SOUTH House Must Be The Place

If you picture the place where you feel most creatively nurtured, where do you see yourself? Is there a physical space that feeds your creativity – and what does that look like? Where do you go when you need to dream up ideas and encourage free thinking? What type of environment tickles your brain in just the right way?

In music, finding just this sort of space can make all the difference. Not only is it about acoustics, but also the feeling you get when you’re surrounded by people who push you forward. A place where the environment itself seems to whisper ideas into your ear.

That’s what SOUTH Music set out to create in 2021 with its SOUTH House, a full-service studio in Larchmont Village that doubles as a home for its artist residency programme. Here, composers are able to plug into a living, breathing creative network that fuels both their craft and their careers.

More Life, More Music

For Jon Darling, the SOUTH House had to be more than a studio. It needed to be a place where music could marinate, sound could flourish, and life could fill every corner. An opening of the company’s doors, so to speak, for musicians, composers, songwriters, and engineers to rub shoulders, share ideas, and make music together under one roof. And that’s how SOUTH’s artist residency was born.

“In an ever-increasing freelance world, having artists in residence is a great way to expose new and experienced composers alike to our side of the industry at a faster pace than remote workers,” says Jon. “It brings fresh ideas and personality to the studio, and also allows immediate, ongoing, and in-person collaboration on projects. This is especially true during client sessions. We all know that collaboration is the key to success, and the energy in SOUTH House allows us to keep that sentiment in the front of our minds, day in and day out.”

One of the artists to recently benefit from SOUTH’s artist residency programme is composer Jacob Snider. Scoring everything from independent documentaries to commercial campaigns, calling the SOUTH House his base throughout the process not only reshaped his creative approach, but also expanded his musical reach. “Every project is different, but a constant factor is having a home base to work out of and be creative within a community,” he reveals. “From the start, Matt [SOUTH Music creative director] made it clear that SOUTH was a place I could express myself.”

The existence of such a space enables composers like Jacob to easily and regularly jump between diverse projects, both commercial and independent. For instance, as of late, Jacob has been scoring a documentary titled ‘Common Ground’, a special project featuring both “heavily orchestral and emotional” music. But, simultaneously, he’s also been balancing a commercial campaign for investment bank Holihan Lokey.

Notably, through working at SOUTH House, Jacob has found that there to be a lot of overlap in his approach, despite the two projects’ apparent differences. “Any story is ultimately based around emotion,” he points out. “My goal is to translate what the director or filmmaker wants to say. It’s rewarding work and takes time. I always follow my creative intuition, and sometimes that brings out something the filmmaker hasn't yet recognised they want. Music has that unique power to tap into the subconscious and the unseen. I’m grateful that SOUTH gives me the freedom to live in both worlds.”

Discussing the physical and creative atmosphere of the studio, Jacob adds, “It’s the cross-pollination, right? The social element of being able to pop out of my room and see what everyone else is up to is supportive and inspiring. Larchmont is also a wonderful location here. When the environment is right, you’re set up a little better creatively. I come from a background in piano and improvisation, and having my 1966 Yamaha U1 here in the studio helps me to feel grounded and improvise.”

In turn, this blend of inspiration and professional growth has proven pivotal for Jacob. “I’m grateful to everyone at SOUTH for pushing me to be better – and quicker – at my craft. I love what I do, and SOUTH has opened up new doors in the commercial world, which has its own musical language.”

Working together has also reinforced that there’s power in variety, and I don’t make a distinction between any of the projects I take on, whether it’s working on a feature film, a documentary, or a commercial campaign.”

A Like-Minded Community

Another composer who has found resonance at the SOUTH House is Charles Humenry, who recently scored feature film ‘Lucky Lu’, which premiered at Cannes. “The space is fantastic, and the entire SOUTH team has been incredibly welcoming,” he gushes. “Having access to a studio like this made a huge difference when working on the music for ‘Lucky Lu’. There were lots of long nights, as I had to write and record the score in just three weeks! SOUTH generously let me record a string trio in its live room, which saved me so much time and energy. It ended up being a perfect fit for the score: intimate and organic.”

For Charles, one of the defining aspects of the residency is how it disrupts the solitude of composing. “Being a composer is such an isolated job. We spend most of our days alone in our ‘music cave’, living in our heads. Having the opportunity to work out of a space like SOUTH and be around other like-minded creatives really helps break up that solitude, builds a sense of community, and brings back some of that ‘going to work’ feeling.”

When comparing SOUTH’s setup to other spaces he’s worked in, Charles credits the team at the heart of the company for their unwavering support of independent composers. “Having a studio at SOUTH and sharing the space with such a talented community has been an absolute pleasure and I’m looking forward to keeping it going.”

For head of production Ann Haugen, the constant buzz of activity is part of what makes the residency thrive. “There’s never a dull moment at the SOUTH House, and that’s just how we like it,” she says. “Having every studio full and music filling the space is super inspiring. Beyond the film scoring and song production, our commercial work has allowed us to handle more 360-degree projects where we do music, sound and final record/mix. It is very gratifying to be able to bring all those pieces together. Our recent work with Jeep, Walmart and Veloz are prime examples of that.”

In its few short years, SOUTH’s artist residency has become a living, breathing ecosystem where cross-pollination fuels both artistry and career growth. A place where composers can find both their voice and their community. A place you’d picture if someone asked where you feel most inspired…

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Check out what else SOUTH Music has been up to here

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