', Maxwell follows that intro with four gently danceable cuts, including the Ware co-write Sumthin Sumthin' originally titled Hot Chocolate, the track has, the albums most aggressive bass line, whipping and wriggling and popping and the single Ascension (Dont Ever Wonder), co-written by Shur and originally titled XXX., Ascension sold more than a million copies, and its not hard to understand its allure: Theres the gliding economy of the groove, which seems to walk on water; the reckless falsetto run from Maxwell that opens the song; the strangely sticky lyrical construction of the hook, which swings from questioning to emphatic (Shouldnt I realize/Youre the highest of high/If you dont know, then Ill say it/So dont ever wonder); the subtle tumble of drums that precedes the chorus every so often. I wasnt so sure that I really wanted to be in the front. The record label found the idea of starting an album in this way baffling. There was one kid who jumped out of the bushes once and insulted me, but I told my big brother, and the next day my brother jumped out at him. We talk about the earliest days, go record by record through the Sade catalog, Live Aid, hit some of Matthewman has discussed diverse musical influences including Junior Walker, King Curtis, Art Pepper, Ernie Isley, Steve Jones, Wah Wah Watson, Issac Hayes, Bill Withers, Lee Perry, Tony Iommi and Gustav Mahler.[12]. I know theyre out there but are there any that are kind of over the top? But, individually, as far as people are concerned, Im an optimist, because I believe theres a lot of good in people. I spoke to various people in the organisation who use the brand: people in the UX team, people in the culture team, solutions engineers who have to build technical documentation using our branding, salespeople who have to deal with PowerPoint slides and finding things on the internet, the product group I spoke to people far and wide, had workshops with people globally: got input from all parts of the world it has gone through many iterations to get to where we got to.. And the thing about the way that we write music, the way that we do our songsis that we never set it up like, Oh we should do a ballad now or we need another up-tempo song or we should do this or that. Stuart has. That seems like a marketing ploy thats obvious in todays world, but I was actually scared that something would happen. In 1996 Matthewman along with Andrew Hale and Paul Spencer Denman formed the studio band Sweetback. I mean it was so rewarding doing the tour. What do you think the biggest misconception about you would be? Yeah, I think so, but thats only because they see one level. Theres a bunch of YouTube clips. When were happy, then well let everyone else hear it., Like his comment in a previous interview with Rated R&B, It might sound funny but we write and do music to please ourselves and just hope that [we] have good taste and other people will like it.. 'Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite' turns 25 this week. [1] With Sade Adu, Paul S. Denman, and Andrew Hale, he gained worldwide fame as the guitarist/saxophonist of the band Sade. After coming back to marketing a few years later, hes now looking after a team of marketers for a global software company founded in Australia in 1988 with offices in Sydney, Denver, Washington, London, Dusseldorf and Singapore. L+T: Do you think that that preserves the organic quality of the music? Stuart Matthewman, also known as Cottonbelly, is an accomplished writer, composer, producer, and of course, Sade's right-hand man; playing saxophone and guitar alongside her since their band, Sade's inception in 1983, releasing ten albums and collecting four Grammy awards along the way. If I had to pick one it would be Cherish the Day, but I dont know why. While Urban Hang Suite is dashing and assured, its creator was profoundly ambivalent about his place in the music industry at the time. Ive been writing songs since I was a child. I didnt like his more rocky stage; I wasnt so keen on that. She likes to put out art. Sade signed with Epic Records U.K. division in 1984. I mean often we dont start probably working or writing until at least after one oclock in the morning, because at that time your phones will stop. Others you have to manipulate to get what you want out of them so they can say what you want them to say. L+T: So now whats next for the band? But there is, perhaps, one last surprise that Matthewman left with me: the lesson he wishes hed learned earlier. I like to leave what weve already done behind. L+T: Have you encountered any crazed Sade fans? Even your organisation doesnt. Yeahyeah. What changes were they? And obviously over the years our tastes have grown and we just try different things. L+T: Have you encountered any crazed Sade fans? Its gotten to the point now that I actually like performing. How do you help a global marketing team manage that? While other artists are content with releasing music more frequently to remain in the limelight, Matthewman says, [Sades] not interested in the fame or any of that [other] stuff. I dont think Ive ever really known what romance is. Stuart is an avid cyclist, training and racing with New York race team, RBNY Racing. But we were accepted and there were no problems, no questions or conflicts because we were different. So glad I found this. Its the people in the company when were at an event, talking on the phone, sending emails its everything! So, in his brand evolution he has focused on two key things: We are custodians of the brand, many of us wont be here for our entire career, says Matthewman. Urban Hang Suite Left Him No Choice, Russ Doesnt Trust Other Labels. Stuart Matthewman, also known as Cottonbelly, is an accomplished writer, composer, producer, and of course, Sade's right-hand man; playing saxophone and guitar alongside her since their band. The lead A&R was like, Whats the deal with the instrumental? You know like the smooth jazz stations and the R&B stations werent quite sure at first but soon, once the actual fans and people actually just liked it for what it was, they kind of had to play it really by demand. Eventually somebody was supposed to replace me, but that never happened. 1 talking about this. Were a lot of things, but when youre singing, when youre presenting yourself, you dont give everything away. Can you talk a little about you and the band working on this album after not being in the studio for a few years? Sade: They are getting younger and older. Stuart: No! (The Roots also helped out extensively on Baduizm.) He says, Its important to distil your message down to something that relates back to your companys purpose, translates across different markets and is the core of what you do, but allows the nuance to be added in specific markets. How does he do that? It may be a bit more subdued with this tour, I mean from the very first date we did in Francethey just went insane! Minutes. ' (No.) Theres one that we found out about. Ascension sold more than a million copies, and its not hard to understand its allure: Theres the gliding economy of the groove, which seems to walk on water; the reckless falsetto run from Maxwell that opens the song; the strangely sticky lyrical construction of the hook, which swings from questioning to emphatic (Shouldnt I realize/Youre the highest of high/If you dont know, then Ill say it/So dont ever wonder); the subtle tumble of drums that precedes the chorus every so often. A lot of the results Matthewman has seen at IR relate to how he defines success, both in life and in marketing. Many love affairs have begun to a Sade album. Even more unusual was that she had two black kids and the village was pure white as the driven snow. In that I could just hum something to him and, though it could seem like a really shoddy idea, he would somehow immediately just play the right chords that would make it sound like something really special. Stuart Matthewman started marketing in the mid-90s and actually changed careers half way. Sometimes the best songs come out when you discuss them less and just let them happen. I do think you should think about the fans but hopefully our fans will grow with us. The greats Donny Hathaway, Marvin Gaye and Sly Stone. Stuart is also a member of Sweetback, and was one half of Twin Danger. I also liked the heavier stuff as well, like Gil Scott-Heron. Stuart: Its quite amazing! Urban Hang Suite is really just soul, with a lineage that reaches back to Keni Burkes Risin to the Top, Sades Haunt Me, the English group Loose Ends we both loved their mix of drum machines and live stuff, Matthewman says and Shuggie Otis, among others. Its good. In 1996 Matthewman along with Andrew Hale and Paul Spencer Denman formed the studio band Sweetback. We played in Rio and the audience there, they just sang along to every song really loudly! But no I mean yeah, the audience has always been really appreciative and very vocal with it. Over the five years he has been with the company, its has seen fantastic growth and its marketing revenue has tripled. Sure, not in the conventional sense, but the elusive artist has remained a name drop by the rap connoisseurs for ages now. In the early Nineties, a young Maxwell was enraptured by, music around as a songwriter, Maxwell recalls. Chipboard we called it. We loved it; it was so simple, Matthewman remembers. I was like, Its amazing, but it sounds like its already done. I was a 22-year-old kid flying to meet guys who were 50, 60 years old, Maxwell says. The following week, Perry escorted me to Sades midtown hotel suite overlooking 6th Avenue. Talk a little about performing with the group. But we havent had anyone too scary. Finally, he recommends open and honest communication. Updated today Mix - Tonight Is the Night (If I Had You) (Stuart Matthewman) Sade, Sade Adu, The Isley Brothers, and more Mix - The Isley Brothers The Isley Brothers, Bobby Womack, The O'Jays,. Stuart Matthewman | Press Stuart Matthewman Collaboration with MaxwelL In this interview, R&B singer Maxwell discusses his latest album and collaboration with Stuart. I used to read a lot back then as well, at least up until the age of 15. Interview: Sade Michael A. Gonzales reaches into his archives for an interview with the singer from 1992 In the fall of 1992, I received a call from the Epic Records press department in New York City. A true player of many musical instruments and amazing writer. He is the assistant editor. http://traffic.libsyn.com/podsodcast/2015-08-18T17_13_14-07_00.mp3, Follow THE PODS & SODS NETWORK on WordPress.com. I mean its amazing going towe played in South America that we hadnt done before. I was like, Thats the point it starts with an instrumental and ends with a slow version of the same instrumental. Stuart is also a member of bands, Sweetback and Twin Danger. Not everything is going to work., He uses this approach with his team. Along with her constant mates Stuart Matthewman (guitars and sax), Andrew Hale (keyboards) and Paul S. Denman (bass), this would be the groups first album since 1988s Stronger Than Pride. Running a global content team is always a business challenge. L+T: Is there anything you would change about your career? Im just a girl who likes to party. I told them I would try. The two men ended up working together on multiple tracks that appeared on Maxwells Urban Hang Suite, the singers debut, which turns 25 this week; Maxwell is honoring the birthday with a reissue and a performance at the NAACP Image Awards. In the early 1990s, Stuart Matthewman, the writer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist known for his work in Sade, heard a remarkable demo: a ballad that stretched out over nearly seven minutes, making room for daredevil falsetto and a bass line as elegant as a spiral staircase, building to a description of a sexual liaison so ecstatic that it lasts for days and eventually brings police to the door. True success for us really is: are we delivering quality pipeline that results in revenue? But we pretty much approached the album in the way that we always do. Having that local knowledge gives you something intrinsic in how you approach what youre doing. I grew up on a council estate in a village. But today in the B2B space its more about educating people. is dashing and assured, its creator was profoundly ambivalent about his place in the music industry at the time. Everything changed around. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts Maxwell enlisted other pros with enviable track records as well: David Gamson, a former member of Scritti Politti who had also produced for Chaka Khan and Sheila E.; Mike Pela, who produced and engineered for Sade and Fine Young Cannibals; and Itaal Shur, who would go on to mint money by co-writing Santanas gargantuan hit Smooth., The first half of Urban Hang Suite is springy and suave. You need to work as a team. I try to write so that it is indecipherable. I think people do think of me as this depressed person crying in my ivory tower. Daughter of late jazz pianist Paul Bley and pioneer video artist Carol Goss, Vanessa Bley was born in 1985 in Miami, Florida. So, the picture someone has of you is never completely true. You dont partially choose, Im going to show this, but Im not going to show that. But it happens that way. Its quite a responsibility. At that time, not many girls bought records; they were just listening to the same records as their boyfriends. I listened to Drakes Take Care and Alison Krauss Forget About It. That seems like a marketing ploy thats obvious in todays world, but I was actually scared that something would happen. In 2018, Stuart Matthewman, a famed British musician and longtime bandmate of the Grammy-winning group Sade, exclusively revealed to Rated R&B that the legendary band was "working on a new album." . How did he do it? Sad, happy, makes you want to dance, makes you feel elated. INTERVIEW: Stuart Matthewman and Vanessa Bley are Twin Danger | The Couch Sessions INTERVIEW: Stuart Matthewman and Vanessa Bley are Twin Danger July 9, 2014 by adamascarnegie The past two decades have seen an increase in musical collaborations with artists from seemingly opposing genres. On Baduizm. listened to Drakes Take Care and Alison Krauss Forget about it makes... 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