One producer across the whole record, from first demo to final master.
Most projects do not stall for lack of talent. They stall because nobody is holding the whole picture.
Ten demos, three half finished mixes, no through line, and a release date that keeps moving. Executive production puts one of us across the whole record.
We map it with you, choose what makes the cut, shape the arrangements and keep every session pointed at the same finish line.
Budget, session players, running order. Decisions get made, and they stick. It is the closest thing to having a label’s ears on your project without signing anything away.
It starts with listening and ends with a finished record. Here is the shape of it.
A listening session. Demos, voice notes, the songs you are scared of. We listen to all of it before anyone touches a fader.
Tracklist, sound, schedule and budget on one page. You will know what the record is before we start making it.
Sessions with a purpose, in the studio or remotely. Every week moves the project forward, and you always know what happens next.
Executive production is scoped per project and quoted after the first listening session. Most artists come to it through a development package, which is where the studio hours live.
First-time artists and anyone testing the waters
Beginners building confidence and direction
Most popular
Developing artists ready to level up and move towards release
Serious artists committed to long-term development
Application only
Studio time beyond a package runs at the commercial rates, £35 an hour for the room and the same again for an engineer, so £70 an hour with one of ours. Longer blocks come down: four hours with an engineer is £240, eight hours is £400. Whatever the shape, you get the number in writing before anything is booked.
Launch offer
20% off studio hire with code at checkout. Hire only, it does not apply to development packages.
One of the collective takes the whole record. You will know which one before anything is booked.
Ickle
Ciaran Maxwell
Known affectionately as Ickle, Ciaran is the founder and driving force behind Cresco Studio, staying hands on with production, engineering and mentoring throughout every project. His music career spans physical record sales, global streams and live shows across Reggae, Dub, Jungle, Grime, Rap and Dubstep, built on more than 13 years as a freelance sound engineer for dBs Institute, Trinity Centre, Thekla and O2 Academy Bristol.
He also spent over seven years as a course leader, curriculum designer and lecturer for dBs Institute and Access Creative College, experience he brings directly into how Cresco sessions are structured. A specialist in analogue gear and executive production, his approach centres on collaboration, experimentation and growth.
Hijinx
Kyle Smith
Kyle, known as Hijinx, is a globally touring electronic artist and DJ, acclaimed by genre pioneers including Alix Perez, Ivy Lab and Mala, and widely regarded as one of the most technically proficient producers in electronic music. His work balances complexity with emotional depth, and he teaches forward thinking sound design that stays emotionally and musically grounded.
At Cresco, Kyle delivers advanced technical mentoring for artists ready to push their sonic identity further, offering high level production insight, clinical mixdown and mastering, and intricate sound design sessions. He is especially attentive to neurodivergent and hyper focused mentees, and keeps sessions relevant to what is happening right now.
Rose Holland
Ellie Holland
Ellie, also known as Rose Holland, is a singer, songwriter and electronic music producer, and a highly respected live sound engineer with support from BBC Radio 1, 6 Music and Rinse FM and international performing experience. She leads on vocal production, songwriting and sound engineering at Cresco, a rare dual skillset spanning studio and stage.
With a wealth of teaching experience in the community and at degree level for dBs Institute, BIMM, Saffron Music and Bristol Beacon, Ellie combines intuitive artistic insight with precise technical expertise, helping artists capture authentic recorded performances and translate them confidently into live settings.
Frenic
Sam Fergusson
Sam, known artistically as Frenic, brings a journey spanning the UK Drum and Bass scene to international hip hop stages, with millions of streams and thousands of record sales behind him. He has toured supporting Afrika Bambaataa, The Pharcyde and Task Force, and runs his own label, This One Records, producing for artists such as Marc 7 of Jurassic 5, ASM, Jman and Skinny Man.
With more than 20 years in further and higher music education, including designing curriculum and writing modules, Sam leads much of the core music technology teaching at Cresco with a calm, supportive style, and offers artists real world insight into release strategy and industry pathways.
Eminence
Ellie Mae
Ellie, known as Eminence, is a Bristol based producer, DJ, promoter and advocate for youth development, drawing deep inspiration from 90s energy and culture rooted in Jungle, Hip Hop, Jazz and Soul. A stalwart of the Bristol scene, she pairs a fearless, distinctive voice as a performer with a proven track record organising events across the UK dance scene.
At Cresco, Ellie focuses on youth engagement, drawing on her own experience in youth work and community events to bring under represented participants into the programme and keep them invested. She has a gift for making first timers feel excited and welcome, removing any intimidation around stepping into the studio.
Mystic State
Mike Holliday
Mike, one half of the globally touring electronic duo Mystic State, is a producer and educator known for his intricate, emotive sound and technical precision. His journey began through record collecting and pirate radio, blending late 90s jungle, dub and ambient electronica, with support from renowned names including Noisia, Calibre, Truth and Phaeleh.
Years of running successful one to one online tuition shape how he mentors at Cresco, covering sound design, production and arrangement with a warm, patient style that builds skill without undermining confidence. An active promoter, he also leads listening sessions, bringing industry connections and extra knowledge into the room.
Illiterate
Sam Barrett
Sam, known as Illiterate, is a rapper, producer and songwriter recognised across underground and alternative hip hop for intricate lyricism and thoughtfully crafted soundscapes, with work spanning The Silhouettes Project, Lex Amor, Bel Cobain and Lausse The Cat, radio play on BBC Radio 1, 2 and 6 Music, and TV sync deals with ITV and Sky.
He mentors artists one to one on lyricism, songwriting and production discipline, modelling what it looks like to treat every creative decision with intention. His own uncompromising process brings a meticulous, detail focused approach that helps artists develop their individual voice and craft. He is living proof that the practice pays off.
Lexxi
Alexi King
Alexi, known as Lexxi, is a driving force in Bristol’s creative community, with years of experience promoting events across the city’s most respected venues, including within Bristol’s LGBTQ+ scene, where she has become expert at cultivating safe, judgement free spaces for creatives to be vulnerable, experiment and grow at their own pace.
An experienced DJ, producer and engineer, she leads the pastoral and community strand of the programme, helping artists understand not just how to make music but how to build a sustainable creative life in Bristol. Her sound blends bass, breaks and soulful cuts rooted in sound system culture.
Peaman
George Colway
George, aka Peaman, is a Bristol based audio producer and sound designer with a passion for storytelling through sound, holding a creative residency at Watershed’s Pervasive Media Studio. As former Head of Audio at The Bristol Cable he shaped the station’s entire audio identity, and his credits include BBC and Noiser history podcasts, sound design for ITV’s Rugby World Cup 2023 titles, and audiobook work for HarperCollins.
A co founder of sound design and post production company Esion Noise, George supports podcast production and audio work at Cresco, helping creators bring their ideas to life with clarity and character, always listening for what makes audio genuinely engaging.
Hotsteppas
Fergal Harper
Fergal is musical director of Bristol reggae collective Hotsteppas and a fellow founder of Cresco Studio, bringing decades of experience as a bassist, cellist, arranger and educator. He leads the musicianship and arrangement strand of artist development, teaching the why behind musical decisions rather than just technique.
Bass guitar is his main instrument, though he also teaches cello, double bass, piano, guitar and music theory. Rooted in feel, groove and pulse, he has long worked in Special Educational Needs schools and local music charities alongside one to one mentoring, and he coaches bands and solo artists toward stronger, more confident performances.
2D’z
Todd Hart
Todd, known as 2D’z, is a producer and engineer with more than 14 years behind the beat, drawing deep influence from Hip Hop’s golden era, classic Soul, Motown and R&B, and producers like Flying Lotus and J Dilla. His knowledge of vintage techniques and equipment brings a texture driven, sampling rooted perspective that prioritises authenticity and character over polished, digitalised sound.
At Cresco, Todd teaches modern production on Ableton alongside analogue techniques and oversees much of the mentoring roster. His projection mapping expertise brings audiovisual skills into the programme too, giving artists a broader creative toolkit beyond sound.
They own the outcome rather than a single session. Song selection, arrangement, choosing collaborators, keeping the sound coherent and the schedule real. You stay the artist. We make sure the record gets finished, and finished well.
A mix engineer makes one song sound right. An executive producer makes the whole project make sense, from which songs deserve a mix in the first place to how the record hangs together.
A focused EP usually runs six to twelve weeks. Albums vary wildly and that is fine. We scope the timeline together before anything is booked.
Yes, and it usually works well. We sit above the individual sessions, so your existing collaborators keep their roles while the project gains direction.
Most projects touch more than one of these. If you are not sure which you need, say what you are making and we will point you at the right one.
Play us everything, including the songs you are not sure about. We will tell you what the record wants to be.
