Steve is one of New Zealand’s most respected music professionals. Co-founder of Rattle Records and formerly a full-time professional session musician, he began working as a sound engineer in the mid-80s. Since taking over the management of Rattle in 2010 (when former partners Tim Gummer and Keith Hill left to pursue their individual creative aspirations, Tim as a designer and Keith as a writer), Steve focused his professional and creative aspirations solely on the development of the label, which has grown from releasing an average of one album a year (between 1991 and 2010) to virtually one a month over the last ten years!
His eye for detail informs every facet of production, as reflected in the label’s impressive number of award-winning recordings and critical acclaim (not just for the music, but also for the consistent quality of its cover designs and packaging). Of equal importance is the quality of the relationships the label fosters with its roster of artists.
While he’s proud of the entire Rattle catalogue, he is particularly attached to albums with a strong improvisational character, albums such as Tuhonohono, Te Ku Te Whe, The Gristle of Knuckles, Ponguru, Te More, Dialogos, Utterance, Two Tides, and Rewa. He is equally proud of the label’s work with artists such as Michael Houstoun (Trois, Diabelli Variations, Complete Beethoven Piano Sonatas), Jonathan Crayford (Dark Light, East West Moon), Roger Manins (Trio, The Thing, No Dogs Allowed), and NZTrio (Sway, Vicissitudes, Lightbox), as well as the impressive talent of Lixin Zhang, to name only a few of the many artists Rattle staunchly supports.
