The EDM Prodcast

In this episode, I sit down with legendary drummer KJ Sawka. We talk about what how he got his start in the industry, his advice on how to breakthrough in today’s crowded scene, and what it is like to work with Rob Swire (Pendulum/Knife Party). We also talk about why he turned down a full ride from the Berklee School of Music, and how he crafted his own music curriculum.

Find out more about KJ Sawka: www.kjsawka.com

Show Notes: edmprod.com/64/

In this episode, I sit down with the extremely talented producer Said the Sky. We talk about a range of topics, including his workflow, why he left Berklee School of Music, the struggles of going full-time, and how to approach bigger artists.

Find out more about Said The Sky: www.saidthesky.com

Show Notes: http://edmprod.com/episode-63/

I sit down with mastering engineer and blogger Ian Shepherd to talk about the loudness problem in today's publishing industry, how to combat it, and whether mastering is worth learning as a bedroom producer.

Find out more about Ian Shepherd: http://productionadvice.co.uk

Read full show notes: www.edmprod.com/62

In this interview, I talk to Rick Snoman, widely acclaimed producer, ghost producer, and author of the Dance Music Manual.

If you know who Rick is, you’ll know he’s been around for a while. The Dance Music Manual was first published in 2004 and continues to be the “go-to” book for electronic music producers looking to get into the craft.

In this interview, we talk about a range of stuff including:

- How limitation breeds creativity

- Why you need to stop putting so much pressure on yourself

- Treating production as a job

- And how Rick approached networking (this is my favorite topic)

EXCLUSIVE OFFER:

Head over to www.dancemusicproduction.com (Rick's website) and use the code 'edmprod20' on anything storewide (excluding the new mastering tutorial). Code expires August 4, 2017.

Full show notes: http://edmprod.com/61

Winning a DJ contest set everything in motion for Joey Suki, who went on to tour the world, playing his own music to thousands of fans. But it got to the point where he didn't enjoy it. Not only didn't he enjoy it, it almost destroyed him. This is a story about success, burnout, and reinvention.

Learn more about EDM Foundations: www.edmfoundations.com

In this episode, I sit down with Frequent to talk album creation, dealing with producer envy, why you need to be patient as an artist, and much more.

Learn more about EDM Foundations: edmfoundations.com

Full show notes: edmprod.com/59

In episode 58, I'm joined by German trance legend Dennis Sheperd. He had his first vinyl release in 2005, and made a hit soon after. We talk about that, and also discuss the importance of rest in a stressful line of work like DJing/producing.

We also talk about:

- Whether you should learn sound design or not

- Advice for mixing

- Why you shouldn’t skip the hard work or take the easy path

- How Dennis built his network before Facebook existed

- The stress that comes with being an artist, and how to deal with it

- His ‘Trance Retreat’ event

This episode is brought to you by EDM Foundations (www.edmfoundations.com)

Read full show notes: www.edmprod.com/58

Josh Jett, better known as Arcane Echo, is a button-pushing producer and performer based in Brisbane Australia.

In this episode, you’ll hear about Josh’s history with Australian mega-duo Mash’d ‘n’ Kutcher (and why he left the group). You’ll gain insights into the dark side of the music industry (it’s not all sunshine and rainbows). And you’ll also gain a more realistic view of what it really takes to make it in today’s industry (and whether you should even strive to do so).

We cover a ton of stuff in this episode, including:

- Josh’s definition of success

- The intense workload of an artist

- Why you shouldn’t trust anyone, ever…

- How successful artist/manager relationships work (and why most of them don’t)

- The two epiphanies I had while listening to Josh

- Why you need to HUSTLE

- How to work faster in the studio (hint: there’s no secret formula)

- Josh’s technique for staying grounded. I really like this one, we talk about it right at the end of the episode.

This episode is brought to you by EDM Foundations (www.edmfoundations.com)

Read full show notes: www.edmprod.com/57

In this episode, I sit down with Nolan Atkins, better known as Amidy to talk about storytelling through music, comparing yourself to others, and the importance of learning music theory.

Read full show notes + takeaways: www.edmprod.com/56

Intro song: https://soundcloud.com/enhanced/lycii-declan-james-saturn

How does distribution work? Is it harder to make it in today's industry than 20 years ago? Should artists be self-releasing or still rely on labels? Jorge Brea, CEO of 21-person company Symphonic Distribution joins me as we talk industry, challenges involved with distribution, and more.

Symphonic Distribution discount code for listeners: 'EDMProd'

This code waives the $25 signup fee.

Use it here: www.symphonicdistribution.com/artist-pricing/

Full show notes: http://edmprod.com/episode-55/