Being that it is the beginning of a new year, we just wanted to wish everyone the very best, as well as reflect on some of our success last year.

As far as artists go, 2016 turned out to be the year of ‘duos’ for VLM in a sense, as we were fortunate enough to master releases for Tokimonsta & Anderson Paak, Kyle & Lil Yachty, JRocc & Lefto, and even a double EP for Aloe Blacc & Exile, which has been waited on by diehard fans for over 10 years. Of course we mastered countless solo artists and groups this last year as well, even internationally, but found something to smile about when looking back on 2016 and realizing how many ampersands were in play.

Another exciting moment for us in 2016 was mastering our first major motion picture soundtrack (digital & vinyl) for Orion Films, entitled ‘Outlaws & Angels’. Scored by Colin Stetson, and starring Francesca Eastwood & Luke Wilson, it was definitely a treat to be involved with this project and we are looking forward to more experiences like this in the future.

We also worked with several new labels this year too, including one of our favorites from Los Angeles, California – American Standard – and can’t wait to move forward with many more releases from them and other quality independent labels.

As for 2017, we are already starting off the new year right with a project for Ras G and a compilation for Young Art Records – both incredible, as usual. We have been the go-to suite for Tokimonsta’s imprint Young Art for quite some time now, and have another EP for an artist from the roster slated before the end of January as well.

All said, 2016 was quite the ride, from losing many great artists that defined their eras to experiencing new artists making their mark. We live, love and breathe music, and are very much looking forward to this new year. So, from our space to yours, we want to wish you the very best.

VLM – the ear behind what you hear.

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Out now on Orion Pictures, this is our first master for a major motion picture soundtrack (CD / digital release). The soundtrack was written and performed by none other than Colin Stetson and stars Chad Michael Murray, Luke Wilson and Francesca Eastwood, among others.

Colin Stetson is an American saxophonist and multireedist. He is best known as a regular collaborator of the indie rock acts Arcade Fire, Bon Iver, and Bell Orchestre. In addition to saxophone, he plays clarinet, bass clarinet, french horn, flute, and cornet. Stetson has performed and recorded with dozens of artists, including Tom Waits, Arcade Fire, TV on the Radio, Feist, Bon Iver, My Brightest Diamond, Laurie Anderson, David Byrne, Jolie Holland, Sinéad O’Connor, LCD Soundsystem, The Chemical Brothers, Animal Collective, The National, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Angélique Kidjo, Kevin Devine, Beanie Burnett, and Anthony Braxton.

Most recently, Colin collaborated with one of our favorite acts, Bad Bad Not Good for the single ‘Confessions Pt II’ off their latest full-length album release ‘IV’ out now on Innovative Leisure Records.

This was an exciting project for us to work on, and it could also be up for a Grammy nomination. Wishing everyone involved the very best on this, and look forward to the opportunity to work on more soundtracks in the future.

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Released last month through 101 Apparel, High Output is a Mix CD and 7″ mastered by Violet Lantern Mastering. This was a real treat to work on, being that Lefto and J.Rocc are two of our favorite DJ’s on the world circuit.  They also came with a 7″ that showcases their production skills, with a nod to the golden era of hip-hop.  You can order this package through 101 Apparel, which not only includes the CD & 7″, but a tee-shirt as well.

As one of the most important tastemakers Europe has to offer, Lefto is affiliated with labels Brownswood, Blue Note, !K7 Records, Stones Throw Records and Jazzy Sport, as well as Belgium’s foremost national radio station Studio Brussel, where his playlists have received high compliments from world-famous Gilles Peterson and Rough Trade.

J.Rocc founded the Beat Junkies in 1992 with Melo-D and Rhettmatic, and soon after they became a seminal force in the rise of instrumental hip-hop, including core member Babu plus future stars Shortkut and D-Styles. In addition to numerous mixtapes and his own production for Stones Throw releases, J.Rocc has been the DJ for Madlib’s live shows since the early 2000’s, was the 3rd member of Jaylib (Madlib & J Dilla) during the group’s live events, and collaborated with Madlib on Beat Konducta Vol. 5-6 : A Tribute to J Dilla.

101 Apparel has collaborated with a choice selection of DJs, artists and producers to fuse the music and designs into a unique artistic document. High Output is part of the 101 Apparel Artists Series, which features a custom shirt, designed in conjunction with the artist, along with an exclusive mix CD of hand curated cuts. To further expand the reach of these sounds, every apparel piece in the line includes a custom hang tag featuring a unique access code to download one of these special mixes. Current collaborations include producers and DJs such as Nightmares On Wax, Kon & Amir, Quantic, Dam-Funk, Tony Allen & Rich Medina, Chico Mann, Jeedo aka Waajeed, Spinna, Lefto, Marc Mac, Rich Medina, Sofrito, Danny Krivit, Lefto & Kutmah, Kenny Dope, Osunlade, Jrocc and Onra. 101 Apparel is honored to support these great talents and many others, so stay tuned for more special projects on the horizon.

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Out now on Tokimonsta’s Young Art Records is this absolute banger featuring Anderson .Paak and KRNE.  We have been the go-to mastering suite for Tokimonsta’s Young Art Records imprint for quite some time and couldn’t be more excited about this single and video, especially following the news of the one-and-only Dr. Dre signing Anderson to his Aftermath imprint.

Jennifer Lee, better known by her stage name Tokimonsta (often styled as TOKiMONSTA), is an American record producer and DJ from Los Angeles, California. She has collaborated with Thirsty Fish, Kool Keith, MNDR. & Anderson Paak. She has also remixed tracks by Andreya Triana, Daedelus, Jodeci, and Justin Timberlake.

She was also the first female to sign to Flying Lotus’ Brainfeeder label and released her first album, Midnight Menu, in November 2010 on Brainfeeder, as well as the EP Creature Dreams in 2011. She was rated the #1 Hottest Los Angeles Lady DJ by LA Weekly in December 2010 and since starting her own Young Art Records imprint, released Desiderium as well as Gavin Turek’s You’re Invited.

Brandon Paak Anderson (born February 9, 1986), better known by his stage name Anderson Paak (usually styled as Anderson .Paak), is an American singer, rapper, and producer from Oxnard, California. Anderson released his debut album, O.B.E. Vol.1 in 2012 under the name Breezy Lovejoy. He also released Venice in 2014 as Anderson .Paak, which was then followed by Malibu, in 2016.

We would like to wish everyone involved with this project the utmost success with this release, and are looking forward to more amazing releases from Young Art Records in the years to come.

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Back in the lab and ready for ’16, but still soaking in all of the experiences at NAMM this year. One of the highlights was meeting and speaking with Dave Pensado of Pensado’s Place, as well as his co-host, Herb Trawick. Herb offered an invite to visit their new facilities in Studio City as well, which was quite an honor. Another amazing moment was meeting Gavin Lurssen of Lurssen Mastering – and through all people, Tom Kenny, editor of Mix Magazine. Tom is not only a brilliant mind in his own right, but also very generous, offering VIP passes to the TEC Awards. Hosted by Sinbad, the night was full of laughs and electricity. A video montage was put together for Chris Stone and Gary Kellgren of The Record Plant as well, who were inducted into the NAMM Hall Of Fame, alongside Jeffrey “Skunk” Baxter of Steely Dan & Doobie Brothers fame.

Jeffrey has had a long and successful career in the music and entertainment field, earning numerous Gold and Platinum albums and two Grammys in the process. He was a founding member of the group Steely Dan, a member of the Doobie Brothers and produced records for such artists as Carl Wilson, Nazareth, The Stray Cats and Billy Vera (debut album and #1 Single “At This Moment”). He has toured with such bands as The Stray Cats, Elton John, Julian Lennon and Linda Ronstadt. He has been a studio musician for over 40 years, recording with such artists as Donna Summer, Dolly Parton, Ringo Starr, Barbara Streisand, Carly Simon, Stanley Clark, Bryan Adams, Joni Mitchell, John Cougar Mellencamp, Roy Orbison, The Ventures, Beach Boys, and Rod Stewart. He has also composed music for movies and television including co-authoring the original theme for “Beverly Hills 90210,” music for “King of the Hill” and scoring for movies like “Bull Durham” and “Roxanne.” He has been a design engineer/consultant for Akai, Audio-Technica, Allen & Heath, Fender and Roland for over 35 years. He is currently working on his first solo project, partnering with his long-time friend and associate CJ Vanston and is still actively involved as a guitarist, composer, producer and engineer.

Chris Stone is an American music industry businessman and writer, and the co-founder with Gary Kellgren of the Record Plant recording studios. The Record Plant transformed the music studio into a new, creative and collaborative environment. While at the same time, introduced the newest multitrack, acoustical and mixing technologies. Stone founded Filmsonix in 1987, sold the Record Plant in 1989, and is the founder and CEO of World Studio Group, a worldwide music studio consulting company. He co-founded the Society of Professional Audio Recording Services (SPARS), and served as president and chairman of the board. He also co-founded the Music Producers Guild of the Americas (MPGA), serving as executive director. The MPGA developed into the Producers & Engineers Wing of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS). He lectured online for the Berklee College of Music as well as in person for the USC Thornton School of Music where he was an associate professor. He published a book, Audio Recording for Profit : The Sound of Money.

Gary Kellgren (1939–1977) was an American audio engineer and co-founder with Chris Stone of the Record Plant recording studios. Kellgren was an early user of “phasing,” a studio technique which simulates the sound of a jet engine. He is also credited with pioneering the “flanger,” the U.S. version of the Beatles’ ATD (automatic tape doubling), also known as ADT (automatic double tracking), for that memorable psychedelic sound. He conceived of, and was responsible for, all the “Live at the Record Plant” recording sessions. It was also Kellgren’s concept to bring color, artistic design, hotel-like comforts and services to the world of recording studios, along with state-of-the-art technology and acoustical design.

Needless to say, this was by far the most amazing experience at NAMM yet, and along with an incredible movement of forward-thinking gear and technology in nearly every facet of audio, VLM couldn’t be more excited about what the future holds in our industry. A big thanks goes out to Scott Pederson at Audionamix as well – you’re definitely major.

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“Wes finds that magic place where everything just sounds right.” – Ubiquity Recordings

Mastering is truly an art form. There are standard practices that will always take place, but we pride ourselves with taking a creative approach as well. No two pieces of music are the same, and neither are masters.

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Having a love for music for over 20 years, as well as nearly the same amount of experience in production and engineering, we understand the special relationship between an artist and their music, which is why we love what we do.

“VLM is always there for us in a heartbeat – you can expect the same as well.” – Soul Clap Records

There’s something to be said about loving your job. We couldn’t agree more. When you love your job, you put your best into it. This is why you can expect nothing but our best each and every time we master a project.

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“When anyone asks if we know a mastering engineer, Wes @ VLM is always our first suggestion.” – Young Art Records

Diligence is key to accomplishing results beyond what your customer expects, and we take pride in understanding and following that work ethic.

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