JinglesFactory Sing for Radio Scilly
Loris and the guys at JinglesFactory have been working with Keri Jones since the middle of June on a package for a new radio station on the Scilly Islands in South West England – Radio Scilly. The package has turned out lovely and both parties are happy with the results.
Keri was present at the vocal session at Jingles Factory in Milan and has posted about it on the station blog:
From London, I went to Milan where our jingles were being recorded. You don’t HAVE to have jingles for a radio station but, after much discussion, we decided that we would have some. I don’t want Radio Scilly to sound cheap or small-time. We’re representing the islands on the global stage with our web service. We should sound as big and polished as the BBC networks. OUr difference will be that we will be really local. So I found a company in Milan that makes great jingles at a fraction of the cost of the UK companies. I was a bit worried with the language differences. I needn’t have been. The company, Jinglesfactory, has made a collection of jingles that sound like the music we play and have a distinctly island-feel. The jingles are acoustic in sound and will complememt our music perfectly. You’ll hear them every day from September 3rd.
It was quite an experience working in Milan.It was 32 degrees all weekend and I was staying in a nice (but worryingly cheap 90 Euro a night) 4 star, 300 room hotel alone. And I mean alone. At breakfast only 1 table was set, for one place. Me! I didn’t see anyone else at the hotel. When a friend called the hotel for me the receptionist, when told me room number, said “oh, that’ll be Keri”. It turns out that Milan goes on holiday for August and because of the heat, they went early. It is also a business hotel and noone is there even on a cold Winter weekend. If you want the details for a trip,let me know. Milan is basically Manchester with drivers who think they are in bumper cars and a lot more al fresco eating. I was taken for a local dish with my host Loris. Strawberry Risotto- as a main course. It was savory and really nice. I’d recommend it.
Loris and Michel who run the jingle company (a father and son business) were really hospitable and kind. The working environment was very different to Britain. The singers and the musicians were getting very animated with eachother and, at times were almost yelling at eachother. So there was a very strong latin temper in the studio but also an element of manana too. Loris, the boss and director, doesn’t make coffee at the studio. Every time he wants a brew, he takes a ten minute walk to the nearest cafe, gulps down an espresso in one and walks back to work. The thing is, he has 20 cups a day. Things move quite slowly. I was a bit worried that we wouldn’t finish the 3-day session. We did, at 5.00 AM on the Monday, so I got 4 hours sleep before I had to get up for my flight home. Anyway, they did us proud and I am amazed at how they managed to create the sound of Scilly from studying photos and videos that I sent them.We found an amazing female vocalist, Suzanne. She sings in a local cafe bar. We went to check her out before she sung our jingles. You’ll see her in action in the bar and in the recording studio on TV’s Island Parish as the team came out to Milan and London with me. I’ll let you know when that is on-air on the telly.
Last month, BBC went to JinglesFactory’s studios in Milan to record a spcial showreel-documentary about Radio Scilly’s jingles as part of a feature on Radio Scilly. It’s due to be shown on BBC 2 during the special ‘Island Parish’ this coming October. They recorded bits of the session along with interviewing the singers and Loris.
You can download the demo of the new package here. Listen to the soothing islands sounds… this package will be a big hit with the ~2000 inhabitants on the island!