About
Nine years, one chain at a time
I started Above, Below in 2015 with three friends and a bedroom. None of us knew what we were doing, which turned out to be useful, because it meant nobody told us what a metalcore record was supposed to sound like.
In 2017 we made an EP called The Sowers of Discord. I co-produced it with Nicholas Page, and Brian Hood mixed and mastered it at 456 Recordings in Nashville. I sat in on as much of that process as I was allowed to.
In 2019 we made The Lotus Chapters, a concept album across three chapters. I co-produced again with Nicholas, who engineered, mixed and mastered it. Ryan Siew played on it. I started noticing that problems I was trying to solve at the mastering stage traced back much further. Energy, contrast, pacing and what the listener notices are all decisions that start in the arrangement.
Then a few slower years. A seven-minute single called Melting Amber in 2021. Scorpion in 2022. Tours with Polaris, Silent Planet and Currents. Shared stages with Northlane, Chelsea Grin, Born of Osiris, Alpha Wolf and Thornhill.
In February 2026 we released I Guess It Was Nowhere. Thirteen tracks, two interludes, one piece. I produced, engineered, mixed and mastered all of it. We released it ourselves. It went to number 35 on the ARIA Albums Chart, number 5 on the Australian Artist Albums Chart and number 6 on the vinyl chart.
That is the whole argument for hiring me. Not that I own the right gear. That I have spent nine years taking over one more link of the chain at a time, and now I hold all of it.
If you want a reference point for what my band sounds like, triple j Unearthed files us somewhere near Reflections, The Contortionist, Silent Planet, Make Them Suffer, Counterparts and Polaris.
Trained in composition, not just recording
I studied Composition and Music Production at the Australian Institute of Music in Sydney. Before that I'd been playing piano since I was five, mostly jazz.
That combination explains most of how I work. Jazz teaches you that harmony has somewhere to go and that the interesting choice is usually the one you didn't expect. Composition training teaches you to think in whole pieces rather than in eight-bar loops. Then you point all of that at heavy music, which mostly isn't written that way, and you get records that move somewhere.
It's also why I spend more time on arrangement than on gear. I was taught that the problem is almost always in the writing.
Bachelor of Music · Composition and Music Production · Australian Institute of Music, Sydney
What I'm like to work with
I'm easy-going right up until the point where a song isn't working, and then I'll say so. I'd rather have an awkward conversation in week two than a polite one in week ten about a record nobody's happy with.
I've been the artist on the other side of this. I've had my own parts cut, been told a chorus wasn't good enough, and had to sing something forty times because it wasn't landing. I know how that feels, which is mostly why I try to be quick and clear about it rather than precious.
Making a record together takes months. You should like the person you're doing it with. If we get on the call and it isn't a fit, I'll say that too, and I'll try to point you at someone better suited.
- Plays
- Piano, guitar, bass, drums, vocals · Piano since age five · Trained in jazz
- Toured
- Australia
- Teaches
- Beginners to advanced
The chain
Nine years, one link at a time
| Role | 2017The Sowers of Discord | 2019The Lotus Chapters | 2021Melting Amber | 2026I Guess It Was Nowhere |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Produced | The Sowers of Discord, produced by Jacob Wilkes with Nicholas Page. | The Lotus Chapters, produced by Jacob Wilkes with Nicholas Page. | Melting Amber, produced by Jacob Wilkes. | I Guess It Was Nowhere, produced by Jacob Wilkes. |
| Engineered | The Sowers of Discord, engineered by Nicholas Page. | The Lotus Chapters, engineered by Nicholas Page. | Melting Amber, engineered by Jacob Wilkes. | I Guess It Was Nowhere, engineered by Jacob Wilkes. |
| Mixed | The Sowers of Discord, mixed by Brian Hood. | The Lotus Chapters, mixed by Nicholas Page. | Melting Amber, mixed by Randy Leboeuf. | I Guess It Was Nowhere, mixed by Jacob Wilkes. |
| Mastered | The Sowers of Discord, mastered by Brian Hood. | The Lotus Chapters, mastered by Nicholas Page. | Melting Amber, mastered by Randy Leboeuf. | I Guess It Was Nowhere, mastered by Jacob Wilkes. |
| Produced | The Sowers of Discord, produced by Jacob Wilkes with Nicholas Page. |
|---|---|
| Engineered | The Sowers of Discord, engineered by Nicholas Page. |
| Mixed | The Sowers of Discord, mixed by Brian Hood. |
| Mastered | The Sowers of Discord, mastered by Brian Hood. |
| Produced | The Lotus Chapters, produced by Jacob Wilkes with Nicholas Page. |
|---|---|
| Engineered | The Lotus Chapters, engineered by Nicholas Page. |
| Mixed | The Lotus Chapters, mixed by Nicholas Page. |
| Mastered | The Lotus Chapters, mastered by Nicholas Page. |
| Produced | Melting Amber, produced by Jacob Wilkes. |
|---|---|
| Engineered | Melting Amber, engineered by Jacob Wilkes. |
| Mixed | Melting Amber, mixed by Randy Leboeuf. |
| Mastered | Melting Amber, mastered by Randy Leboeuf. |
| Produced | I Guess It Was Nowhere, produced by Jacob Wilkes. |
|---|---|
| Engineered | I Guess It Was Nowhere, engineered by Jacob Wilkes. |
| Mixed | I Guess It Was Nowhere, mixed by Jacob Wilkes. |
| Mastered | I Guess It Was Nowhere, mastered by Jacob Wilkes. |
- Jacob did this
- Shared with another producer
- Someone else did this
I learned this chain alongside two very good engineers, then took it over. The last column is why the record sounds like one idea instead of four.
Timeline
2015
Formed
2017
The Sowers of Discord
2019
The Lotus Chapters
2021
Melting Amber
2022
Scorpion
2026
I Guess It Was Nowhere · ARIA Albums #35 · #5 Australian · #6 Vinyl
Toured with Polaris · Silent Planet · Currents
Live photography: Above, Below
Shared stages
Northlane·Polaris·Chelsea Grin·Born Of Osiris·Silent Planet·Currents·Alpha Wolf·Thornhill·Void Of Vision·Justice For The Damned·Deez Nuts·Gravemind·Deadlights
Toured with Polaris, Silent Planet and Currents.
The band
I still sing in the band. That is not a side project, it's the research.
Work with me
Send me three reference tracks and the roughest demo you have. I'll tell you what I think the record wants to be.