JoeFarr asks.. Endlec

Welcome to the man, the myth, the legend.

Tell me about your production process, how do you start a track and where does it go from there? 

It changes every fucking period of my life. I am getting bored quickly with doing the same shit every time.  So I always find my self something new to try and do. 

During this period I am focusing on writing the music first and finishing the track without even adding drums. The track has to be good just with the synths. The drums later are the extra spicy, juicy element that adds tension. I don’t even bother making the kick fat, process it or whatever. I just drop a 909 and start writing notes and synths on top of that.

I record everything as audio. Arrange the track to the end and THEN i built a kick and start producing the track. Its not different than writing a song. You write the idea and if the idea is good then all the rest is just to elevate the song and make it professional.

First making the demo and then producing it.  And it works better for me. Cause I find it better to just go in the studio one day and write ideas down, rough stuff, without mixing it and overproduce the tack. Just write the track down and coming back the next days to make it sound good. The track is there and if its a good one it will be good without even sounding dope. It has to be legit even when its produced like shit!! 

How has that changed over the years? 

As I said above, it has changed a LOT. I used to start with the drums and the kick and the groove. Now its totally the opposite. And it is sweeter for me to write music like this. 

Do you approach each EP in a different way ? I saw for your Eternal Damnation EP you used a new approach? Tell me more.

Of course. I get bored of doing the same thing. I like to try and produce with a different style for each record I make. That was the case with “Here Comes The Techno Assaulter” Ep for Eternal Damnation, with “Under Brutal Law” for HEX 

or “SKG4LIFE” for Inner Surface.

For the Eternal Ep I wanted to do tracks using only samples from movies, videos or sampling from other styles of music. Kind of a Hip-Hop approach. Just go crazy with what I’ll combine and see where it leads me.

That is completely different to the Inner Surface Ep, where I just wanted to do analog jams with 3 machines and record straight to a stereo file. Very basic, old school approach. The HEX Ep was totally different than those two also. Still sounding like it was produced by me but with a new approach. You can accomplish that. Making music like you have different alias but at the same time sounding like coming from the same person.  I always do this. Not interested on having a very specific style. Its very limited for me.

Tell me about your set up in the studio? 

Now I use just my laptop for producing ! Lots of vst’s and a couple of soft synths.

Thats it. I have a lot of hardware that I used in my past productions also. My fav one is the Korg MS-20 mini. Love it, used it so many time. Also I have one Octatrack, a Microbrute, the Volca FM, Microkorg, distortion pedals, Tascam mixer, Doepfer MAQ 16/3 and some more.

I love the raw and aggressive sound of your music, it’s a hard balance to get a tight production and a raw sound.. tell me some of your techniques? How do you keep the sound dirty and the production clean ? 

Honestly I can’t really tell how i do it. It just happens so naturally. I tend to go for the dirty sounding tracks/songs in every genre.

But I know that I want the track to sound well produced and hi-def at the same time.

To get a bit more technical… You don’t want to go full dirty if you want to keep the production clean. Find the balance. Also figure and decide which sounds in the track HAS to be there.  What works in the mix? Does this sound helps in the groove, does it add to the melodic part? Or adds anything to the sound design? does it do something important ? A lot of producers tend to overload the mix with unnecessary shit that basically doesn’t do anything important. That’s when it gets too much and the track sounds muddy. Also I don’t distort everything in the mix. I don’t do processing just to do processing. I hear what the sound needs and if it needs distortion, I do distortion, if not then I leave it clean. Cause if you mix everything together then it will work. 

If you have a kick that has distorted high frequencies and a synth with full mids and full highs then adding just the top hi-hats it will sound TOO much. And then it might not need more distortion there!! Anyway.. Every track has different needs!

What monitors do you use? 

Genelec. The small ones, 8010A. I use only one. Crazy I know but its really helpful for me.

What plugin could you not live without? 

Soundtoys mostly. Love them. Specially the filter. This one is def my most valuable.

How do you know when a track is finished? 

When I don’t want to change anything or feel that something is missing.

Do you find yourself referencing other tracks to see how your track is coming along in terms of loudness and production? 

Sometimes yes. Not always. This days I know how to make the sound I want.

Also I put the tracks I finish in my usb and mix them with other tracks at home. Its easier to compare it and see how it sounds.

For me it’s more important to see if the tracks work fine in a mix, feel if the kick/bass is making damage and if the track keeps the energy high and the groove going. 

Is there any part of the writing and production process you dislike?

Not really. Those days it’s easier for me to produce and mix a track. I enjoy the process more. I think mixing is hard and not enjoyable when you try to make a shit track sound good. You probably have bad ideas in there, sounds that don’t mix together and are all over the place. Unnecessary elements in the mix. How can you mix something like that? The process will be a pain. Its a dead cause. Develop the necessary skill of understanding when something is good and worthy as an idea. Then mixing will be faster and enjoyable. 

What’s coming up in your schedule and when can we hear your next release?

I can say that 2 Ep’s are confirmed. For THEM records and one Ep for Deep Dimension’s label, GEN-X. After that, everything that I made will get a release on my upcoming label, RENEGADE METHODZ!

Any advice for people on lockdown?

Soooorry but this interview took a while to finish so we are not on a lockdown anymore! Hahahha. No advice here! 

Thank you Endlec !

And for all the fans we saved the best til last. You're welcome.