Local Heroes: Rocky O’Reilly

For anyone who doesn’t know you, who are you and how would you describe what you do within Belfast’s music scene?

I’m a music producer, recording engineer and mixer. I work on a broad range of music, mostly alternative and indie but also into heavy metal, instrumental ambient, opera and experimental noise fests! In 2007 I opened Start Together Studio. I started it as an artist-focused, collaborative bubble where musicians felt free to explore and express their productions, making albums of their dreams without having to leave Belfast.
It's survived and grown in ways I never could have imagined when we first started recording our friends back then.

As someone who has delved into many different aspects of the scene, which role feels the most "Rocky"? Is it producing, collaborating, promoting, creating or something else?

I like a really in-depth collaboration with artists that are as obsessed as I am. No half attempts, just fully immersed writing, producing and mixing new music together. I enjoy uplifting people and showing them the power of their music, which is where all the other stuff our music meet-ups, production workshops and myself repping NI with the Music Producers Guild UK – has stemmed from.

Has there been a consistent genre of music that you lean towards when working with artists, and does that differ from the genre you personally listen to the most?

I go through phases: post-rock, punk, synth pop, opera, trad, and rap. I find the changes keep things exciting and interesting. I never feel tired of music, always searching for a new song or idea. My favourite genres to listen to are indie rock, emo, punk, electronica, rap, instrumental and loads more. I'm forever jumping!

When working on a song, how do you delegate your own creative identity throughout the track while simultaneously allowing the artist to create their own identifiable sound?

I'm always searching to unlock something special. Most of the time I want that to come from the artist, to find their unique message and voice, so I adapt myself around what channels from the artist. Many times artists will ask me to play or write more on tracks and love the ideas, but I still prefer to use those as a starting point that they can truly make their own. It's the artists' song; they'll sing it a thousand nights while I'm working on another song, so I need them to connect and own that idea.

What’s a valuable lesson you’ve learnt throughout your creative journey and was it a person, experience or individual song that helped you to learn it?

I’ve learned many magical things by working and collaborating with a line of utter legends, but I'll focus on this one: The artist has to love the song & production; if they don't, it's never going to get released or go anywhere. I learned it the hard way, working with a very dysfunctional group with addiction issues, fistfights, and band members quitting mid-project. I was locked into doing what sounded "best" but no one was joining me in that viewpoint, and ultimately the songs didn't make it and the project fell apart. I took the positive from it to learn how to connect with the core members and bring the best out of everyone, to make the vision and the journey clear to everyone all the time. To inspire, create, cheerlead and also to people manage all at the same time!

Belfast has one of the best cultures surrounding music in Ireland, do you think recent times have allowed for it to blossom and what type of movement in the future do you feel is necessary for it to fully bloom?

I think there’s another large amount of talented musicians coming through once again, which is always exciting! I also love each new autumn and influx of uni students to see what they bring to the city in terms of ideas and songs. I do think that as a city and country we still remain in our “first few steps” as an industry. I love it here and I admire every person making it more positive and better each day. We have a growing economy around music that matches and surpasses many other industries. We need to work to have this recognised and understood at Stormont and to work more with the UK and other bases within the music industry. More connections and continuing to increase quality and professional practices will increase opportunities across the music community here. 

We need to take ourselves seriously in order to be taken seriously. 

No pity parties or excuses why we can’t. 

Let’s get it done.  

I look to Dublin, Glasgow, Liverpool, Brighton and Manchester for inspiration on how it could be, but still unique and Belfast. Until then it’s up to everyone to keep shining, writing, playing, touring and making music that means something. 

Are there any artist’s discographies you’ve helped create that stand out in your mind? Whether it be something you’re proud of because of the creative collaboration involved or if there's a meaningful story behind that pulls it to your memory? 

There are so many I’m proud of! Today, I’ll pick Slomatics. 

They’re an extremely heavy, slow riffy band from Belfast. We’ve recorded 13 releases together and over the last 20 years they’ve developed a working relationship that’s seen them have complete creative freedom, collaborate with artists from all around the world, sell out their vinyl pressings, play amazing festivals, soundtrack video games, release on dream record labels and inspire pedals and guitars to be designed. 

They’re probably the only completely free band I’ve ever worked with no outside pressures, no a&r input, no desire to be content creators, just 3 friends making sensational and unique records and having an absolute blast doing it. 

The fact they trust me and let me be a little part of it with them is a true joy and an honour. 

What’s been the strangest or out-of-pocket studio moment? Any funny stories that someone not in the industry wouldn’t expect?

There have been so many weird and wonderful moments. The artist who called to record “keys” and then turned up with bags full of prison keys. In our early days we recorded punk godfather Terri Hooley. He must have invited 30 musicians to the session and ten times as many drinks. It was easily one of the most eventful and memorable sessions we’ve ever done!

Is there anything you wish someone told you about working within the music industry that you didn’t expect before, or anything you’ve discovered that would be valuable to someone looking to work within the producing sphere?

I met so many wonderful mentors right from the start. They keep appearing even now. I would say, learn something from every person you meet. Be useful. Be helpful. Be committed. Work harder than anyone else you meet. Listen to what amazing artists are saying and also understand how and why they’re behaving the way they are. Be polite and always see the good in people. 

Are there any artists, something you’re working on or anything happening in Belfast currently that you feel deserves more attention? 

Too many to mention! Brìghde Chaimbeul is an experimental trad artist that’s a worldwide inspirer. Conor Mitchell and his Belfast Ensemble are making some of the most challenging and enjoyable opera in the world.  Susi Pagel will hopefully one day play on the main stage at Download.  There’s so, so many others that I’m in early stages with that will be flying out soon and I'm thrilled with them!  It’s also been really nice to see everything that’s been happening with The Florentinas in recent times. They’ve worked endlessly and we've been recording together since they were still in school. To see the stages and the stations they're playing on now is so lovely.  Outside of all of that, radio DJ Stephen McCauley should be running 6Music and/or Radio 1. If it happened,  the whole world would be a much better place.