Since beginning his career in dance music in 1993 Ripperton has gained enviable success, both critically and commerically, releasing under various monikers (Ripperton, Lazy Fat People, Headless Ghost) on the world’s most forward-thinking labels (Planet E, Rekids, Border Community, Dessous). Seamlessly merging elements of house, techno, deep house and all things melodic, his debut LP on Joris Voorn’s Green imprint stands as a fitting testament to his talents. Here he opens the doors to his studio and shines a light on the tools and techniques behind his unique sound.
What is the prognosis for the music industry: terminal decline or steady recovery?
The Music industry will never stop. The majors maybe, but I think there will always be a few freaks like me buying music on a nice piece of plastic.
I still sell physical records and I have to say the climate isn’t too bad lately. That said, it’s still difficult for me to accept that I can find my music available for free on the day of release on via Google, YouTube, Twitter or Facebook. Uploading pirate links is disrespectful to the artists, labels and designers who have all worked so hard to produce great releases.
Maybe the people who steel the music don’t understand that we have to pay our bills and survive on the money made from that music. I’m not talking about teenagers that have 20 euros to live on each week but rather the 30 year-old DJs that steal the music and play it during their gigs at the weekend. To me that really stinks.
At the same time, I’d really like to say thanks to the people who do support us.
Does the industry these days dictate that artists need to be both creative artists and businessmen in equal measure?
Yes, I believe that’s true. It’s a fully defined part of the job now. At the same time, it’s important that artists don’t get their priorities wrong. For instance, it’s not necessary to have a website, an agent, press pictures and a whole business plan before you have the music.
There are still plenty of people in this business that are just here to make money, rather than being in it for the pleasure of music – that’s a fact. Personally that doesn’t bother me as I only work with the people I like and respect, and I try to help talented producers who send me good music.
As an international touring artist who can regularly find themselves on different continents in the same week, how do you strike a balance between your touring schedule and time in the studio?
I don’t play too that often anymore, that’s really important to me. The days of playing three gigs a week are behind me now that I’m a little older and have kids.
Playing once a week and having three days at the studio is my perfect balance.
It means I’m not too tired to find musical inspiration in the studio and also fresh enough to be motivated to go out and play gigs.
Who’s currently rocking your world as a producer and why?
I’m a big fan of Dan Snaith’s Caribou/Daphni. I think he’s the house maker 2.0 – I love the way he builds his beats with such a nice shuffle but the melodies are always the most important thing on his tracks and this is what I like the most. I saw him live at Pully last year and it was great, I was so impressed, in French we call those people “Les Hommes orchestres”.
What one piece of kit or plug-in can you not live without?
My Moog Voyager and my Roland SH101. With those synthesisers I can make everything I could ever need/want/imagine. The interface and the touch of real buttons makes them a pleasure to use. It’s like DJing with vinyl – nothing can compare.
When building a track how do you normally work? Do you start with the drums and build from that?
Not really, a track can also begin from a melody. Sometimes I just put myself in front of the piano and start from scratch. I don’t have any rules when it comes to making music.
Sometimes I spend 8 hours in front of the computer and then in the last 20 minutes before I leave I’ll come up with something strong.
Spending time in the studio is really important even if you aren’t making or finishing tracks. You can make some presets on your hardware, search for or record sounds from old vinyls, design some FX on your plugins and so on. Time in the studio is never wasted, even though sometimes it can feel that way.
Any advice on monitoring? Quiet? Loud? Do you prefer flat and boring speakers, headphones or big, phat and chunky monitors? Do you reference on multiple systems?
I just changed my monitors from Genelecs to Focals (Solo 6) and they’re amazing. I started making beats on hi-fi speakers, then I bought some Tannoys, followed by the Genelecs and now the Focals – it’s been a nice evolution.
The quality of the soundcard is also important. I would say good monitoring is impossible without a good soundcard.
When you’ve chosen your soundcard and monitors my advice is to listen to all your favourite CDs and vinyl on them, then your ears will understand the set up which makes it easier to understand what is happening in the music you are making.
I also use a pair of Sony mdr7506 as a reference, they’re not so expensive and sound really good for the price.
What are the biggest barriers new producers face?
I can imagine it’s difficult to find the right label, to make money and to build a sufficient profile in order to start touring.
In terms of the music, I’d say it’s a bad idea to soley make a track using loops and presets. Starting from scratch, building beats hit by hit and creating your own melodies gives you the freedom to develop your own unique sound.
I would say that starting your own label initially is a bad idea. If nobody wants your music you should consider doing something else or working harder. Launching a digital label is so easy today but to develop something good, you’ll need help from other producers and a strong long-term vision for the label, which is extremely difficult to do when you’re just starting out. In the early days I think it’s best to solely focus on making music.
What three pieces of kit / software could you not mix without?
I usually do the mixdown in Protools or Logic 9 and I always use the Massenburg EQ. My soundcard (Apogee Ensemble) is a really important tool because everything is passing through it and I’m recording the final master through it too.
If you could give one piece of advice to yourself when you started out in music, what would it be?
Be yourself and don’t be afraid to sound different. You’ll be rejected many times before it will work, that’s just the way this business is.
What do you find hardest to get right when making a track?
The hardest thing is to constantly try and keep things fresh, finding new ways of working, new sounds and new architecture. It’s all too easy for to stay working a formulaic way. Research, collaborations and discovering new ways of mixing are all good ways to try and stay on top of your game.
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More from Ripperton on his website
