The Rundle Mall Producer Series, which is part of Adelaide's Umbrella: Winter City Sounds, gives an intimate insight into the creative process of a music producer with an interactive installation that takes you right into the belly of the beast – their bedroom.
“It’s simply storytelling,” Umbrella programmer Steve Pitkin says. “It’s showing something that nobody ever really looks into – what is the artist’s role?
“A lot of the time it’s them performing and entertaining live on stage; in this case it’s a behind-the-scenes look at what goes on behind closed doors, and many times within the artist’s bedroom where they might have a recording set-up or a space that they use to song-write, and how they feel comfortable in that space.”
The Rundle Mall Producer Series will feature an actual bedroom space in Rundle Mall in which a producer will work while passers-by can watch and listen.
“This is a look into that environment and where the heart of songwriting comes from and how important it is. To have that positioned in the busiest place in Adelaide is awesome,” Steve says.
“It’s interactive. You’ll be able to go up and put some headphones on, and we’ll be building the bedroom… so in that space you’ll be able to see through the Perspex and also listen to what the artist is doing. It’s like having the whole production on display essentially, with the artist getting active in there.”
The centrepiece for the Producer Series this year is Luke Million, who Steve says is the perfect fit for this type of exhibition.
“We’re stoked to have Luke Million as the main artist and driver for the project. He’s grown up in the bedroom and he’s grown up working on music from that independent level, so it’s a perfect space for him.”
What happens in the bedroom will most certainly not stay in the bedroom at this event, with all the eyes and ears of Adelaide and Umbrella getting unfettered access to what is usually a very personal endeavour.
“The whole idea is that it’s organic, so Luke or one of the other artists that will be doing this could walk away with a hit or a track we’re going to be hearing on the radio and this is where the seed was planted,” Steve says.
“We’re hoping the artists will be inspired by this process, putting what they usually do in a dark room with candles lit out into the middle of the day.”
