Andy Lee Interview – Producer Focus – Loopmasters

Andy Lee Interview Producer Focus

Andy Lee Interview Producer Focus

Hi Andy thanks for taking time out of your busy production to schedule to talk to us…for those readers not so familiar with you as a producer, DJ remixer and studio guru, can you tell us about your background, and how you got started in the industry?

I studied music management at college which was interesting , but what i really wanted to do, was a studio production course but at that time there was only one course in the country doing it, and couldn’t get in.  After college i worked in London selling studio equipment, which I loved.  It was great getting hands on with all the great studio gear and testing stuff out. I got to meet some really amazing producers and DJ’s,  and after a short time found myself supplying and installing gear in some of London’s biggest and best studios.  In 2000 i came back up North to my home town and set up a studio, I started making house music, had a few records signed  and it wasn’t long before I got involved with Loopmasters. 

You have been a prolific contributor to Loopmasters over the years with some cracking award winning products, whats your secret?

I don’t think there is a secret, you just need to really understand each style of music your producing in. Everything from the way its EQ’d, compressed and effected…and always make sure the loops are ready to go straight into a track.  If a sample makes you want to produce a track out of it straight away then its ready to go in the pack.  My main aim is always just try and make every product as inspirational as possible.

Andy Lee Interview

You cover a fair few genres with your sample productions – would you say this is intentional, does it help keep you fresh?

Yes totally intentional, it keeps me fresh and I really enjoy getting to the heart of each genre.

Whats your favourite EDM genre at the moment and are there any influences to what produce?

I’m really enjoying the renaissance of deep house over the last couple of years,  its not always that deep really, and captures a lot of the elements of tech house, Nu Disco, minimal even at times…its exciting stuff!  For want of a better phrase I’m calling it Nu School Deep.  I’m spending a lot of time working on new material in that style at the moment.

You produce a lot of your work from your own studio complex…what sort of setup do have there?

I’ve got a hybrid digital/analogue setup.  Logic and apogee converters form the heart of it, with Neve summing and lots of outboard.  I also have a few analogue synths including Moog Voyager, Prophet 08, also classic Roland, Oberheim and Korgs, with a couple of cool little boxes for drums by Vermona and Jomox.  Plus all the soft synths and plugs most people use.  Also love my monitors, they are the beautifully detailed but easy to work on Adam S3X-H’s.

Your packs have an organic detailed quality to them – you often work with lots of musicians and producers alongside, do you vibe off this collaborative experience?

I occasionally use vocalists for the packs, but all the instruments are played by myself.  I’ve done extensive sampling and recordings of many great percussionist and drummers over the years which has also been fun.   Its nice to have people do sessions as well…

Andy Lee Interview

How do you view the current Sample industry having seen it go from Niche to mass market in the last decade?

It’s obviously a lot more competitive as a producer now, but it’s a good thing for the customer as every new style gets covered now…

You write for TV and film as well when the mood grabs you! What sort of projects have you been involved with?

Yes, I do a lot of writing for TV & film…and its always good to find out your music has been used on a program you know.

You also produce and remix tracks for Artists, under your own name and under the Central Avenue alias – are there any particular highlights in this area of what you do?

Yes, its been a great years for my remixes and original productions.  I was nominated for a Beatport BMA this year for “Best House Track 2011″ for a remix I did with Pacha, Ibiza resident Graham Sahara.  It got to number 5 on the overall sales chart we heard it getting played all over…really pleased about that

As if that wasn’t enough you like to keep it live and take your tracks out to clubs all over the world, tell where favourite club vibe is?

I love playing in Ibiza, and I’ve been lucky enough to play Pacha twice this season.  I’m also looking forward to upcoming gigs in Amsterdam for the ADE later this month.

Andy Lee Interview

You’ve got more packs coming our ways with a special Essential Artist Focus pack which has a selection of some of your finest packs, plus you have a new House vocal pack due out in November, are there any more sample projects lined up at the moment?

Yes, I’m currently in the production stage of a Bass House pack thats already sounding great…I’ve also got a more progressive House EDM style product under way. I’m currently developing a tutorial for one of Loopmasters sister companies at the moment that will take you through the process of making a house track in logic from scratch…so watch this space…plenty more coming soon.

For any aspiring producers out there – any words of advice for people just starting in the industry?

Work hard, and learn your craft from the ground up.  Read as much as you can on production techniques, mixing, mastering, acoustics etc.. the works really. It’s so much easier now to access that type of info than when I started.  It’s also a good idea to try and make more than one style of music, don’t limit your options. Even if you don’t release a crazy dub step track you made one afternoon you might just learn something you wouldn’t have found out otherwise.

Thanks Andy for taking the time to talk to us today…I’m looking forward to getting my hands on a copy of your latest pack and making some tunes of my own with them!

Check out Andy’s Essentials pack here

Andy Lee Interview