After months of planning, writing and recording IQ Beats are extremely proud to announce our latest custom music-imaging package for the world famous 95.8 Capital FM is now on air.

When new owners Global Radio took the reigns of one of the most well know stations in the world, it was their top priority to get the station moving forward once again. After getting a vision from Director of Broadcasting Richard Park, it was onto the plane for Steven, Patrick and Michael and a visit to the legendary studios in London’s Leicester Square to spend the day at Capital and really get a feel for the station.

It was an unusually early start for the boys (not normally seen till lunchtime), but well worth it after the good times sitting in with Johnny Vaughan and Lisa Snowdon on the Capital Breakfast Show

The brief was taken from Capital’s Programme Director Paul Jackson and over the course of the project we have been incredibly fortunate to have nearly unlimited access to Richard Park and Group CEO Ashley Tabor, both of which have provided valuable input on this project.  Access to so many experienced and passionate individuals has resulted in what can only be described as a breathtaking array of cuts, beds, logos, talk-overs and IDs with our 95.8 Capital FM package for 2009 being one of our strongest to date.

We are holding on to the package for now, but you can hear a small selection of the cuts now on air at www.capitalfm.com.  All will be revealed soon with a few surprises too. Stay tuned!

This is Arden.  He works for Global Radio but has been residing at IQ Beats headquarters for what amounts to a very long time now.

Sadly we can’t divulge exactly why he is here, but we can tell you is that excitement in these parts is growing for our next major Global Radio project.

Arden is not just here to watch the sausages being made either… This is a client visit with a difference as one by one, each of the studios and personnel at IQ Beats fall under his spell of production wizardry and easy-going charm.

Find out more about Arden’s visit soon.

To coincide with this year’s NAB conference, we have produced our most comprehensive and uber-stylish demo to date.  IQ Beats – Music Imaging 2008 features 3 discs of nearly our entire catalogue of custom music imaging clocking in just under a staggering three hours.

In addition to a tour-de-force through 35 demos of our custom products, there is an accompanying sixteen page booklet touching on the history of IQ Beats, the sound of IQ Beats, the experience of working with IQ Beats, mini-bios for each of the players at IQ Beats, and a brief description for all 35 custom packages featured throughout the three discs.

Here is a rundown of what you will find inside of IQ Beats – Music Imaging 2008:

Disc 1

1. Heart Network 2 – London/UK
2. RMF FM – Poland
3. LBC 2 – London
4. Fun Radio 2 – Paris
5. Heart Network 1 – London/UK
6. WKTU – New York
7. Heart 106.2 – London
8. KISQ – San Francisco
9. Mix 102.7 – New York
10. Heart Breakfast – London/UK
11. Ben FM 1 – Philadelphia
12. Ben FM 2 – Philadelphia

Disc 2

1. Fox FM – UK
2. RTL – Berlin
3. Fun Radio 1 – Paris
4. 96.6 TFM – UK
5. Chiltern FM – UK
6. Power 92
7. Power 92.5
8. Flow 93.5 – Toronto
9. UTV – UK
10. Century FM – UK
11. The Wireless Group – UK
12. Blink 102.7 – New York

Disc 3

1. LBC 1 – London
2. Newstalk 106 – Ireland
3. LBC AM/FM – London
4. SportsTalk 950 – Philadelphia
5. BBC Radio 1 Chart Show – UK
6. BBC Radio Manchester
7. BBC Radio Leeds
8. The Breeze – Australia
9. The Wolf – Seattle
10. KSON – San Diego
11. Kix 106 – Memphis

Due to an overwhelming interest in the demo, we’ve decided to make it available for sale.  Please see the link in the sidebar, or click the button below for your copy.

We like to produce an annual team photo with this year being no exception.  Last year we got the Matt Groening treatment a la the Simpsons.  This year we took a trip down memory lane and produced a “what if” hearkening back to yearbook photos from yesteryear.  Which ones do you like?  Which made you laugh?  Which one(s) did YOU look like?

Steven Scalfati – Creative Director, Composer, Producer, Jeans Aficianado

Patrick Napper – Composer, Producer, Flugelhornist

Michael Berlin – Management, Sandwich Fetcher

Kip Beelman – Engineer, Re-sing Mechanic

Mark Hall – UK Project Manager

The European customs continue to fly off the shelves with this new bespoke effort for RMF FM in Krakow.  Broadcasting nationally throughout Poland as the most popular station, the brief was to craft 20 custom cuts that are each “mini hit songs” in a mere 12 seconds in length or less… All just as varied as RMF’s dynamic AC playlist.

With short transitions and even shorter mixes complimented by each theme having a logo mix with it’s own instrumental lead instrument, their new package is even more potent than a bottle of Luksusowa!

We love the package we’ve made with IQ Beats! It’s a step ahead of the music we play and really captures the sound we were looking for as a European station between CHR and HOT AC targeting mostly women 25-39.

The communication was great and everything was delivered on time. The creativity and writing of outstanding melodies paired with their attention to detail is unmatched. The vocalists they work with are talented and versatile while lending great variety to the entire package.

We will definitely work with IQ Beats for future projects!

-Adam Czerwinski, RMF FM

Check out the package here, or download the demo | RMF FM 5.1 MB

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We are proud to announce a new custom IQ Beats package for Global Radio’s Heart Network and the flagship Heart 106.2 in London. Going on air at 4pm GMT at the beginning of the Club Classics show, you will have to remain patient to hear all of the 22 different pieces of custom imaging crafted from the ground up throughout the duration of the weekend culminating with the debut of new themes for the Jamie and Harriet breakfast show.

Wow, what can we say? Well, first we’d like to say thanks. Thanks to the entire Global Radio crew. And that means Global executive Richard Park, Programme Director Mark Browning and all of the people responsible for hustling to get this thing on air while the paint is still drying. And let it be known that a certain behind-the-scenes figure is well due some serious props… You know who you are and smooches to you!

What else would we like to say? How about whew! This project has been months in the making and started off back in April with a trip to London in order to take the brief in person and soak up some Heart-ness. During this time composers Steven Scalfati and Patrick Napper wandered the halls of the Global Radio building to find out “what it’s all about” and even sat in on a session of the Jamie and Harriet Breakfast show. The lads left impressed, inspired, and ready to write.

From these talks it became apparent that the station the station wanted to keep its strong rhythmic up-tempo feel, and create a forward thinking musical package which reinforced its warm, contemporary, uplifting brand values. So began the search for the definitive vocal combination that ultimately lead to:

• 3,468 vocal takes of audio
• 42 hours of billed time with vocalists
• 500 hours spent composing and producing the tracks
• 150 hours mixing
• 420 pieces of audio delivered
• 3 singers rejected
• 1 ident singer debut
• 2 international flights
• 3 hotel rooms
• 1 domestic flight
• 5 singers used throughout the package
• 40 Whole Foods sandwiches
• 45 bags of Kettle chips
• 16 cans of Diet Rockstar
• 1 dinner at the Palace Kitchen

The week spent in Seattle by Mark Browning and Mark Hall was action-packed with vocal sessions from 10am to 6pm with short bits of time in between singers for grab-and-grin photos and to slam down a sandwich, some chips and an energy drink. Here is a gallery of images from one very concentrated week of production…

The process of securing a deal, decoding a brief, composing and then refining tracks, scheduling and producing vocal sessions, mixing, mixing and more mixing culminating in the final delivery of a package is a cycle of life that is intense, exhausting and ultimately rewarding.

And after the package is delivered and on air, not much is more rewarding than some evidence that our clients love and appreciate what we do for them. Even though weΓÇÖre Yanks and on the other side of the pond, we know what HarrodΓÇÖs is all about and are thoroughly lavishing in some nice cups of tea after what arrived on Wednesday…

Listen to the package cut by cut here or Download a montage of the new cuts | 2.8MB

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IQ Beats composer extraordinaire Patrick Napper just celebrated a benchmark birthday on the landmark day of 8.08.08. Orchestrated by the event planning prowess of Patrick’s wife Rebbecca Luke of Les Egoistes and fully supported by Patrick’s IQ teammates, the party was a MASSIVE hit.

Held at the expansive Voda Studios in west Lake Union, the stage was set for good times, yummy food, pretty girls, an endless stream of cocktails, DJ Woogie spinning good-time grooves and an instrument back-line for live representations of Patrick’s various musical projects over the past 15 or so years.

After back-to-back visits from European clients engaged in massive customs, Patrick and Rebecca (as well as the rest of the IQ team) were definitely ready blow off some steam and there was no better vehicle than ushering in a new decade of age for our man. Happy birthday dude and here’s to rocking life better and better day by day!

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Napperfest ’08 even had it’s own custom shot glass… Necessary for all of the free-flowing tequila!

Behold… The Nappertini!

And no IQ Beats party is currently found without a healthy dose of Diet-Rockstar Energy Drink. When mixed with vodka, the Diet-Rockstar serves as a catalyst for enthusiastic behavior with a degree of alertness not typically scene after a long night of…

The IQ Crew (Steve Scalfati, Michael Berlin and Kip Beelman) represented with custom made shirts playing off the theme of Patrick’s party. Take a guess at Pnap’s age!

There was no shortage of fun and hot girls tearing up the dance floor!

Patrick’s wife Rebbecca sets up a great evening with a heartfelt toast for the man of the hour.

Somehow the birthday boy managed to blow out all of his candles in one fell swoop.

Was it mentioned that DJ Woogie was spinning the seriously fat and fun tracks?

And of course no landmark birthday would be complete without a burlesque performance by Miss Indigo Blue.

Between the many Patrick bands and cuts being spun by DJ Woogie during the evening, the girls were getting their back-arching groove on!

By this time in the evening, it’s only fair that the birthday boy is getting his groove on.

And the surprise of the evening was a sweet improv performance from IQ’s very own Steve Scalfati. Steve took the the jam to some deeper and darker depths while Patrick jammed along on trumpet. HOT!!

Team IQ has just survived another round of clients in town for yet another huge European custom. Here are some breakdowns:

• 1 News cut
• 1 Travel cut
• 1 Sunny Seattle day in summer
• 1 Half gallon of vodka
• 1 Domestic flight
• 2 Composers
• 2 Focused clients
• 2 Dinners out
• 2 Studios working simultaneously
• 2 International flights
• 3 Rooms at the Edgewater Hotel
• 3 Singers
• 4 Days of full-on vocal recording
• 4 Months in the making
• 7 Rounds of contract revisions
• 18 Music cuts
• 35 Whole Foods sandwiches
• 39 Cans of Diet Rockstar Energy Drink
• 40 Bags of Kettle chips
• 86 Pictures taken
• 2,779 Vocal passes recorded

The result? A wee bit of a hangover and an epic package that we can’t wait to share with you at the top of September… Stay tuned. Hee hee.

So, it’s been forever and a day since our last post and we’d like to apologize, but you’ve got to understand that producing 4 European customs in nearly as many months is taxing to say the least. Lately we’ve had visitors from Eastern Europe followed by a dynamic duo from London. And the decks have been cleared for more visitors from London… How many stations can we possibly image in one town?!

Here are a couple of snaps from a the recent vocal session with the guys from Eastern Europe. We had a grand time with them and look forward to rolling their package out for you to check out soon. One cool think about this package is that it features different combinations of four different singers, including the unveiling of a certain talented someone we’ll simply refer to as Mr. A.

By Saturday night word had spread that our man, Steven Scalfati was joining up with some guys for two sets of inspired improv at local hot spot ToST.

With live appearances becoming more rare as he is perpetually hunkered down at a very busy IQ Beats as Creative Director, composer and producer, it was no surprise that Tost quickly filled up with friends, fans, criminally hot girls and the rest of the IQ team there to catch a glimpse of the maestro.

Here is a quick and dirty iPhone shot of Steve (in the spotlight, natch) alongside Jon Ryser also on alto, CD Littlefield on trumpet, KJ Sawka on drums and Thaddeus Turner on guitar.