Who’s doing your session?
Ivan Hussey – Cello
Ivan runs Remote Strings and is the point of contact.
He studied the cello under Leonard Stehn at The Guildhall School of Music in London and has a Masters in Music Composition.
Ivan began work as a session player at age 17, working with artists such as: Mick Jagger, Soul II Soul , Annie Lennox, Keane, Jay Z, Take That, Incognito, Roots Manuva, Coldcut, Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry and many many more.
In 2024, he appeared on a number of albums including releases by both Cymande and Blue Lab Beats.
In the summer, Ivan joined Liam Gallagher on his ‘Definitely Maybe’ tour, playing cello and also arranging the strings on the Oasis song ‘Half a World Away’.
Ivan has both recorded and toured with: Duran Duran, Gabrielle, The Lighthouse Family, The Reggae Philharmonic Orchestra, Shaun Escoffrey, Smoke City and Natacha Atlas, Snow Patrol, Liam Gallagher, and others.
Since 2001, he has run his own project entitled Celloman. The 9th album, an album composed for three celli, entitled Cello Moods & Broods was released in Dec 2023.
Studio Experience:
Ivan has played the cello on well over 300 albums and has produced Nine albums for Celloman.
Ivan has a rich tone quality, can improvise and is versatile in style.
Your session will be played on a French cello (1860) through a Neumann Microphone into a Neve audio interface via an SPL pre-amp.
For lager tracking jobs, an additional German Cello will be added for variety of soud.
Samy Bishai – Violin / Viola
Samy grew up in Egypt and studied violin under the direction of Lisette Meguerditchian at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Alexandria.
He is a prolific and talented violinist, arranger and composer who is currently the Musical Director for Natacha Atlas. He built his reputation as an outstanding musician through his work with Natacha Atlas, Seckou Keita, Shakira, Terry Hall, Gwen Stefani, Celloman, Digitonal, Zoe Rahman, Arun Ghosh and others.
Studio Experience:
Samy has played the violin on over 200 albums and has produced a number of albums for Natacha Atlas. The most recent: ‘Strange Days’, described as a ‘powerful and intriguing album’ (London Jazz News 2019), shows Samy’s depth of knowledge as both a Producer & Arranger.
Samy has a smooth tone quality and can improvise in both Jazz & Arabic styles.
Your session will be played on a German Violin (1800s) through a Brauner Microphone into a Focusrite ISA One pre-amp.
Jonathan Hill – Violin / Viola
Jonathan studied at the Guildhall School of Music in London under Krzsystof Smietana.
He has featured on over 2000 tracks and 3billion streams on the internet, was signed to EMI Classics and has worked with all the major London orchestras.
Since 1993 he has led 15 West End Shows including Les Miserables, Phantom of the Opera and Book of Mormon and performed with hundreds of artists including Adele, Queen, Robbie Williams, Stevie Wonder, Mariah Carey and Little Mix.
He has appeared on the soundtracks of many films including Evil Dead, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and The Hobbit.
Jonathan’s latest recordings on Spotify
Studio Experience:
During several Lockdowns he built his own studio and with the help of producers across the world he began recording solo violin for Ministry of Sound, Omar Lye-Fook, Netflix, Disney and Amazon Prime.
Jonathan has a beautiful tone quality and has access to a wealth of instruments including a Venetian instrument from 1690.
Your session will be played through a Neve pre-amp into a UAD audio Interface, using one of a variety of Neumann mics.
Andy Waterworth – Double Bass (Upright Bass)
Andy studied the double bass at Trinity College in London.
He currently works with: for the Penguin Cafe Orchestra, Francesca Lombardo, Cross Town Rebels and runs his own drum & bass live project Extinction Point.
Andy has worked with numerous artists including: David Byrne, London Electricity, Tindersticks, Miles Kane, Beth Orton, Giles Peterson, Octave one, Ben & Jason and many others.
Studio Experience:
Andy has played the bass on countless albums and has produced a number of albums for his own projects.
Andy has a full and rich tone quality with the bow and a punchy finger sound.
If required, he can also play your track’s bass line on upright bass in any style you choose.
Your session will be played on a 19th Century German Double Bass through a Rode Microphone into a UAD sound card.
The above players represent the core of the business. other players are brought in where needed.