okay so! I see some puzzlement on the number of new tracks I’ve made in the last few months (understandably - I know it’s unhinged haha), and feel like I should share a lil thread of my process in general and some production tips, in case they’re helpful? /1

to get heavy for a min, the last few months have seen me go through cycles of breaking and rebuilding, as a person. a lot more breaking in the last few weeks, and lots of times where I haven’t been able to bear the thought of opening my laptop to make anything at all. /2

my stasis tends to reach a critical mass, where I have to make some music by force (even if it’s not very good). my success rates aren’t great either lol - there’s a 30-40% chance that I’ll get into something interesting, and the rest is just making for the sake of trying. /3

so, tip 1: if a track isn’t working or I’m not excited about it, I drop it and work on something new. if I’m not excited about the new thing, rinse repeat. let it go quickly if you’re not into it, and don’t get too stuck with fiddling unless you really think it has potential. /4

lots of nights pass where I make 5x god awful 8 bar loops, go to bed exhausted + feeling like I’ve flopped and then there’ll be something in the failed experiments that I can use a week or 2 later /5

tip 2: following on from that, there’s lots of merit in the older tracks that never were. try cracking open random old project files and see if there’s anything worth chasing up on - what you thought sucked in 2017 might actually have a lil something about it! /6

try sampling yourself; your own old projects. and even if you were right in 2017 and it’s still terrible, it’s nice to take pause and recognise your growth in capability. sometimes it can be the push ya need. /7

tip 3: I hit creative blocks sooo often my main tip for this is to make a tiny loop and speed it up. or slow it down. or split it so it’s half time. or export it as a sample + chop it like an amen break. keep on turning it around and looking at it in different lights. /8

tip: 4: okay this one is for when you’re banging your head against the wall and cant seem to make any music at all: try and make something bad. for real, just try! it often yields surprising results (and if it does actually come out awful then heyyyy, you got the job done ) /9

tip 5: get some new samples that excite you! if you’re stuck, grab a clip that you think is fun and just build + build on that. I call it ‘making the dessert’ lol - a stacked 8 bars that’s the main destination of your track. deconstruct it outwards and u have urself a meal /10

tip 6: figure out ur sweet spots e.g. I make music with a specific pair of cheap headphones, in pyjamas on my sofa + have always done it around a day job so my peak music hrs = ~10pm, with an extra surge at 2-4am. find where ur most comfy so you can go there to push urself /11

tip 7: (probably my most important one) - if it REALLY isn’t working, leave it and rest. enjoy life I take loong, protracted breaks from making music (as in 7-10 months at a time), bundle it into a few months of pent up music, and then chill until I feel ready to go again. /12

ah I should mention: when I come back to producing after a long break, there’s a teething period where I feel like I’m relearning how to do anything. it’s probably the most frustrating and off-putting part, but I just cycle through tips 1 - 3 until the first breakthrough /13

I know my ways of making music are definitely not the healthiest lol. but this year I finally learned the last tip, so I’m gonna say it again. if you’re not feeling up to making music right now, rest. I promise whenever you decide to come back to it, you’ll come back stronger