Mercury Music Prize winner Talvin Singh and producer, artist and songwriter Iain Archer are to participate in the 2018 Pro7ect songwriting retreat, hosted by Hotel Pelirocco in Brighton.

Archer has won Ivor Novello Awards for songwriting on Snow Patrol’s Final Straw album and James Bay’s Hold Back The River, for which he received a 2016 Grammy nomination. His production credits include Jake’s Bugg’s eponymous album, Luke Sital-Singh’s debut album The Fire Inside, You Me At Six’s single ‘Take On The World’ with Jacquire King and Louis Berry’s singles’ She Wants Me’, ‘25 Reasons’ and ‘Rebel’. He has also recently worked with Sigrid, Frank Turner, Shells, Steve Mason and Fink.

‘We are really excited to have Iain join us as our first headline producer,’ says Pro7ect Creative Director, Lisa Fitzgibbon. ‘His work adds a totally new dimension to the P7 creative team and we are looking forward to working with him. We have had loads of applications already, from musician, songwriters and producers from all over the world, and we recommend that artists apply early as places are limited. It’s a life changer.’

‘As a writer and producer, I value those that have handed down knowledge and experience to me throughout the years, so it’s something that’s important to me in terms of inspiring the next generation of writers and producers,’ Archer adds. ‘Collaboration often creates new possibilities, it can challenge you as a writer and open your creative horizon. Collaboration means trusting someone else with your baby – that tension can breed unexpectedly great results. Collaboration can be a skill in itself.’

Archer will operate one of four pop-up studios at Hotel Pelirocco, each of which is equipped with the recording technology from manufacturers including Prism Sound, PMC, Focusrite/Novation, Roland and Audio-Technica.

An accomplished composer, producer, tabla player and electronic musician, Singh is widely regarded as the father of modern Asian music thanks to his innovative fusion of Indian classical music and drum and bass. He won the Mercury Music Prize in 1999 for his debut solo album OK, and was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s 2014 Birthday Honours list. He has collaborated with many artists including David Sylvian, Björk, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Madonna and Massive Attack.

Usually based in Suffolk where he has his own studio, Singh will relocate to Brighton for the retreat (19–23rd February 2018) to take up residence in the Prism Sound pop-up studio – a fully-equipped recording facility featuring a selection of the company’s audio interfaces and converters that are also a key part of Singh’s own recording set-up.

‘Pro7ect is all about collaborating and creating professional relationships with like-minded people in supportive, inspiring places,’ Fitzgibbon  says. ‘Talvin will bring an entirely new dimension to the Pro7ect experience and we can’t wait to hear the music that is created in his Prism Sound pop up studio. We are also thrilled that Prism Sound is sponsoring Pro7ect in 2018 – a perfect partner with a similar philosophy.’

‘The process of songwriting is a beautiful art that is all too often overlooked,’ says Prism Sound Channel Sales Manager, Mark Evans. ‘Lisa has put together a truly world-class group of artists willing to share their creative knowledge to inspire a new generation of songwriters and we’re proud to be able play just a small part in this creative and unique event. We can’t wait to hear the new music that’s created over the course of the week.’

For the duration of Pro7ect, participants work in producer-led teams to write and record a track a day for three days. The teams are changed each day and the songs are either written for one of the artists in the room or to spec using tip sheets. Every evening there is a feedback session where teams play the result of their day’s work to the group.

‘We are very proud of the calibre of producers who have taken part in Pro7ect over the years,’ says Fitzgibbon. ‘The retreat always attracts really incredible recording professionals such as Youth (Sir Paul McCartney/The Verve/Echo & The Bunnymen/The Orb), Roni Size (Reprazent, Method Man, Zac de la Rocha), John Fortis (Razorlight, Ellie Goulding, Yellowdays), Stew Jackson (Massive Attack/Phantom Limb) and Andrew Levy (Brand New Heavies). Our 2018 retreat is now stacking up to be equally amazing, thanks to the involvement of Talvin and Iain – and we will be announcing more Award-winning producers and songwriters before the end of this year.’

The cost of participating is between £1089 and £1299, which includes food and accommodation for four nights. UK applicants can now apply for funding through the PRS Foundation Writer/Producers Fund.