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- An Ode to Mom
An Ode to Mom
This coming Friday, I have a special record coming out on Blue Soho's Red Soho Imprint. 'Hope & Memories' is a track dedicated to my late mother. It combines a lot of elements of my musical upbringing to include: a viola solo, an amazing melody, and a euphoric drop. My mother always believed in me pursuing music because of how happy it made me and the effect she knew music has on others. One of her final wishes before she passed was for me to continue doing what I loved no matter how challenging it may seem. This final message has served a source of courage for me when making music seems challenging or growing a following may appear out of reach. Her passing was the hardest moment of my life, but has led to lessons that have enabled me to become the best version of myself. Life is difficult, but we can learn something from even our worse days and use that to fuel the hope for our futures. I hope you enjoy this deeply personal track and I look forward to your thoughts about it.
Jeffrey Covell
December 09, 2025
To Margaret
‘Plea of Mercy’
Coming on Beatport exclusively this Friday, ‘Plea of Mercy’ is meant to give everyone a voice on the dance floor. Sometimes the best thing we can do is raise our hands and Plea!
Makoom’s Menagerie
I’m excited to bring you a new episode of Makoom’s Menagerie this week and include my two upcoming tracks for everyone to hear!
Join the Menagerie!
Tip of the Month: Layer Percussions
This month, I’m talking about layering percussions to get a full body and unique mix for elevating your track. Everyone knows about the normal open and closed high hats, claps/snares, ride, and shakers, but what do you do with other percussions loops? These are crucial to the success of your track because they help drive the song and keep the listener engaged throughout. How you add a specific type of loop or take one away during the drop will directly impact how your listener engages with a section of your music. When I’m looking for percussion loops, I tend to use the following rules to make sure my percussions stand out:
Only use high quality samples. This goes without saying and it is important to reiterate. If you use a low quality sample, as you use your EQs and different plugins, it will sound worse.
Pick different style sounds. I usually try to go with a percussion loop that stays in the middle of the stereo spectrum, another that is panned to the sides, and a final that plays around it all.
As you pick a loop, listen to with your other percussions turned on. Make sure the loop or the sound that you are picking fits with your other choices. It may sound amazing by itself, but bad in the mix.
Make sure the groove of the percussions works with the groove of your mid-basses. Sometimes it is even smarter to find a percussion loop with a groove you really like and then build your mid-bass groove off of that!
Cut out the parts of the loop/sample that aren’t part of it’s core sound. This gives you more space in your mix and let’s your percussions compliment each other as opposed to clash!
Use stereo imagers and panning plugins to make some additional movement. I usually have a slight tremolo on one or two of my loops to give them additional movement in the mix.
Finally, if it sounds good, it is good!
If you have any questions or would like to have a DJ or production lesson with me in person, please reach out!
Photo of the Month
This past month, I attended Seismic Dance Event which is a huge boutique house and techno festival in Austin. They never disappoint with their expertly curated lineup and this year was no exception. My favorite set of the weekend was a difficult one to pick and I went with Adam Beyer. He play an amazing journey of different variations of techno and had the crowd rocking the entire time. It was surreal to see one of the world’s biggest techno artists play such a small stage and demonstrate why he is a master of his craft. If you ever get a chance to see Adam Beyer, do it.
A Master at Work
