Jacob Collier and sound engineer Ben Bloomberg have revealed the behind-the-scenes story of how the Grammy-winning album In My Room was created entirely at home.
From YouTube Covers to a Major Breakthrough
Collier began his career at age 17 by uploading multi-layered vocal and instrumental covers to YouTube from his family home.
>>> Emma Raducanu Withdraws From Wimbledon Due to Foot Stress Fracture
Those videos caught the attention of legendary producer Quincy Jones, who contacted Collier and eventually signed him to his management label.
Collier spent three months recording the entire album on his laptop in his back room. He manually looped instruments and layered vocal harmonies without professional studio equipment.
Engineer Ben Bloomberg discovered Collier through a Facebook video and reached out to help with live stage setups.
At the time, Bloomberg was pursuing a PhD at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
When Quincy Jones booked Collier for the Montreux Jazz Festival, Bloomberg and his MIT colleagues developed a custom vocal harmonizer and software system.
>>> ITV Cancels Coronation Street and Emmerdale for World Cup Coverage
They spent four days preparing the technology before debuting the live setup at Ronnie Scott's in London and the Montreux festival.
The final mixing stage took place in Los Angeles. Industry icons Quincy Jones and Herbie Hancock visited the studio to hear the finished record.
Because the project contained too many tracks for a standard desk, the team used an old cinema console with 512 inputs at Hans Zimmer's studio.
The album won two Grammy Awards and serves as a creative snapshot of Collier's life at age 21.
>>> EastEnders Serial Killer Gray Atkins Returns in BBC iPlayer Release
A 10th anniversary edition is scheduled for release on July 1, alongside a performance by Collier at Ronnie Scott's in London.
