in recording and production was developing massively. I had recorded and co-produced a lot of the bands songs and was starting to acquire a lot of equipment. While in the studio I'd absorb as much as possible, picking up techniques and trying them out later on my own. I found myself getting more interested in recording and production and less interested in touring and performing. I was regularly being approached by other musicians and songwriters to work on their material, helping with arrangements, layering up tracks and recording demos.
When WOMO finally split, I was immersed in other projects and though disappointing for the band, personally, I had developed all the necessary skills to help me move into a studio based role.
I moved to Manchester to begin working with my long time friend, bass player John Rigby and dedicated the next couple of years to honing my production skills. We built a Pro Tools studio and embarked on a number of recording projects working with many local bands and singer/songwriters, including "The North" and "Feverfew".
Content in my work and with more financial stability, I was able to return home to see my family much more regularly. It was on one of these trips that I began to think about how I could return home and work within the up and coming music industry here. It seemed like a challenge. I packed up all my studio gear and I moved to Belfast.
I setup a small project studio on University Street (Big Space Studios) to test the market and spent the following year going to gigs, promoting myself, discovering new bands and artists and recording them. I had found a niche working with solo artists and singer/songwriters. In that first year I recorded and produced an album "Soo P and The Outsider" a number of E.P.s (Joe McKenna, Rachel Austin) and numerous demos.
Last year I got engaged and have recently relocated "Big Space Studios" to the countryside outside of my home town of Newry. I am currently building a brand new studio complex on our farm near the house. This will be the culmination of all my work so far and I plan to build this studio to the highest standard. I will be focusing mainly on creating a great sounding live room.
Currently I am fortunate enough to be working with extremely talented people and while building the studio I will maintain the creative atmosphere in which these artists can work out ideas and get quality recordings in a relaxed and comfortable setting.
I continue to build links with the music industry in England and in doing so, I'm hoping to help build an infrastructure here in Northern Ireland that can support the huge wealth of talent we have to offer.
Declan Legge