English record producer, engineer and composer Nick Launay is a major player in the Australian recording industry. He has shaped the country’s distinct punk-rock sound and established an extensive oeuvre of records by acts including Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, The Models and Amyl and The Sniffers.

The son of a French author and an English fashion model, Launay was born in London and moved with his family to Frigiliana, Spain as a child. He returned home in 1976 at the height of the punk-rock era where he developed a passion for music and began editing songs for K-Tel Top 20 compilation albums at Tape One Studios. It was here that Launay worked under Grammy-award-winning producer Hugh Padgham as an assistant engineer on Phil Collins’ debut solo single, ‘In the Air Tonight’ (1981). Known for its mammoth drum sound and use of gated reverb, Launay carried this recording technique throughout his career, mastering the ability to experiment with distortion and acoustics.

His first encounter with an Australian act was in the early 1980s, recording with The Birthday Party in London. He then went on to record Midnight Oil’s album 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 (1982). In 1994, Launay moved to Sydney to focus on the Australian sound, producing for prominent acts including INXS, Grinderman, Magic Dirt, Snout and You Am I. He has also worked with international stars such as Kate Bush, Talking Heads, Lou Reed and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Launay stands out for his distinct skill in leaning into the authenticity of an artist’s sound, and his unconventional technique of using sticky tape to build a song from sections of analogue tape.

In this interview, Launay discusses his encounters with Nick Cave, his experience recording The Models’ album, The Pleasure of Your Company (1983), and his time working with Silverchair on their first single, ‘Tomorrow’ (1995), before even meeting the band.

Interviewer: Jane Gazzo

Location: Hamer Hall, Arts Centre Melbourne, 2024