Charles “Chicky” Reeves
Encyclopedia
Charles “Chicky” Reeves is a producer, recording, mixing and mastering engineer working with famous artists such as Ray Charles
, Tito Puente
, Johnny Cash
, and Radiohead
—as well as MTV’s Live at the Ten Spot, VH1 Storytellers
, Boyz II Men, Apollo Heights, D-Lite, 247Spys. In 2004, Reeves moved to London with his New-York-schooled-style. He continues to collaborate with artists in the studio as well as mixing front of house for Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
, Grace Jones
, Scarlett Etienne, Dana Boulé, BEF
(formerly Heaven 17
), Onetwo
, Skye Edwards
(of Morcheeba
) and the Icelandic band Trabant
. His studio, Sublime Studios, is located in Islington
, London
, England
. His music is published by Extreme Music.
In 1996, Reeves moved to New York City, where he became chief engineer of Manhattan Center Studios/Hammerstein Ballroom. During this time, he also ran his own studio out of the Hotel New Yorker, where he worked with Lisa Left-Eye Lopez (TLC), BoyzIIMen, Beans, 247Spyz, Dee-Lite, Apollo Heights, Tru Life, Paul Sorvino, Amy Atchley, Morgan Taylor, Jeff Byrd, Broose Dickinson, as well as mixing for Ray Charles, Tito Puente, MTV, VH1, and many others.
In 1997, he collaborated with British singer and songwriter, Francesca Longrigg of True Noise, producing and recording her album for Reprise. The extended project eventually (in 2003) brought him to London, where under the management of One Fifteen, he began working with clients such as Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), Grace Jones, Barry Adamson, Paul Humphreys (OMD), Claudia Brücken (Propaganda), Charlie Watts and Ronnie Wood of The Rolling Stones, Jools Holland, Ben Waters, Ivor Guest, Skye Edwards (Morcheeba), Patrissia, Sam Sallon, Dana Boule, Adam Green, Natalia DiSario, David Frazier, Gambling Hearts, The Cavaliers, Danny Valentine, Saint Jude, Anne Garner, Robert Logan, and Look, Stranger!.
In 2007, Reeves put out his first solo CD, Help Is On the Way, under his creative sobriquet, The Aklamate, and began composing tracks for Extreme Music. He continues to release music and make remixes under the names of both The Aklamate and Edmund Squeeze, as well as in 2010 releasing a series of videos (under both names as collaborative material) featuring lengthy single shots, sometimes as long as twenty minutes in length, with musical scoring.
In October 2010, he travelled to Shanghai to mix Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra for the 2010 World Expo, just before beginning a world tour with OMD. Early Spring 2011 saw a continuation of touring with OMD throughout the US and with Grace Jones in Australia and New Zealand, and further remixing under the moniker of Edmund Squeeze and The Aklamate. In the Summer of 2011, he mixed two releases by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark: "Live In Berlin" (recorded at Berlin's Tempodom and released as a special booklet and CD) and "Live In New York" (recorded at New York's Terminal 5 and selected tracks released on DVD). As of Autumn 2011, he did another US tour with Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark.
His influences include Boards of Canada, Sigur Rós, Goldfrapp, Cocteau Twins, The Beatles, early 20th century French impressionist music, Trevor Horn, Flood, Kraftwerk, Can, and Neu!, among others.
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
, Tito Puente
Tito Puente
Tito Puente, , born Ernesto Antonio Puente, was a Latin jazz and Salsa musician. The son of native Puerto Ricans Ernest and Ercilia Puente, of Spanish Harlem in New York City, Puente is often credited as "El Rey de los Timbales" and "The King of Latin Music"...
, Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
, and Radiohead
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...
—as well as MTV’s Live at the Ten Spot, VH1 Storytellers
VH1 Storytellers
Storytellers is a television music series produced by the VH1 network.In each episode artists perform in front of a live audience, and tell stories about their music, writing experiences and memories, somewhat similar to MTV Unplugged...
, Boyz II Men, Apollo Heights, D-Lite, 247Spys. In 2004, Reeves moved to London with his New-York-schooled-style. He continues to collaborate with artists in the studio as well as mixing front of house for Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark are a synthpop group whose founding members are originally from the Wirral Peninsula, England...
, Grace Jones
Grace Jones
Grace Jones is a Jamaican-American singer, model and actress.Jones secured a record deal with Island Records in 1977, which resulted in a string of dance-club hits. In the late 1970s, she adapted the emerging electronic music style and adopted a severe, androgynous look with square-cut hair and...
, Scarlett Etienne, Dana Boulé, BEF
B.E.F. (British Electric Foundation)
B.E.F. are a band/production company formed by former Human League members Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh who later became Heaven 17 .-History:Ware and Marsh's first release as B.E.F...
(formerly Heaven 17
Heaven 17
Heaven 17 are an English synthpop band originating from Sheffield in the early 1980s. The trio comprises Martyn Ware , Ian Craig Marsh and Glenn Gregory...
), Onetwo
Onetwo (band)
Onetwo is a synth pop group formed in 2000 by singer Claudia Brücken and keyboardist/singer Paul Humphreys . Their collaboration had no name until 2004....
, Skye Edwards
Skye Edwards
Skye Edwards is a British singer-songwriter, born in East London. Her career began in 1994 when she and the Godfrey brothers formed the band Morcheeba, which released five albums with Skye as lead vocalist...
(of Morcheeba
Morcheeba
Morcheeba are a British band, mixing influences from trip hop, rock, R&B, and pop.They have produced 7 albums since 1995, two of which reached the UK top ten.-Biography:...
) and the Icelandic band Trabant
Trabant (band)
Trabant is an electronic-pop/rock band from Reykjavík, Iceland, known for its raw but powerful music and flamboyant live performances. Trabant's style of music is a blend of electronic music, punk, R&B and pop.- Group Members :*Ragnar Kjartansson: singer...
. His studio, Sublime Studios, is located in Islington
Islington
Islington is a neighbourhood in Greater London, England and forms the central district of the London Borough of Islington. It is a district of Inner London, spanning from Islington High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the area around the busy Upper Street...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. His music is published by Extreme Music.
Early life
Born in Griffin, Georgia, Reeves spent his early life in Georgia and Texas and was educated in Europe. He studied contra-bass clarinet, double bass and conducting, with a focus on 20th century French music. Afterward, Reeves returned to America and composed music for Fox Television network. He opened a nightclub, 6th Street Records, which was also a live venue for Austin’s well-known 6th Street and its bands. He subsequently began focusing on engineering and production throughout the early 90s at well known Austin recording studios, The Hit Shack, Arlyn Studios, and Audio Image, and eventually converting his three-bedroom house into his own recording studio where he recorded many well-known Texas acts such as Loose Diamonds, Beaver Nelson, The Ging'bread Men, Troy Campbell, Michael Ramos, Pop Poppins, Laurie Freelove, Claude McCann, JoCarol Pierce, Rich Brotherton, Champ Hood, and Walter Tragert.In 1996, Reeves moved to New York City, where he became chief engineer of Manhattan Center Studios/Hammerstein Ballroom. During this time, he also ran his own studio out of the Hotel New Yorker, where he worked with Lisa Left-Eye Lopez (TLC), BoyzIIMen, Beans, 247Spyz, Dee-Lite, Apollo Heights, Tru Life, Paul Sorvino, Amy Atchley, Morgan Taylor, Jeff Byrd, Broose Dickinson, as well as mixing for Ray Charles, Tito Puente, MTV, VH1, and many others.
In 1997, he collaborated with British singer and songwriter, Francesca Longrigg of True Noise, producing and recording her album for Reprise. The extended project eventually (in 2003) brought him to London, where under the management of One Fifteen, he began working with clients such as Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), Grace Jones, Barry Adamson, Paul Humphreys (OMD), Claudia Brücken (Propaganda), Charlie Watts and Ronnie Wood of The Rolling Stones, Jools Holland, Ben Waters, Ivor Guest, Skye Edwards (Morcheeba), Patrissia, Sam Sallon, Dana Boule, Adam Green, Natalia DiSario, David Frazier, Gambling Hearts, The Cavaliers, Danny Valentine, Saint Jude, Anne Garner, Robert Logan, and Look, Stranger!.
In 2007, Reeves put out his first solo CD, Help Is On the Way, under his creative sobriquet, The Aklamate, and began composing tracks for Extreme Music. He continues to release music and make remixes under the names of both The Aklamate and Edmund Squeeze, as well as in 2010 releasing a series of videos (under both names as collaborative material) featuring lengthy single shots, sometimes as long as twenty minutes in length, with musical scoring.
In October 2010, he travelled to Shanghai to mix Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra for the 2010 World Expo, just before beginning a world tour with OMD. Early Spring 2011 saw a continuation of touring with OMD throughout the US and with Grace Jones in Australia and New Zealand, and further remixing under the moniker of Edmund Squeeze and The Aklamate. In the Summer of 2011, he mixed two releases by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark: "Live In Berlin" (recorded at Berlin's Tempodom and released as a special booklet and CD) and "Live In New York" (recorded at New York's Terminal 5 and selected tracks released on DVD). As of Autumn 2011, he did another US tour with Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark.
Sublime Recording Studios
Reeves connected with his calling of owning and operating a studio when a band approached him at his nightclub in Austin, Texas, 6th Street Records, saying that he did a great job mixing their show and wanted to know whether he knew how to work a 24-track studio. A quick study, Reeves used this opportunity to work his first session, figuring out the ropes along the way. After several incarnations, his current studio now is Sublime Recording Studios in London and is located in a Grade II listed historical crescent in Islington, London, where he says his first priority is to provide a place of artistic and creative safety to his clients.His influences include Boards of Canada, Sigur Rós, Goldfrapp, Cocteau Twins, The Beatles, early 20th century French impressionist music, Trevor Horn, Flood, Kraftwerk, Can, and Neu!, among others.