ContributorDukes Of Dopamine, tell us more about the track name and where it came from?
To be honest I usually just listen to a song when it’s done and try to name it based on the feeling of the track. This one had a nice melodic drive to it that gave me a sort of “feel-good” vibe so I thought this name was fitting. I try to make my track names as unique as I can so that they’re easier to find when people search them, and I think perhaps it stands out a bit more. Tracks with common one word names just always felt a bit lazy to me. I feel like the title gives the artist a chance to express what the track means specifically to them.
This is your 1st release with the Codex crew, via IAMT, how did that come about?
Well, I’ve always been a fan of Spartaque’s work, and they’ve been doing a fantastic job expanding and growing their labels and that caught my attention. As an artists I want each release to push my career forward and with a lot of labels that doesn’t always happen. I decided to send a demo, and the first one they passed on, but the follow up they liked and from there I just kept sending more music. They’re an extremely nice, easy to work with group, and they offer a lot of support to their artists. I will definitely be trying to follow up with more music in the future there
How do you approach creating a track, talk us through your process
For me, creating a track is mostly about experimentation. I seldom, if ever, sit down with some specific idea in my head. More generally, I start with a nice kick and my lows and start to build from there. First drums and then synths. I usually add large amounts of elements, muting some when the track becomes too full. Then I go back and mix and match what i’ve laid out, choosing the elements I think are most appropriate. Then I lay the track out and add all the bells and whistles in ways of effects etc. This process usually takes a day or two. Then I like to let the track sit for a while and I revisit it for the following weeks to tweak things and approach it from fresh perspectives to improve on it. Once I have a big bundle of tracks done I send it to my mastering engineer
What’s one piece of kit or plugin that you can’t live without?
My soundcard. I have the Apollo MkII from Universal Audio. Their plugins, albeit expensive, are just amazing; however, they’re also MASSIVE cpu hogs. So much so that you need the soundcard which helps take some of that struggle off your computer and gives you access to these plugins. It also has an absolutely fantastic sound. Cheap sound cards don’t really give an accurate representation of what audio sounds like. If you’re producing with bad sound then it is going to translate badly onto bigger systems in my opinion. Having good sound allows you to make more appropriate mixing decisions.
What have you got upcoming for the rest of 2020?
My release schedule is quite full already until december. Im working on a ton of new music at the moment. I have like 40 unreleased finished and mastered tracks. These are just the ones I thought were good enough as well. Now that I’ve worked up a solid war chest, I’m working on finding them nice homes. Hopefully the situation with COVID-19 will be resolved as soon as possible and more gigs will become available. I’ve just started working with some new management so I’m also excited to see what fruits it will bear. I’m definitely, as I’m sure everyone else is, keen to return to a sense of normalcy. Just need to wait and see!
What would a perfect 2021 look like for you?
The return of shows, and being able to really start to build up and push my career again
If you could collaborate with any other producer, who would that be and why?
I would have to go with Green Velvet. His vocal hooks get me every time, and the style of vocals I’ve started to incorporate into my own tracks are sort of based on this. A lot of my upcoming music features my own vocals, but I would love the opportunity to work with his. Using your own voice in your music is a really nice stylistic signature that no one can really copy. The most unique kind of “synth” out there, and the right vocals can really take a track to the next level in my opinion
What’s one thing lockdown has taught you most about yourself this year?
That I was taking a lot of things for granted. Lockdown has taught me how amazing the opportunities I had were. Lots of traveling, playing in many different places, being able to go to amazing events every weekend. Once that was taken away, it made me realize how lucky I have been so far to work in an industry I really love and enjoy.
IAMT Label · RSRRCT – Dukes Of Dopamine (Original Mix)
CHECK OUT THE FULL EP HERE