Sounds like a success with TV and film makers

Sep 10 2009 By Christopher Knox, The Journal

One of the region's up-and-coming music businesses may be tucked away in the back streets of Newcastle city centre, but it has its sights set on becoming a global brand, having already seen its tunes used on one of America’s most successful TV shows. Christopher Knox found out more about Loft Music.

HAVING set up Loft Music three years ago, it may be surprising to find out that the talented Andrew Archer and John Elliot have already seen their futuristic melodies played out as the backdrop to popular forensic detective show CSI: New York, a programme that has secured cult status on both sides of the Atlantic over recent years.

The young pair met around 1999 while working for dance music record label Global Underground in Newcastle and soon began experimenting with their own weird and wonderful brand of spaced-out digital grooves.

While Mr Elliot brought a love of guitar-based music to the table, having been part of local band Solar Vox in the past, Mr Archer applied his experience of mixing records for the label.

This created a sound in keeping with bands such as The Chemical Brothers and Leftfield, which have become popular among dance purists and rock music fans alike.

Having realised the commercial potential of their sound the pair set up a home studio in Fenham before moving into their own dedicated recording studio and rehearsal space at Forth Banks, Newcastle, four years ago.

Not only did they recognise that they had a distinctive sound, they also realised that TV and film producers were turning more and more to alternative music for their soundtracks.

Mr Archer said: "We knew that our sound would be popular among film and TV executives after the success of albums such as Play by Moby, which has become one of the most sampled records of all time.

"It was then that we started to make calls and get serious about the possibilities of what we were creating."