Writers on Track showcases the two-time JUNO-nominated production and songwriting team Illegal Audio, signed to Daytripper Music Publishing. Known for their expertise in artist development and crafting sonic identities, this emerging duo, formed by Marc Koecher and Lexie Jay, has already collaborated with artists such as Shawnee Kish, CARYS, Emi Jeen, Featurette, and POESY.
What’s your favourite part of the songwriting process?
Our favourite part of the songwriting process is discovering the identity of something. It can start with a simple melody or a guitar riff or synth patch, but the moment it clicks with all the minds in the room is just magic. When it’s good it’s quite like a group possession – oftentimes if we take a break and come back, if we were really in it, we get these collective moments of ‘oh wow who wrote this’. Identity is everywhere; the words, the melody, the tiny squeaks in between the guitar lines. But it’s taking those elements and making them come together for the songwriter, in their voice and their vision, that really excites us. Finding that little extra something that’s just uniquely them.
What’s your biggest session highlight so far?
We’re so invested in the people we’re working with right now it would be hard to choose a favourite – there are so many moments that stand out for different reasons. I think one of the big ones was the first time we’d been working closely with a songwriter for a while. Being relatively new to the game we were trying our hand with a few different artists and CARYS just stuck. There was such a big growth curve there over the first few months we worked together and one day we just hit this stride where we were all in sync. We reached a level of trust where she felt free to just let go and channel the energy that moved her in that moment. We were working on a difficult song called ‘sad stories’ that told a story about taking back your voice and CARYS, mid song-write, got on the mic and just said “let me do a take I think I have something’. She sang the back half of the song with one of the main hooks on the spot, and we kept it word for word. She found her voice in that moment and having the confidence in her team to trust her to lay it all out there – not knowing what it was going to be – was just so magical. It definitely unlocked something for all of us. Connecting with people is such an undervalued human experience in the tech age, and the artists we work with have stories to tell that we are blessed to be entrusted with. Honestly and truly, we experience a highlight and take something away for our own craft from each and every session we have.
How much do current market and track trends impact your creative process?
Current art is something we’re aware of and in tune with, but we never chase, because it doesn’t usually lead to anywhere new. We always encourage songwriters to bring reference playlists with them, and especially if we’re working on an album or a larger body of work where we know we’re going to be seeing the whole process through from writing to production, we’ll definitely use those references as a jumping off point to find the songwriters own identity. It’s so important to stay up to date with the musical climate, there’s so much to be said for the spaces in between. Especially in this day and age, genre is so passe that worrying about fitting into those boxes becomes less important. We work hard to develop strong relationships with songwriters so that when there’s a goal in mind for all of us, and we’re faced with whatever the reality of the moment is – be it in the vibe of the song, or how the artist feels on the mic that day, that we have enough trust to not need to stick solely to those references, but wander off the path where inspiration leads us.
