Thinking In Sound: Keeping Listening Habits Varied with Joe Dickinson

Chief music officer of WithFeeling, Joe brings a global reputation and a rare ability to draw from many different influences in order to compose within any style. From orchestral, action-packed scores to authentic Arabic pieces or the latest commercial hit sounds, Joe’s expertise enables him to adapt to any genre and create the perfect music to complement any brief.

Having spent over a decade working in the Middle East as one of Dubai’s most in-demand composers, Joe’s understanding of world music styles has been finely tuned - as has his ability to work to the strictest deadlines, fulfil the most pressing requests, and do it all with a renowned positive and professional attitude that sees agencies return to him time and time again.

Previous global brands that have benefitted from Joe’s musical mastery include McDonald’s, Google, Nivea, Sony, Cadillac, Microsoft and many more. He has been responsible for creating original soundtracks for some of the UAE’s biggest and most elaborate landmarks and events, including Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, Dubai Parks and Resorts, UAE National Day ceremonies, and the world’s only seven-star hotel, The Burj Al Arab.

Currently based in London, Joe is also the composer behind the official Expo 2020 Dubai theme song This is our Time, where he worked closely with Chris and the Expo team to create an anthem that befitted the theme, values, and aspirations of this first mega-event in the region.

LBB> When you’re working on a new brief or project, what’s your typical starting point? How do you break it down and how do you like to generate your ideas or response?

Joe> Every brief is different, at WithFeeling we cover all aspects of Audio, so today might be a short sting for TikTok and tomorrow could be 20 minutes of composition for a live event.

The one constant is always making sure I understand the client/agency/director's vision, and if it’s up for discussion, making sure to have that discussion and agree on a solid direction. That way I can start the composition confidently and focus on the fun stuff.

Aside from that, I like to make sure I have a clear musical roadmap set out, say for instance I’m working on a 60 second animation, I’ll make markers in my session of key moments to highlight, the ups and downs, the pauses, the general peaks and valleys of the track, this also gives me a good indication of my tempo.

LBB> Music and sound are in some ways the most collaborative and interactive forms of creativity - what are your thoughts on this? Do you prefer to work solo or with a gang - and what are some of your most memorable professional collaborations?

Joe> The studio can be a very lonely insular place, which for the most part helps me focus and give full interrupted attention to the job in hand, I mean no one wants to hear me previewing 500 snare drums, but the opportunity to work with musicians collaboratively feels like a holiday from work, it’s always inspiring and can give your music a fresh pair of ears.

Being based in the Middle east, I have the opportunity to work with some incredible instrumentalists (Oud, Ney Flute, Kanun) and I’ll never get tired of hearing my music being interpreted by someone that has a different musical perspective than me, it always leads to inspiration. 

One of my most memorable collaborations would either be hearing my work being recorded by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in Abbey Road, or collaborating with Grammy Winning Producer Greg Wells on our track ‘This Is Our Time’

LBB> What’s the most satisfying part of your job and why?

Joe> Being Paid, ha-ha not really.

I love it when a job just works, the melody/style/drums/vibe that you have in your head in the shower actually comes to fruition when you sit down and work on it.

It’s really satisfying when you get it right and you feel 100% confident that you have set out to do what you

LBB> As the advertising industry changes, how do you think the role of music and sound is changing with it?

Joe> Obviously, since I started (20 years ago) the digital outlets for advertising have taken over, whereas before I would focus on Solely TV/Cinema/Live, now we have Youtube, Insta, TikTok etc to contend with. This not only comes with more cut-down options to provide but also more scope for adaptations and alt cuts to edit to.

The sometimes-harsh reality is that a large population of the public will be listening on their phones, Air pods, Laptops etc, so the mix has to be taken into consideration. I always believe that making your mix as good as possible will usually take care of any issues when playing back on mobile speakers, but every now and then you may have to beef up that 808 sound that isn’t audible or shave some harsh frequencies off the high mids of that piano that’s distorting at full volume on the iPhone.

Ultimately though, I think the concept of good music over a well shot Ad is a formula that will stand the test of time. 

LBB> Who are your musical or audio heroes and why?

Joe> It depends what hat I’m wearing really, I studied guitar performance for my degree, so I have a long list of guitarists that I have always admired – Guthrie Govan, Jimi Hendrix, Mateus Asato, Scot Henderson, John Scofield, Django Reindhardt  

For composition I always tend to gravitate towards Thomas Bergensen, Hans Zimmer, John Denby, Thomas Newman, Michael Giancchino, Ludovico Einaudi

For Songwriting, The Beatles, John Mayer, David Bowie, Max Martin.

I could go on and on here.

LBB> And when it comes to your particular field, whether sound design or composing, are there any particular ideas or pioneers that you go back to frequently or who really influence your thinking about the work you do?

Joe> I’m a bit of a geek when it comes to composition and audio production, so I use YouTube reviews of sample libraries a lot before spending money on a new string library for instance.

There’s an insanely talented composer called ‘Blakus’ with an amazing channel that showcases his latest compositions with a breakdown of the libraries that he uses. This is a really useful resource for me and often leads to inspiration for whatever particular job I’m working on.

LBB> When you’re working on something that isn’t directly sound design or music (lets say going through client briefs or answering emails) - are you the sort of person who needs music and noise in the background or is that completely distracting to you? What are your thoughts on ‘background’ sound and music as you work?

Joe> It’s going to sound a bit pretentious but background music is often distracting for me, I can quite quickly lose focus on the task at hand and start just listening.

I like to listen to music – especially new music when I can give it my full attention.

LBB> I guess the quality of the listening experience and the context that audiences listen to music/sound in has changed over the years. There’s the switch from analogue to digital and now we seem to be divided between bad-ass surround-sound immersive experiences and on-the-go, low quality sound (often the audio is competing with a million other distractions) - how does that factor into how you approach your work? 

Joe> Most of the time, I’ll just try to make the music I’m writing sound as good as I can make it sound sonically. Oftentimes the usage can change and you could find yourself with a track that needs to be mixed for Cinema in 5.1 surround. Cutting corners will only lead to a painful session trying to figure out where all your low end has gone.

At WithFeeling we often have to create Music/SFX/Soundscapes for a variety of weird and wonderful locations. Its definitely worth thinking about where your audio will be played as it can decide quite a few factors, If the room is large or cavernous you might want to go easy on instruments with a sharp attack or heavy low end, If the final audio will be multi directional in an immersive 360 Degrees space you will have to think about elements that will sound great swooshing around the space. But also a consideration for things as simple as the way you set your session up and prepare stems is massively important – especially if you’re on a tight deadline!

LBB> On a typical day, what does your ‘listening diet’ look like?

Joe> If I’m being honest, I don’t listen to music as much as I used to, I think free time is a factor, but also giving my ears a rest is a necessity.

But in terms of my listening diet, breakfast would be with the kids, so baby shark, Mrs Rachel and a generous seasoning of other Kids TV theme tunes (Octonauts is a particular favourite of mine) lunch consists of whatever is thrown at me in terms of work, so clicking through references, reviewing composers work for ongoing jobs, and writing/mixing/recording. Dinner will hopefully be quiet time – possibly something gentle in the background to decompress. All my real listening/discovering new songs/learning gets done in the car – I do love an audiobook too. 

LBB> Do you have a collection of music/sounds and what shape does it take (are you a vinyl nerd, do you have hard drives full of random bird sounds, are you a hyper-organised spotify-er…)?

Joe> Yes, my Spotify is nice and tidy, I generally create playlists of moods, that way I don’t have to skip if something intense comes on, me and my wife also have a free-for-all playlist that is constantly evolving – a musical lucky dip.

In terms of random sounds, it’s almost out of control. I have been collecting sample Libraries, synths, and plugins for a long long time, Last check, I was up to 16 Terabytes.

I’m a hoarder, but you never know when you might need that Polynesian Nose Flute

LBB> Outside of the music and sound world, what sort of art or topics really excite you and do you ever relate that back to music (e.g. history buffs who love music that can help you travel through time, gamers who love interactive sound design… I mean it really could be anything!!)

Joe> The obvious one would be film, not that interesting an answer really, but knowing a particular composer is working on a new release gives me a reason to drag myself away from the studio and watch in the good old fashioned cinema.

Apart from that I try to do things that take me away from music, I used to play football a lot as a goalkeeper but broken fingers and composing didn’t seem to work too well, I have two children that keep me pretty busy at the moment!

LBB> Let’s talk travel! It’s often cited as one of the most creatively inspiring things you can do - I’d love to know what are the most exciting or inspiring experiences you’ve had when it comes to sound and music on your travels?

Joe> I moved to Dubai after graduating from London to work in a studio over there for six years. I’d say around 50% of the work I did needed to include a touch of Arabic influence of some degree, so I had to listen, watch and learn as much as I could of the local instruments, songs, singers, history. It was a steep learning curve and I’m still learning more and more each day.

I’ll never forget the first time I witnessed the recording session of a middle eastern instrument called a Kanun (Qanun/Kanoon) It’s a zither-like instrument played using fingerpicks, similar to a lap steel guitar. It's incredible I’d encourage anyone to check it out.

LBB> As we age, our ears change physically and our tastes evolve too, and life changes mean we don’t get to engage in our passions in the same intensity as in our youth - how has your relationship with sound and music changed over the years?

Joe> I guess the more briefs I take on, the more respect I gain for every genre/producer/composer/artist in some way. I’ve received references from directors/clients that might not have been to my taste, but it's only when you try to write in a similar style or similar instrumentation that you realise that it’s no mean feat, it might have a kick drum that you just can’t compete with, or a super wide mix or a particularly lush vocal reverb.

Aside from that my listening habits haven’t changed too much, I like to keep it varied and try to keep up with whatever’s trending  - possibly just a touch quieter than I did in my twenties!