A UWL graduate and music engineer is celebrating major industry success after recording a hit single with artists Aitch and AJ Tracey.

Music producer and recording engineer Kurt Martinez recorded ‘Rain’ with the stars last year, and has now seen the record certified platinum after pulling in hundreds of thousands of sales.

The London College of Music (LCM) Music Technology graduate, said:

I had a call from a studio asking if I could take a last minute session. I don't know if it was the atmosphere in the room that night, but I remember leaving the studio in the early hours thinking we might have just recorded a hit. It was great to see the hype around it once it was announced and hearing it on the radio for the first time.

His success follows a lifelong passion for making music and everything he learnt before graduating and landing a job as a runner in a post-production studio – eventually leading him to engineering and working with artists including Ina Wroldsen, Fleur East, and comedian, Jack Whitehall.

Now inspiring students as they launch their own creative careers, he said:

I spent a lot of time recording and mixing for bands for free to build a portfolio. I didn’t know anyone else in to recording at that time so taught myself software once I knew this was what I wanted to do.

Getting my first job wasn’t easy, I’d go out day to day knocking on doors, handing out CVs and sending emails. It was incredibly deflating at times, but it’s all been worth it and I’ve been fortunate to have met incredible people who’ve helped me progress from assisting to engineering.

If you’re starting out, go to guest lectures and hear from people working in the field. And experiment, find your own process ready for when you go into the workplace. There will always be setbacks and situations that knock your confidence but just dust yourself off and go at it again.