Moving to Mumbai was one of the best decisions I made: Mikey McCleary

It’s been a while since we’ve spoken with Mikey McCleary and now’s as good a time as any to catch up — he’s the music producer of the just released Befikre and is responsible for how the film’s soundtrack ‘sounds’. Here, he talks about the film’s director Aditya Chopra’s involvement in the making of the music and how he collaborated with Vishal-Shekhar who composed the film’s OST. 

How different is it to work with an Aditya Chopra as compared to Anurag Kashyap?

I enjoy making music for a wide range of cinema, from more edgy independent films like Margarita With A Straw to Bollywood blockbusters like Befikre. Every director has a different style of working. The pieces of music I’ve made for Anurag have mostly been done without him there in the studio. I think he likes to give space to the composer to create the music. More indie-type films usually allow for greater experimentation. Over six weeks of producing the songs and another six weeks of composing the background music score, Adi Chopra would pop into the studio every other day to listen to the work in progress and give me his thoughts. He has very strong musical sensibilities. He can hear a piece of music just once and be able to clearly point out the elements that he likes and the ones he would like to change. Our working dynamic was easy and pleasant. He’s open-minded and yet has a strong vision of what is looking for in the music.

Do producers and directors intervene at all with your work?

Yes of course! Often their input can be helpful, but sometimes not. Some who I have worked with, such as Dibakar Banerjee, have very good understanding of music. Collaboration with a good director will make the music better, most of the time.

Explain the work-sharing between Vishal Shekhar and you?

Vishal and Shekhar composed the vocal melodies. Sometimes, they had an idea of what style of music production and genre they wanted, but most of the time they let me experiment with the genre and arrangement. They enjoy hearing an unexpected musical interpretation of the composition. Once I have a direction they like, I fine-tune the music further and they also input ideas.

For those unaware of the technicalities, how do you explain the difference between music production and direction.

In India, the music director is the composer of the vocal melody. They also guide the general direction of the music and approve the final result. They also usually are very involved in directing the singer.  The music producer creates the other elements. The beat, the bass-line, the chord progression and all the additional melodies that come in the song. The instrumental melodies and hooks are usually created by the music producer. It’s an important role because the music producer really determines how the song sounds. In the west the role of the music producer is more recognised and many stars like Timberlake, Avicii or Swedish House Mafia are actually music producers.

The average listener is generally unaware of the amount of work that goes into music production. Some even perceive it as a thankless job, despite credits now being given wherever necessary. What needs to change?

For starters, when a music producer has made the music for an entire film I think they should get a ‘Songs produced by such-and-such’ front title credit in the film. I have been given this for Befikre.

What else have you been busy with?

TV ads as usual. Writing the screen play for a Bollywood film which I’d like to direct myself. It’s a surprise. My interest in filmmaking started from directing my music videos for The Bartender and TV Dinners.

Another Bartender album in the offing?

Yes there certainly is. Most of the songs are finished.

What’s the most Befikra (carefree) thing you’ve done in life?

The most Befikre thing I can’t tell you, I have my proper reputation to think of. But one carefree decision I made (one of my best decisions) was to leave my life in London and move to Mumbai eight years ago.

One incident while putting together the album that has stayed with you.

Recording Vishal playing the spoons for one of the songs. It’s a real thing, you take two spoons and slap them between your thigh and hand to create a percussive rhythm.