New York-based Australian recording artist, producer & DJ Sir Winston released his new single, Perfectly Numb, in June.
Sir Winston’s music effortlessly captures the indie-sleaze heyday that defined the 2010s. He fuses genres and influences, drawing from acts like Empire of the Sun and LCD Soundsystem. The final product presents a fun and vibrant sonic landscape, that exudes boundless energy. His music manages to evoke a sense of nostalgia while remaining wholly present and fresh.
He is inspired by the intersection of music and fashion, collaborating with renowned brands like NIKE, VOGUE, Victoria’s Secret, and Maybelline, he has created exciting soundtracks for their grand fashion campaigns.
Brought to life in the vibrant streets of Brooklyn, New York, the track was skillfully crafted by Sir Winston’s longtime collaborator Abe Seiferth, celebrated for his contributions to RAC and Car Seat Headrest.
The track “Perfectly Numb” serves as a teaser for his upcoming EP, Démons à Combattre, scheduled to be released this September.
During Sir Winston’s time recording Démons à Combattre in New York, he produced a diary and photo album. The AU is delighted to share with you Sir Winston’s experience.
The new Sir Winston EP Démons à Combattre was recorded at Transmitter Studios in Greenpoint Brooklyn New York. In fact, all the Sir Winston releases have been recorded there. I’ve been working at Transmitter since 2015 when I first met Abe Seiferth, who owns and runs the studio, and he’s worked on all the Sir Winston releases with me.
Greenpoint is directly opposite Manhattan, across the East River and at the northernmost part of Brooklyn. It’s part residential, part industrial, and a lot of musicians and artists live in Greenpoint. Nestled on the top floor of a building on Greenpoint Avenue is Transmitter Studios.
Getting to the studio is a huge part of my recording experience. To get there from Manhattan I have a few options. I can ride a bike – over the Williamsburg bridge, which I love to do if the weather is nice. Of course there’s the subway, which I take most days. It’s a spectacle and a zoo. I’m in constant disbelief at the crazy things I see on the New York Subway. I can also Uber, which I do if I have my guitars with me, or I even take the ferry. The ferry is a quick surreal trip across the river and allows me to take in the breathtaking views of Manhattan – it’s a very inspiring way to get to the studio.
Studio days start with what I’ve come to consider therapy. We start the day with a good chat over coffee. We like to play some music before we dive in and we have a playlist of reference tracks that we go to – or anything new that we’ve found.
I’m playing everything on the recordings, so I’m busy all day. We start at 10am and finish around 6 or 7, or much later – depending on what we’re doing or how tired we are. There’s always a lot to do. Recording is always a race against the clock.
Transmitter has an amazing collection of killer vintage synths, guitars, bass and microphones. There is so much cool gear to access. I used a sweet Fender Precision Bass on the EP and also used my main guitar “Stacey” – a hollow body Epiphone Sheraton II that I’ve done lots of things too, such as added a Bigsby vibrato. We used a synth made by Alessandro Cortini from Nine Inch Nails called the Make Noise Strega a lot, as well as The Moog Matriarch for more bass sounds. Guitars were recorded directly from my pedal board through The Culture Vulture preamp compressor.
For the sessions on this EP I had a lot of ideas that I’d written in Paris – there is a French theme to the EP. Most of the songs we started with the bass, and everything grew from there. I like to sing in the afternoons, so if I’m feeling it we go for vocals – they are a priority. We work fast and its an amazing creative space. One of the most fun days I had making this EP was the day I dropped percussion elements over all the tracks. I wanted as many organic elements as possible on the EP. We tracked cowbell, crashes, shakers, tambourine and cabasa.
Lunch is a very important and a heavily discussed part of the studio day. Greenpoint has changed a lot in the 8 years that I’ve been going to record there and there’s now a plethora of awesome options for lunch. My favourite lunch spot is a lovely little French Café called Le Gamin, but most days we hit up arguably the best hole-in-the-wall taco spot in all of New York – Taqueria Ramirez.
Late in the afternoon we take a break to give the ears a rest, and to come back to the studio with a fresh perspective. We walk down to the East River where there is an insane view of Manhattan, and we walk out on a long pier that goes far out into the river.
Getting home I love to ride a bike. I listen to the days work in my headphones. Riding back into the city over the bridge, with the sun hitting the buildings on a warm evening – it’s an epic moment – I’m full of gratitude and happiness!
