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Exclusive Interview

Nov 12, 2024

Produced by: Andrej Aroch

Edited by: Andrej Aroch & Rudy Manager

Dominic Maker - “The things that resonate are always the ones that come from within”

Cover Photo Shot by Kimrey Nicholson

In this exclusive Studio Talks interview, we delve into the career of Dominic Maker, the acclaimed producer whose credits include working with James Blake, Travis Scott, Jay-Z, and many more. Dominic is also a member of the electronic music band Mount Kimbie. From his early experiments with Cubase to his influential work in London and Los Angeles, Maker discusses his evolution from UK electronic music to hip-hop. His reflections on projects like Bad Cameo, the process behind the scenes of working with James Blake and Lil Yachty, and his advice to new producers provide valuable insights into his creative journey and the modern music industry.


Can you share your journey into music and music production from the early beginnings?

I started making music in my early 20s. My brother was learning guitar at the time, so the house was always full of music. He practiced a lot and became really good at it. My parents weren’t musical at all; it was just my brother who really got into the guitar. I always loved listening to music, but I never thought I’d actually make it myself. Then, he showed me a few simple things I could do on Cubase, and that’s when I started producing, probably around the mid-2000s.

When I say producing, I was really just messing around, kind of making songs. Then I moved to London for university, and that changed everything. There was so much amazing music being made in London, and I saw so many live shows and DJs. It was then that I started to understand how important music was to me.

From there, I began to figure out how to make music and express what I wanted in musical form. In my first week in London, I met Kai Campos, who is the other half of our group, Mount Kimbie. Together, we’ve had a long career making alternative electronic music. I’ve also started producing for other people.

I moved to California about eight years ago and spent a lot of time working in Los Angeles, doing sessions with different artists. It’s been a long process, but I feel like I’m now at a point where I’m more confident in getting my ideas down in musical form.

You mentioned you moved to LA and started working more in hip-hop and rap, what motivated the shift from the UK electronic scene to this genre?

I don’t think I fully understood what I was doing at the time. When I first moved to LA, I didn’t know much about the world of producing, which turned out to be really exciting. I hadn’t really thought it through beforehand, and suddenly, it became addictive to learn how people made records. The work I was doing with Mount Kimbie in the UK was very insular—it was just me and Kai, and I was pretty naive and unequipped to grasp what I was doing. I'm not a very technical person, so it took me a while to get comfortable with the technical side of producing music.

When I got to LA, I reconnected with James Blake, who had also just moved there. Even before I moved, whenever James was touring, I’d meet him at a show, bring my laptop, and we’d share what we’d been working on. He always told me there was something in the Mount Kimbie sound that felt untapped. So, after I moved, I was immediately thrown into this new world. James was working on a record with Vince Staples, and suddenly, I found myself in a huge studio in Hollywood, listening to beats he’d made on massive speakers. I became completely obsessed with that sound—the sheer size of it. Hearing music like that for the first time on massive studio monitors was just amazing. James was really the reason I got into that kind of production—rap production—out in LA. That was the catalyst.

Shot by Josh Stadlen

Can you describe your creative process when starting a new track from scratch? Where do you get your inspiration, or how do you approach making something from scratch?

Honestly, it's always different, and I’ve never had a set template that I use. I have a number of people who send me music—improvisations, random loops they’ve chopped together, or tracks they think we should sample. Often, the initial idea comes from a chop or some sort of loop, and that could be from anything—a record, a friend playing the keyboard, or something I’ve done myself.

I don’t really play the keys, but I’ll experiment with random improvisations using different synth patches or whatever synths are around. Then I’ll chop it up, pitch it down, apply effects, and play it back. I go through a variety of methods until something catches my ear, and I build from there.

Another approach, especially when I’m working with James, is during a studio session. That’s when it’s the best—it’s an amazing feeling because there’s this rush of creating live. For that, I’ll have a MIDI keyboard and Ableton set up with long improvisations I’ve collected, ones that I know have great parts in them. Then I’ll play through different sounds on the fly and see what works.

I wish there was a template or a clearer process I could follow every time, but I use a wide variety of starting points.

One of your most recent projects is Bad Cameo, the joint album by Lil Yachty and James Blake, where you were a co-producer. Can you share the inspiration behind this album and the backstory of producing it?

My approach to that record was to make the sonics feel very different and otherworldly, with a kind of texture and weight to the sound that stood out. A good friend of mine, a producer named Aeva, makes incredible music. I’d actually included one of Aeva’s tracks in a Mount Kimbie mix I did for NTS Radio years ago.

When we were in the studio with Yachty, playing through various musical ideas, he immediately gravitated toward something with that otherworldly vibe. I thought Aeva would be perfect for adding those textures and sounds, so he sent me tons of random improvisations and stems from his music. I wove a lot of those elements together from there.

The real inspiration came from how free James and Miles (Lil Yachty) were with using their voices in unconventional ways. The vocal processing was fascinating, and they were both open to trying anything. The atmosphere in the room was very free and creative—anything went, which made it one of the best environments to work in.

It's amazing having James, I've got loads of improvisations that James has done. I ran many of them through guitar rig, distorting and contorting the sounds so they were almost unrecognizable from the original piano parts. The boldness and slight distortion in everything made it wild and exciting for both James and Yachty.

Can you describe your creative process when starting a new track from scratch? Where do you get your inspiration, or how do you approach making something from scratch?

Honestly, it's always different, and I’ve never had a set template that I use. I have a number of people who send me music—improvisations, random loops they’ve chopped together, or tracks they think we should sample. Often, the initial idea comes from a chop or some sort of loop, and that could be from anything—a record, a friend playing the keyboard, or something I’ve done myself.

I don’t really play the keys, but I’ll experiment with random improvisations using different synth patches or whatever synths are around. Then I’ll chop it up, pitch it down, apply effects, and play it back. I go through a variety of methods until something catches my ear, and I build from there.

Another approach, especially when I’m working with James, is during a studio session. That’s when it’s the best—it’s an amazing feeling because there’s this rush of creating live. For that, I’ll have a MIDI keyboard and Ableton set up with long improvisations I’ve collected, ones that I know have great parts in them. Then I’ll play through different sounds on the fly and see what works.

I wish there was a template or a clearer process I could follow every time, but I use a wide variety of starting points.

One of your most recent projects is Bad Cameo, the joint album by Lil Yachty and James Blake, where you were a co-producer. Can you share the inspiration behind this album and the backstory of producing it?

My approach to that record was to make the sonics feel very different and otherworldly, with a kind of texture and weight to the sound that stood out. A good friend of mine, a producer named Aeva, makes incredible music. I’d actually included one of Aeva’s tracks in a Mount Kimbie mix I did for NTS Radio years ago.

When we were in the studio with Yachty, playing through various musical ideas, he immediately gravitated toward something with that otherworldly vibe. I thought Aeva would be perfect for adding those textures and sounds, so he sent me tons of random improvisations and stems from his music. I wove a lot of those elements together from there.

The real inspiration came from how free James and Miles (Lil Yachty) were with using their voices in unconventional ways. The vocal processing was fascinating, and they were both open to trying anything. The atmosphere in the room was very free and creative—anything went, which made it one of the best environments to work in.

It's amazing having James, I've got loads of improvisations that James has done. I ran many of them through guitar rig, distorting and contorting the sounds so they were almost unrecognizable from the original piano parts. The boldness and slight distortion in everything made it wild and exciting for both James and Yachty.

Can you describe your creative process when starting a new track from scratch? Where do you get your inspiration, or how do you approach making something from scratch?

Honestly, it's always different, and I’ve never had a set template that I use. I have a number of people who send me music—improvisations, random loops they’ve chopped together, or tracks they think we should sample. Often, the initial idea comes from a chop or some sort of loop, and that could be from anything—a record, a friend playing the keyboard, or something I’ve done myself.

I don’t really play the keys, but I’ll experiment with random improvisations using different synth patches or whatever synths are around. Then I’ll chop it up, pitch it down, apply effects, and play it back. I go through a variety of methods until something catches my ear, and I build from there.

Another approach, especially when I’m working with James, is during a studio session. That’s when it’s the best—it’s an amazing feeling because there’s this rush of creating live. For that, I’ll have a MIDI keyboard and Ableton set up with long improvisations I’ve collected, ones that I know have great parts in them. Then I’ll play through different sounds on the fly and see what works.

I wish there was a template or a clearer process I could follow every time, but I use a wide variety of starting points.

One of your most recent projects is Bad Cameo, the joint album by Lil Yachty and James Blake, where you were a co-producer. Can you share the inspiration behind this album and the backstory of producing it?

My approach to that record was to make the sonics feel very different and otherworldly, with a kind of texture and weight to the sound that stood out. A good friend of mine, a producer named Aeva, makes incredible music. I’d actually included one of Aeva’s tracks in a Mount Kimbie mix I did for NTS Radio years ago.

When we were in the studio with Yachty, playing through various musical ideas, he immediately gravitated toward something with that otherworldly vibe. I thought Aeva would be perfect for adding those textures and sounds, so he sent me tons of random improvisations and stems from his music. I wove a lot of those elements together from there.

The real inspiration came from how free James and Miles (Lil Yachty) were with using their voices in unconventional ways. The vocal processing was fascinating, and they were both open to trying anything. The atmosphere in the room was very free and creative—anything went, which made it one of the best environments to work in.

It's amazing having James, I've got loads of improvisations that James has done. I ran many of them through guitar rig, distorting and contorting the sounds so they were almost unrecognizable from the original piano parts. The boldness and slight distortion in everything made it wild and exciting for both James and Yachty.

What's a project or collaboration that you've worked on that didn't get much attention but holds a special place in your heart?

I executive produced a record by the rapper Maxo, and I think it's a great album. We did a lot of the work in Los Angeles, and it was particularly interesting for me because it was my first time in an executive producer role. It felt a bit like being the captain of a football team, managing various producers and writers involved in each track.

I came into the project fairly late, when the album had already begun to take shape. My role involved managing all these different interests and egos to create the best possible final version of the album. It was a fascinating and eye-opening experience for me.

Maxo is an exceptional lyricist and writer, and he had the same freedom to experiment and try new things that artists like Yachty and James Blake have. I feel that this record deserved more attention—it’s a truly great collection of songs by Maxo.

How do you balance your commercial success with staying true to your experimentation?

In a way, I sometimes wish I could create more commercial music. Whenever I try to write or create ideas specifically to fit a brief, it never works out. I just can’t do it. The things that resonate are always the ones that come from within me, without trying to replicate or follow something. They’re always fresh.

Even with larger projects I’ve been lucky enough to be part of, I often feel disconnected from the final result. When working on a big record, you have limited control over how your contributions are used. You’re just adding a small piece to a larger puzzle, with someone else putting it all together. This creates a disconnect between the commercial work I’ve done and my more experimental projects.

To be honest, everything I do feels experimental to me, so there isn’t much distinction in my eyes.

Is there a rising or up-and-coming artist or producer whose work you're excited about or would love to collaborate with in the future?

There are a lot of people I love. While he’s not exactly up-and-coming, I really admire Coupe, who works with Young Nudy. I think he’s amazing. I also think Starrah is an incredible writer. She mainly focuses on top lines, but I’m also impressed by the producers she works with as well.

Another artist I’m keen to work with is Shane Lavers from the band Chanel Beads—I’m actually wearing their hoodie right now. Shane is an amazing producer, and I’d love to collaborate with him.

There are many people I’d like to work with, and I’m sure that when the time is right, these collaborations will happen. I’m not one to force it or try to be in every room, but I have a lot of respect for many talented individuals with whom I’d love to work.

What advice would you give to young producers who are just starting out now?

The main thing I’ve learned over the years is that it’s crucial to remove the pressure to make every piece of music a huge statement about who you are or a reflection of your personal interests. Attaching too much significance to your music can actually make it bland and lead you to make decisions that aren’t natural, which takes you out of the zone you need to be in to truly create and express yourself.

If I were speaking to my younger self, I’d say to try to remove any ego from your music. Focus on improving your craft and view it like a carpenter working in a woodshop—practice consistently and be ready to catch ideas when they come. It’s important not to overthink things.

Shot by Josh Stadlen

What are your long-term goals as a producer and artist, and how do you see yourself in five to ten years?

I want to be involved in many more records than I currently am. There’s a lot I want to achieve behind the scenes. While there’s already a lot happening with Mount Kimbie and James, I’m most excited about branching out and working with a wider range of people.

In ten years, I hope to look back and feel that I truly seized the opportunities I had and made the most of them. It takes a lot of effort to reach a point where you're even considered for significant projects, so it would be a shame not to pursue it to the fullest.

I’m turning 38 in two days. I want to accomplish a lot over the next decade and continue expressing myself through music. So, I’ve got nothing to worry about.

I saw on your Instagram that you rate drum kits while on tour. Which one was the best, and which one was the worst?

I had to pause the project because we ended up using the same drum kit for several shows. Our drummer used his kit for the last five or six shows, but it will be back on Instagram soon. As for the drum kits, and I’d never want to disrespect any of the venues, but the plainest and most bland one we had was in Gothenburg, Sweden. On the other hand, one of the best kits was in Heidelberg, Germany. But there are many more kits to come, so stay tuned!

Follow Dominic Maker on Instagram: @dom_maker

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