“One thing I don’t like about major studios is that there are buttons everywhere,” says Afrojack
On overwhelming gear, he says “If it’s not being used most of the time then I don’t want to see it”.
Credit: Getty / Kevin Mazur
Dutch EDM producer and DJ Afrojack has expressed his dislike for major recording studios that offer overwhelming hardware options that often end up going unused.
The statement was made during a recent interview with MusicTech about his newly-built Belgium-based WALL Records headquarters and artist development company. During the chat, Afrojack talks about teaching young producers about “hype” in the industry, how he uses his new studio to help budding talent, and AI.
“One thing I don’t like about major studios is that there are buttons everywhere,” he says. “They have all the equalisers and compressors, there’s always [an Empirical Labs] Distressor – no one ever uses it but it’s everywhere – but, for me, if it’s not being used most of the time then I don’t want to see it. I want the sound quality of a production studio but the feeling of a comfortable living room.”
While his studio does include high-end studio gear, it’s minimal, with the focus revolving more around inspiration and comfort than hardware.
“I wanted to create an inspirational space for young artists,” he says. “I wanted to make it so nice that, when people come here, they’re motivated to work harder – so that they can come back again.”
Also in the interview, Afrojack discusses the importance of “hype” in the music industry today, arguing that not enough is being done to teach new producers about how to promote their music.
“I know artists with more than 10 million monthly listeners on Spotify who are not getting anywhere because no one cares. At the same time, there are artists with almost no monthly listeners and they’re playing fucking everywhere – because they have hype.”
“We’re building an academic package on that side of things because there are so many tutorials on YouTube about how to make music, and there are so many tutorials about how to be a successful entrepreneur. Even though you’re going to need both if you want to make it in a creative industry, for some reason, no one thought to bring these two things together. So that’s a really big part of what we’re trying to teach.”
Be part of Afrojack’s WALL Recordings family by visiting wallrecordings.com.
