Pop/Dance Music Producer

Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?

A: That I'm just a DJ 😂 I have to explain to a lot of people that "if you removed the vocals from this song, I make everything else" and it starts to click... I have learned to summarise that well huh!

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: - What genre are we looking at writing and do you have any reference tracks that resonate with this? (e.g. I really like the synths in this, the drums really knock in this, the bass is stupid heavy) - What artists do you personally listen to/align with - you'd be surprised how much your listening habits influence your taste in your own music. - Are we looking to be working with vocals? I make different production choices when making room for vocalists to have freedom to perform over the track compared to an instrumental that needs to keep the listener involved on its own.

Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

A: Be as open as you can. I really sink my teeth into whatever you can provide me with, whether that's emotional on your end, lots of references, what end goal you have in mind. The more information the better!

Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?

A: M2 Macbook Pro | Airpods Pro | Audeze LCD-X Headphones | Aston Spirit | 500 Series Neve Portico 511

Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?

A: I've always wanted to be the man behind the hits, think Max Martin. I do write a lot of my own music and release a lot of it, however, a lot of my time is spent bringing other artist's visions to life which brings me a lot of joy and satisfaction. I've been producing over a decade now and in December 2019 graduated from "ICON Collective", a music production school based in of LA.

Q: What type of music do you usually work on?

A: I write a lot of dance pop for myself, think Young Franco and SG Lewis had a baby. For my ghost writing clients, I am writing a lot of tech house/techno at the moment.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I bring a different perspective. As a producer with experience in writing in many genres, all influences and skills are combined to bring a new, forward thinking approach. There's a reason why every new client keeps coming back.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I request a reference track and then lay out the production of your brand new song that aligns with that reference track. This is done by carefully analysing the reference and emulating the same sonic profile through finding similar drum sounds, mimicking sound design techniques and making mixing choices that align with your song of choice. The first "demo" sent to the artist is usually as close to the final product as possible, and then tweaked from there. Once you give me the good-to-go, I will then do final mix revisions and master the track, providing the artist final MP3 and WAV files (and stems upon request)

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: SYNTHS | Roland Juno 106 (Original) | Hydrasynth Explorer 500 SERIES | Neve Portico 511 | API 525 Compressor MICROPHONES | Aston Spirit | Rode NT1 SPEAKERS | KRK VXT 6 | CLA-10 | Calibrated with Sonarworks Sound ID Software LAPTOP | M2 Macbook Pro (2023), 32GB Ram OTHER | Evo 16 Audio Interface | NI Komplete Kontrol 61 Key MIDI Keyboard

Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?

A: I am really into the neo-soul style at the moment, I take big influence from electronic music that takes on Jazz influence. Artists in this style I could call upon would be FKJ, SG Lewis or Tom Misch. This is my Spotify playlist I have been curating and it's very much what I listen to on a daily basis: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3YhW0rGJbUCOKYY6W0jXBI?si=KMlxbpq8SQCMAqNPaq6OTA

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?

A: I have recently started working closely alongside TMRW Music throughout 2023 bringing projects to their full potential through additional production, mixing and mastering. I was given the opportunity to handle co-production, mixing and mastering duties on the Shannon Noll & Sunset Bros. "What About Me" release which was rather surreal. I still remember rushing to export the final files whilst ironing my shirt before getting wine drunk in the Hunter Valley. I also am stoked to say that I mixed and mastered "Tarantella" by Joel Fletcher, Orkestrated and Sooshi Mango, which landed #1 on the iTunes dance chart on day one of release and since then, Joel has come to me with every new release since. It's bizarre because I'm now working with an artist who I looked up to when I first got into producing 🥰

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I'm currently revamping my sound toward a more DJ friendly style as I'm drifting more in that direction personally!

Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?

A: Meredith Bull - Fantastic Vocalist with such a unique voice. Enschway - Awesome producer especially for making super high energy trap bangers, he's a good friend and just overwhelmingly good in his element.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Digital forever purely cause I can't break it. I do however really like being able to find little combinations that wouldn't be possible on hardware or mappings that are just way too extensive or impossible on hardware gear.

Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?

A: That I'll provide them with the quality that I would wish for my own music. I don't skimp out on the little details and really put time and care into their music.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: The feeling that each song could be the next big thing in music. I find once that song gets past the creation stage and it's all tidy and nicely mixed and mastered I just get this overwhelming sense of achievement and the eagerness for others to hear it really spikes.

Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

A: "when can we do this again?" haha only kidding, but so far not had any common questions or concerns as I make things pretty clear and concise in the beginning.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Boppy white girl music. You know the kind 😂

Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?

A: Tom Misch. I'd love to see his process and appreciate his skill behind the guitar. I haven't found a single Tom Misch song I don't enjoy and I think I'd just learn a lot being in his company.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Trust your first instinct, enjoy the process and don't stop to doubt any ideas you may have. The best sessions I've had are when I've blurted every single potential idea my brain could spit out into one project and then go back and adjust things later. It's two different parts of your brain, creative and critical. Don't let them overlap or you'll end up in a rut of self doubt and subsequently befriend the enemy named "WRITERS BLOCK".

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: I'm personable. The biggest thing about getting the best results is that you and the other person are on the same wavelength. In most occasions, if any lines are blurred so are the results. I try to get to know each and every client and understand their intentions before I start writing so I'm going about things the best and most efficient way possible.

Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.

A: Ghost Production and Song Finalisation. I take my client's ideas (genre/energy/themes) or demo track (could be anywhere from a basic vocal over chords to a nearly complete song needing the finishing touches) and request a reference track which gives me a finishing line to tailor their song towards. I have been turning around each song within 1-3 weeks, ensuring enough time to make sure it is as sonically professional and close to the reference track as possible.