Key players

ToR+ teams up for his new album

By Arlyssa P. Supangkasen

To create a new sound and develop his music, Saksit Vejsupaporn (ToR+) has teamed up with an award-winning Australian producer. Charles Fisher has produced albums for world-famous artists like Air Supply and Savage Garden. ToR+ and Charles worked together on ToR+’s upcoming Thai-language album in both Melbourne and Bangkok.

Student Weekly met up with Charles and ToR+ at a studio in Bangkok where they told us about their experiences working together and the new album.

Student Weekly: Charles, why did you choose to work with ToR+?

Charles: I was asked by BEC-Tero Music if I’d be interested in working with him. I thought it would be a good project because I liked his attitude when we spoke on Skype. I also liked his musicianship and his YouTube videos. I thought if he has an open attitude and is a good musician, anything is possible.

Student Weekly: How do you feel about working together?

Charles: It’s really enjoyable. We listen to each other’s ideas and try different things. Our taste and objectives are similar.

ToR+: The making of this album is like taking a class. It’s a good opportunity to learn from somebody so experienced. I’m open to anything and want to learn new things, so it’s fun. I think our chemistry is also right. We sometimes understand each other without even speaking.

Student Weekly: Charles, where does your nickname “song doctor” come from?

Charles: I got it because I change songs a lot. Sometimes we get a country and western song but when it’s finished it’s become a rock ‘n’ roll song.

ToR+: It’s like he puts a song on a surgery table and goes through every phrase bit by bit. There are some ideas that he rejects and some that he keeps if they have potential.

Student Weekly: ToR+, how was your month-long stay in Melbourne?

ToR+: We worked at Charles’s house located in the suburbs in Williamstown. It was quiet and the shops closed at 5:30 pm. But I enjoyed my time in Melbourne. Thai food is very popular there. Melbourne has several Thai restaurants and I even saw an advertisement for Thai chilli paste on TV.

Student Weekly: What was the most challenging task for this album?

Charles: I had a picture in my head of how I wanted to make the record sound, and getting to that place was hard. Apart from that, it’s actually been an easy journey.

Student Weekly: As a musician and a producer, how are your approaches to music different?

Charles: For me, the song isn’t as personal as for the artist. The artist writes his own song, so that piece of music is very personal. My job is to find something that is accessible for people who don’t know him.

ToR+: As an artist, it’s like you paint everything on a big canvas. A producer is the one who makes the tough decisions about what stays, what goes, what’s working and what’s not working to create a beautiful picture. Without him it would be messy.

Student Weekly: What is the key to success?

Charles: It’s the love of what you do, and the perseverance to make it as good as you can. Another thing is dedication. You can dream big, but you need dedication to do it. Without dedication, it will forever be a dream.

Student Weekly: What can listeners expect to hear on the upcoming album?

Charles: There will be a lot more real music and less programming and synthesizers. ToR+’s singing is very different too. We’re making him more edgy.

ToR+: There will be big changes to the music and vocals. I have my comfort zone for singing but Charles pushed me outside of that. The album is more mature, emotional and edgy.

 

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