As artists our mission is to try to take the music we love, and the culture we find ourselves in, further than it was before.
But it’s very rare that an artist comes along and influences an entire genre, and even rarer to do that over multiple creative disciplines…
Well this week I’m joined by someone who has done exactly that, Alan Oldham AKA DJ T-1000!
As one of the first DJs to premiere tracks by the likes of Jeff Mills, Juan Atkins, Robert Hood, Richie Hawtin and many more as the host of Detroit’s Fast Forward radio programme, Alan Oldham is considered to be “Detroit Techno’s Renaissance Man”.
A key figure in the techno history books, Alan joined the seminal Underground Resistance before releasing his own music on labels such as Tresor, BPitch, and his own imprints Generator and Pure Sonik.
Not only is he a prolific producer an veteran techno DJ, Alan is also a lifelong graphic illustrator famed for his artwork for some electronic music’s most iconic labels – his drawings and large-scale paintings have also been on display in art galleries in Chicago, Berlin, Paris, Los Angeles and Amsterdam.
Now decades on from his initial entrance into the sonic and visual worlds of electronic music, Alan remains at the top of his game and is now enjoying a new wave of popularity in Berlin where he now lives.
In this episode we dive into the comparisons between writing music and creating artwork, how to defeat creative anxiety and beat procrastination, plus his view on what it takes to stay relevant in electronic music even after 30 years in the game.
As someone who is as highly experienced in the field of creativity as Alan is, there is SO much for you to dissect in this episode – so get ready, and get locked in!
Key takeaways
- Focus on the work, and the work will take care of itself.
- There’s no perfect way of working, there’s just showing up and working in the optimal way for you.
- Stick with your plan, and don’t let anybody else push you off your square.
- Don’t rest on your laurels – you’re only as good as your last track.
If you like this, you’ll love this:
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 helps 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 🙂
