Take a listen to “The 90s Tapes” and you’ll hear vocals, tons of them and at the time when I made the tracks from my bedroom in the early 90s I had no access to singers or the gear to record them well enough. These days we’re very used to huge libraries of royalty freeContinue reading “Vocal Bytes”
Author Archives: Danny Lewis
Maschine Expansion – Electric Touch
In the 80s I was introduced to underground soul music by my step sister. I used to raid her vinyl collection and tape track after track. This was the time of the original Street Sounds albums and I was introduced to some incredible music that still is a huge inspiration to me. Some of theseContinue reading “Maschine Expansion – Electric Touch”
Did you know I built a synth?
Yep, back in 2014 I built a Native Instruments Reaktor Synthesiser specifically for making chords. I remember sending it to Mike Huckaby who loved it and even allowed me to quote him on the Reaktor User Group: “man your synth is like a secret weapon” “dangerous” Mike Huckaby (RIP) Tragically he is no longer withContinue reading “Did you know I built a synth?”
I ❤️ Arturia Filter Mini
When I left Point Blank Music school in London my amazing colleagues bought me the most incredible leaving gift – a Moog Minotaur. Now this thing was my first Moog and whilst I no longer have it the thing that really struck me about it was the sound of the filter. I’ve since longed forContinue reading “I ❤️ Arturia Filter Mini”
Traxsource Number 1!
I have no idea just how long this will last but right now one of the tracks from the album “The 90s Tapes” is number 1 in the Traxsource Classic House Top 100 chart. Berlin Soul was a pseudonym I used for one EP back in the 90s exclusively on vinyl and this new recordingContinue reading “Traxsource Number 1!”
When Synthesisers got Soul
Quincy Jones is a hero of mine. I’ve read his autobiography and it is utterly fascinating. The amount of incredible performers and composers he has worked with in his lifetime is staggering. He’s the producer of one of my all time favourite albums, Michael Jackson’s “Off The Wall” and a highlight for me was theContinue reading “When Synthesisers got Soul”
The 90s Tapes Minimix
To celebrate the chart success of “The 90s Tapes” on @traxsource (currently at number 10 in the Top 100 albums!) I’ve put together a 60 second minimix that blasts 15 authentic 90s classics from the release in 1 minute. You can take a listen with the video below and then either buy the album onContinue reading “The 90s Tapes Minimix”
Using Ableton Push to get twisted!
Are any of you really pushing the envelope when it comes to using the wonderful @ableton Push 2 #Midi controller? This thing is so versatile and powerful when partnered with some out-of-the-box thinking. In the video tutorial below I take some audio and rhythmically manipulate it in incredible ways. Let me know if you haveContinue reading “Using Ableton Push to get twisted!”
I ❤️ Super 8
Yep this Native Instruments plugin is a staple ingredient for me now when I want to get some warm polysynth vibes in my productions. This particular patch is a combination of Sawtooth and Squarewave with some filter envelope modulation and a subtle amount of pitch mod applied with the modulation wheel. Track is a releaseContinue reading “I ❤️ Super 8”
Hunting Through Old Projects
So tonight I’ve grabbed an old external HD I’d forgotten about, plugged it in and searched for all Ableton Live Projects. I’ve gotta say that this is already some serious treasure hunting. Isn’t it mad how when we’re close to our musical ideas that sometimes we can tire from them – as I did whenContinue reading “Hunting Through Old Projects”
