Erwin Musper
Erwin Musper (born 11 December, 1948, The Hague) is a Dutch music producer and former keyboardist/singer for Dutch bands Windmill and Partner. Musper is also an internationally acclaimed mixer, producer and engineer of acts such as Anouk, Doe Maar, Toontje Lager, Normaal, Herman Brood, Solution, Chicago (band), Gorky Park, Elton John, Jeff Beck, Paco de Lucia,[1] Metallica, Vengeance, Van Halen, Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, and Scorpions. From 1993 until 2015, Musper wrote a monthly column for the Dutch music magazine Music Maker.[2]
Born December 11, 1948, in The Hague, the Netherlands, Erwin soon moved to Limburg, where he lived from 1949 until 1984. He moved to the United States in 1991.
Musper discovered music via Radio Luxemburg and, as a result, began playing guitar. His first band, Keem, was formed in 1968 and also featured musicians Charles Bouwens, John Jacobs, Piet Volders, and Martin Bouwens. Musper played guitar and sang in the group, which, in 1970, played the first unofficial Pinkpop festival at the Gulperberg. There, Musper was spotted by The Sharon, a professional band from Maastricht. He joined The Sharon weeks later, playing alongside Pierre Beckers, Jo Robeers, and Harry Heltzel. The band toured Germany and Czechoslovakia, but dissolved after releasing a few singles.
Musper continued to perform with Beckers and Robeers in 1972 under the name Opus, a name brought to the group by Chrit Mandigers, who featured briefly as the band's organist. The band mainly toured in Germany and Scandinavia and recorded a single titled "Ohio Sun" with Jean Innemee and Conny Peters of The Walkers. On the track, Musper sang the lyric, "I'm a son of Cincinnati," which would later appeared prophetical, as does the name Opus. After this single, Bert Bessems joined Opus as a solo guitarist. For a while, the band played covers in the Limburg dance halls under the name of Windmill and with Musper on keyboard. Windmill became a regional success, recording four singles titled "Angeline," "Lelia," "Amy," and "For You to Remember," which became a modest hit. Ab van Goor replaced Jo Robeers on vocals and drums in 1976. Despite a busy agenda, the band worked silently on their own material, eventually sending a demo to Phonogram Records in Hilversum. Producer Dennis Kloeth subsequently offered the band a record deal.
In 1977, "Kayuta Hill" was recorded, and the band's name was changed to Partner. The single was a hit, and the band moved into the brand new Wisseloord studio to record its first album. A Man-Size Job Requires a Man-Size Meal was released in 1978 and was an instant hit, and the band was invited to play the Pinkpop festival in front of 55,000 people. It also opened for 10CC, and live concerts were broadcast on radio and TV. Two albums followed: On Second Thoughts and The Sky Is the Limit. In 1981, Partner called it quits.
Studio
Together with Jean Innemee, Conny Peters, Beckers, and Charly Prick, Musper built a studio in the old castle of Borgharen and started a record label named Marlstone. Here, they discovered Frank Boeijen, who would deliver Musper and Beckers, who both worked in the pop/rock department of Marlstone, their first hit as producers. Another idea was a record with bands from Limburg, which produced the now legendary "Southern Harvest" in 1978. Dutch-language band Vandale also had its albums produced in the Marlstone studio. Beckers moved into the organizational side of the label, and Musper started living in the castle and recorded The Press, The Chaplin Band, and Decennium. In 1980, Musper's studio tricks were recognized by the Telstar label in Weert. He was offered a contract as a technician/producer and began a series of successful recordings. His first platinum album was a production for Toontje Lager, after which he recorded "Virus" by famous Dutch band Doe Maar. This marked the first digital recording in the Netherlands.
When the platinum album from "Virus" was released, Musper received a CD and a prototype of the first CD player. Records with Maastricht-born Leon Haines and two albums with Herman Brood, plus an album with Girls Walk By from Roermond (including Gé Reinders in English), followed, but Musper couldn't forget his memories from 1977 in the Wisseloord studios. He sent a letter to studio manager in Hilversum and was hired immediately. In 1984, Musper sold his share in Marlstone, which was still having success in the Limburg artist world, and moved to Hilversum, where he became a talent scout for Phonogram and brought in vocalist Blanche Ellis, also Maastricht-born. He scored his first international act, because he was the only technician who spoke French. Paco de Lucía recorded two albums with Musper and thus started his world tour. Muster produced rock band Zinatra, for which he co-wrote many songs. He also produced Robby Valentine, breaking through in Japan. In 1986, Musper worked on the album Hysteria by Def Leppard. This was a one-and-a-half-year-long production that eventually sold 24 million copies. He also did sessions with Elton John, Mick Jagger and Metallica.
Because another engineer became ill, Musper was asked to record Bon Jovi live in England. The band's producer, Bruce Fairbairn, was pleased with the recordings and asked for Musper's phone number. Three weeks later, Musper received a phone call from the United States. Fairbairn was producing a session with David Bowie and asked Musper to help. This was the start of a long collaboration with Fairbairn. Between 1988 and 1996, Musper worked on albums with Van Halen (3), Chicago, and the Scorpions (5), including work in Los Angeles in 1990 on the Scorpions' album Crazy World. With the monster hit "Wind of Change," the album sold eight million copies. Because of these successes, the phone kept ringing, and albums with Danger Danger, Warrant, and David Lee Roth would follow.
In 1991, Erwin moved to the U.S., first settling in Florida. He worked mainly in the famed Criteria Studios in Miami and New River Studios in Fort Lauderdale. One of the bands he brought to the U.S. was Normaal, whose hit album "Gas d'r biej" was recorded with Musper and followed by four more collaborations.
Musper traveled back to Germany and Austria to record an album with another Opus, from which the hit '"Live Is Life," emerged, and the English band Laos. In München, he produced and engineered an album for American Tony Carey. In the meantime, Musper worked on soundtracks for several films, of which Twister and Gladiator are the most known.
Despite living in the U.S., Musperworks with Van Dik Hout, Raccoon, De Poema's, BLØF, Mennen and Hennie Vrienten, projects he produced at the Wisseloord Studios. In 2000, Musper bought a house in Hollywood, where he worked with Anouk on her album Urban Solitude. In 2003, the Scorpions hire Musper again as producer and engineer for their album Unbreakable. Recorded in Hannover and mixed in the Wisseloord Studios in Hilversum, it yielded Muspera nomination as Producer of the Year in an internationally acclaimed hard rock magazine. During these recordings, Musper decided to build another studio, this time in a giant house on a hill near Cincinnati, Ohio.
Musper named the studio The Bamboo Room, because the flooring in the studio is bamboo instead of wood. Anouk is the first artist to walk through the door, writing songs with Dan Hill for her album Who's Your Momma. Continuing with a long-standing theme, Musper produced a local band named Oval Opus.
In 2008, the Scorpions had Musper mix an album once again. Musper recruited the local scene and started his own label called YEAYEAYEAH Records.
Over 50 American artists have recorded an album at The Bamboo Room. Musper also has a mobile studio and records video and audio from concerts. Many bands fly overseas to work with Musper. A few Dutch bands that have recorded in the Bamboo Room include Rigby, The New Shining, Ward Palmen, Mennen, the Dudettes, Vanderlinde, King of the World, Mooi Wark, Maladjusted, Exit 31, Touching Tongues, Wasted, Rory Mi, and the LSB Experience.
In 2009, Musper heard a high school band during a talent contest in Cincinnati. He suggested a name change and a few personnel changes and produced the band's first album, which triggered the interest of RCA. The band would become the best-selling RCA act Walk the Moon.
In 2014, Musper sold the studio and moved to another part of the world to enjoy his retirement. He purchased a house on the Pacific Ocean in Ecuador and became involved in helping a local orphanage. Although officially retired, he keeps the door open to occasionally accept a producer/engineering/mixing job, pledging to donate at least half of his earnings to the orphanage.