A UNIVERSITY of West London (UWL) graduate and music engineer has had his single, 'Rain' go platinum.

Music producer and recording engineer Kurt Martinez recorded the single last year with rap stars Aitch and AJ Tracey.

Martinez, who graduated from UWL's London College of Music (LCM) in 2011 has seen the record certified platinum after pulling in hundreds of thousands of sales.

The LCM graduate said: "I had a call from a studio asking if I could take a last minute session.

"I don't know if it was the atmosphere in the room that night, but I remember leaving the studio in the early hours thinking we might have just recorded a hit.

"It was great to see the hype around it once it was announced and hearing it on the radio for the first time."

His success follows a lifelong passion for making music and everything he learnt before graduating and landing a job as a runner in a post-production studio – eventually leading him to engineering and working with artists including Ina Wroldsen, Fleur East, and comedian, Jack Whitehall.

Now inspiring students as they launch their own creative careers, he said: "I spent a lot of time recording and mixing for bands for free to build a portfolio.

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"I didn't know anyone else into recording at that time so I taught myself software once I knew this was what I wanted to do.

"Getting my first job wasn't easy, I'd go out day to day knocking on doors, handing out CVs and sending emails.

"It was incredibly deflating at times, but it's all been worth it and I've been fortunate to have met incredible people who've helped me progress from assisting to engineering."