Music Producer/Guitar player

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

A: I am very proud of all the albums I recorded with Rare Americans. Since I was a guitar player my "primary role" was to coming up with guitar parts and sounds, however, that's where I got my first real experience with the music production, vocal production, song arrangement, engineering and recording...you need to wear lots of hats if you're an independent artist.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I'm finishing my debut album, working on beats and some film music BUT I'm really looking forward to getting in the room with other creative artists to start writing and producing music.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both. Whatever works for the given situation.

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

A: I will always do my best to take an artist's vision and make it into something that both parties gonna enjoy.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Having a control over my time - there's often a way to schedule a session according to my plans.

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

A: Common questions would be about mixing and mastering a track. I can do a decent job but if your song goes to DSPs then I strongly recommend getting a professional who will mix and master it. I can definitely help artists with outsourcing the right people for the job.

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

A: I'm pretty straightforward about my work so that I can avoid any misconceptions.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What are you looking to get out of this collaboration? What is your vision for your track? What made you make this particular song? What meaning does this song have for you? What vibe are you looking for? What else are you enjoying in life besides making music?

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

A: Get in touch with whoever it is that you want to work with, start talking to each other and see if there's a vibe between you and the other person. Also

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

A: Sailing boat, water, food, fire starter kit and a GPS device.

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

A: I've been making music for the past 15 years and I'm a professional musician for the last 7 years. Being in an independent band got me to studios to record and write with professional engineers, producers and other artists. I fell in love with music production in an instant and haven't stop doing it since. I feel at home in a recording studio and I love everything about being in a studio, bouncing off other people's ideas and creating a song is a very rewarding feeling for myself. I'd say that I enjoy the process of making music more than playing it live.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Interesting (?)

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

A: Steven Wilson - his music had tremendous impact on me. I like almost everything that this guy puts out.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Do not overthink sh*t. Usually, simple solution is better and it gives more space for a unique things to shine in the track.

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

A: I usually work on indie/alternative pop rock but I love making beats, composing orchestral parts or writing electronic bridges to guitar heavy tracks. I don't like to put limits on my imagination.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Music-wise I like thinking out of the box, breaking rules, blending sounds, genres and adding elements of surprise. When it comes to interpersonal skills, being in an independent band for several years made me a stellar listener, quick problem slower and a great communicator.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I always try to look for an unexpected twist in a song whether it is a different chord, melody, rhythm or a completely new part to the song. I like breaking rules and seeing what works for the track at the given moment. However, sometimes less is more and at the end of the day, song is a king so whatever it is that I bring to the song, it certainly serves the purpose.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I usually start with a chord progression, riff, bass groove or drum loop that carries a some sort of a vibe and I dress up the track from there. The sound is very important to me as it is often a main source of inspiration.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I'm producing music completely "in the box". I have a fair amount of plugins, samples, loops and I really like re-amping tracks through my guitar effects using EXCT re-amp from Radial. Besides that, I own a few Ernie Ball Music Man guitars and Squire Precision Bass. I record audio using the UA Apollo Twin X and the monitors I have are Yamaha HS8.

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

A: A few artists I like in no particular order: Daft Punk, Kendrick Lamar, Justice, Dua Lipa, Cypress Hill, Gorillaz, Post Malone, 10,000 gecs, Swedish House Mafia, Muse, Steven Wilson, Rammstein, FINNEAS I really enjoyed working with the likes of Joe Chiccarelli, Ben Kaplan, Tim Randolph and Chin Injeti. Seeing this guys creative process had a huge impact on my own production choices. Other production professionals that inspire me are definitely Greg Wells, Young Guru and Rick Rubin to name a few.

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

A: I mostly specialize on building a track from scratch based on an acoustic demo or reference track. Other work includes recording guitars, making beats, sound design and SFX as well as podcast editing.