1. Hypnotize

My latest release is a special one. Out on April 17th, Hypnotize is a collaboration between myself and the talented Rose Hall. We met at ADE and hit it off over our orchestral backgrounds and love of intellectual discussion. A collaboration came naturally to us and I debuted at my opening set for Cosmic Gate. The crowd responded well and the rest is history. When we showed our work to ReOrder he decided to make an exclusive remix under his Crowd+Ctrl Alias that pushes our idea in a great new direction. This track is going to rock dance floors in whatever jacket you hear it and we can’t wait to share it with you in a week!

2. Hypnotize Release Party

Saturday April 18th, we’re celebrating Hypnotize’s release with a party at Neon Grotto in Austin. I asked three local trance and progressive DJs to join and represent their respective collectives. No Light Thing and his WOMM Radio, ZZGO and FlowATX, and Counterculture and Trance Family ATX. These three gentlemen are excellent DJs and will ensure that we have an awesome time from start to finish. The show is free with RSVP and I encourage y’all to join us at 9:00pm for the first act and stay until close! We hope to see you there.

A Two For One

There’s another show coming after my Hypnotize Release Party on the 18th. I can’t tell you anything else, but keep your calendar marked for the 25th. Maybe another Tunnel Rave!

Makoom’s Menagerie

I’m already cooking up a new episode of the Menagerie for all my audiophiles coming later this month!

3. Using Reference Tracks

If you are really looking to elevate your work, I suggest becoming comfortable using reference tracks. This is where you look to a successful artist’s work for inspiration. Similar to a painter looking at a masterpiece to help them begin their next project, reference tracks help you elevate your productions. First, they provide structure when you don’t know what you want your track to look like. You can sketch out where the artist puts their drops, breakdowns, extra silence, or variations. Next, with modern metering, you can see what the levels are on their track to ensure that your kick and sub-bass are the appropriate volume. This is critical because if you have a weak kick and sub, no one will dance to your record. How I do this is by putting a Fab-Filter Pro-Q4 on my reference track and kick & sub group. I side-chain the Q4 from my group to my reference track and then adjust my kick and sub bass until their levels are mirroring my reference track. This ensures that I am immediately working on my project with the right volume in these two critical elements. Now I can use my ears to base everything else in the project and improve my workflow.

If you have any questions or would like to have a DJ or production lesson with me in person, please reach out!

4. Photo of the Month

Two weeks ago, I took part in the Texas Independence Relay with 11 other family members and friends. This relay involved running 186 miles from Gonzalez Texas to Houston with one runner from the team always on the trail. We each ran three separate legs that totaled about 15 miles. I ran at 10am, 5pm, and 3am. This was one of the most challenging physical tasks I’ve ever done, but also extremely fulfilling. I enjoyed all the time I spent with my team and will probably do this again next year because I don’t learn lessons easily!