Five Essential Tips From A Developing Electronic Artist
Quick Q&A with start up drum and bass producer “Laminar”
It’s undeniably clear the internet has opened a Pandora’s box to incredible emerging talent all across the world and there are so many hidden gems undiscovered and waiting to be uncovered and unfortunately, the recipe for success includes more than just talent alone.
There is no guarantees in the music industry so you need to stack probability in your favour. You need guidance, brand building and relationships to deliver the right opportunities.
Way back in November 2018 we decided to open an artist development program. A selective program, working one on one with Emanate co-founder Jimi Frew. The idea is to help break down the barriers mentioned above.
It’s all about empowering the individual. I wanna see them standing on their own two feet, understand more about how the industry works and avoiding the school of hard knox as much as possible.
Jimi Frew — Co Founder — Director of Industry Relations
Meet the very first artist selected to be apart of the program. Kian Kasler aka “Laminar”. We had a quick chat with him
Tell us about yourself?
I’m 19 and from Reading, UK. I started making electronic music around 6 years ago. I love creating loads of different genres but I make Drum & Bass under the name Laminar.
Aside from music I’m a bit of an adrenaline junkie, I love rollercoasters and horror mazes.
How did you get started in music production?
When I started getting into electronic music around 2012–2014 (Avicii, Swedish House Mafia etc) I was intrigued by how all these electronic sounds were made. I did some googling and we already had a free copy of Ableton Lite sitting around the house so I just started messing around with it.
What other outlets do you have to get your creative juices flowing?
Sometimes when lacking inspiration in the studio I’ll just sit at the piano and improvise. I’m currently working a day job so music is my main creative escape.
What is it about is it about drum and bass that attracted you to create?
I love listening to and creating all kinds of electronic music, but DnB appealed to me because of its high energy and I always seem to find it easier to get a new track started when it’s DnB.
What are some of the goals that you have with your career?
The thing I find most rewarding about music is seeing people enjoy what I’ve created, so playing festivals such as Let It Roll or Liquicity would definitely be a goal of mine. I also love the idea of telling a story through music, so creating a concept album and accompanying live show is something I’ve wanted to do for ages. These are both fairly long-term goals, in the short-term my main focus is just getting as much music out as I can.
If you could collaborate with any artist who would you choose?
It would have to be Fox Stevenson, his combination of slick production and gorgeous melodies get me every time. Plus huge respect for his recent album, it takes courage to move away from what your fans know you for and release something more authentic.
What are your top three drum and bass records right now?
- Mat Zo — Games,
- Asteroids (Noisia Remix)
- Fox Stevenson — Dreamland VIP (still unreleased but fingers crossed).
Tell us about your experience working with Emanate’s Artist development program. What are the key points you’ve taken away?
Emanate have been super supportive and really helped me to take the leap and put myself out there as an artist. Their resources and industry experience have given me a lot more confidence in my goals.
What excites you the most about Emanate and its technology?
- Automating the process of contracts and payments between people I collaborate with
- I love the idea of building a community that directly rewards creatives
- Quickly being able to monetise my music and integrate it into new environments, live sets for example..
How do you think emanate will evolve the music industry particularly the independent artists and labels?
- Making distribution means smaller labels will be able to give artists a platform to be heard
- More value going direct to artists. This means more artists. I think this will lead help more artists making music being made
Finally… What are 5 tips you’ve learnt about developing as an artist to help others?
- Putting yourself out there. If you haven’t already, the first thing to do is start releasing your music, whether you feel your music is ready or not. Getting started and learning as you go is much more valuable than waiting for your music to be “good enough”. This is something I personally regret — I didn’t start releasing music until I thought I was “ready” and missed out on a lot of experience and opportunities.
- Networking is key. Go to shows, join online groups for artists that you like and find people who like the same music you do. Not only is it helpful for your development as an artist, it’s also great to have genuine friends who you share your music taste with.
- Be authentic. These days most people are bombarded with ads and media trying to sell them something, so you need to separate yourself from that and give them a reason to pay attention to you. Find something unique about yourself, a hobby or interest that you’ve always had, and find a way to creatively work it into your brand whether that’s sharing through stories or letting it influence your music.
- Collaborate. Working with other artists is an opportunity to get a completely different perspective on music and learn techniques that you otherwise wouldn’t have discovered.
- Getting through creative block. Everyone gets it, personally I find remaking other tracks helps me get back in the flow because I don’t need to be as creative, just find the right sounds and practice mixing. Another technique that can work is setting yourself a challenge, for example making a drop in 10 minutes or making every single sound for a track in a certain synth. These help to get you out of a rut and get you approaching music in ways you might not normally. Sometimes nothing works and you just have to get out of the studio, spend some time outside and come back refreshed.
Jump over to Emanate.live, sign up and check out the ALPHA platform in action.
