The EDM Prodcast

Latest Episodes:

#132: KSHMR on Staying Motivated, Building a Successful Brand, and Being an Authentic Artist Apr 30, 2020

Show notes

Show Notes: edmprod.com/132 Download & Stream 'Bruk It Down': http://bit.ly/BrukItDown-DL-Stream Sign up for Dharma Studio: https://www.dharmaworldwide.com/ This week, KSHMR sat down to chat on the EDMProdcast. If you’ve been producing dance music for more than 30 seconds, you’re surely familiar with him, whether it’s from his classic dance tracks like Secrets or My Best Life, his chart topping sample packs, his production tutorials, and most recently his very own plugin KSHMR Essentials. We start off with KSHMR’s background, looking at how he built his production and songwriting skills by himself early on. We dive into how he fell into producing for rappers and singers, and how this led to him creating The Cataracts project, widely known for their hit single ‘Like A G6’. We spend a while discussing KSHMR’s transition into EDM, and how he took everything he learned in the pop world and put it into his ideal artist project. KSHMR explains the keys to his early success with this project, and what separated him from other producers that were making the switch to EDM. On the production side, we discuss how to balance the technical and emotional aspects of production. KSHMR mentions how producing EDM has hurt his ability to write music on an emotional level, because he, like so many producers, is overly concerned with the technical aspects of production. We talk about how to deal with this issue, focusing on how he crafts emotive and expressive tracks within the dance music sphere. Later on, we talk about his new education platform Dharma Studio, as well as his brand new plugin KSHMR Essentials. We discuss why he loves teaching music production, and the lesson he’s learned helping out thousands of producers. KSHMR also lists off his favorite uncommon 3rd party plugins, a few of which you've likely never heard of but will blow you away. Connect with KSHMR: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KSHMRmusic Twitter: https://twitter.com/KSHMRmusic Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/kshmr/ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/user/kshmrmusic?si=fVfUAZZzSt-66WekFg0Eqg Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/kshmr

#131: How to Break Through as a New Artist with Morgin Madison Apr 23, 2020

Show notes

Show Notes: edmprod.com/131 This week, Morgin Madison sat down to chat on the EDMProdcast. Morgin Madison is a fantastic producer who’s unique brand of atmospheric house music has landed him on outlets like Lowly Palace and Parametric Records. We start with Morgin Madison’s background, looking at his progression from corporate lobbying to pursuing a career in music. We dive into the lengthy journey to find his current sound, which included a previous artist project and several rebrands. As he was independent for the first few years of this project, we discuss what he learned about marketing, promotion, and branding that helped him grow his artist project essentially by himself. We also talk about being comfortable with wanting to be a musician, an idea many producers struggle with due to external pressure from friends and family. On the production side, we cover a several aspects of Morgin Madison’s production workflow. He’s currently sitting on 40+ finished tracks, which you can bet he was asked about. We discuss how he’s able to write so much music, diving into his default template, his songwriting process, and his approach to sound design. He also dissects his approach for mixing kick and bass, how he adds dense reverbs to his tracks without muddying them up, and unique approach to layering sounds. Connect with Morgin Madison Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/morginmadison/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/morginmadison Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morginmadison/ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1WrO4cGKIG6EgYqyHNReej Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/morginmadison

#130: It's Never Too Late to Become an Artist with Mickey Valen Apr 16, 2020

Show notes

Show Notes: edmprod.com/130 This week, Mickey Valen sat down to chat on the EDM Prodcast. Mickey Valen is a classically trained musician and producer who’s released on labels like CloudKid and Lowly Palace, and his song Meet Me (feat Noe) currently has nearly 60M plays on Trap Nation’s YouTube Channel. We start off with Mickey Valen’s background, looking at his late entry into the production world. He studied music in college, but he didn’t start producing until after school while he was working a corporate 9-5. We look at how he grew his production skills on the side, and how he eventually made the leap to working full-time on music. He got his start producing for vocalists, and he reveals how he built these connections early on without an artist project. On the production side, we spent a while talking about his songwriting process. Even though Mickey Valen is classically trained, he feels this hurts him at times. He discusses how all producers, no matter their theory knowledge, should approach songwriting. He also walks through his favorite distortion plugins, how he adds creative and background textures, and what his writing process looks like when working with vocalists. We also discuss how to embrace the difficult and annoying parts of being a producer, the pros and cons of moving to Los Angeles, and some of the hidden streams of revenues available to producers. Connect with Mickey Valen: Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/mickeyvalen Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mickeyvalen Twitter: https://twitter.com/mickeyvalenxy Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mickeyvalen/ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2tLI4kPsmsxQQv6zr2jbgt?si=VGDMZYLRR1iBJ4V3bC2nSQ

#129: Developing a More Creative Mindset with pluko Apr 09, 2020

Show notes

Show Notes: edmprod.com/129 This week, pluko sat down to chat on the EDM Prodcast. Pluko is a talented producer with releases on labels like Foreign Family Collective and Future Classic, and he’s released official remixes for artists like Tycho and Odesza. We start with pluko’s background, looking at his ambitious start to producing music in middle school. He discusses how he developed his skills early on, leading him to start touring by the age of 17. In terms of growing his project, Pluko really emphasizes the importance of marketing yourself early on, believing it to be just as important as the music itself. He also discusses how to know when to sign to a label, what the relationship with his management is like, how to forge your own path in music (and life). On the production side, we discuss pluko’s mindset towards creating music that helps him generate a ton of ideas. If you’re short on musical ideas or consistently run into writer’s block, pluko offers his best advice on how to stay creatively inspired. Later on, we also discuss his favorite analog synths, how he uses the Ableton Push, and his approach to creative resampling. Connect with pluko: Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/plukomusic Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/plukomusic Twitter: https://twitter.com/pluko Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pluko/ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/01qbSocTDAe2DmKayS89A5

#128: How to Make Your Brand Stand Out with DLMT Apr 02, 2020

Show notes

Show notes: edmprod.com/128 This week, DLMT sat down to chat on the EDMProdcast DLMT is a DJ and producer based in Toronto with releases on labels like Armada, Confession, Dim Mak, and Musical Freedom, and his track So Cold hit #1 on the Billboard Dance/Mix Show Airplay Chart just last year. We start with DLMT’s background, looking at his progression from metal bands in high school to producing on his own in college. We look at how he built his career early on with no connections, and how he curated a solid fanbase to turn his passion for music into a career. On the production side, we discuss DLMT’s writing workflow, looking at how he separates writing from sound design and mixing. He reveals his favorite techniques for drum programming and processing, his approach to curating his own sample library, and how he adds movement to more minimal tracks. DLMT also dissects his mixing workflow, offering advice on crafting a full mix with minimal elements, as well as the single best mixing tip he’s been given. Later on, we discuss the long-term ramifications that the pandemic situation may have on the music industry, especially given the large amount of show cancelations. DLMT also offers great advice on how to build a solid brand and stand out as an artist in 2020. Connect with DLMT: Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/dlmtmusic Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dlmtmusic Twitter: https://twitter.com/dlmtmusic Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dlmtmusic/ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5rG00A9pRANrMDzVI3DrmF

#127: How to Stop Overproducing With Black Caviar Mar 26, 2020

Show notes

Show Notes: edmprod.com/127 This week, Black Caviar sat down to chat on the EDMProdcast. Black Caviar is a Grammy nominated production duo based in New York with releases on Republic and Atlantic, official remixes for artists like Lizzo and Tiesto, and music in the latest Spiderman and Charlie’s Angels movies. We start with Black Caviar’s background, looking at the organic development that led to them working as a duo. Jared from Black Caviar was formerly an A&R at Casablanca Records, so he talks on the importance of experience in the music industry and what he learned working at a major label. Their project also started as a purely fun hobby for them, so we talk about how they developed it into a sustainable career, and how they keep the project fun with the increased pressure that’s come their way. On the production side, we focus heavily on how to build a catchy and full track with a minimal production. If you’re a fan of their music, you’ll know they do a lot with a stripped back production. They talk about how they’ve developed the ability to do this, and they offer advice for producers who are guilty of overproducing. Later on, we talk about their approach to managing creative block, the balance between releasing originals versus remixes, and how to deal with the fickleness of the music industry. Connect with Black Caviar: Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/realblackcaviar Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/realblackcaviar Twitter: https://twitter.com/realblackcaviar Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realblackcaviar/ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1wqW0IQWC7V7jktcjVHID6?si=B0x_igxFSOmWmifJ7mT9xQ

#126: Finding Your Sound Design Flow & Building Online Connections With Slippy Mar 19, 2020

Show notes

Show notes: edmprod.com/126 This week, Slippy sat down to chat on the EDMProdcast. Slippy is an electronic producer from Florida who’s well known for his popular releases on Monstercat. If you wish the guests on this podcast dove deeper into technical production concepts, this episode is for you. We start with Slippy’s background, looking at how he built up production knowledge from scratch. We talk about the small producer group that he’s a part of which he attributes a lot of his success to. He discusses why it’s so important to have other artists to grow with, not just from a promotion standpoint, but to learn and gain motivation from. On the production side, Slippy dives deep into the technical aspects of his production workflow. He discusses the synths and effects he uses for sound design, and his approach for creating sounds from scratch. He breaks down his layering process, and his best advice for leveling up your mixing. He also discusses his current writing workflow, which helps him get solid ideas down quickly, which ultimately helps him finish more music. He also discusses separating sound design and production, and how he resamples from his own music and from sample packs. Connect with Slippy: Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/slippy_music Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/slippymusic/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/slippy_music Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/slippy_music/ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3gxGPuGK6DOpv7XVp8V6jG?si=ClDG7UnZSPyFKav0zmNwgg

#125: How to Find Your True Musical Style With Attom Mar 12, 2020

Show notes

Show notes: edmprod.com/125 This week, Attom sat down to chat on the EDMProdcast. Attom is an indie-electronic music producer who’s released on labels like Ultra, Foreign Family Collective, and Lowly Palace, and released official remixes for artists like ODESZA, Selena Gomez, and Jai Wolf. If you’re currently struggling to find the right genre or style for your artist project, this is the episode for you. We discuss Attom’s background in music, looking at the lengthy road he took to find his unique sound. Attom had early success in a style he didn’t love making, which is more common than you might think, so we talk a lot about the importance of finding a style of music that both you enjoy writing and fans respond to. We also talk about his early success with remix competitions, the importance of finding validation early on in your production career, and what he learned taking a gap year to focus on music. On the production side, we dive deep into his writing workflow, looking at how he effectively builds ideas from scratch. We discuss how he creatively uses Splice samples, his approach to layering, and why trusting your taste is critical for your growth as a producer. Later on, we discuss how he creates music that’s built to be performed live, and how to deal with the perpetual overwhelm that most producers face. Connect with Attom: Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/attommusicofficial Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/attommusic/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/AttomMusic Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/attommusic/ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1Xq5wasmlEwC6TqCqJtP5o

#124: Expert Advice from Industry Veterans With the Disco Fries Mar 06, 2020

Show notes

Show Notes: edmprod.com/124 Mixing for Producers: edmprod.com/mixing This week, the Disco Fries sat down to chat on the EDMProdcast. The Disco Fries have been a staple in the dance music scene for over a decade, with releases on all the big electronic labels, collabs with artists like Tiesto, and dozens of high profile remixes for artists like Usher, Katy Perry, and Selena Gomez to name a few. Given how long they’ve been around, they have a ton of experience and advice to share with producers of all levels. We start with their background in music, discussing how they met at the Berklee School of Music and why they decided to form a duo. We talk about how they dealt with the fear that most music school students go through, which is “how am I going to make a living once school is over”, and how they quickly transitioned into actually making a living off the Disco Fries project. Outside of releasing music and touring under the Disco Fries brand, they generate revenue off of music in a number of ways, including writing for film and tv, running a record label, running a publishing company, mixing and mastering for other artists, and a whole lot more. If you’re keen to find ways to make a living off of music that doesn’t include streaming or shows, you’ll take away a ton from this episode. We also talk about the balance between making music for fun versus making music for a career, and how to avoid developing a resentful relationship with music. They offer their best advice for younger producers trying to break into the industry, as well as producers in their late 20s or 30s that worry they’ll never make a career in music. On the production side, we talk about their collaborative workflow, which for the past few years has been primarily remote. They currently live in different cities, so if you’ve ever struggled to work with another artist remotely or remote collaboration is something you’d like to get into, there’s a lot to learn from the way they’ve refined their collaborative approach. They also talk about their mixdown tutorials in Mixing for Producers, EDMProd’s flagship mixing course. Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/thediscofries Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thediscofries Twitter: https://twitter.com/thediscofries Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thediscofries/ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7G7KvDCLdVG0Ok511Iqc9U?si=E-w_wkdjR5WBj7v-VJwAbA

#123: Taking Music Seriously and Creating What You Love with Hanz Feb 27, 2020

Show notes

Show Notes: edmprod.com/123 This week, Hanz sat down to chat on the EDMProdcast. Hanz is a talented producer based out of Norway who’s released on labels like Majestic Casual, Foreign Family Collective, and Lowly Palace. We start off with Hanz’s musical background, diving into the lengthy process before he started releasing music. He actually started this project as a bit of a joke to prove to his coworker that producing Trap wasn’t that hard. After a while, he began to connect more with the music he was making, and after hearing a certain EP from another artist inspired him to take music more seriously. We discuss the importance of identifying with the vibe or mood of your music, and advice on finding your music niche. On the production side, we talk a lot about his songwriting workflow, looking at how he writes music that’s both unique and relatable. We talk about how to write better verses, and how to approach writing second verses and choruses, something a lot of intermediate producers struggle with. He also dives into his favorite synth and effect plugins, including a little known plugin he uses to build dense, atmospheric textures. Later on, Hanz offers his advice on how to be unique in the ‘lofi-hip hop’ scene, and how he’s built up a fanbase in a genre that’s great for streams but not for follows. We also discuss why he collaborates so often, and his process for collaborating on music remotely. Connect with Hanz: Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/hanzbeats Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Hanzbeatz/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/HanzBeats Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hanzbeats/ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1eL4DVwObeAZjGOVjASAXd?si=CT_vWvnxTL2V4VXqeC3kKw

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected