Manchester MC artist turns his garage into a recording studio

By Katie Thistleton

An aspiring MC artist from Manchester took matters into his own hands when he was unable to afford studio time.

Nathan Walters used up all of his savings to transform his garage into a recording studio, a move which he also believes transformed his life.

The 24-year old admits getting into a bit of trouble as a young adult, and believes that the project allowed him to pursue his passion for music and channel his energy into something positive.

“It’s probably the best thing I ever did,” he said.

Recording studios usually charge around 25 pound per hour, a costly fee for those who are starting out with nothing. Nathan wanted an alternative which meant he would no longer have to pay an hourly rate.

“I started off just messing about,” he said, “then I just had this crazy idea to build my own studio. Before I knew it the ball was rolling.”

Nathan has used the studio to record his own albums under his artist name ‘Xtra’. He has sold over 3,000 CD’s, mainly by standing on Market Street in Manchester Centre, using his bubbly personality to draw in potential buyers. “People were very supportive of me,” he said.

Not only has the studio been a great way to kick-start Nathan’s music career, it is also helping to get other young people in Manchester off the streets and into music.

Nathan, who spent one year at college studying Music Technology, allows other budding artists to use his studio, enabling them to put their creativity to use without having to pay for expensive studio time.

It also allows him to network with other young people interested in music, and help out those who are not as experienced as him.

”People contact me through Facebook or Myspace,” he explained, “It’s something that’s important to me. If I made it as a signed artist, I would definitely come back to my roots and sign some of the local people. There is some real talent.”

Ambitious Nathan now has a full-time job to help him save up enough money to make music videos. “I feel I am at a place where I could be on TV now. I think I’m good enough and ready,” he said.

Nathan believes that music is a good influence on young people. “If I hadn’t had music to express myself with, I think I could have easily gone down the wrong path in life,” he said, “It can be difficult to stay out of trouble and young people need to keep their minds occupied. Music is a good way to do this.”