The future of music is secure, no one has to worry. The future of popular music, that's another issue. Music is not a popularity contest, but one can create this music with a competitive edge, even if that edge is to simply top what you've done before. It's a musical path that's part of a musical plan, and Pete Marriott has been taking part in that plan and mission for four decades.

Past

Marriott has worked with an extensive number of artists, although like most studio technicians, his first job was a non-paying one, although Marriott might say that the recording studio served as a silent babysitter of sorts. The toy of choice was the mixing console in the studio's control room, where he was able to play the role of assistant engineer with his uncle's reggae band. With the main engineer allowing him to simply push the talk button to communicate, it was enough to get his curiosity going, leading to learning the possibilities of the studio. All this before the age of 15, the age in which he was paid for his first production.

Due to the nature of the business, sometimes he was credited for his work, other times he wasn't. One of the first records he worked on was The Boogie Boys' 1987 track "I'm Comin'" (Capitol), credited as one of the suppliers of "scratches". A year later, he found himself on The Choice MC's "Let's Make Some Noise" b/w "This Is The B-Side" (Idlers), the latter featuring a young Chubb Rock. The Marriott-produced "This Is The B-Side" became an immediate cult favorite among DJ's who would make it an important part of their DJ sets for years because of the sound that many feel was ahead of its time.

Marriott didn't limit himself as a studio rat, his history in hip-hop radio is worth a chapter or two. Upon becoming a guest DJ for the DNA/Hank Love Show on WNWK 105.9FM, it would lead to having his own Gavin Award winning mix show with host Merc called "H20". The end of that stint lead to another guest DJ spot, this time on Planet Brooklyn with Big Pete and G-Man, before claiming another show on his own, The Hip-Hop Cafe (WKRB). That would lead to doing a show called The Breaking Point (WBCR) with Doug Money, who would later work for MySpace Music. Radio airchecks are highly prized, so if you were doing any level of radio show trading in the 90's, more than likely you will have heard Marriott and not realized it. Check your tapes. By having the boroughs and Tri-State area in his hands, Marriott was able to make and break records. The nature of networking would soon change by the mid-1990's, and it was inevitable he would take his work to new places by exploring the new lands of the world wide web.

As the internet and its many music communities grew, Marriott expanded his work, knowledge, and production expertise online. Through working with and embracing new studio equipment and technology, he shares his expertise through online video courses. He did these long before the existence of YouTube or Vimeo, allowing fans and studio junkies to see his work from the ground up, creating songs, beats, basslines, and sound textures from start to finish. He is very much the father of online video productions that are part of the norm today.

Present

After years of working in various NYC recording studios and producing major and indie releases, learning though experience the pros and cons of how music production companies work, Marriott has been heavily involved in creating his new Seattle based studio, The Tool Shed. It's a hybrid studio which incorporates vintage analog and state of the art digital recording technology. The Tool Shed have not only being created to suit his musical and sonic tastes, but as a way to share his special sound with a select client base. The Tool Shed is also headquarters of his social marketing/production company, Illogical Industries, LLC.

By being located in the Pacific Northwest, Marriott makes it possible for clients from across the country, Canada, Asia, the Pacific rim, and the rest of the world to work with Illogical Industries, away from the general hustle of larger metropolitans, and simply concentrate on the completion of quality music projects.

Future

Marriott is currently producing and mixing new recording projects which he'll release through two new labels: Lou Ashby Records, and Primitive Recordings. At the same time, he will continue doing sound design projects for other producers as well as creating scores for the television, film, and the gaming industries. These factors make Seattle, Washington the perfect place for The Tool Shed to call home, being in the city known historically for emerging technology industries and of course a healthy music community.

Lou Ashby will be a boutique label of sorts, while Primitive's output will be focused on unreleased music by Marriott and other producers and artists who have kept these gems "in the vault", allowing music fans to hear them as they were intended.

As territorial radio goes through troubled times, Marriott looks to the future with NYCE-FM, taking the concept of a community music radio station onto the net. A documentary about Marriott's life and music is also in the works.

If there is an example of what "social media" truly represents, Pete Marriott is that example. Music and the arts are about social interactivity, which comes from imagination and creativity, and a willingness to work. Marriott's track record shows he is more than capable of handling any task given. If you want your audio projects to be what you feel it should be, Marriott is ready to bring your creativity into a logical audio reality.