“I was once asked to ‘put more reverb on the fire extinguisher’,” says West One Music sound engineer Tom Garrad-Cole. “Another client asked me to ‘turn up the arse-slaps’.” Strange requests are all in a day’s work for the team (average age 27) at West One Music, the independent music production house based in central London. Dealing with odd demands is part of the ‘how-can-we-help’ culture that makes West One a cut above the average production music provider.

“We’re a music company, pure and simple,” notes Edwin Cox, West One’s MD. Talking to Edwin is more like talking to the boss of an indie record label than the head of an old style production music company. “Being independent is crucial to the way we work,” he says. “It allows us to make decisions quickly, to be responsive to clients’ demands, to take risks and to be original. The success of production ideas, writer selection and musical output, depends on us being able to follow our instincts and to go with what feels right. But, most importantly, it allows us to build personal relationships with our clients – we’re not a faceless corporation, we’ve got a stable team and clients are not dealing with different people every time they call up.”

The West One Music team of writers produces a dazzling array of music for TV commercials, motion picture advertising, video games and the ‘next generation’ of mobile and interactive advertising. Recent projects include music for Toyota, Ford, Ikea, Sony Bravia, Kung Fu Panda and Shrek 3 for DreamWorks, and High School Musical and Pirates of The Caribbean for Disney.

Edwin talks about the West One stable of writers with affection and respect: “We offer our writers a home,” he says, “providing enough work to support them in their careers. In that respect we’re like a traditional-style caring publisher, and that’s how we get the best out of our writers.” This paternalistic approach to writers can be witnessed by visitors to West One Music’s building where it’s often necessary to step over writers as they sit on the front steps with laptops, working on tunes, riffs and beats.

The other word Edwin uses often is, ‘team’. “I don’t think any team of people could be more caring and passionate than us,” he notes. “OK, maybe we don’t go as far as the staff at Nike having swoosh tattoos, but we all live and breathe music – even when we’re not in the office.” Clients who visit West One Music’s bright and airy premises off Charlotte Street quickly become infected by the team’s enthusiasm and passion for good music. Requests for music are dealt with quickly and efficiently by the company’s two dedicated music consultants, James Stanson and Rachel Menzies.

“Our catalogue has some wonderfully experimental music,” notes Edwin, “but really it’s about quality. We don’t have anything that is second rate or bog standard. People come to us for something fresh and different.” In this hot pursuit of excellence, it helps that the company has its own studios. It enables them to guarantee the quality control that West One Music is so passionate about. “From a client perspective,” says music consultant James Stanson, “having in-house studios allows edits, remixes and briefs to be carried out straightaway, giving really quick turnaround on client requests. It also gives the opportunity for clients to come and work with us in the studio. For the writers it means a relaxed, unpressurised environment where creativity and experimentation can flourish.”

Technology plays a vital role in the way West One Music delivers music to its clients. Web-based and hard-drive search engines enable clients to access music instantly and cuts down on the space required for CDs. The company invests heavily in technology and offers all the latest software. But for music consultant Rachel Menzies, the technology is for convenience and doesn’t replace the need for the human touch. “Does technology find you the track you want?” she asks, “Yes, but only if you tell it exactly what you want, and sometimes that’s easier with a human conversation. We want to offer the best of both worlds – technology when you need it, backed up by excellent personal service.”

The global demand for music is greater than ever. New opportunities and new platforms are opening up all the time. But just as the demand for quantity is rising, so too is the demand for quality. Commissioners of music want the best; they want contemporary sounds that fit the modern media landscape and get noticed by a music savvy public. West One Music is well-equipped to meet that demand. Whether it’s from their catalogue of over 100 albums, or hot off the mixing desk, it is music guaranteed to make people sit up and listen. Especially those 'arse-slaps.'