Tony “Jack the Bear” Mantz has been keeping himself out of trouble mastering records for Fuck The Fitzroy Doom Scene, Stella Angelico, US rapper Yah Supreme, British India, The Captives EP for vinyl (produced by Tom Larkin), Ghostloft, Cheeky Goose, Dave Wright, Chris Cavell, Soulenikoes, Weekend People, Kinetic, Ali Ferrier (produced by Jef Lang), American electronic outfit Watercolors, Let’s Not Pretend, amongst many others.
Adam Dempsey has been head down, ears up, mastering releases for Alma Mater, Amy Alex, Blackwood Jack, Cabbages and Kings, Crayon King, Emma Chalmers, Dreamcoat, Jimmy Dowling, The Guilts, Hey Frankie, Jukai Forest, Lisa Salvo, Mayfair Kytes, Pepperjack, Porcelain Pill, Raised By Eagles (for CD, digital & vinyl), Sleepy Dreamers, Simon Hudson, James Teague, Thelma Plum remixes, Tora (CD, digital & vinyl), Udays Tiger, Voix D’or, Yeo, and Youngs.
This time round Andrei Eremin has been busy mastering a Vevo special for Chet Faker, as well as new releases for Loon Lake, LUCIANBLOMKAMP, Rat & Co, I’lls, Klo, Montgomery, LANKS, Leaks, Kalacoma, Sunbeam Sound Machine, Tiger Choir, Wayfarer and many more. The vinyl resurgence is alive and well – at least a third of these specifically mastered for the medium.
Phew – an amazingly busy time, with thanks to our recent mastering clients and their diverse array of new releases:
Tony “Jack the Bear” Mantz has been busy mastering projects for Slop Rock, Blind Munkee, Little Miss, My Old Dutch, Destroy She Said, Wikked Bliss, Fuck The Fitzroy Doom Scene, The Seven Ups, Andras Fox, Feedback Scars, Aerial, Luna Ghost, as well as getting ready to get his skydiving licence…
Adam Dempsey mastered releases for Olivers Army (engineered & mixed by Roger Bergodaz), post-rock trio Goodbye Enemy Airship (engineered & mixed by Neil Thomason at Head Gap), Tania Bosak & The Barefoot Orchestra (engineered & mixed by Myles Mumford), hip hop artist Bam Bam (mixed by Phil Threlfall), The Bon Scotts, Eleanor Dunlop, Jadida, James Parry, Ellen Burbidge, Chris Sprake, The Infants, vinyl remasters for CactusDemonDoom and winners of this year’s Australian Battle of the Bands Dear Plastic, a remix for Allday, and a Daktyl (UK) remix for Youngs (formerly I’ll Be An Indian).
Andrei Eremin has continued working on the upcoming Miami Horror record, as well as mastering a new single for recent triple J Unearthed High winner Japanese Wallpaper, a #1 Hype Machine hit by Brisbane singer-songwriter Wafia, and new music from Oisima, I’lls, Leaks, Foreign/National, Sunbeam Sound Machine, Stockades, Katie Wighton, Milwaukee Banks and more.
Here at Deluxe Mastering we found ourselves EQ’ing with two hands again using the Sontec MES-432 mastering EQ while the stereo-ganged 6-band Sontec MES-462 EQ was out for a week being serviced. The 432 was formerly owned by US mastering engineer Joe Gastwirt, and the 462 from Frankford Wayne Mastering, NYC – both are original units used extensively on countless hit records.
While collecting his US double platinum plaque for The Neighbourhood, Tony “Jack the Bear” Mantz has also been finishing off projects for My Old Dutch, Sidewalk Diamonds, The Moonmen, Buck Yeah, Stray Melodics, La Mar, Captive, Spencer P Jones, Myyth, Headclouds and a double mix CD for international DJ / producer Hernan Cattaneo for the on-going Balance series.
Adam Dempsey has been mastering releases for Tiny Little Houses (getting TripleJ love and debuting at No. 10 on the AMRAP AirIt Charts), Les Thomas, harlequin., Suzanne Kinsella, Kirsty Moore, Linus Wilson, Michael Plater, Patches, Elephant Ego, From Trees, The Harlots, Jarred Doueal, Vexed City, and preparing vinyl premasters for Sticky Fingers’ album ‘Caress Your Soul’ that he mastered last year.
June/July has been especially packed for Andrei Eremin, mastering new releases for Miami Horror, Millions, Klo, Closure In Moscow, Japanese Wallpaper, Rat & Co, Leaks, Ali Barter, Lower Spectrum, Brightly, Planète, Super Magic Hats, CastleRays, Skyways Are Highways, plus a remix album for Tomcat and a demonstration video for Sam Hirschfelder, Chet Faker’s very talented drummer.
Tony “Jack the Bear” Mantz has been polishing off new projects for L.A production team 4e, Cairo Knife Fight, Pretty City, Super Zero Monkey, Jim Keays (R.I.P.), The Neighbourhood (now sold 2 million copies), Contagious, Clockwork, Dead Bear, Head Clouds, House of Honeys, Sunset Blush, and Lemonberry.
Adam Dempsey has been editing and mastering a live album from Xavier Rudd (mixed at Sing Sing by Simon Keet), and mastering releases from La Rumba, Jack On Fire, the long-awaited sophomore second album from post-rock instrumental trio The Boats, Bronwyn Rose, Freedom (formerly the Merri Creek Pickers), The Perfections, Damon Smith, Matt Glass, Dear Plastic, Big Smoke, Noah Earp, Smiles.Rifles, Tinsmoke and a Philemon/ZedEppelin remix.
Andrei Eremin broke out the resident Ampex ATR-102 for transfer of an experimental 2-track vinyl by Melbourne electronic act I’lls. The standard polish was given to new music from Oscar Key Sung & Guerre, Leisure Suite, SMILE, Lower Spectrum, JP Klipspringer, Naminé, Martin King and Telling, as well as remixes and promos from regulars Rat & Co and Milwaukee Banks.
From all of us at Deluxe Mastering: a happy, safe, and musically prosperous new year and many thanks to all artists we’ve been privileged to work with this year.
Tony “Jack the Bear” Mantz has put finishing touches to projects by Jeff Lang, Charles Jenkins, Jack Howard (from Hunters & Collectors), Voodoo Cain, Bonney Read, The Neighbourhood, Lizard Man, Creo, Insygnia, Tully on Tully and a cast of thousands…
Adam Dempsey has been mastering new releases for Kavisha Mazzella & Andy White, Lisa Salvo (engineered and mixed by Joe Talia), Taylor Project, Nick Batterham, Invisible Dears, Philemon, CactusDemonDoom, Glasfrosch, Yeo, Emily Soon, a solo album for Cat Canteri (of The Stillsons, engineered by Craig Pilkington), and more new music from Hoodlem.
Andrei Eremin has been immersed in more Melbourne electronica such as I’lls, an Oscar Key Sung bonus track, new Rat & Co, Leaks, Lower Spectrum, Shunya, Big Creature, DXHeaven, Alvy Singer and IO, as well as some good old fashioned metal by the likes of Sirens, Shadowgame and Yachtburner.
Adam’s tips of the year for DIY’ers:
• Simply allow yourself time to live with your mixes a bit prior to mastering (and certainly prior to booking your launch).
• Listen back freshly and carefully to your exported digital mixes, rather than just exporting and sending/uploading to mastering.
• If you’re releasing music independently in Australia and you’re not yet part of the AMRAP AirIt initiative (for national distribution to independent radio) get onto it! amrap.com.au
Tony “Jack the Bear” Mantz kept himself off the streets mastering albums for King Of The North, Hive Park (mixed by Jimi Maroudas), New Gods, Dirtland, Seven Hurtz, Torch The Village and Last Mistress as well as EPs and singles for My Pirahna, Rich Davies, Electro Mafia, Lizard Man, ALTA, Lemonberry, EC Twins, The Bellastrades and The Black Alley, as well as continuing to raise funds for charity through The Jack the Bear Foundation.
Adam Dempsey mastered new releases for Matt Walker & The Lost Ragas, Yeo, Dear Plastic, The Dark Fair, Blin (produced with Matt Walker), Al Parkinson, Buddha In A Chocolate Box (both engineered by Fraser Montgomery at The Aviary studios), Youngs (lucky winners of Triple R’s Radiothon band prize), and compiling parts for Loon Lake’s latest album.
Also a shout out to Seth Sentry, mix engineer Phil Threlfall and all involved in Seth’s album “This Was Tomorrow” – ARIA Award nominated for Best Urban Album, as well as taking the gong for Best Independent Hip Hop Album at the Australian Independent Music Awards!
Andrei Eremin mastered projects for Oscar Key Sung, Fractures, Ben Wright Smith, Japanese Wallpaper, Luskin, Sons et al. and House Of Laurence.
