Tom Walker, Hurts, Kelly Rowland, Patrick Wolf.
What do all these artists have in common? Well, aside from being renowned music stars who have enjoyed chart success and worldwide tours, they’ve also all recorded with Hull music graduate Tom Fuller.
Tom’s career since graduating from the University of Hull in 2007 has seen him work with some of the biggest names in the industry.
Currently working out of his own recording studio in London’s King Cross district, Tom is a music producer, writer and sound engineer.
Having first started out as an assistant in a recording studio in Brixton, Tom is now based out of ‘The Cabin,’ part of the Tileyard complex at King’s Cross.
He recently shared his memories of his time at Hull, and gave his tips and advice on how to succeed in a competitive and challenging creative industry.
“The creative sector is a tumultuous industry at the best of times, and with the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been a lot of headlines about its future,” Tom said.
“Having said that, I’ve always truly believed that if you are good enough, and you work hard enough, you will find a way.
“Have your fingers in more than one pie, think outside of the box, and don’t put your eggs all in one basket are all sayings i can relate to.”
Tom joined the University of Hull in 2004, on its Creative Music Technology course.
The degree gave him the foundations he needed to forge a successful career in the industry.
“It was actually the facilities as much as the course itself that attracted me to Hull,” he said.
“It gave me the chance to learn and record music in my own time. Obviously, the degree gave me the classical music foundation and the theory I needed, but it was as much about working with other people and the facilities.
“When I started at University, I was actually a bit of a recluse. I found the atmosphere and environment at Hull incredibly friendly, and the social aspect of working with other people was really important for me.”
Tom’s career so far has also seen him spend time working in London’s Abbey Road studios.
Today, Tom focuses especially on distortion, noise, grit, deep synths and big drums in his recording work.
Being a classically trained multi-instrumentalist, Tom favours writing in a traditional sense, on real instruments as opposed to relying on an in-the-box approach.
“A bit part of being a producer, working with different artists, is being able to see what people need to do their job well,” he said.
“If something is not working out for whatever reason, you need to know how to make it better to get the job done for everyone.
“I left Hull feeling like I had both the experience and the skills I needed to succeed. From there, I have learnt more along the way – my advice would be, get out there and do it yourself, but don’t be afraid to ask for help or advice if you need it.”
You can find more on Tom, and ‘The Cabin’ recording studio, here.