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FMM201 – Say Goodbye to Your Hardware, the Future Is Plugins!

In today’s episode we have a controversial conversation that I would love to have your input on.

Rob from Team FMM is convinced that hardware has been knocked off it’s perch…

 …and that the future lies in the box and therefore we should all focus on software going forwards.

I threw my best shots at him during this session in support of hardware and he ducked, weaved, countered and even hit me with a few hooks.

So dive in, have a listen and let us know which side of the argument you fall on.

Oh – and before we get stuck in, you might have noticed new intro music…

This track is Lazarus by super-talented FMM member Kooku aka Louis Hayward. 

…And it’s our new soundtrack for the next 100 episodes!

Key Takeaways:

  • The key to bringing new ideas and genres
  • How physical controls can actually limit your creativity. 
  • Where hardware falls short of software

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Thank you for listening!

I really appreciate you joining me and I hope you’re enjoying the topics and taking some real value into your music sessions.

If this episode resonated with you and you feel it will have a positive impact on the people you know, please share it  by using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of this page.

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One of the things that help people decide if a podcast is for them, is the review section. If you’re enjoying the episodes and feel they will add value for other music producers, please leave a 60 second review and rating. Thank you 🙂

FMM200 – John Hayes: The Path From Instagram Covers to a Multi-Album Deal

Today we welcome Ambient and Electronica producer John Hayes to the show.

John is currently signed on a three-album deal to the excellent Nettwerk label alongside artists such as Sasha and il:lo.

His music is supported on radio stations worldwide, including the iconic BBC, and his track Sleep Song has over 2 million streams on Spotify.

In this conversation, we discover John’s approach to album writing, how his music guides him to the finish line, how he was discovered by promotors and label owners, and how you can be too.

And we get to be a fly on the wall and discover what happens in a meeting with a top label before getting signed.

Finally, at the very end of the episode John shares a well-guarded secret that we are the first to discover.

This interview has it all – from initial improvisations to finished album to releasing to promo and building a fanbase…

…To the big reveal at the end!

Key Takeaways:

  • Working with labels and building a fanbase
  • How to approach writing for albums
  • What it takes to get a multi-album deal

Liked this? Find the full episodes here:

Check this out:

Thank you for listening!

I really appreciate you joining me and I hope you’re enjoying the topics and taking some real value into your music sessions.

If this episode resonated with you and you feel it will have a positive impact on the people you know, please share it  by using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of this page.

To make sure you are always the first to know when a new episode lands: Subscribe here.

One of the things that help people decide if a podcast is for them, is the review section. If you’re enjoying the episodes and feel they will add value for other music producers, please leave a 60 second review and rating. Thank you 🙂

FMM199 – Unusual but Effective: How to Bring Creative Confidence to Your Sessions

Are you open to exploring something a bit leftfield?

We all know that there are ways to get into a creative headspace at the start of a writing session that will help us to be more productive in that session…

And maybe you are already making good use of many of them…

DAW Templates…Creating a tidy studio space…Having a plan of what you want to achieve…Even meditation.

But what if I told you there was another way?

A way that while at first might sound a bit bonkers, has been scientifically proven to work and is being used by many of the world’s greatest creatives and performers.

A way to build confidence, escape fears, beat procrastination… 

Would you be interested to know about it, even if it might raise an eyebrow or two when you first hear it?

If the answer is “yes, I’m game for new ideas, especially those that can help me to be more creative”…

Then stay tuned, because I’m about to reveal all…

Key Takeaways:

  • A scientifically proven way to bring a creative headspace to your sessions
  • How to boost your confidence in the creative space.

Liked this? Find the full episodes here:

Check this out:

Thank you for listening!

I really appreciate you joining me and I hope you’re enjoying the topics and taking some real value into your music sessions.

If this episode resonated with you and you feel it will have a positive impact on the people you know, please share it  by using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of this page.

To make sure you are always the first to know when a new episode lands: Subscribe here.

One of the things that help people decide if a podcast is for them, is the review section. If you’re enjoying the episodes and feel they will add value for other music producers, please leave a 60 second review and rating. Thank you 🙂

FMM198 – Creative Crisis: Has It Become Impossible to Be Original?

In this episode, we’re asking the question – has it all been done before?

Have we reached the frontier of music and there are no new genres, sounds, or musical directions to pursue?

Given the amount of music in the world and the hundreds of genres and subgenres that exist, it would be easy to conclude that the answer is yes…

…Our lot now is to simply refine what exists and there’s nothing fundamentally new to discover.

So is it true?

Or is there another way of thinking? One, that when unlocked, will; fill us with inspiration and wonder about the future.

In this episode, we’ll dive into the topic and as always you can decide for yourself.

Key Takeaways:

  • Why we should look to the past to imagine the future
  • The true statistics of music and its possibilities
  • How to unlock your thinking to find creative inspiration

Liked this? Find the full episodes here:

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Thank you for listening!

I really appreciate you joining me and I hope you’re enjoying the topics and taking some real value into your music sessions.

If this episode resonated with you and you feel it will have a positive impact on the people you know, please share it  by using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of this page.

To make sure you are always the first to know when a new episode lands: Subscribe here.

One of the things that help people decide if a podcast is for them, is the review section. If you’re enjoying the episodes and feel they will add value for other music producers, please leave a 60 second review and rating. Thank you 🙂

FMM197 – Should the Music You Listen to Be the Music You Make?

Should the Music You Listen to Be the Music You Make?

In today’s episode, we’re going to be exploring that question.

Said another way:

Just because a particular genre lights you up to hear it in a club or on your phone, does that mean it’s the music you were put on this planet to make?

…or could it be that holding on to the belief that you must make the genre that’s your favourite to listen to is dragging you down and sapping your enjoyment of making music in the studio?

There’s something very interesting at play here, so without further ado, let’s find out.

Key Takeaways:

  • How to make your music sustainable to write
  • When to let go of what you “should” be doing 
  • How your choice of music could be dragging you down

Liked this? Find the full episodes here:

Check this out:

Thank you for listening!

I really appreciate you joining me and I hope you’re enjoying the topics and taking some real value into your music sessions.

If this episode resonated with you and you feel it will have a positive impact on the people you know, please share it  by using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of this page.

To make sure you are always the first to know when a new episode lands: Subscribe here.

One of the things that help people decide if a podcast is for them, is the review section. If you’re enjoying the episodes and feel they will add value for other music producers, please leave a 60 second review and rating. Thank you 🙂

FMM196 – The Startling Truth About Distraction and Why You Need to Tell Your Loved Ones

Today we’re meeting a familiar foe but in a surprising new way.

The enemy in front of us is distraction, and we’ve uncovered some new research that shows that everything we thought we knew about distractions and their impact on creatives is actually way worse. 

And some of the things we didn’t know were distractions… to our minds, actually are.

Distractions cause us to react, and when we react we have no control…

…and when we have no control, then who is running our lives? 

It’s certainly not us!

So, to find out how this is happening to us…

…and to discover the solutions we’ve uncovered to get your own mind and your own time back;

Keep listening.

Key Takeaways:

  • The distractions that we didn’t even realise were distractions
  • The true scale and impact of distractions
  • How to finally knock distraction on the head

Liked this? Find the full episodes here:

Check this out:

Thank you for listening!

I really appreciate you joining me and I hope you’re enjoying the topics and taking some real value into your music sessions.

If this episode resonated with you and you feel it will have a positive impact on the people you know, please share it  by using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of this page.

To make sure you are always the first to know when a new episode lands: Subscribe here.

One of the things that help people decide if a podcast is for them, is the review section. If you’re enjoying the episodes and feel they will add value for other music producers, please leave a 60 second review and rating. Thank you 🙂

FMM195 – Post Vacation Syndrome: Getting Back to Your Creative Groove in Days Not Weeks

No matter how organised and self-disciplined you are, change is inevitable. 

And, as a result, that will shake up your routine.

This episode is all about the inevitable breaks that from time to time we are forced to take away from our regular creative sessions.

Whether it’s an illness, life events, vacations, work, or perhaps you’ve simply fallen off the wagon and stopped writing music…

Nobody wants to come back from a break and struggle to get started with their music. 

…and nobody wants the break from their creativity to take any longer than necessary.

And yet, I’ve noticed that so many people end up dragging it out when they do have the opportunity to get started with their music again.

And maybe this sounds familiar to you: 

You struggle to get back into a rhythm and days turn into weeks turn into months and the resistance to get started keeps building more and more.

Really comes down to one factor. One reliable and repeatable first step.

In this episode we look at the number one way to quickly and efficiently get back to your music…

…and how you can implement it as soon as you’ve listen to this very episode.

Key Takeaways:

  • The reliable and repeatable first step to get back into a creative routine
  • How to minimise resistance whenever life derails you from your music 
  • Why you can struggle to get back to your music after a break

Liked this? Find the full episodes here:

Check this out:

Thank you for listening!

I really appreciate you joining me and I hope you’re enjoying the topics and taking some real value into your music sessions.

If this episode resonated with you and you feel it will have a positive impact on the people you know, please share it  by using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of this page.

To make sure you are always the first to know when a new episode lands: Subscribe here.

One of the things that help people decide if a podcast is for them, is the review section. If you’re enjoying the episodes and feel they will add value for other music producers, please leave a 60 second review and rating. Thank you 🙂

FMM194 – Studio Paralysis: The Red Flags to Beware!

Nobody wants their art to be a stressful frustrating anxiety-inducing experience.

And yet I’ve noticed so many creatives bring this upon themselves by creating their own studio paralysis.

In this episode, we’re going to be exploring a strange phenomenon that will hamper your ability to make progress with the piece of music you are writing.

In fact, if left unchecked this way of operating has been proven to lead creatives into stress, fatigue, frustration and a state of zero outcome…

…that’s to say completely blocked creatively and with nothing to show for themselves.

So let’s unpack this, shine your awareness on the red flags to watch out for…

…and make sure you don’t experience this debilitating phenomenon.

Let’s dive in.

Key Takeaways:

  • The red flags to be aware of in the studio
  • A way of operating that leads creatives into stress & frustration
  • How to make sure your creative sessions are a joyful experience

Liked this? Find the full episodes here:

Check this out:

Thank you for listening!

I really appreciate you joining me and I hope you’re enjoying the topics and taking some real value into your music sessions.

If this episode resonated with you and you feel it will have a positive impact on the people you know, please share it  by using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of this page.

To make sure you are always the first to know when a new episode lands: Subscribe here.

One of the things that help people decide if a podcast is for them, is the review section. If you’re enjoying the episodes and feel they will add value for other music producers, please leave a 60 second review and rating. Thank you 🙂

FMM193 – KPD: Building a Career That Feeds Your Soul

Today we are entertaining one of Spain’s finest House Music Producers, KPD.

With hundreds of releases to his name on the world’s biggest labels from Defected to Toolroom AND with one of his singles reaching 25 million streams on Spotify, I was keen to understand how he maintains this output, at this quality. 

And all whilst DJing around the world!

The answers to these questions are actually very different to everything we’ve heard on the show so far.

We uncover the reason why one big release does not mean you’ve made it…

…what happens when a track goes big and reaches 25 million streams…

…how you can build a career as a producer and DJ without being a slave to relentless travelling…

…and how to get your music discovered by the people who count in your corner of the industry.

Now, if you think you might have left it too late to give yourself a chance of building a career in the industry…

Or if you have a family you want to spend time with and feel that’s a barrier to following your dreams of DJing and producing…

…you’ll want to pay special attention to this one!

Let’s dive in.

Key Takeaways:

  • How you can build a career as a producer and DJ without being a slave to relentless travelling.
  • How to get your music discovered by the people who count in your corner of the industry.
  • The reason why one big release does not mean you’ve made it.

Liked this? Find the full episodes here:

Check this out:

Thank you for listening!

I really appreciate you joining me and I hope you’re enjoying the topics and taking some real value into your music sessions.

If this episode resonated with you and you feel it will have a positive impact on the people you know, please share it  by using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of this page.

To make sure you are always the first to know when a new episode lands: Subscribe here.

One of the things that help people decide if a podcast is for them, is the review section. If you’re enjoying the episodes and feel they will add value for other music producers, please leave a 60 second review and rating. Thank you 🙂

FMM192 – My Wife’s Expensive Mistakes and Why I Chose to Talk About It

Today we are going to be talking about mistakes…

… particularly mistakes my wife Ana has made.

And let me tell you, they’ve cost us a few quid!

But… they have also revealed a profound lesson for me and a way of thinking about mistakes that, if you find yourself holding back due to fear of making mistakes, I know you are going to love.

So If you want release from perfectionism, fear of what others think of you, or fear of failure then this episode is for you.

I just hope Ana doesn’t kill me for sharing this with you…

Key Takeaways:

  • While one person hesitates because they feel inferior the other is busy making mistakes and becoming superior 
  • Why you should choose mistakes over fear
  • The true value of making mistakes

Liked this? Find the full episodes here:

Thank you for listening!

I really appreciate you joining me and I hope you’re enjoying the topics and taking some real value into your music sessions.

If this episode resonated with you and you feel it will have a positive impact on the people you know, please share it  by using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of this page.

To make sure you are always the first to know when a new episode lands: Subscribe here.

One of the things that help people decide if a podcast is for them, is the review section. If you’re enjoying the episodes and feel they will add value for other music producers, please leave a 60 second review and rating. Thank you 🙂