Caesar the Conqueror

Scooping up Grammy and MPG awards in quick succession, Caesar Edmunds is on something of a winning streak. The engineer, mixer and record producer reflects on his whirlwind journey through the ranks at Miloco, which began with him hanging out with Led Zeppelin in his first month of work experience.

Caesar Edmunds’ enthusiasm is infectious – and why shouldn’t it be? He engineered St. Vincent's Masseduction, which won the award for Best Rock Song at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards, followed by winning Breakthrough Engineer Of The Year at 2020’s MPG Awards.

Speaking to him at Assault & Battery studio 2 in London – which is officially now a Miloco space – the Singaporean native’s cup runneth over with excitement, and he is nothing but humble and grateful for his recent wins:

“For Best Rock Song, unfortunately I didn't get a trophy with it, so there's still something to work for,” he laughs good naturedly. “As for the MPG Awards, to win this is an incredible feeling that I don't quite understand! It’s crazy to win. To be voted by your peers is a massive honour, and I was in a category with Billy Halliday in it! I have known him for so long; we both started out doing the Miloco rounds together. It's an honour to be nominated alongside people like him – he’s done great things.”

Edmunds went to university at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts where he did a one-year course in music and sound technology, which led him to pursue a degree in the subject.

“I didn't quite know where I wanted to go in life at that point in time, so I thought, ‘You know what, I'll just give it a try – you never know!’ Once I stepped into the studio, that was it really – I just knew that this is what I wanted to do.”

During his studies, he started work experience with legendary record producers and mix engineers, Alan Moulder and Flood after emailing them asking for an opportunity to learn from them.

“I just emailed them and said, ‘Hi, can I come into the studio making teas and coffees and do work experience? Please, please?’ And they were like, ‘Yeah, sure – let's throw you in for two weeks’. That was eight years ago, and I have not left!”

The now London-based Edmunds soaked up any knowledge like a sponge, and is well known for his incredible work ethic. He works tirelessly in the studio; he is the first in and the last to leave – and nobody can fault his can-do attitude. This has paid in dividends: He has worked with artists including Foals, Queens of the Stone Age, PJ Harvey, The Killers, St Vincent, Ride, Beach House, HMLTD, Palace, The Amazons, FEET, Two Door Cinema Club and Circa Waves.

Edmunds recalls the first time he stepped into Assault & Battery studios on his first day of work experience:

“Foals were working on their Holy Fire album, and Alan and Flood were mixing Inhaler. I just went, ‘What the fuck is going on? This is a dream come true!’ I listened to their productions and remember thinking, ‘Oh my God, this is amazing!’ Then hearing it coming through our speakers… That's why I worked harder to see where it leads, because it was a dream situation. And then weeks later, Led Zeppelin came in to hang out with Jimmy Page. I was like, ‘Oh my God!! Where do I go from here?’ I still sometimes turn around and pinch my cheeks!”

Even now, years on, Edmunds has not lost the wonder for the job. He recently wrapped up Ozzy Osbourne's new album, who he was a big fan of when he was approaching his teenage years:

“Just hearing all of his stories – oh goodness! I remember being a 12 year old kid watching Ozzy’s Live at Budokan. That DVD was constantly on repeat. It’s so cliché to say it, but I've been so blessed to have people like Alan Moulder and Flood as mentors – these are some of my favourite producers ever. Not to mention my first month in the studio hanging out was with Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones – it's so cool!”

Although he almost missed them when trying to cram in some much-needed sleep:

“We were doing crazy hours where I would finish at 1am and then I'd stem from 1am to 8am,” he remembers. “Then I'd go to bed and wake up at around 1pm to get everybody’s lunch, but one day I just decided to sleep a bit more... just a bit more sleep! An engineer came in going, ‘Wake up, wake up! They're all coming in!’ I said, ‘Who??’ It was Robert, Jimmy and John Paul Jones. They were all coming into the lounge to have some tea and just chill out. I was like, ‘Oh my God!’ I was just taking a nap in the lounge – it was crazy!” he laughs.

As of March 2020, Miloco are the proud, exclusive managers of the legendary Assault & Battery 2 studio in Willesden, London. Although still owned by Flood and Moulder, the studio will now be fully available for commercial bookings via Miloco.

“It’s a positive thing,” says Edmunds. “Miloco and Assault & Battery have been working together for quite a long time. This arrangement just feels natural – it feels right.”

Edmunds finds himself doing almost everything in the box these days due to speed and ease of recall:

“I’ve got a lot of hardware and a few bits of outboard gear to run things through, but I don't actually have a console,” he admits. “I am definitely working more in the box because nowadays, everything is running so quickly, so when you’re jumping between two or three songs, it is just kind of impossible to use a console. Although if it feels like it's the right project, we would use a console,” he points out.

Edmunds couldn’t be without his Waves plugins, which he says are essential to every project:

“You just can’t do it without, unless you're recording on tape, I guess! I’ve been using Abbey Road Chambers, which I know is not new, but it’s great. I've used Waves since I was a student. I remember first using the SSL plugin and compressors, and I remember looking at photos of Chris Lord-Alge and Alan with an SSL, or they’d be talking about the SSL compressor. Just to be using something similar to what they were using in real life…” he trails off.

“They were using it and are carrying on using it. It's a staple now compared to…” he searches. “I don't know, compared to everything!”