Jamie Smith
composer, producer, guitarist
Often working in the intersection between sound art and music, Jamie is known for his ability to bring a sound world vividly to life.
From British experimental music to Gaelic noir and long form maximalist chamber punk, Jamie has enjoyed a wildly varied career, composing music for theatre, dance, films, animation, TV and radio, as well as purely musical projects. He also played naughty guitar for many years as half of the avant punk trio Misterlee.
Since 2011 Jamie has co- owned St. Mary’s Space with his wife, Charlotte. The studio is a creative hub attracting artists from far and wide, being both a peaceful refuge from our increasingly bewildering world and an intensely creative environment dedicated to art and music.
Jamie's work is regularly heard on national radio and television, most recently on 6 music, BBC TV's, S/ITV, Channel 4, and let's not forget Channel 5!
Some of the artists he's worked with include Knomad Spock, Kathryn Joseph, Rachel Walker, Aaron Jones, Dolly Valentine, Misterlee and Lee Allatson, Deborah Templeton, Kelly Macdonald, Bruce Coates, Ingrid Plum, Mr McFall's Chamber, Damo Suzuki, Westward The Light, Horse, Shuna Scott Sendall, Akram Khan, Fiona Soe Paing, Alice Allen, Paul Dunmall, Dorit Chrysler.
WORKING WITH JAMIE
All projects are unique: the prices here are a guide only. Please contact us to discuss your requirements and request a quote.
Jamie charges £250 per day for all studio work (writing, editing, mixing, recording, etc). This includes use of all equipment.
For artists working here, our Sitooterie accommodation is available at a heavily discounted rate.
Learn more about our accommodation.
All bookings include plenty of tea and coffee.
A day usually starts around 9am and finishes at 5 or 6pm where possible. If we need to work later (for creative or practical reasons), we will of course do so, but please remember St Mary's is our family home, and we don't like to run later than 7pm unless there's a compelling reason!
The number of musicians the space will accommodate varies on type/loudness/bigness of instruments/etc.
eg 30-50 voice Inuit choir; 20 piece free jazz orchestra; 10 piece space rock band; 8 vuvuzela; solo ukulele.
If it makes a noise, we can record it.
We are always happy to discuss your project and find the best way to make it happen based on your requirements and budget.
Mixing
Jamie is happy to mix projects that have been recorded elsewhere and can deliver mixes in stereo, multichannel, ambisonics and immersive audio formats, including binaural (static or with head tracking for VR).
If you would like to inquire about having your project mixed, please get in touch. Jamie is happy to provide examples of past work and may be able to mix a short test sample of your project (time allowing) - contact us to discuss options and availability.
Remote work
and re-amping
At St. Mary's we are used to working remotely and regularly collaborate across multiple locations. One unique facet of our studio is the wonderful sound of the room and this can be harnessed during mixdown to improve material recorded in small or less than ideal spaces. The process of 're-amping' the signal, sending it out into the room through a loudspeaker and then re-recording, may be used to enhance the depth of field and sense of space and presence, gelling all the instruments together in the same space. It's an organic alternative to artificial reverb!
'Jamie's guitaring is a phenomenon to behold, an exercise in controlled passion... The contrast between power and restraint is a detail in a much bigger picture. Frequent stylistic switches sometimes read as jolting or stilted, sometimes as swerves in the enigmatic but ordered flight of the bumble bee. For all the swerves and switchbacks, the guitar breezes jazz and drips sweet blues.'
'Jamie’s guitar creates a warm southern comfort sound of picking and thrumming, and flocks of feathering that see hands moving too fast to focus on.' Opposition T
Smith's guitar … creates sounds that seem to come from another universe. Brave and exhilarating stuff here...recommended to any who prefers guitars that sound as if they come from Mars.' ~ Paul Kerr, americana-uk.com
‘Misterlee … in fruitful collaboration with guitar virtuoso Jamie Smith... Jamie's guitar playing is simply incredible, jolting from the blissful to the nerve-frayingly-fractured as if the strings were struggling with bi-polar disorder...The final product is a record in which various different music genres, such as punk, spoken word, folk and noise, bleed into one another and then coagulate into something extraordinary.' ~ Jonathan Mathews, Thefourohfive