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10 questions with Lenny Dee
The word 'legend' is liberally used these days, but it's spot-on for techno pioneer Lenny Dee. He loves his outboard reverb, thinks a great hook is as important as a perfect kick drum, and after two decades producing he still struggles with basslines. Step forward Mr Dee.
Producer, DJ and label owner Lenny Dee is one of NYC’s earliest techno and house pioneers. He produced classic UK chart-hitting techno with Frankie Bones (as Looney Tunes), Victor Simonelli (for Nu Groove and Def Mix) and Tommy Musto, before developing his trademark sound - hardcore techno - a genre he still champions around the world. In 1991 he launched Industrial Strength Records (ISR), the first hardcore techno label in the world. Among his accolades, Lenny has been named Number One 'Hard DJ' by Mixmag and has twice been crowned Best Worldwide Techno DJ. We welcome him to the S2S hotseat...
Who's currently rocking your world as a producer?
I love The Prodigy. I also love Sebastian Hoff’s work, and Noisia really tear up the DnB. I get off on all styles of music production and there's so much good music out there.
How do you see the dance music industry developing over the next two years?
It's tough to say; with music sales falling way down, I think you need to find ways of being diverse while keeping your goals in place. Looking at new technology and going with the flow will keep you active as a producer and artist. The traditional music business is fading and there's so little time to catch somebody’s ear, so finding new ways to market yourself is key.
Do you use mainly analogue or digital soft synth sources? Do you think analogue really makes a difference?
I use both. I use more software nowadays but I definitely think analogue makes a big difference, no question. The converters really help keep the analogue sound intact. I used cheaper converters a while back. The sound was grainy and the depth of the sounds were getting lost. Since I got Apogee converters life has become good, really good. I have a few old-school keyboards, which I use on and off in my productions. But I mainly use outboard effects; software effects often lack the presence and depth of their digital counterparts - especially on reverb tails. Outboard FX warm things up while adding to the sound. Even cheap units will give you good results if you’re on a small studio budget.
Any advice for aspiring producers out there?
As far as software is concerned, try out the demos, think about what type of sound you're aiming to make and look to see if if the software delivers what you want to achieve in the studio. Keep a level head when and if your tunes get turned down, and don’t stop - keep plugging your music. Keep an open mind about all music styles. The more you check out, the more you will hear things to apply to your own productions. This will help you learn your craft and improve your production skills.
What is the key ingredient to a great track? Breakdown? Style of production? Bassline?
I focus on the drums first, because whatever you do, the track has to mesh with the drums. But before I even get in he studio my main focus is the overall song idea. This is key to a great track. You can have the best sounding production, but if it's not based around a catchy song, a great sample or a banging hook, then it will get lost. I have worked with great producers and artists since 1985, and if there's no hook, then it doesn't matter how good the record sounds. Great songs are always a balance of sounds and ideas.
When building a track how do you normally work? Do you start with the beat and build your way up from that?
Most of the time I start with the beat. In some cases I just get a single cool drum sound, then build the bassline or lead riff, then I start on the song. I'll then develop the song around this skeleton track and record the vocals. Once I've got all my ideas down I focus on refining the sounds, doing vocal overdubs and so on, mixing the track as I go.
Any advice on monitoring? Quiet? Loud? Do you prefer flat and boring speakers, headphones or big, phat and chunky monitors?
I use Genelec 8050As. They sound great loud and low. I change levels depending on what I'm working on. When I need to know if the bass is right then I listen loud at first to see if the low end is tight or flubby, or if I need to modify the sound in any way. Then I pull the levels down to check if the bass cuts through the mix at low levels, as most people use lo-fi speakers at home. If it sounds good low then normally it’s going to sound good loud. I also take the mixes home and listen on a pair of KRK Rocket 5s using iTunes. It's good to have at least two sets of speakers to reference in two different places. As far as room treatment goes, I use the ARC room correction system from IK Multimedia. This has helped my mixes 1000%. Now my studio room is tuned to the Genelecs, so I get no fake bass or funny reflections from the room itself. A treated room with good speakers is a must for any producer - no matter what level you decide to work at.
Any arrangement secrets you want to share with us?
A few. First up, for dance mixes the DJ must be able to mix in and out of each track so I leave places for that to happen. If I'm creating a more radio-friendly mix then I'll just start with sounds that catch the listener from beat one and move on from that . If vocals are the focus I tend to build the track around them, working on the body of the song first then adding the DJ intro and outro after the body is done. Once the original version is done, I can always go back and do drum fills, automated FX and son on.
Which sounds do you find are the hardest to create from scratch?
Bass is always the toughest - not to actually make the sound, but to have a usable sound that cuts through the mix while maintaining the low end that adds character to the track. It must gel with the rest of the instruments without taking any energy away from them: a tricky order to fill.
What is the secret to being a successful producer?
You have to have a balance of business, engineering, mixing and artistic knowledge. Not everything I make sees the light of day, and not all business works out as planned. But you have to keep at it. I have produced more than 300 releases and executive produced over 250 productions; after this much time I've got a good idea about how well the things I'm working on will sell. You have to do what you feel in the studio and strike a balance between what you like and what the labels will take. But at the end of the day, no matter what you do in music, it's the public that decide the fate of every production and song. Either they love it and they'll buy it or they won't.
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More from Lenny Dee: www.myspace.com/LennyDee. You can buy samples on Lenny's awesome Industrial Strength label here.)
(c) 2009 Sounds/To/Sample