My process for writing electronic music falls into distinct phases. Each phase is both fun and challenging in all the right ways. Some phases are artistic and some technical, engaging both left- and right- brain throughout.
The genesis phase starts either with a sound or a musical cell of an idea looking for its sound. While mining for sounds through my myriad of libraries can sometimes be tedious, once I surrender to the process it is like wandering through many worlds with fantastic (and sometimes ridiculous) sonorities. I've wondered whose job it is to name all those sounds and what substances they have consumed to come up with said names because some of them are truly crazy.
Once landing on a sound, I tend to work horizontally - playing a line or a lick or a series of chords. From there, I often work vertically, orchestrating or harmonizing the theme, or I create another horizontal complimentary line that compliments the first one. (Sometimes it starts by just singing along with what I already have done and then going through the sound-mining process again to figure out what “instrument” should be married to the new line). Line by line the “orchestra” gets built and I alternate between working horizontally (extending the themes or morphing into new ones) and vertically (harmonizing the themes or punctuating them with the ensemble I've built).
On my new stuff that includes vocals, often they are improvised (both lyrics and melodies) before being developed harmonically.
As the piece takes shape, many times I have thrown so much at it that I have to carve away what is unessential to find the true essence of it. The carving away process really makes me decide which elements are important and which, while fun to lay down, were ultimately extra.
Mixing is its own artform and also takes me the longest. Every minute move helps create space for everything to sit right. While a lot of the writing comes in broad brushstrokes, mixing is granular and takes a different mindset and level of concentration that, quite frankly, I have to be in the mood for. But, when I dig in and drill down, I find it incredibly gratifying when things sound “glued together" and are both “spread out” and “tucked in.” Checking mixes in the car or on different sound systems is definitely a thing. Apologies to my family for all the repetition!