With their eponymous debut album already ready for release, Whisper admits that the trio wasted little time once they realised how well they worked as a team. For Whisper there was little sacrifice in terms of the solo to group switch. “I found it very isolating when solo. There is a healthy pressure when you have others relying on you. You can’t just relax when you have someone else asking ‘have you got those beats ready? Did you get those raps done?’”
“I’m the only producer in the group,” Whisper reveals, giving a slight insight into how to group functions. While as the producer he might have the final say in the group sound, he insists that the reason In Good Company functions so smoothly is due to the level-headed approach that the group have adopted. “In terms of ideas and contributions it was pretty equal, we have all left our mark. Whether it is the beat for the track, or writing the hook, it works better if one person’s voice is higher for the hook, so they are more dominant. So depending who wrote the hook, or was dominant with the track, they would then get their moment to shine in a sense.”
With each member of the group bringing their ideas to the metaphorical table, their friendship allows for open and honest assessment of each idea. No decision is left to one individual member, even if they do have different roles. When piecing together their debut LP, they had a wealth of ideas brought to the fore, but together they whittled them down to a final product. “We choose from them and I will arrange them and oversee the production, recording and mixing side of the process. I handle most of that side of things as well as rapping.” As the only producer of the trio, creative control on a musical level automatically falls at Whisper’s feet, but the others have equally important roles to play. “Then Syntax, who is one of the other members, he does the graphic design side of things and Breach, the other MC, he sort of oversees the organisational side of things. We can share the workload which is good.”
As if to make the point that the definition of roles has little implication for the even distribution of input, Whisper reiterates, “Musically in terms of ideas, I will come to people with beats and maybe the concept for a track – I may have written a hook or a verse – but really for this album, the other guys, in terms of content for the tracks, they brought a lot to the table.”
Once decisions have been made with regards what does and what does not make the grade, the trio then have the decision of who plays what role within the track itself. Not wanting any one member to appear as the leading light, they have ensured that In Good Company allows each one of them a moment in the spotlight. “Usually either who wrote the hook or tonality, like sometimes, one of the rappers, Syntax, he has a higher voice – his tonality is higher and a bit sharper than mine and Bridge. So if it is a more guitar heavy track, or the drums are a bit more slamming, then his voice can cut through the mix a bit better and more clearly. Often that will make a difference.”
“It really goes with what we think works best with the beat. Especially for me that goes with how I like to deliver my verses.“ With their focus on creating the strongest output musically possible, within In Good Company there is no room for ego. However, on a vocal level there are always exceptions to the rule. Sometimes someone will bring something to the table that draws it strength through the intense personal interpretation of its creator. “There is a track on the album, Peter Pan, it is about not wanting to grow up and that sort of thing. Bridge came up with the concept and came up with the hook and it so happened his voice was perfect for the beat, so he did that one.”
BY JEREMY WILLIAMS
