Estere & Oddisee release 3 tracks from Red Bull Sessions

Media Release

3 February, 2014

-For Immediate Release-

Wellington singer Estere and New York City producer Oddisee release three tracks from their Red Bull Prodigy sessions

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One prodigy, one mentor, one engineer, and 10 days of studio grind time. Late last year, Wellington electro soul voice Estere became the latest recipient of the Red Bull Prodigy Project, flying to the Red Bull Studio Auckland to be mentored by Washington D.C. bred MC, rapper and producer Oddisee.

The results of their 10-day lock-in have just been released in the form of three newly minted songs, ‘Flash Light,’ ‘Curtains Down’ and ‘Noon.’  Listen to all three tracks exclusively on the Red Bull Studios website here.

“Working with Estere was the true definition of collaboration. From start to finish we enjoyed an exchange of ideas and effort without ego. Our end result was something often time is difficult to do, good music” says Oddisee.  

Prior to working together in the Red Bull Studio Auckland, Estere and Oddisee had never met. They quickly learnt about each other’s unique musical style and began to anticipate meeting for the collaboration. 

“I realised this was a great opportunity to work with a really skilled, seasoned producer” says Estere. “When we went into the studio, it became clear to me the extent of his skills. It was amazing to see someone so systematic about how they went about making music. He just let the ideas flow out of him without being overly critical of whatever it was. And he encouraged me to do the same, which was a great learning experience.”

Estere believed her musical chemistry with Oddisee was instant. Oddisee made it apparent that he wanted Red Bull Prodigy to be about helping Estere develop her production skills and techniques. Oddisee’s approach was to listen to Estere’s style of production and add to it. All together the pair produced five songs between them, and then picked the ones they wanted to write to.

“‘Flashlight,’ the first song we completed, was primarily produced by me using a beat that I had already made on my MPC. We recorded the beat to Pro Tools and fine-tuned it, and then I wrote a song to it and Oddisee wrote a rap” says Estere. “The second song, ‘Curtains Down,’ started with me drumming on the kit in the studio and then selecting the beat that I liked most. After that, Oddisee added a melodic hook and we beefed up the drum sounds with samples. The last track, ‘Noon,’ was produced by Oddisee. I added some musical elements and wrote the song over it.”

Estere and Oddisee also brought in some local musicians to record guitar and bass. The Means’ Marika Hodgson played bass on ‘Flash Light’ and ‘Curtains down,’ and Si Res played guitar on ‘Curtains Down.’ 

“Oddisee and I get on really well and we both learnt a lot from this experience. Not only was he a great mentor, he was an awesome person. I learnt a lot about life in general and being a musician from him. His creativity and professionalism really inspired me, so I am super thankful for the opportunity in the Red Bull studio. I think we will definitely cross paths – and I would love to collaborate with him again” says Estere.  

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