Former Sigma audio engineer and bassist shares memories of the studio era that helped shape soul, disco and the legendary Philadelphia Sound
NEW YORK — Rhythm Revue Spotlight turns its attention to recording history this week with Mathew Weiner, a bassist and former audio engineer at Sigma Sound Studios’ New York operation, for a conversation about music, studio craftsmanship and the legacy of one of America’s most influential recording institutions.
Weiner, who is also a member and supporter of WBGO, joined Rhythm Revue for a special guest-hosting hour featuring music selections alongside stories from his years working behind the scenes in the recording industry.
At the center of the conversation was his experience at Sigma Sound New York, the Manhattan extension of the celebrated Sigma Sound Studios founded in Philadelphia.
Inside the Sigma Sound Legacy
Few studios are as closely connected to the development of 1970s soul music as Sigma Sound.
The original Philadelphia facility became an essential part of the city’s musical identity and the emergence of the lush, sophisticated style eventually known around the world as the Philadelphia Sound.
That movement was closely associated with legendary songwriting and production partners Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, whose Philadelphia International Records became home to some of the era’s most enduring recordings.
Artists including The O’Jays, Patti LaBelle and numerous other soul and R&B performers became associated with a musical period characterized by sweeping strings, powerful rhythm sections, layered vocals and polished orchestration.
Sigma’s influence eventually stretched beyond Philadelphia.
Its New York operation became another important recording destination, particularly as soul, funk and disco grew increasingly interconnected during the 1970s and 1980s.
From Behind the Mixing Console
As an audio engineer, Weiner experienced that creative process from a perspective most listeners rarely see.
Engineers are central to translating a performance inside a studio into the finished recording heard by audiences. Their work involves capturing vocals and instruments, balancing performances and helping producers and musicians achieve the sound envisioned for a record.
During his Rhythm Revue appearance, Weiner reflected on that side of the business and offered listeners a glimpse into what it was like working at Sigma’s New York facility during an influential period in American popular music.
His background as a bass player also gives him a musician’s perspective on the recordings and performers that helped define the era.
The program combined those memories with Weiner’s own musical selections, allowing the conversation to move between recording history and the songs that continue to preserve that history decades later.
The Salsoul Connection
The spotlight also evokes the rich musical world surrounding The Salsoul Orchestra, whose fusion of soul, funk, Latin rhythms and orchestral disco became emblematic of the dance-music explosion of the 1970s.
That period demonstrated how closely New York and Philadelphia’s recording communities were connected. Musicians, arrangers, producers and engineers moved between projects while helping create records that would ultimately influence disco, house music, hip-hop and contemporary R&B.
For students of music history, the people who worked behind the console are therefore as important to documenting the period as many of the performers standing in front of the microphone.
Weiner’s recollections help preserve that less-visible part of the story.
Keeping Classic Soul Alive
Today, Rhythm Revue continues that tradition by introducing classic soul, R&B, funk and dance recordings to longtime listeners as well as younger audiences discovering the music for the first time.
Weiner’s guest appearance brings an additional dimension to that mission: firsthand memories from someone who participated in the recording culture being celebrated.
Listeners can hear Rhythm Revue Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 6 p.m.
For fans of the Philadelphia Sound and the golden age of New York recording studios, Weiner’s conversation offers more than nostalgia. It provides a window into the people, technology and creative collaboration behind music that continues to resonate generations later.
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