Meet Harper James | Record Producer & Mixing Engineer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Harper James and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Harper, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
Making a career as a record producer can be an all consuming task. Especially when you’re starting out it can be common to spend 12 hours a day in the studio five to even seven days a week if things are really busy. You’re simultaneously trying to develop your craft, build relationships, figure out how to build a career and often make time for your own creative project, band etc.

At the beginning of my career, I was doing live sound at night and odd jobs (usually in some kind of audio related work) during the day and then in the studio the rest of the time. I was literally dealing with sound and music from the minute I woke up to the minute I went to sleep. Part of me loved it, but part of me also knew that I kept it up forever eventually I’d burn out. So it’s kind of a race against the clock to get things up and running and get into a place with music where you can dial back the intensity a little before you burn out.

As a full time studio and creative person there’s also just the drive do as many different creative creative projects as you can. There’s always something else that sounds like it would be a fun project to add to the plate, whether its the next record for your own band, a remix project for a friend, developing an indie artist, etc. There’s never enough time and I feel like I am always playing catch up from taking on so much. It’s one of those careers where you are never done learning, and the sound of records is constantly changing so it’s important to keep practicing new techniques and keeping up with the changing landscape of production tools etc.

That being said, there was a tipping point for me where working around the clock was giving me diminishing returns. I would plateau creatively or just career wise and no amount of work or grinding or effort seemed like it was making me a better producer. I realized that what I really needed was time off. Once you’ve developed the basic tools and you are working regularly on making records you absolutely need time to internalize and integrate all the lessons you are learning in the studio. And you can’t do that if you’re just running from one thing to the next at 100 mph. There’s not time for you unconscious mind to absorb anything deeply. One of my main career goals these days is to have a better work life balance. To build in time during the week and each month to take time off and rest and de-stress. It’s not just something people say that when you make art you have to have some kind of real life experience to express in the art. If all you do is stay at the studio, you eventually run out of interesting things to “say” whether it’s with actual song lyrics or with musical ideas. Music is all about expressing emotion, so if you’re burnt out and emotionally numb or tapped out, you’re of no use to anyone especially yourself, artists you work with–not to mention family and friends.

For a while it can fun to totally immerse yourself in it, but especially in the music industry we tend to glamorize intense work ethic and “grind.” But there’s nothing glamorous about being exhausted and depressed and stressed and doing uninspired work because you need a break. I still struggle to remember this when I’m in the middle of busy periods but it’s important–it’s maybe the most important thing I’m leaning right now.

Please tell us more about your work. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
I’m a record producer and mixing engineer and I also am in a couple bands. One with my brother is called Eighty Ninety and the other is my eccentric little solo project, Middle Youth. I also work with other indie artists and label artists. The great thing about being a producer is that it’s all about self discovery. The more you understand yourself– your own creative strengths and weaknesses, your own philosophy or spirituality and your own preferences and aesthetic– the better you are at your job. And your job is simply this to make recordings that are meaningful to the artist, to yourself and to the audience.

Producing is this perfect combination of a totally technical, almost scientific pursuit (especially mixing) and this completely subjective expression of inner emotional and psycological truths. It’s like mystical alchemy meets physics meets electrical engineering. For me the combination is endlessly fascinating and rewarding.

The other great part about producing as a career is it’s all-encompassing. On any giving day I may be playing guitar, piano, synth, drum kit, programming drums, vocal engineering, rerouting my studio cabling, calibrating my tape machine, writing contracts, doing mix revisions, cleaning my carpet or just messing around with some new studio toy. There are so many possibilities and it’s up to me where I specialize and where I dabble and where I outsource to someone else. The job can kind of be whatever you make it.

It’s a very demanding, time consuming line of work but it’s the best career in the world if you have the right sensibility and don’t mind working ridiculous amounts of hours and dealing with the uncertainty of freelancing.

When I started out I thought building a career was about getting the right credits on the right records with the right artists. That is partly true and can really help, but in my experience what leads to people calling you to make records is doing stuff you love and believe in. My goal on every record is to make a song that somebody would hear, stop what they were doing and click replay. I’ve found when people reach out and say they really liked something I’ve done and want to hire me, it usually has nothing to do with how “big” the artist or song is that they heard–just that they liked it. I was surprised that when I put out my own solo record which was supposed to really just be for myself and is a very teeny tiny project, how many people called me and were like man really like that Middle Youth stuff. I was like ‘really? how did you even find it.” I think people react more to authenticity and earnestness than big credits. Over the years I just try and be as much myself as possible in every situation–it leads to more interesting work, relationships. I also do not think about how big or small an artist is when I work with them, I just listen to the music and see if they are a good match for what I do. If we make something great, people will find it and listen to it.

That being said it’s always really nice to work hard and have things you’ve made recognized by a wider audience. Taylor Swift added a song I produced and mixed for the band to her official Spotify playlist “Songs Taylor Loves,” that was pretty validating. I’ve definitely worked on stuff that went hugely viral and stuff for labels that gets on the big playlists and I’m always stoked when stuff gets tons of streaming support or press or whatever. But as a producer my absolute favorite form of success is when a brand new artist I’m working with and that I love and believe in gets their first taste of recognition on a broader scale– whether it’s a big Spotify editorial playlist, or a sync or label interest or an opening slot for an artist they love. So many great musicians work so hard and so long without any guarantees. It’s a scary and uncertain career. It’s so great to see them succeed when they’ve earned it.

I like to remind them in those moments to enjoy the success but to stay grounded in the process of playing and recording and writing music because you can’t rely on external validation to be there for you all the time, but the process will be there forever. Making music in itself can be the goal, motivation and reward.

The end goal for me was always to be able to keep making music with people I admire and love– no matter what, forever. That’s it. Anything else is sprinkles on top.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I just love south Brooklyn–that’s the broader area where I live and where my studio is located. I feel like maybe it’s best to describe the perfect day?

First we’d got to Der Pioneer, an incredible bakery and cafe around the corner from my apartment, and get a blueberry smoothy, a fransbrachen pastry and a coffee and say hi to Bjorn and Greg. I’ve caught them spinning my solo project Middle Youth in the morning so bonus points if it’s on in the background.

Then, obviously we’d have to hop on the F train and come to the studio and hang out with some of the studio fam. Then we’d get a sushi bento box from Kiku on 5th avenue and eat it overlooking the Brooklyn Skyline. After, we’d hop over to Everyman Espresso. I’d recommend the espresso spritz, which is a shot of espresso and a sparkling can of bitters on ice. Sounds wonky but it’s so good.

In the afternoon if it was hot and we were feeling ambitious we could head out to the beach at Far Rockaway or maybe if we were feeling adventurous we could go to Coney Island and do one of those rides that looks like a death trap. Or maybe we could just grab afternoon drinks at Three’s Brewing down the block from the studio. Or there is always the botanical gardens, or just a walk in Prospect park.

At that point I think just hang out inside for a bit listening to music or watching a show–gotta cool off in Brooklyn in the summer. Then walk down Cortelyou ave in my neighborhood and eat at one of the dozen local places along that road and grab a drink at Bar Chord and see if the live music is good that night.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to mention the first person who gave me a shot in a studio: Ben Rice. Ben is a great producer and one of my best friends and mentors. We both work out of his studio Degraw Sound in Brooklyn. We each have our own space next door to each other and we talk music and production every day.

You need those people who just take you in and help you out even when you don’t have much experience or anything specific to offer. I try and help out musicians and producers starting out when I can – pay it forward.

Website: www.harperjamesmusic.com

Instagram: @harperjamesx

Other: @middle.youth @eightyninety8090

Image Credits
Chocolates Album Cover (family photo of me as a kid – my parents) Degraw Studio Sign – My brother Abner James Messing With Tape Machine – artist I work with Cade Hoppe Me Working on Record – self portrait – Harper James Not Just Me Album Cover – self portrait – Harper James Me Playing Synth (main photo) – self portrait – Harper James