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10 questions with MALENTE
German DJ/uber-producer and electro-breaks wizz MALENTE spills all as he takes the Sounds/To/Sample hotseat
Here's the deal: each fortnight we phone a producer whose work we love and get them to spill their production secrets. This fortnight it's MALENTE.
Over the years MALENTE has remixed the likes of Bob Sinclair, Coburn and Mason, recorded for Fatboy Slim's Southern Fried label and released four albums on Unique Records. As a DJ he has played in the USA, Canada, Australia, Thailand, Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland, Russia, Ukraine, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Croatia, to name a few.
Who's currently rocking your world as a producer and why?
Boy 8-bit, Crookers, Brabe, Fake Blood and Dada Life - to name a few - because they have awesome ideas, are musically very, very talented and they have their own trademark sounds.
When building a track how do you normally work? Do you start with the beat and build your way up from that?
Mostly I start with the beat, but with some remixes I go with the melody first or choose some vocal parts I want to use. The main thing is to stay open in the process, otherwise you spoil the fun. Even though I'm German, too much structure hurts the creative process.
Do you use mainly analogue or digital soft synth sources? Do you think analogue still really makes a difference?
I think anaogue makes a difference and it has a better sound but I mostly use digital because I'm so glad to have got rid of the clutter and complications of Midi. I always seem to have problems with technical stuff, so there's no outboard for me. I already have enough problems with my computer and plug-ins as it is - even with Apple kit. I'm a magnet for technical trouble
Any arrangement secrets you want to share?
Only one. If you have a lot of great sounding looped song starts then make sure you arrange them into full tunes: FINISH THE TUNE GODAMMN IT! A track is never perfect. If you haven't got a clue how to build a particular track, just copy the arrangement of your favourite club tune of the moment. You might not end up with a killer track, but at least you've got one fewer song start lying around.
What's your opinion on processing the mix buss? Leave it clean or drive it to the extreme?
I leave it clean when I work in Logic and drive it to the max when I work in Ableton Live. True!
How important do you think it is to have your music mastered commercially? Can you do it yourself as effectively and what tools would you recommend?
I always do my own mastering before the proper mastering stage. I use the simple but effective T-Raks program. In most cases the pro mastering sounds much better - although not always. I have one person I work with most of the time, but different labels use their own guys. I find that the quality in professional mastering differs a lot and some mix engineers are not as pro as others.
Any advice on monitoring? Quiet? Loud? Do you prefer flat and boring speakers, headphones or big, phat and chunky monitors?
I still mix down on a set of KRK speakers that I bought 10 years ago. It's important that you know your speakers and I try to work at a reasonable volume. In the final mixing stage I sometimes turn up the volume to see how the bass feels and then turn the volume very low to see if the vocals are cutting through the mix or not. I prefer to feel the bass in my body so it's hard for me to mix using headphones.
For you, what is the key ingredient for a track? breakdown? style of production? bassline? and why?
All of that is important. I love big basslines, but there has to be a great melody that works with it. A big breakdown is a must for dance music too.
How do you see the dance music industry developing over the next two or three years?
It's hard to say. Sales are still not worth mentioning. Everybody in the industry is living on DJing and live work. Sadly it doesn't look as if things are going to change any time soon. It'd be great if people started spending money on music again but I honestly don't think it will happen.
And finally... What do you believe is the secret to your success as a producer?
You think I'm going to share that ;-) That remains my secret.
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More from MALENTE at: www.myspace.com/malente
(c) 2008 Sounds/To/Sample