Stay ConnectedKeith Mills, founder of the Finish More Music system, reveals the creative strategies and mindsets he teaches to thousands of music producers so you can write more and better music, ready to release and share with the world.
Discover workflow hacks to speed up your writing process, mindset approaches to overcome avoidance, procrastination and perfectionism, and compositional techniques to help you take your underground dance music productions to the next level.
Copyright: © Finish More Music 2019
Today we're looking into a topic that I love...
...this is something that if leaned into can be the basis for a Pandora's box of inspiration.
And if you embrace this strategy you will unlock new sonic territory and drive your creations in exciting and original directions.
However, if you're closed off to this idea, you run the risk of being stuck using the same old style process, getting the same ideas on repeat and ultimately, carbon copies of your work!
...And of course this can potentially lead to boredom.
Creativity at its very heart is letting go. It's being outside of our comfort zone. It's accepting new ideas, new ways of working, being curious.
If you do want to push the envelope with your music, then you have to do something new...and something new is going to come from letting go.
There is a vast landscape of untapped potential waiting for you to discover if you choose to embrace it.
So if you want to learn how to create unique, original, exciting ideas for free, it would be madness not to adopt this tactic in your music...
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Listen to the full episode: https://finishmoremusic.com/148
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FinishMoreMusic
This week we're joined by a Grammy-nominated producer, DJ, label owner, and bonafide pioneer of Detroit techno.
Someone who has continued to set trends and break boundaries with his music, his sound installations, and his performances.
The man in question is Carl Craig, a key figure in the electronic music scene who has blazed a trail through several decades under a variety of aliases and spanning a multitude of genres.
Founding his own record label Planet E Communications in 1991 Carl has rubbed shoulders with everyone from Kevin Saunderson to Derrick May.
So just how does he continue to innovate in a landscape where many artists cling to the safety of familiarity?
How do you challenge what's been done before?
And more importantly where exactly do roller skates fit into this?
There's so much to digest that you'll need to revisit this one!
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Listen to the full episode: https://finishmoremusic.com/147
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FinishMoreMusic
We've got a pretty special episode waiting for you this week!
This is something that we've never done before - brand new and totally unique!
So let me first ask you this…
Do you worry about putting your music out into the world? Maybe a fear of judgment stops you from being creative.
Perhaps you are struggling to figure out your next steps. You feel that things aren't quite right in your life.
You sense there's something more but you're not yet sure what it is...
You are not alone! Most of us don't have the luxury of knowing exactly what we want to achieve in our lives.
This week's podcast is a no-brainer if you want to pursue your passion and need help in finding your way.
I'm extremely excited to bring our first author to the podcast. She is an expert in creativity and a world-leading speaker in her field with a deep desire to help people express their genius and get their ideas out into the world.
Victoria Labalme, author of Risk Forward, explains exactly how to know when you are on the right path, when you aren't, and if not, how to course correct.
Want to learn from Victoria?
Get the first 4 chapters of Victoria's book, Risk Forward, for FREE!
"Surround yourself with people who make you feel good, who love and care for your art, and support you. It's super important. And if you don't have that in your family, find it in your community or in your friends because the culture we are embedded in will have a huge influence on us."
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Listen to the full episode: https://finishmoremusic.com/146
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FinishMoreMusic
Don't be a 'Yes, but...' person!
We all know people who rubbish ideas.
Nobody wants to speak up and share ideas in their presence. And often nobody even wants to be around them.
And yet unwittingly, we often find ourselves being THAT person...
The person who picks holes in other people's suggestions, cutting the creative connections dead…
...And who knows what the next idea might have been...
If we just keep cutting these ideas off with immediate judgment, if we keep abandoning stuff, we never make space in our own minds for our most innovative and original ideas to come through.
So how can you train yourself to be open-minded?
How can you make that your default state?
How can you establish a flourishing creative environment, giving yourself the opportunity to play, and the space to innovate?
This week I reveal how you can switch your way of operating and build confidence in the people around you.
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Listen to the full episode: https://finishmoremusic.com/145
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FinishMoreMusic
So here's the deal. We all hit creative problems.
And we often try to solve those problems with the same level of thinking that created them.
...forcing a solution the wrong way, digging in deeper, making the problem worse, and building frustration in the process.
Maybe you start second-guessing perfectly good work, start to make mistakes, and head in a direction you did not want it to go in.
And that of course can ultimately lead to abandoning your work.
And if you do it regularly, maybe you find the inner bully coming to the fore and kicking off that self-doubt...
...I'm not good enough. I can't do this. Nobody goes through this. It's only me.
We'd all love to have a secret weapon that improves our chances of finding the solution as quickly as possible.
...Well, you do!
Today I'm showing you one of my favorite creative hacks. It's something that you've probably experienced yourself, but maybe it's something that you don't regularly lean into.
...and you're missing a trick if you're not!
But If you don't know how to use it effectively, it's kind of getting wasted during the creative process.
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Listen to the full episode: https://finishmoremusic.com/144
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FinishMoreMusic
John Graham aka Quivver is a man who's been at the forefront of electronic music for over 25 years, both as a producer and DJ, writing and playing everything from House to Techno to Breaks to Drum and Bass.
With his new album Revelate released on Bedrock and hitting the music stores we really got down to the nitty gritty of the creative process and how the album came together...
"I did want it to be like a journey. I wanted it to be an album that people could play from start to finish and enjoy as an album, not just a bunch of tracks thrown together"
John shares his wealth of experience as we discuss the importance of habits and routines for successful people, how he created his album, his workflow for finishing tracks and being prolific in the studio and how he broke into the world of writing for games, TV, and films.
"Sometimes I'll record random stuff into my phone, like just bassline ideas or groove ideas...something that will trigger inspiration for the rest of the track"
With tours coming up in India, Mexico, Argentina and the USA, and with more projects under way, John rarely has reason to take his foot off the gas...
"I usually get inspired to go in the studio when I've just done a DJ mix...I'll spend a day going through promos and looking for new tunes...and I'll always get inspired after that. So it never gets boring. I really love doing it"
"I'm always keen to get in and create something new and it still gives me a buzz, that feeling of creating something and finishing it...gives me goosebumps".
So the whole thought process, the approach to different creative projects and particularly how he created the album was the thing that really connected with me and lit me up.
Dive in and enjoy the ride. You'll learn an absolute ton from this interview...
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Listen to the full episode: https://finishmoremusic.com/143
Revelate on Beatport: https://www.beatport.com/release/revelate/3501759
Revelate on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/quivver_john_graham/sets/revelate-2
As music producers we all want to achieve the sound that we hear in our heads but we often get disheartened that our work does not sound as good as our ambitions.
...And this is because our abilities don't currently match up with our taste...
Maybe you can relate...you get so caught up in the idea that what you're going to make won't sound as good as your favourite pro tracks that you start to doubt, you abandon pieces of music, you lose heart.
Which often leads to avoiding writing music.
We all go through this period, and knowing how to navigate it will help you to stop worrying about the quality of your work, and keep striving towards progress while knowing the things that can be harmful to your progress will allow you to avoid them.
So how do you move past this mindset?
How do you sustain yourself whilst you're still growing your skillset and still on that journey to becoming the producer you dream of being?
In this episode we'll be finding out how to close the gap between your abilities and your favourite pro tracks and reach the great work that lies beyond.
Have you ever caught yourself saying "I don't have enough time"?
We've all been there...you can have hours and hours of time, yet see no meaningful growth in your skills and the quality of your music.
But it often isn't a lack of time that is creating the problem…
...it's a lack of efficiency in the way you are operating that is to blame.
So how could you show up differently? How could you be more efficient? How could you be more effective?
This is where deliberate practice comes in and in this episode, I'll teach you about a focused, purposeful, and systematic method for sharpening your skills in an efficient and highly effective way.
You can achieve a lot in the time that you've got.
The power of getting the right people around us can't be understated…
...but who exactly should we aspire to surround ourselves with?
This week we dig into a concept that ties together several ideas that I've talked about previously in this podcast.
And these are actually concepts that I've purposely built into the Finish More Music community and the system that I teach our members.
...and this is powerful stuff that you can absolutely take advantage of in your life.
The three pillars of this concept will give you the support to do the things that are required to reach those big goals.
This episode is punchy and succinct so let's dive in!
Today we are in conversation with electronic music legend Dave Seaman, well known for his releases in the famed Renaissance Masters Series and Global Underground and currently releasing music and running his highly respected label Selador.
In this episode, we lean heavily into the music industry and what it really takes to get heard and stand out from the crowd...
If you're looking to craft your own sound and get your music heard by the labels you love, this brutally honest interview is for you.
There is a way to ensure your music doesn't get lost amongst the noise and Dave shares some actionable steps that you can implement on your productions today.
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