SATL Joins the team!
:: Announcement 4/6: For our fourth reveal of the forthcoming season, we swerve off into the more melodic, blissful and musical dimensions of the amazing genre of Drum & Bass… we welcome the wonderful maker of beautiful music Satl to our new team..
Adrian’s exceptional ear for a strong hook & sample is evident across his work, and he has already produced a number of tracks that are consistently being drawn by a wide range of DJs as well as having been released on leading labels such as Integral, The North Quarter, Shogun Audio and Fokuz.
Getting the attention of the mighty Lenzman and TNQ is a real seal of approval, but it hasn’t stopped there… Numerous BBC R1 plays courtesy of Rene LaVice also show the level Satl is currently already at in his career.
We’ve heard the call from people out there who are looking to learn from leading lights of the more liquid realms of D&B – and we have responded! Satl’s output sits at the perfect intersection of beautiful musicality and high production value; while avoiding the error of over-producing. Knowing how to leave certain layers more natural is a real skill in itself, making the right judgement of what colours go together and what in order is an ability perhaps more likened to a painter, but we think Adrian’s work feels a lot like that. Needless to say, we are delighted to have him on board and are really excited for the new dimension his input is going to have on the new season!
We hung out with Adrian for some pre-season questions:
Firstly.. welcome to the team! It’s amazing to be working with you over the next year, as someone we’ve admired for some time it’s great to have you involved. Have you done anything like this before?
Hey, it’s my pleasure to be invited to join the team. I have never done anything like this before so it’s a nice challenge as an artist and on a personal level.
How long have you been writing Drum & Bass for, and were you (are you) involved with other genres?
I’ve been writing Drum & Bass for around 6 years. I’ve done some different genres like house, hip hop before but I never took it seriously. When I came across Drum & Bass I felt the most connected with it and decided that it’s the way to develop myself as an artist. Nowadays I still do a little bit of other genres but purely to express myself and draw inspiration from it.
How would you define the SATL production aesthetic, what gets you excited?
I would define Satl’s aesthetics as energetic but moody; happy but melancholic; deep and emotional. Things that make me go crazy about tracks are most often pads, atmosphere and just the right hook to be honest, you can go pretty much in any direction with your composition from this point in my opinion. Sometimes its all about that right sample, but also most recently I’m really fascinated by techno elements which I try to incorporate and build around them.
What’s your current studio set-up and how has that changed over the years? (can you include a photo please)
My set up is pretty basic, This year I just got new PC which made me switch from an old laptop that I was using since the beginning. And apart from that I’m using Adam A7X monitors, Focusrite Scarlett 18i8 + at the moment Korg Volca Bass synthesizer. Due to moving to another country while back my set up was always pretty minimal that made me became more creative with what I have.
Your music is very… musical(!) do you have prior training or do you play instruments? How important do you think this kind of knowledge is to writing dance music?
I’m not a trained musician and I can’t really play any instruments. I know a few basic chords on piano but that’s it. I think it’s useful skill in music production to be trained or know your way around any instruments but I also think its not necessary. I’m always craving and seeking new knowledge so it might change for me and next time we speak I might be able to perform some Chopin composition, who knows, lol.
Which three tracks by other producer’s really amaze you?
Marcus Intalex – Airborne
Calibre – Hypnotise
Clams Casino – All I Need
In terms of studio tutorials what do you think you can bring to the team on this season and what are you excited to help people with / teach them – where do you think your strengths are?
I think my strength and what I can teach people is how to use the most of resources you have. It’s not always about the best mixdown or technical abilities to make a great track, in my opinion. I want you to take a look at how I work with samples, atmospheres and how you can create something interesting out of just a basic loop. I will also try to show you my arrangement techniques and how I usually start new track.
lastly, what can our members look forward to in terms of your sample pack? What areas do you feel you can really bring your flavour to?
I’m mostly focusing on bringing fresh and unique style synths and pads + modern drums with organic feeling.
My idea is to inspire and encourage you to make most of single element by manipulating it in any way you want.
SO YOU HEARD IT FIRST! SAMPLE GENIE SEASON No.6 KICKS OF FROM 2 -7-19
Two more BIG announcements coming soon!!
