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Romesh in his Cardiff studio

GEORGE Martin, Phil Spector, Timbaland, Rick Rubin, Mark Ronson – music has a habit of throwing up the occasional superstar producer.

The industry thrives on its own hype, and much of it has recently been swirling around Romesh Dodangoda, with plenty of bands happy to cross the country and beat a path to the door of his Longwave studio in Leckwith, Cardiff. He’s been offered the chance to step into the superstar league, but Romesh’s priorities at this time are focused on the mixing desk.

Longwave, which opened in 2000, was the culmination of a dream that began when Romesh was 14, and had begun “learning about the engineering side of things first, getting sounds and understanding the science behind audio.” Although he can play a number of instruments and has performed with various bands, softly-spoken Romesh realised that he would rather be producing records than playing on them.

It goes some way to dispelling the myth that producers are merely frustrated rock stars. That he could ride to wider recognition through his relationship with a number of rock stars only reinforces his commitment to his work. Longwave comes first.

The chemistry between band and producer is crucial, and Romesh pinpoints his involvement in the recording of Caerphilly band Dopamine’s first two album as crucial in establishing his reputation, adding: “That helped things move along”.

Next up was Cardiff’s Kid in Glass Houses, widely tipped to emulate the worldwide success of fellow South Wales outfit Lostprophets. Signing to legendary label Roadrunner (better known for its heavy metal output), Kids in Glass Houses’ debut album Smart Casual is due to be given an international platform.

The production was a good time for Romesh. “I think it was a very long awaited album. Kids In Glass Houses had been touring the one EP that I did for so long that people were desperate to hear more. Recording that album was some of the best times I’ve had in the studio. They are my five best friends, so we just had a really fun time making it, which I think you can hear on the final product.”

Smart Casual is a fine example of Romesh’s input. Less nuanced producers might have distorted the Kids in Glass Houses sound, particularly as outfits such as Cradle of Filth typify Roadrunner’s output. However, Romesh saw that the band’s space and melodic rush needed to be at the forefront and created an album that truly crossed over, becoming a favourite with audiences that don’t buy music on their label. One song, Give Me What You Want, was especially popular.

Further success followed with The Best in Town, by Merthyr Tydfil’s The Blackout, currently darlings of the American and British hard rock scenes and Kerrang cover stars. Romesh said: “I think the main thing was I was working with bands like The Blackout and Kids In Glass Houses when very few people had heard of them and got to help develop their sound at the early stage. The debut records of both those bands turned out to be releases that helped make them big today.”

He continues to work with unsigned bands, including Newport’s Save Your Breath, of whom he says: “They are a great bunch of guys and I’ve got a good feeling something will happen with them.”

As to his plans for the rest of the year, Romesh is keeping it simple. “More and more records. I have a little project which I’m keeping very quiet at the moment, but when it’s ready to go, hopefully you’ll hear about it. But apart from that, I just want to keep making records. The rooms sound much better, there’s room for more gear -- it’s awesome. The studio has a really serious spec now and its growing all the time.”

The level of demand for his services has made it possible for Romesh to begin turning away work, giving calendar priority to groups that excite him. “It’s is a bit pointless me producing a record that isn’t interesting me musically,” he adds, before remembering that there is also a business to run. “It’s very hard sometimes when you get home from work and you have a load of paperwork or emails to sort out.”

Music production remains the first priority for Romesh Dodangoda. His dedication should mean that this quietly-spoken talent from Cardiff will continue to make a big noise across the world.