Liam happy behind his desk

Liam Williams

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TO say Liam Williams is a true Oldham music all-rounder would be something of an understatement.

An accomplished guitar player of some 15 years or more, Williams has also turned his hands expertly to the piano, bass guitar, drums and a glut of other instruments, including the cello.

He has jumped in a number of different bands and collaborations over the years - most notably Green Plastic Revival - but Williams is now focusing the majority of his time on his own Oddfellows Studio, which is based above the Shure 5 Studios base in Royton, near Salmon Fields.

It's clear Williams has music in his blood, but how did it all start?

"I just started the same as most people do," he said.

"My uncle gave me a guitar and said 'this is how you play a few chords'.

"I soon found myself being obsessed with my guitar, though. I wanted to pursue music religiously, and over time I started doing a few gigs.

"Initially I struggled to write music, but all of a sudden when my nanna passed away, something clicked and I could just write.

"I wrote my first song, played it to my uncle, and he told that he's booked a gig for me in seven days.

"That was inside some pub in Langley, Middleton, and that was it. I'd started.

"Basically music speaks to me. It's like language - a combination of notes make a chord while a combination of letters make a word.

"I've found it a lot easier if I relate to it like a language - in fact I find it all very easy once you get to grips with it. You need dedication too, of course."

Having previously produced music for film scores and following a stint running the BeatLab Studio in Middleton, Williams is now in sole charge at Oddfellows, and he's determined to make his business a big success.

He added: "I do think a lot about what people want, and bands on a budget, because one thing that helped me as a kid was that because studio time is expensive, I started thinking about how engineers should have an approach which is much more broken down.

"The way I do it is I get a live take, which could be passed out as a product for getting gigs or whatever, then that it built upon.

"I would then go in and re-record everything, and actually mix it in with the guys themselves.

"That's a big thing for me - I've got to have the band in the room with me.

"Mixing is about whatever emotion you're aiming to capture with a song, just trying to get that across.

"It's about working out which area of the track needs to be balanced, and basically just all work together. That's not just with your ears neither.

"I like to spend time with the bands and just make sure it's done properly really."

The Oddfellows allure is certainly there, with bands and artists like Shotty Horroh, the Stranded and Mother Kraken in the studio recording recently.

"I'm very busy, working with a lot of rappers, with indie bands, a few rock bands, and solo artists," said Williams. "There's always room for new talent to come to me, though.

BREATHE

"I just breathe this, I'm here all the time.

"I'm also doing a lot with Unity Radio and the UTC at Media City at the moment, helping them build a studio and throwing workshops.

"I'm about commitment, whether that's the sound side or the production side, but whatever happens I'll always be behind the scenes.

"I've been invited to help out at a few big gigs, too, so hopefully I can also reach out into live sound more as well."

Check out the Oddfellows Studio Facebook page for contact details.

Meanwhile, listen out for Williams' exciting new hip hop release in the next couple of months. 'Break it off' is being recorded in collaboration with Bobby Rex.