Matt
Forger
Producer l Mixer l Engineer l Sound
Designer l Production Supervisor
Photo: by The C
Read
Matt Forger Interview with GMan For Record Industry Newswire
& enews
channel
History: LA based Matt Forger met and worked
with Michael Jackson on the ‘THRILLER’ album and also worked on
the ‘E.T. STORYBOOK ALBUM’ with Quincy Jones and Steven Spielberg
producing. Following the remarkable success of the album, Matt worked
on the groundbreaking ‘THRILLER VIDEO’ with director John Landis.
This relationship continued and Matt worked on the albums ‘BAD’,
‘DANGEROUS’, ‘HISTORY’, and ‘BLOOD ON THE DANCEFLOOR’. Matt also
recorded and mixed the ‘CAPTAIN EO’ 3-D Film for Disney, directed
by George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola, and oversaw its installation
at Disney theme parks worldwide.
Forger began his involvement in the
music business by mixing live sound for rock bands in the Northeast,
and designing and building sound systems and studios. Shortly
after moving to LA and securing a staff position at Westlake Studios,
he met and worked with Producers Giorgio Moroder, Keith Forsey,
Harold Faltermeyer, and George Duke. This was followed by the opportunity
to work with Quincy Jones, Rod Temperton, and Bruce Swedien, and
become part of “The Team.” More recently Matt was involved
on the Michael Jackson film project ‘GHOSTS’ with director
Stan Winston. Among the other works Matt has completed are his efforts
on the re-mastering and adding of bonus tracks to the Michael Jackson
‘Special Edition’ albums; ‘OFF THE WALL’, ‘THRILLER’, ‘BAD’, and
‘DANGEROUS’.
The nature of Matt’s involvement with Michael Jackson is extensive.
Forger provided a technical foundation, and relaxed studio environment
for the creativity of the artist to flourish where Michael would
write and develop songs and arrangements. “This process of experimentation,
exploration of sound, and application of new technologies, is always
challenging, but can also be most rewarding,” says Forger.
Matt’s all too familiar with the process - generating singles, videos,
and dance remixes, international
versions and promotional materials, approval of mastering and test
pressings, generating versions for film and television appearances,
and cataloging and maintaining an archive of all materials, are
just some of the responsibilities that Matt has overseen.
Matt has worked extensively with the Japanese superstar Yuming.
They first worked together in 1984 when Yuming's producer, Masataka
Matsutoya
was looking for a new sound. After releasing numerous albums it
was time for a new approach, so Matt was hired to bring not only
a new sound, but new
production techniques as well. That first collaboration doubled
the sales figure of any previous album, and was the first of 15
albums on which Matt was recording engineer, mixer, and co-producer.
13 of these albums entered the Billboard chart at #1. Matt has also
received 2 “Gold Disc Awards” (Grammy Equivalent) for his contributions.
Current Credits: This year has found Matt
working in the LA singer/songwriter community, working with many
new and promising artists. Matt is also offering his services as
a consultant, for the creative recording arts. The basis for his
work is the emotional content of the recording. “Remembering that
music is a form of emotional communication is important” Matt says,
“Too many people view recording as a technical experience. It is
important to understand technology and be able to control and it,
but it’s the music at center stage. It’s the song people remember,
not the recording system.”
Matt is also
recording in a classic format with exciting new results. Matt calls
it ‘reality recording’, this is a live to 2-track recording style
that uses a carefully placed single stereo microphone and a high
quality signal path. It is capturing the moment of a great performance,
and putting the listener there in the environment to share the experience.
"It is especially well suited to acoustic performances and
elegant in its’ simplicity," says Forger.
Matt
Forger with Detroit Mutant Radio and Rafa Sardina at After Hours
Studios.
contact: Dianne Forger |
fn: 818-341-6610 fx:
818-341-7355
e-mail: mdforger@aol.com
copyright 2004 studioexpresso
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