Arthur Deep

Happy days, now we are back with another interview to all of you. This time we went to have a chat with one of the best producers around in our opinion, the one and only, Russian starlet Arthur Deep. With big releases on some of the best labels around such as Proton Music, Vapour Recordings, Nueva Digital, Enormous Tunes, Spring Tube, Mango Alley, Particles, we all know what he is capable of when it comes to producing melodies and rhythms. Let us hear what this very talented producer has to say!

First of all, a very big thanks you for taking some time to make this interview possible, it’s our pleasure to have you with us. Could you tell us your story, how it all began with your interest for producing music and how you turned in on the electronic dance music scene? Also, tell us the story about you, who is hidden behind the name of Arthur Deep?

Hi guys! :) First, thanks for the interview invitation, PHWW is a nice project, so it’s a pleasure to have a talk with you, let’s begin…

When it comes to your productions we all know that you have the gift to create some great melody lines and the structure of your tunes are always at top quality, could you try describe how you think when starting a new project in your computer?

Oh, it’s a very interesting process. Actually, I’m an amateur guitar player. All my melodies comes from my acoustic guitar. Sometimes I just play the strings, playing different chords, maybe playing and singing some songs (sure, I do it when nobody can see that and listen to me, haha :) my vocals are really terrible). Then the melody comes to my head and I hurry running to my laptop and playing on my midi-keyboard on a simple synth preset, then recording notes and that’s all, but all work begins on my guitar.

How long have you been in to the producing and how did it all begin?

Mmm…if I remember correct, I started to play on a synthesizer Yamaha Psr-77 when I was a schoolboy. I was composing some songs, playing several pop-songs just for fun, I never thought that I would be involved in electronic music, i was actually hoping to be a rap/pop/rock-star! :D So, then I learned the guitar and even played in an amateur rockband. I listened to all kinds of music , but mostly, it was a rock music. But when the “dance music” came to our school partys , I started to get interested in that. At that time (the end of the 90′s), the most lovely electronic bands for me were “The Prodigy” and “Scooter” . The next (and the most significan), step was my PlayStation. YEAH, I loved to play video games, but in my hands came a disc “Music 2000″ , Yeah it was a revolution for me! A looping based program with many loops that you can combine and makes incredible results… I spent so many days and months with it. It was perfect for my hip-hop texts and rock songs, then I stepped to the next level of “composing” (actually it should be called started to using loops ). Then, I understood that I needed a computer, after some years I came to my friend and he “played” with the “E-Jay” program, YEAH, that was the next inspiring moment, there was to many interesting loops! I decided to have a computer also, cause my friend didn’t let me sit for hours with his PC. Our family (I lived with mom and granny) is not so rich, so m6y first PC was bought only in the year 2004/2005 (can’t remember correctly). But when I had it, I bought ALL SERIES (dance/hip-hop/techno etc.) E-Jay CDs and started to learn that- It was no so hard, just combine pools too, but re-armed loop chopping, effecting and many more abilities that was to help me in the future. :)

So, without noticing that, I started to work on the electronic music composing way :) After that, the last “stage” in my “electronic adaptation” was in 2006. I downloaded the “crack” of Fruity Loops and bought Cakewalk Sonar (demo) it came with the book “Making music in Sonar”. I learned that too and in 2007 was my first release on Tilth Music label, called “In Motion” . It was made in a combine between Sonar and Fruity Loops.

What do you see as your main strengths as a producer?

Inspiration, imagination and wide sight of all kinds of music! If you want to produce music, you need to listen to many genres of music, learn the structure of it and so on. If you only listen to “dance music” for example, you can’t fully “transform” your ideas to sounds, sometimes inspiration comes from jazz or classic to mention something. Also, I think that the “music education” is a very important ability. I learned violin and piano in the musical school for 7 years, so it is very helpful for me now (at least I know notes and have a “mystical harmonizing hearing”. Maybe for some “modern” producing music education is not so important , but better because you will get the basics and it can really simplify your music imaging process and do stronger for your productions :)

The most of us that listen to you music are definitely interested in how you do it, What programs do you work with, any specific vsti’s that is significant when it comes progressive melodies and Arthur Deep? Also, do you work with both software and hardware?

From the basics, It’s only inspiration I think but sure I need to “transform” my thoughts into the music. I use Ableton Suite with its powerful synth base and sometimes a “Sylenth1″ software for some elements. One of the main side of my working, I’m working/chopping/effecting with using loops. Combining and experimenting with it can get you amazing result – you can get a unique sound, sure, no copyright violations, only buying it from stores. The packages are not that expensive, but no doubt they can make your productions more interesting! The result just depends on what way ways of using it and your imagination. Want a secret? for all the time i worked with my Technics RP-F8801 headphones and never use a professional soundcard!! At this time i am producing with my Apple MacBook + headphones, I never had professional monitors!

BUT … now that I understand that the music/dj’ing has become my main career, I’ll never get 100 % satisfied using this so I ordered Sennheiser HD 650 headphones and a Audiotrak DR Dac 2 sound interface :) Hope it will rise me to the next level of quality of my sound :) But still working on my cheap MacBook, at the moment I don’t have the money to buy something else. :)

Sometimes we see you working on remix duty. What’s the difference to you when working with this? Anything speciific to think about when we talk your originals vs. remixing? What do you prefer to do, work on your own or together with someone?

Yes, sometimes you can “catch” something from the original track and use this in the other way, sometimes the remix becomes quite different from the original :) About preferences, I think it is 50/50, every work is interesting :) I can’t say what result I search , everything is changing while you’re working, sometimes I send a track to the label and when it done, I listened it after some days and think … “this is sh*t , I need to re-make this one” , but I already sent it :) Actually, after the track is finished I need to start the next one , cause I am very happy in the process of working :) always smiling when something goes the way I like it (seems you’re noticed that to, too many smiles here from me, butI’m very happy a lot of my time :) I can’t say that I don’t love my finished productions, but I love even more the process of making music! :)

When it comes to listening to music, what can we find in your Ipod? A lot of different styles, strictly progressive music or what is there in it?

Ooooh, nice question, maybe you’ll be a bit surprised, but I still listen to pop / alternative rock music most of my time, about 70-80%. I love bands like Staind, Dredg, Bush, Nirvana, Linkin’ Park and many many others. My musical preferences were grown up from these bands i think. But sure I listen to electronic music. I’m a huge fan of Apparat, Tycho, Boards of Canada, Telefon Tel Aviv (RIP Charlie Cooper), BT and Junkie XL, also still loving The Prodigy. I listen to a lot of music all the time, popular music but also unpopular music :)

What inspires you to create the beats and tunes that you come up with?

Everything, I hear a melody, my motion, a picture, sometimes the weather outside, but the main thing is that I need to be full of emotions and in a good mood!

A lot of the music today is not sold, it’s spread through Internet and musicians hardly make any money at all on their productions. What are your thoughts about the sharing through blogspots, forums and all other ways for illegal sharing of music and what do you think there is to do about it?

Yes, I see, I don’t think about it to much, but sure I have my opinion about this. Sure, about the music now days the sales are bad. But I think if we work harder, improve skills all the time, make music more originally and “catchy”, using all our abilities and express it in our music, make it more unique, then I’m sure – the music will be noticed by a lot people :) sure, it’s needed to find a big label, it’s 50% of success ,because getting signed to a big label = gaining some money, nice promotion and good bookings sometimes. when you’re under a big label – you will become a big artist, big labels knows the process and what to do – that’s because they are big.

Free music (mostly – illegal downloads) is good promotion too! Why not? More people can hear about you for free. that people will share a track with friends and maybe they will like to. From this side it’s nice I think. Maybe you can’t get much money from a release, but you can play gigs and that will earn you money still. As for me, I don’t want to search on the internet for a nice track for some hours, searching a million pages before I can find a free link, I think it is better if I pay and the track is in my bag, that’s all! There is one more side of this, it is sharing for free on a web-site, but ask for donating, but I think if you don’t have many fans nobody will donate you :) That’s why i still releasing on the labels, they know how to promote my music better than me! I think, now days is the way to “have a piece of bread” about making gigs / liveacts and multi-producing (working with other projects, mastering/mixdown for the money, making TV and Radio adds etc…)

You live in the Perm, Russia, how would you describe the club scene/progressive scene in your country and your hometown?

You know, I’m not someone that goes to the clubs so often, but I can say that most of our clubs are commercial for sure. Modern prog / electro house rules the commercial world and we are not any exception as I see it :)

If we look in to the future, what can we expect in the coming months from you and your productions?

I am learning new techniques of sound making every day and I have many ideas and plans, so I can say that in the future my music will be more interesting and fresh.

If we move a bit further, were do you see yourself and the name Arthur Deep in a couple of years?

Oh, you know, it was my first nickname on one of the forums. I didn’t know then that I will be producing under that name. Some people asking “you play / make deep house? I can’t say what style of music I produce and play, maybe prog / deep / tech. :D I always want to combine genres and finally find that “unique” sound that I talked about.

I hope to release my thoughts in music, now I’m collaborating with Eric Liberda (Biologik) and we started to manage the “sublogic(al)” label . It’s one of the sublabels of the Proton Music empire. :) Soon we will show some results of our work, hope you will like it. Also, I never want to stop progressing, I like what I do and everytime I’m working, it seems like I’m the happiest man on earth! The new interesting projects are coming soon!

Any final words to our PHWW viewers?

Thanks for supporting me, thanks for taking interest in my music, thanks for keeping it in your hearts and players. :) No matter what music you like, no matter what music can do with you, if you are feeling happy while listening it’s a great compliment for an artist! That means that the artist can find “common language” with you, no matter who you are so thanks!

We’d like to thank you once again for taking some time for us, hope to see more of you here at Progressive House Worldwide in a near future.

Thanks, wish you all the best from Russia ! :)