COUNTDOWN TO ECSTASY: the making of jazz funk quartet A Beach Supreme's new album “Volume One.”

Welcome to the first album by A Beach Supreme. The selection of music reflects the origins of the band as a spontaneous outburst of melodic jamming, underpinned by a love of “the Good Groove.” About 90% of the drums and bass were played live; much of the sax and keyboards also remain essentially what was recorded on the original live sessions.

In its sound and production values, “Volume One” resembles what a “Jazz Fusion” band might typically have recorded in the early to mid 1970’s in a large 24 track studio of the time on an average record company budget. Much of the software-based technology we used made that sound and quality possible.

The recorded music is a hybrid of old and new, but retains these ingredients: live performance, spontaneity and human inter-action.

Read reviews and hear excerpts from the new album from A Beach Supreme 'Volume One' and download your FREE MP3 Jazz track.

Here are the stages in the journey…

1.  Band forms by accident on 17th November 2006 at the Penzance Arts Club. Material played on the first gig becomes the springboard for an ongoing project determined purely by what live shows The Beach could get booked to play, using the same line-up whenever possible.

2.  During the next 18 months, live set honed and extended. Tunes that didn’t work in front of an audience dumped or taken back to the drawing board. No rehearsals: each gig a practice for the next.  Plan: make a good demo for venues interested in booking us.

3.  In July 2008 The Beach go into the studio, taking a 9 hour slot split between two afternoons. “Troubadour” in Falmouth is chosen for its spacious live room with acoustically separated areas: perfect for an old-school Jazz recording that would keep the feel close to The Beach’s live sound.

4.  The session goes well: quality of sound and performances well above expectations. Digital audio files transferred from Troubadour to Damian’s own production studio, “Big Milk”- also in Falmouth. There are 2 or 3 takes of each song, 9 useable tracks in total. Marc and Damian decide to produce the recordings “in depth.”

5.  One of Marc’s London friends, Michele Drees, holidays in Falmouth in late August. One of Michele’s many career highlights was as a Latin percussionist on the late Kirsty McColl’s “Tropical Brainstorm” tours. She is ambushed on Gyllingvase Beach and taken to Big Milk to add congas onto some of the songs.

6.  November 2008- April 2009: work begins on digital editing, to identify the best sections of each song and paste them together. Arrangement of “Maracatu Atomico” radically altered, acquiring a funky horn ensemble section inspired by ideas in Richard’s original keyboard solo. Marc adds flute/ alto flute parts to this and other tracks. “Love For Sale” built from sections cut from three different takes of the song, plus a “loop” of a particularly nice bass fill played by Pete. Damian and Marc add atmospheric sounds and a sampled string arrangement. “Too High” remains as played, with added keyboard sounds and new flute parts. Damian’s original “Neil Armstrong” created on top of a drum loop from “Too High”. Marc and Pete both add “real time” flute and bass parts.

7.  By May 2009 the album is almost complete, but Richard, working along in parallel at his home studio, decides to replace the original live organ parts with new ones played on a “virtual” Hammond B3 Organ and Leslie speaker modeller that has just become available online. Meanwhile, the voice of Falmouth composer and musician Jim Carey is added in layers to create a spooky chant on “Moanin.”

8.  With the organ parts complete by late July, Damian finalises the track mixes while Marc mulls over the playing order and the overall sound with help from Penzance-based record producer Dare Mason and DJ friend Richard Beale.

9.  Late August: Damian masters the album to its final stereo format: the finished CD is delivered to DMS in Plymouth for manufacturing, along with the sleeve graphics.

10.  September 2009: here it is.