Right now in Austin, South by Southwest is happening. Its an annual music, art, technology, and culture festival that gives creatives an opportunity to show off their work. I was invited to take part in a 72 hour rave with two 2-hour sets. I really enjoyed playing in them both and loved seeing the crowd react to my latest IDs. I know y’all will enjoy hearing them when they are released in the future. If you want a chance to hear some of these tracks I’m talking about, join me in Zilker Park on the 22nd of March for an awesome edition of ZilkerBeatz. RSVP at the link below to come hang and dance during this beautiful spring weather!

Welcome to the DCC (Makoom Bootleg)

Nothing But Thieves made a great alternative record that reminds me a lot of music that I listened to when I was a kid and teenager. I wanted to make a unique bootleg that fit in my sets, but paid homage to the original track. I included the original guitar riff, chords, and a few other elements and kept the vocal front and center. I used the riff to make a really big lead stack that gives an energy pumping main drop and I included a healthy dose of acid to make the track memorable from beginning to end! You can listen today and grab a copy for yourself free this Friday, March 21st.

‘All I See’

My EP ‘All I See’ is out now on all platforms. The feedback I have received is moving and I am glad that many of y’all are enjoying these special tracks. Hit the link below to listen and reach out to tell me what you think of this one!

Makoom’s Menagerie

We’re back to a more normal progression with this month’s Menagerie. I want to showcase some of the remixes off of my new EP and am excited to show the talent of the artists that worked their magic remixing ‘Impact Driver.’ Keep an eye on my socials and give the latest an episode a listen when it comes out soon!

Tip of the Month: More on Reverb

I got a lot of positive feedback from the bit about reverb two months ago and I wanted to expand on it a little bit more.

1. When putting reverb on your productions, a little goes a long way. Don’t fear using below 20% wet mix on elements. Sometimes I only use 9-13% on percussions. Use your ears!

2. You want the overall type of reverb to match from instrument to instrument. The best way I describe it is that most instruments should play as if they are coming from the same room. That means they should have a similar preset for reverb on them, but adjusted for distance from the ear. You affect this with the mix on the channel, decay rate, pre-delay, or the EQ.

3. Sometimes, it is okay to have a channel run a different type of reverb like a plate or long hall to give it a different feel. A great example that I use, is putting a different type of reverb on my chords to make them sound subtly different than my leads or percussions.

4. You really have to use your ears with reverb because it can easily clog your mix if not dialed in properly. I would recommend making sure you roll off most the low end below 250 hertz and high ends above 8-10,000 to help with this.

5. It really pays to have an instrument that has an extremely light touch of reverb or no reverb whatsoever. Have a dry sound in your mix gives the listener something to focus on!

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

I’m beyond excited to finally make my first trip back to Miami Music Week since COVID. It was the first truly big electronic event that I attended and it has a special place in my heart. This year’s event marks ten years since my first time attending and I am really excited to go and experience it all again. I know way more about dj-ing and making music than the first time, but I still want to feel the child-like wonder that some of my first shows brought!