PHOTO: Nic Khang
Music Rob Bisel on Songs and SZA Red-hot producer/engineer builds a comfort zone for vocalists—and vocals By Lily Moayeri
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n the middle of one of the most hectic urban areas of Los Angeles, Rob Bisel’s home and its detached studio are an oasis. The multiple Grammy-nominated producer (Kendrick Lamar, Doja Cat)—who was named 2022 Top Producer of the Year by BMI and No. 1 producer on Billboard’s R&B/hip hop producer charts—lucked out with his studio space, which was already converted when he moved in. Bisel has put his stamp on the facility with numerous guitars, a piano with its guts hanging out and various synthesizers. These tactile instruments are key sources of inspiration for the 31-year-old producer/engineer, who is riding high from the success of SZA’s SOS. He is one
of the primary producers and songwriters on the collection, with 17 of the album’s 23 songs to his credit, engineering credit on all songs, and mixing credit on eight tracks, including the record-breaking “Kill Bill.” The connection to SZA was made through Rick Rubin, in whose famed Shangri-La studio Bisel was a staple, working his way up from an internship. After six years at Shangri-La, in January 2020, Rubin asked if Bisel would come to his studio on the Hawaiian island of Kauai to work with SZA. “I liked the way some of my friends found an artist and did everything from producing to engineering to mixing, like a one-stop shop,”
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says Bisel. “I wanted that for myself. I had two artists in mind, and one of them was SZA.” They worked in a guest room at Rubin’s place on the island, with only SZA and her Neumann U47 microphone and Bisel and his Pro Tools rig—a modern demo setup in a comfortable space, ideal for a vocalist. The two weeks of sessions in Kauai went so well that when the pandemic kicked in, SZA created a bubble with Bisel so that they could carry on working, mainly in her home studio. There, they worked not dissimilarly to how they worked on the island. BUILDING A SONG Bisel switches between Pro Tools and Ableton,