Tell us about your production journey so far – how long have you been producing? What drew you to it in the first place?
I first stumbled upon FL Studio about 15 years ago. I’d always dabbled with music production but never made anything that I would consider something I really want to put out there. I joined toolroom academy to help me create something I would put out.
Week 1 of the course focuses on artist identity and positioning. Did this make you analyse your sound in any way?
100% absolutely, I think that by me wanting to get into this space, I always knew what I liked. Toolroom academy did a great job of helping me to recognise what it is I wanted to create, which in my case is Caribbean Tech House.
What other modules really stood out to you throughout the 12 weeks?
The early modules when we were working on our 8 bar loop really helped me on my production journey. I’d never put a track together from start to finish and this helped to give me clarity on how to get started. I had kind of just guessed in the past. It’s given me the confidence that I now know what I’m doing.
How important was the A&R feedback throughout your journey?
Super, super helpful. Um, from the interactions that I had with Pete and Ben, it seems as though they were very happy with me implementing what they suggested and being someone who, uh, kind of what I do call it.
How happy were you with the track you made over the course of the 3 months?
Very Happy! Not only am I happy with this one, but I am also very confident I will be happy with the tracks I produce moving forwards now I have completed this course
How would you compare your production ability/knowledge now, compared to when you started the course?
Night and Day! There’re certain things I never knew I needed to be paying attention to before the course that I am now very much aware of. I’m sure this knowledge will continue to snowball 20x the more I apply it.
Has your ability on Logic/ Ableton improved since you’ve taken the course?
Yes absolutely, before the course I hadn’t used Ableton as I was on FL Studio, it was something I always wanted to learn. Following the course, I can look at Ableton and understand what it is I’m looking at. It’s no longer just a screen with a bunch of intimidating colours on it.
So in summary, my skills are through the roof in comparison to what they were before the course.
Did you manage to connect and built relationships with other students on the course?
Toolroom do a great job of providing you with a platform to network and get to know the others who are going on the journey with you. I’ve made a lot of friends throughout my time on the course.
I’d also recommend going to the toolroom events when they do them, it gives you a chance to meet the people behind the scenes and build relationships with them.
How would you rate your tutors?
I mean, they’ve done this before, right? There’s a reason Mark and the team at Toolroom have selected them as the course tutors. They are fantastic, it was great to work with them and get the weekly A&R feedback from them.
What was the single best experience you had on the programme?
For me, it was making the pilgrimage to London from Canada for the London Calling event at Studio 338 while I was on the course. It was great to connect with so many like-minded people. It felt like a proper family environment.
On a scale of 1-10, how likely would you be to recommend this course to other producers?
It’s obviously a 10 out of 10 for anyone who’s producing music in the tech house sector.
As a graduate, what are your thoughts on the Toolroom Academy overall?
I’ll keep this short for you, if you are a DJ and want to unlock your creative potential, then this is the place for you. This programme has changed my life!
