Since her 2014 debut, Danish/Egyptian producer Ashibah has been steadily building a reputation as a producer and DJ with a vision, releasing a series of warehouse-sized cuts on house institutions like Defected, Get Physical Music and Spinnin' Records.
Ashibah's dual talents as a vocalist and producer are on display in her latest single, "My Eyes Only", which fuses her melodic sensibilities with a rave-ready tech-house beat. Following its release, we asked Ashibah to drop some wisdom and tell us five things she's learned about music production.
1. Take small steps and make reachable goals
“Music production can be overwhelming most of the time, there is so much to learn and new information everyday. To make things easier and doable in the long run, without it feeling like the road up the hill is long, set small steps and reachable goals for you to work with.
“Take your time to figure out what kind of producer you want to be. I make a list every year of skills I want to get better at as a producer and I work my way down one step at a time, that way the hill doesn’t feel as steep. When you find something you want to learn, make a good plan for it and go!”
2. Research, research, research
“Do your research! There is so much information out there at your disposal, take advantage of that. Don’t just learn the bare minimum and go with that.
I found out having a smaller set-up gave me so much more flexibility to be creative
"I have a day a week I call nerd day, where I go deep diving into all kinds of things happening on the scene. New synths, podcasts, masterclasses and videos.
“There is always someone out there making new ways and experimenting with production. Go find them and challenge yourself with new approaches. It could change the way you work and open new paths to enhance your music.”
3. Find your space
“You don’t have to have a big fancy studio to be able to make good music. Figure out what space works for you and how you want that space to feel.
You can make music on a laptop in the park with a set of speakers if you want
"Don’t feel intimidated by what’s out there, you can make music on a laptop in the park with a set of speakers if you want, so take your time to work out what set up and environment is important for you to feel creative in.
“For me, I found out having a smaller set-up gave me so much more flexibility to be creative. I sold lots of gear and moved to a small space where the energy and lighting was perfect for me.”
4. Create your community
“Surround yourself with people that give you creative energy and not people who feed on it. Community is so important! We spend so much time in front of a screen and pushing buttons, so having a space where you can share and talk to people about ideas is important. Also people that can challenge you to be better at what you do and teach you new things.”
5. Use templates
“Make templates! They are such time savers when it comes to getting into the studio and turning on that creative button. Getting organized and making these templates will help your daily workflow, moving through the beginning and end phases of a track.”
Ashibah's latest single, "My Eyes Only", is out now on D4 D4NCE.
