Munzie Thind Talks Inspirations and Joining Wave Studios
As far as iconic goes, it doesn’t really get any better than Munzie Thind in the sound world. Having worked in the industry for over 25 years, Munzie’s name has become synonymous with award-winning work and talent.
Earlier this month, the sound designer made his move from Grand Central Recording Studios to BAFTA- and Academy Award-winning Wave, and a new home naturally calls for a fresh look on his inspirations, goals and best work.
Brought up in Gravesend as a second generation immigrant from a Punjabi Sikh family, Munzie soaked in the ‘80s and ‘90s hip hop and b-boy culture. He points to these years as formative for his sonic inspirations, similarly to soul, funk, rare groove and electronic music.
Gravesend’s plentiful music scene with its numerous hip hop crews led to Munzie spinning records from an early age – the first culprit behind his creative inclinations. “I think a creative career was always something I knew I would love to do, even though my parents had a more traditional view on what a ‘proper job’ was. Music and sound came naturally to me and didn’t feel like work at all.”
Over two decades later, the sound scene continues to change rapidly and what didn’t feel like a job became a life-long career of “fun” and “great work,” as Munzie himself puts it.
Here he tells me about how this career shaped up and what he’s looking forward to the most.
Above: Munzie (and Parv from Wave Studios) back in the day
LBB> What were the first professional steps you took towards joining the industry?
Munzie> Like a lot of people in our industry I took the running route which I highly recommend because I learnt so much. I also met some excellent people and enjoyed every moment. Learning your craft from the bottom up can make every achievement feel special.
LBB> And what was the first project that made you really believe in yourself?
Munzie> Weirdly, when I was a junior engineer one of our senior engineers called in sick and he had a two-day dub. I was thrown into the deep end.
As the first proper project, I did a radio campaign for Tango with the mighty [UK creative agency] HHCL. The scripts were excellent. I had so much fun making them. John Culshaw doing an Obi-Wan Kenobi impersonation of the Tango voice inside was chef's kiss. It was all about the writing and I wanted to push them to the limit. I think two of them didn’t get radio clearance so never made it on air.
LBB> What were your main inspirations at the start of your career and how have they changed since then?
Munzie> I still love the music and culture I grew up with, but I am constantly inspired by new stuff and it’s always interesting to see how my influences from childhood are now inspiring the next generation.
I think it’s a pretty simple formula. As a kid I would cut up disco, soul and funk tracks with a couple of turntables to make new beats. A few years later DJs would push up the BPM and jungle music had arrived then the soul stuff evolved into garage fast word, years later DJs dropped the BPM of drum and bass to below 100 and dubstep was created.
Above: Munzie in his very own record shop in the '90s.
LBB> What music do you listen to now? Do you find inspiration in silence as well?
Munzie> I listen to a lot of electronic music now but still dip into the classics. I think music now is so accessible that you are constantly being fed content, switching off for a bit is something I like to do.
I always try to build silence in my work whether it’s for a dramatic moment or an awkward comedic gag. It can be pretty tough to insert silence in a 30-second spot.
LBB> What is the most rewarding part of your job? Why?
Munzie> Just the process of seeing a great idea on a bit of paper and making it. I'm a people person so for me the writers, directors and producers as well as the post-production teams are really important when you want to make great work.
LBB> How has the sound world changed in the last few years? How have you navigated this in your approach to projects?
Munzie> Over the last 10 years sound as a medium has moved extremely quickly and the development of Atmos and immersive sound has pushed creativity to another level.
However, my approach to projects has always been the same: How do I get the best from the idea sonically?
LBB> What is your favourite project to date and why? What were the challenges and lessons that came with it?
Munzie> I recently worked on a stop frame film which was set in a pinball machine. The creatives wanted it to sound as if the listener was inside the machine.
I used real pinball sounds and lots of industrial sound design elements to give the film an immersive texture.
LBB> What is your opinion on new tech and do you tend to dive into it straightaway?
Munzie> I'm always open to trying new tech if it works, but sometimes it doesn't do what it says on the tin.
I think AI will get better, with audio clean up and restoration. It's already very good.
LBB> You're currently at Wave. What piece of work from the company would you have loved to have done in the past?
Munzie> Where do I start!
I remember watching Honda ‘Cog’ for the first time – it's magic, the choice of music and the endline is genius.
LBB> And what are your ambitions and goals for this next chapter at the company?
Munzie> To have fun and make great work.
