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So Dom, how did you first get into music production?
When I was about 17 I met Nico (No U-Turn recordings) at a party.
At the time he was making tunes in a basic studio he had in
his loft. So he puts a tape on and tells me 'this is a tune
I made last night'. And I thought to myself, yeah, I could do
this…
Tell us a bit about Dom & Roland Productions...
Dom & Roland Productions is my new label. It's mainly for
releasing my own work and my collaborations with other artists.
The label is now on its second release, and features a track
by me and Sketch.
When you start writing a track, do you have a formula?
Well there's no set formula. Every tune is different. Usually
I begin a tune with a drum break. I'll add a high hat pattern
and a shaker and process those elements until I have a nice
simple groove to build on.
Dom at work with Arturia Minimoog V,
Arturia ARP2600V and NI Kontakt 2
Do you just come up with the tune first and fix it later,
sonically?
Well, it's more subconscious for me now. I spent years geeking
out and not really doing music, just focussing on getting my
sound right. The way I look at it now you have to learn everything
you can about sound and engineering, and then you have to forget
it all again, otherwise there's no space to feel the vibes and
be creative musically. Like now when I come up with a beat my
mind knows that it sounds good. It's experience, there's no
quick way of doing it.
Did you benefit from any classical training?
I learned to play the piano throughout my childhood. The knowledge
of harmonies and melodies would have definitely helped me subconsciously.
A lot of people are doing everything themselves, writing, mixing,
producing, mastering. It's a lot on one plate!
I think you learn to do things one step at time: the first thing
you need to do is learn to create music, and then you need to
learn more about the stuff you're doing it on like sequencers
and plug-ins, and then when you've done that and realise your
track doesn't sound like someone else's, you begin to learn
about mixing and mastering.
Do you do all of your own mastering?
Over the years I've trained my ears to know what a mastered
track sounds like. So by the time the track is mixed, its pretty
close. The mastering house never has to do anything too drastic.
How about mixing?
I run 8 outputs from my soundcard into various outboard gear
and then back into the (1969 Studer) desk. By combining the
power of digital software with vintage analogue equipment, I'm
able to achieve a very unique sound.
How do you see the d'n'b scene at the moment?
It seems to be splitting. People like me that have been in it
for 10 years, don't want to see it turn into pop music. A lot
of people are just trying to make money these days, instead
of appreciating things. The media too, is all about 'bling bling',
but that's just the way the world is going.
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Dom Angas in his home studio
Can you give us some production tips?
My main one is A/B your music with other people's all the way
through and make sure that it sounds good. Don't release stuff
that you don't think yourself is better than anything else out
there, wait until you're there, because if you release something
that is weak. a) you'll be remembered for your first weak tune,
and b) it's damaging music.
You spend a lot of time working with samples, which sampler
do you use.
I use NI Kontakt.
Its the most comprehensive sampler there is. It does everything
I want it to do. I love Kontakt, it's really good. I take samples
straight from vinyl and bring it straight in to Kontakt.
Do you use any softsynths?
I use a lot of samples, but I do use the Arturia ARP
2600V and Minimoog
V, as they sound extremely close to the real thing!
What other bits of kit are you rating highly?
I like Celemony's Melodyne
a lot, it's really clever.
What do you use it on, mainly vocals?
Everything. If something needs stretching or shortening it goes
into Melodyne. Melodyne 3 does polyphonic stuff, that's amazing.
Dom's StudioLogic Controller Keyboard
So What makes a hit record?
My rules: Never have more than 3 changing sounds at a time,
because that's all your brain can concentrate on. Never have
less than that otherwise it sounds uninteresting. Some sounds
sound good if they change, others if they stay as they are.
You definitely have to have a hook.
Once you have your groove then build it like a house. Keep the
groove going and don't switch it about, because ultimately it's
dance music to keep the heads nodding. It's ok to do a crazy
edit but not too often.
What do you listen to?
I just like music generally. Either something moves me or it
doesn't. I listen to everything from classical to pop! I really
like ethnic music, and it influences my music a lot. There's
a lot of really good stuff out there, I really like Beethoven
because I played Beethoven on the piano, and in the drum and
bass world, I've always liked artists like Bukem, Photek, and
Dillinja.
Thanks for the interview Dom!
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