Vyvyan
Vyvyan shares how he views making music as a therapeutic process, why he thinks initiatives such as Outboard are important in order to restore balance in an industry that is becoming increasingly difficult for producers to earn a living through production and also the importance that DJing plays in making a sustainable living from working in music.
Vyvyan is the moniker of producer Bonar Bradberry, while the project may have been shrouded in secrecy for the first few years of existence his other work certainly wasn’t. A film composer who has scored two BAFTA winning documentaries in recent years and over 20 years as one half of PBR Streetgang Playing across the globe at almost every club and festival of credible note. Not to mention his remix work for artists ranging from Lana Del Rey and Kylie to Byran Ferry, Hot Chip, Metronomy and Friendly Fires
Could you tell us a bit about the process of making your track? How did it come about? Can you remember where you wrote it? What methods did you use to produce it?
From what i remember it was a bit of a dark time when I wrote this mentally, without going into it too much, ive always found that even though it's my job, making music can still be a very therapeutic process. It was pretty much at home in the studio . it was originally just a three chord piano progression that id become really obsessed with and kept playing it over and over , it didn't at all sound like that finished track it is now.
If you could go back in time and give guidance to your younger self, what would you say that would impact your career the most?
I probably wouldnt bother telling him anything , a younger version of me wouldn’t have listened to anything i have to say !
At Outboard, our aim is to establish a new way of remunerating music producers , fairly and transparently. Why did you choose to come on board?
For that reason really ! i think the music industry in its whole history is yet to get it really right with how it renumerates artists fairly for their work so i feel its important to try new avenues and new solutions.
How do you feel about music producers having to DJ in order to bring in an income? What would you need to be fully dedicated to music production? Do you think it’s still possible to make a living strictly from production?
I feel that with one or two exceptions it’s a fact of life that in order to make an income from making underground ‘dance’ music you almost certainly have to tour as a DJ too. Its hard for me to answer this from my perspective as i’ve only made a living from music my entire adult life in one form or another but DJing was the thing that started it all and has continued to be part of my life. My roles have changed and expanded as ive got older and I've moved into composing music for Film and Television in recent years which has opened up a whole new avenue of creativity and fulfilment that's allowed me to continue making a living from producing music too. I think if I had stayed static doing the same thing for decades I'd be unhappy however cool it looked on the outside. I've been making music for about 20 years now and DJing since the late nineties and I've rarely encountered someone who only made underground dance music as a living and nothing else. So what I'm saying is for the majority of artists I'm not sure it's ever been possible, the people that did or do have always been ‘outliers’ on a curve. It's certainly harder than it's even been now but its slightly disingenuous to think there was a golden time when it was the norm , it's always been the exception. Thats why it's vital to support initiatives like Outboard that give artists a really fair share for their work.
Gate keeping is one of the main obstacles for up and coming artists. Promoters book the same dj’s over and over, and labels are more receptive to established names, making it hard for lesser known artists to get a chance to shine. How long did it take you to breakthrough and whatstrategies would you recommend for up and coming producers?
It took at least 10 years before I had anything that most people from the outside would call a ‘breakthrough’. While it may be culturally and morally the right thing do, promoters and labels aren't there to give people careers, they are businesses when it comes down to it that have their own risks and worries about surviving. Best thing i can say to anyone is just go do your own thing. Don't wait for validation from things that are already established. Create your own scene with friends and like minded people, people that have similar passions and outlooks on the world, start your own parties, start your own labels do it for you and the people you care about and inspire you… after a while you all progress and grow together and people might start to notice , if they don’t it doesn't matter as your creating part of your own community how ever small that might be, its worth a lot. It might sound corny or whatever to some reading this but that's pretty much all ive done throughout my life. It's a long path and it's definitely not paved with gold but it can be done.