MNYS Interview

SoundShock: What drew you into making music? Were there any specific musicians or non musicians that influenced you in the beginning?

I grew up listening to my dad play the piano and knew exactly what I wanted to do since.

The mastering in your tracks is very clean, upfront, and powerful. Are there any tips for getting this type of modern dance music mastered sound, assuming that your mix down is already well balanced.

Honestly, it's a collaborative effort with different ears. I'm all about working as a team. A huge part of making great tracks is knowing and accepting that everything you do isn't going to be great. It's all just gut feeling to me. Take a listen with fresh ears and A/B the track to some of your favorite songs.

Producers struggle to get a full and clean sounding mix. The song might be great, but there seems to be a lack of power, energy, and clarity. What are a couple of ways you get the elements of your track to really feel stand out?

It's tricky sometimes. I think sound selection over anything else. Crafting sounds that you don't normally hear and working with people who are on the same page. I think a well crafted stock sound could absolutely come out better than some plug-in banks. Clean up the mix by being subtractive. It's important to realize when certain elements needed to be taken away rather than added.

Where do you find inspiration? Also if you are working in the studio and get stuck. How do you get past that point?

I'm inspired by any true story. I like to write about actual events that are happening or have happened. Being in a room with other people definitely helps - bouncing ideas back and forth. At the end of the day, it's still about having fun doing it.

What are your go-to effects and processing chains at the moment?

My only go-to really is auto filtering. I end up randomizing a bunch of chains a lot of the time. Again, it really is just about gut feeling.

When starting a new track, at what part of the arrangement do you start at? Also, how much of each section in the arrangement do you complete before you move onto the next section? (Until you the main theme across, until you are inspired enough? Do you bounce from section to section just building small parts of it?)

I always start with the melody. I usually have a general topline idea I like to sing and build around that. I usually want an arrangement and drums down immediately so I can general idea of song length. I actually don't layer anything until the structure is complete.

Having an electronic artist that writes, produces, and sings on all his tracks is not that common in todays industry. Do you have any tips for producers who want to start singing on their own tracks?

I think, again, it's the team effort mentality. I'll send something around to some of my friends and they end up adding something super inspiring and I continue to build off that. As for tips for producer-singers, just find your voice before you start putting anything out. Even if it takes a hundred demos. I took a two year hiatus from an early EP I released until "Break" came out because I was still trying to see what direction I sounded best in. Take your time and develop, there isn't any rush.

At what stage of the song writing process do you start creating the vocals and how do you come up with your lyrics?

Immediately. It's my favorite part of a song. I like to take concepts from life experiences and apply them to relationships with people around me. For example, "Break" is actually about a hometown friend who got into things with a girl who already had a boyfriend. I like channeling other people's stories.