Harvey is an established veteran of the music industry with over 25 years experience composing, producing and recording his own solo material, composing for film and tv, producing countless artists and bands and running his highly regarded ‘Broadoak Studios’, located in rural Sussex, England.
Harvey’s style, although constantly evolving, always showcases his unique and often quirky aesthetic, his roots being in ambient / atmospheric music and soundscapes, he believes atmosphere is essential in creating context and an engaging experience for listeners, no matter what the genre may be.
Currently working on his epic ‘Cellar Door Trilogy’, Harvey is thrilled and inspired to be returning to his instrumental roots, this time showcasing his orchestral and choral work while also incorporating ‘world’ and unusual instrumentation – one sequence even features a tree solo, small branches bowed with a cello bow, which typifies Harvey’s unorthodox approach to sound design and composition. Unusual, yes, but always aesthetically pleasing and valid, never just weird for weirdness’ sake!
Prior to embarking on Cellar Door, Harvey’s previous album, ‘Human’, featuring god-daughter of legendary producer, Daniel Lanois, Laura Cole on vocals along with long time collaborators and friends Danny Thompson (double bass), Liam Genockey and Sacha Trochet on drums and a ‘super group’ of his other favourite musicians, provided him the platform to experiment with a wide range of musical styles from Motown to Dub to Space Rock and beyond! ‘Human’ was nominated for ‘Best Eclectic Album’ in the international independent music awards, won several industry opportunities and licensing deals and has received rave reviews in the UK and Canada in publications such as R2 magazine (formerly Rock’n’Reel), The View, Huffington Post, The Observer and Musician magazine. He toured the album in the UK and in Laura Cole’s native Canada in 2016 to audiences of over 1000 at some of the larger venues.
Harvey has a vast discography, having released over 30 albums of original material. From his debut album ‘Dream Spinning’ in 1998 through many world / ambient / new-age albums on the EMI/Disky label to his self-released alternative pop/rock albums, ‘Past Lives’, ‘Jupiter’ and ‘Human’, he has sold over two million solo albums to date.
His collaborations have seen him work with the likes of Sir Paul McCartney, Danny Thompson (Kate Bush, Peter Gabriel, Nick Drake, Pentangle), Hossam Ramzy (Peter Gabriel, Led Zeppelin), Steeleye Span, Moby, Daniel Lanois, Cutting Crew, Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell, Junk Deluxe (ex-Alabama 3), Phil Thornton, Liane Carroll, Claire Hamill, Russ Conway, The Blood, Geoff Leigh (Henry Cow), Flavio Costa (Gypsy Kings), Kenny Craddock (Van Morrison, Gerry Rafferty, George Harrison), Divine Comedy, Ellie Ford, Jet Cohen and the Aerials (ex-Penguin Cafe Orchestra) and many more as producer, remixer, sound engineer, co-writer and musician.
Harvey’s music for TV and Film has appeared in The Secret (Prime Time Productions). Amreeka – nominated for the Sundance Grand Jury prize (First Generation Films), Summerlake (PQA), Doctor Who (BBC & Big Finish Productions), Top Gear (BBC), Eastwick (ABC), Looking (HBO), Blue Peter (BBC), Pandora Jewelry (Valentines ad campaign), Saving Grace (FOX), The Middle (ABC), First 48 (A&E), Panorama (BBC), American Idol (ITV), The X-Factor (ITV), Confused.com (TV ads), Chilly Dogs and many more.
He has won several awards including Loopmasters Producer Awards and has been nominated for ‘Single of the week’ by Kerrang Magazine, received many rave reviews in press worldwide, achieved semi-final status in the International Songwriting Competition for his track, ‘Last Lonesome Mile’ from his ‘Jupiter’ album and is in great demand as a producer, composer and sound engineer.
He is also a multi-instrumentalist having learned to play many instruments from an early age; whenever he wanted to use an instrument in a composition and did not know a player, he would teach himself – Harvey plays piano, guitars, keyboards, synthesizers and Hammond organ, mandolin, bass guitar, flutes, whistles, recorders, accordion, percussion, musical saw and melodica.
More information on Harvey’s background and a comprehensive discography can be found on his website: Harvey Summers while details of his studio are over at Broadoak Studios and much of his music is available directly from his pioneering web-store which offers hi-def and surround audio downloads as well as all the usual formats here: Harvey Summers Music
The Cellar Door Trilogy 