Music / In the Know
In the Know: Dom Mitchison, Humm Studios
Music producer and co-founder of Humm Studios, the recording space in central Bristol that has produced records for Mould, Wych Elm, Heavy Lungs and more, shares how he got into working in sound and what his day-to-day involves, and recommends some unmissable gigs coming up in Bristol over the next few weeks.
Dom Mitchison started out, he says, in the “classic” way – falling in love with playing guitar as a kid: “I was just practising all day, every day, being that kind of super nerd guitarist.”
This early passion led, inevitably, to stints playing in bands as he grew up – eventually joining Bristol noise merchants Spectres.
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Dom said he started to enjoy being in the studio more than playing in bands, and it organically grew into a job – photo: Tom Ham
Along the way, he learnt tech and recording skills which eventually, as he got tired of the hard slog of playing music for little recompense, led to his opening a recording studio with a friend, Hugo Bishop, in 2013.
“It was a space for us and our mates to begin with, and it grew quite organically,” he says of this first studio, the Malthouse, in St Jude’s. “Then other people’s bands would hear things and want to come along, and it slowly became a job.”
In 2020 Dom and Hugo left the Malthouse and opened Humm with Connor Jones. Over the last five years or so they’ve established themselves, largely through word-of-mouth and “just trying to do good work”, as the go-to studio for alt and experimental guitar records.
Though Dom says it’s the variety of the job – from the types of music he’s involved with to the day-to-day mix of producing, engineering and mixing solo at home – that he really loves.
“Every week is different. I just started to enjoy being in the studio more than being in a band myself. Rather than being locked into ‘this is our sound, we’ve got to make music like this,’ you’re able to make lots of different music, which is more fun,” he says.
Humm is by no means a one-trick guitar-centric pony. Dom finds himself recording rock or punk one day, synth-pop the next. So which bands have really excited him recently?
“Tara Clerkin Trio are amazing,” he says. “We finished the Heavy Lungs album last year, that’s coming out soon. We also finished Lawi Anywar’s album last week – he’s very special. Ben Cippola’s album is incredible, he is such a great musician.
“And Mould – (singer) Joe Sherrin was in the first band I ever recorded so I’ve known him for a really long time. He’s so prolific and so good. Mould is a culmination of all the bands he’s been in, the best version of his stuff. They’re great musicians with such a good sound, I didn’t have to work very hard on that one – it’s all them really.”
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People skills are hugely important for the job, he says: “We have so many different musicians coming through so it’s being able to adapt to that, understanding what they’re trying to achieve. It is a service industry at the end of the day – you have to make sure the client leaves happy.
“The engineering skills have to be second nature because you need to be so on the ball keeping the flow of the day going, keeping everyone happy, and if an artist struggles you have to be able to talk them down. I feel like a therapist sometimes!”
Dom says every idea is valid in the studio, but he isn’t afraid to put his foot down where necessary: “I always try to listen to everyone,” he says. “If a drummer has an idea about a vocal, let’s try it, why not. But if it’s bad, I wouldn’t have a problem with saying that either.
“Most often bands will say they’re up for trying stuff out – that’s the fun bit after all!”
Dom’s gig picks, April-May 2025:
Cirenne, the Louisiana – April 15
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“Caelia and Celeste are absolutely fantastic – one violin and one trumpet, it’s like nothing else! It’s experimental, inventive and brilliant.”
Bible Club, Strange Brew – April 24
“They’re basically a mixture of all my favourite bands! Abit of Deerhunter, abit of Radiohead, with women and post punk things going on.”
Dar Disku, Strange Brew – May 16
“So good and fun and upbeat. We produced the record with them and it was so fun. They had all these crazy ideas and they’re just such good musicians that everything was easy. They’re from Bahrain but draw inspiration from all over – there’s abit of Turkish psych, abit of House and disco, all corners of Arabic music pulled into one thing by DJs. Each song has a different slant to it.”
Lawi Anywar, the Lanes – May 21
“Shoegaze funk – what’s not to love?!”
Humm offers discounts for self-funding artists: find out more at hummstudios.co.uk
Main image: Tom Ham
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