Leeds based dubstep producer Pangaea has spoken about his small scale production set up.
Not everyone needs vast banks of speakers, the latest technology and MIDI controls to craft electronic music. Based in Leeds, Pangaea has released a string of cutting edge plates using very basic equipment.
Travelling to the city to study, Pandaea helped found renowned label Hessle Audio. Releasing his own productions, an EP earlier this year included stunning cuts such as the soulful post-garage hymn ‘Why’.
Speaking to Resident Advisor, Pangaea explained that he uses a very basic set up. Using the program Fruity Loops, the producer adds to this a PC and a simply MIDI controller – and that’s it.
Continuing, the producer added that this does sometimes get in the way. “I’ll often get a lot of the main ideas and vibe banged out quickly. But then for whatever reason I’ll hit a dead end and abandon tracks completely, or I’ll juggle between sequencers in an attempt to get things moving again. It’s hard to explain.”
“Maybe I need to become more impulsive and not over analyse what I’m doing. Although saying that, some of my better ideas have come from thinking twice about what I was working on.”
Continuing, Pangaea explained that in some cases electronic music has become obsessed with technology rather than results. “Well I guess being process-driven can happen. I can imagine producers building up their studios and buying a load of outboard gear… only to make a bunch of dry tunes. But I don’t really see that in the circles I’m in right now.”
“People are basically using a computer and a set of monitors in order to make the best tracks they can” he continued. “I actually think being too results-driven is more relevant to the DAW crew; there are a lot of tunes which to my ears sound so cold and programmed, you know?”
“It’s mainly the stuff that tries to be as loud and hard-hitting as possible. But anyway, yeah, I really like using samples but I admit there is a certain something about being able to create sounds from scratch using synths.”
