Melody Maker, Soul Giver

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

A: Pay attention to what they are paying attention to. Look exactly how they can help you. A lot of providers will just do the job what is only in their part of the job, as oppose to me. I will only look for the better of the artist and his aspirations, that's why apart form my part that I'm hired for I would be able to advise some changes that can correspond with what is already on paper and where are the limits of that paper, that is why it is very important for me talk to the artist, to see where he/she is heading and what he/she is thinking, to always be on the same page.

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

A: I promise that they will get what they want, and a little more:)

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: When I speak with my clients, I like to understand them as they are my friend for who I can care for, that's why the questions may vary from situation to situation. For me to fully comprehend a persons soul and desire it is an inevitable part of what I do.

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

A: My 1963 Pre CBS Stratocaster, My Richie Kotzen Signature Tele, My SG by Vintage, a Classical that my uncle gifted me, and an Alarm.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Soul, Power, I don't think I know for sure:)

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

A: Musicians that I am inspired by always have the same trait, a quick reaction and an aim to the core of the melody of a song and an effective performance to go with it, such as Sia, Richie Kotzen, John Mayer to some degree. Those individuals connect with humans so fast, ensuring instant human connection. I never neglect someone's talent, there is always something to learn from it:)

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Hybrid, always. Some things have to remain analogue for its warm effect on human ears. For conglomerate manipulation and effective solution to technical problems digital does a great job. It is important how far of each and at which point either of them is used. Always project related decisions.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Its freedom to find paths to improve someone's sound in minutes.

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

A: People think that I think too much during work and when I am preparing for work. It's not true:)

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

A: Started off congregating gigs in school, choosing the set list and the performers, advising them on the songs, then proceeded to make my own records, found that it is very hard to do absolutely everything by myself (which I still do) and then discovered that it is very easy for me to find the gaps in songs done by others, and it's more interesting since I meet a lot of different people, when I know myself pretty well:) Have been working with artists for around 3 years.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: 'Power-Deliverer'. I don't know, I'm very versatile.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Look at groove as at something exclusively humane where eyes turn off and only the beat to the body makes it feel the most pure and authentic. Never base off of what you see or what you fakely shake your head to. Until it moves your heart inside it's not right, and the closest thing to represent the humane groove is to see the whole project including melodic parts as a big drum kit. One sound can change the whole groove or can sound clingy if repeated many times, try to eliminate the sounds that don't make a difference, also check on what happening behind, since melody usually at some point coincides with the groove, so to make the best decision you have to be aware of everything around and their connections. At the end of the day: Once the song is no longer interesting to you and you are ready to skip, that is the very part you have to work on. Give the least chances for yourself to like it, and then when you will find something really good it will stand miles out for everyone else.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Listening. Careful listening to music and people.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: At first I would like to talk to the client to see where he is heading and what he is trying to achieve with a project or a number of them. Then I usually ask to give all the previous material the artists has done to fully comprehend the potential and include some of the principles undertaken in the previous work. Once I have all that, depending on the role I am hired for, I will start working towards the project, whether knocking from existing ideas, or starting with a clean slate. In case if an artist comes with nothing, I would like to take more time with him/her to understand his psychological placement and of what he is ready to share with the audience. Once we have an initiative, I will write the chords and the melody to match the message, structure it and then write lyrics to the melody. Once we get the most important part of the process down, we can play with an arrangement and you can decide what path you like best for this project to go down by. All of the points discussed here are always dependant on the previous work the artist has done, since I am trying to achieve the best result for the artist to show his/her audience a proper objective growth from whatever has been done before. By the time the production arrangement is complete and the groove is settled worked upon, I will have the artists vocal in my head and I will guide him during the recording to reach the level the project is demanding. This is an exceptional moment since in my view the vocals are the most susceptible and delicate part of sound of the song, where a listener carefully listens for his/her insecurities and fragility, as well as power and the dynamics between those and their applicability with the rest of the song. As for mixing and mastering, I will prefer to be present or aware during those sessions, as to preserve certain parts of the song to remain shiny and not get lost.