Interview | Questions & Answers With Crimson Child

Don’t miss this great interview with up and coming artist Crimson Child. His own unique vision makes his music an incomparable experience. Also, if you’re into Dubstep, you’ll probably enjoy his latest release with OMSTRB, titled “Shatter”. You can find out more about it right here!

1 — Tell us about the production process behind your new single “Shatter”

“Shatter” was such a fun track to work on, all the way through. It’s one of those tunes that was always on the backburner, coming back to it every few days to add a little something here and there, and that style of writing is what I attribute the level of detail too, there’s just so many little things happening it’s impossible to not pick up something new hidden in the background every time you listen through.

The addition of live recorded electric guitar (shout out Daniel) added an extra layer of depth which I couldn’t have been more thankful for. Was a very interesting process trying to fuse the live element with all the crazy basses and Riddim/Dubstep sounds hahaha.

This also means it was one of the most congested projects I’ve ever worked on, once it got to the mixdown process it was really difficult at times to find ways of cleaning everything up and focusing the ideas down so it’s clear what the listener should be paying attention to at any given time.

2 — What was the best part about collaborating with OMSTRB on this track?

OMSTRB is such an underrated producer, seriously that guy is insane with synthesis and writing crazy drum fills. I attribute a lot of the success of the track to his awesome work on it. His sound design is next level, but the best part about working with him was how easy going he was throughout the writing process.

He never backed down from a challenge, and always strove to make each section as interesting and thought-provoking as possible. His vision for the track and his changes definitely shaped the end product immensely.

3 — Do you like producing for yourself or do you think collaboration makes better music?

This is a very good question, and I don’t believe there is no definitive answer. On one hand, its times when I work on many pieces alone in a string that I come up with my most introspective pieces, and I attribute that to the self-reflection that comes with forced isolation and only looking within for inspiration. Obviously this scenario is an extreme of the question in which as little ideas are taken from external sources as possible (could be called a sort of collaboration to make a song based on other artists’ work?), but to answer the question directly I believe a better way of looking at it is to first determine what result you are after, and then choose the path which will most likely lead that way.

I find with collaborative work I learn and grow a lot more, in seeing how someone else works and pulling ideas and techniques from each other. In this way, parts of ourselves which we hadn’t yet discovered or known existed can be revealed, as working with others offers a different way of looking at things, and that’s what’s most valuable about collaboration in my opinion.

4 — Did any Dubstep song or artists inspire you to release “Shatter”?

While the inspiration for this song was not taken directly from any one artist or style, I would call it a combination of influences, including many artists who are actively pulling the bass scene forward. Guys like Virtual Riot, Vorso and Moore Kismet to name a few. All crazy producers with an ear for groove, and who always find ways to challenge the listeners’ expectations.

Their sounds and ideas played a part in the foundation of this track, but it was the creative ideas from OMSTRB and me which made the song stand out in the way it does.

5 — What are your thoughts on the artwork? Who designed it?

For the artwork, I am happy to give full credit to my good friend Anirudh Singh (goes by paresthesia on socials). I came across his work a few weeks before the release of Crimson Child and I knew right away that he was the perfect fit for the job. His sense of style and his eye for detail really captured my ideas for the art, and really reflects the mood of the song. Definitely stay tuned for more artwork from him on future releases.

6 — Is there something you dislike about streaming services such as Spotify or Soundcloud?

I would say my primary complaint with SoundCloud would be the unholy compression and problems with playback quality. For a site that prides itself on hosting the forefront of tomorrow’s musicians it definitely has a very backward thinking tech and UI division. That being said, it has helped so many bedroom artists and people who would have never gotten a shot to get pushed to the top of the music food chain, and that is not something that can be easily replicated on any other streaming service.

And I think within that answer lies the response to the question about Spotify. While it’s a great streaming site for music of all kinds and is getting more and more use from the general public, as a newer artist going in with only a small fanbase, it is a very difficult platform to grow on. I think this may change in the future though as artists figure out how to better use the platform.

7 — How true is the phrase “downloading illegal MP3s isn’t stealing, it’s promotion”?

This is a multilayered question that I’m afraid has no easy answer. While it would be hypocritical to expect support from fellow artists when you don’t support them back, acquiring tracks is done sometimes out of a place necessity, especially when funds are low. Personally, when I really love a track and know I’m going to be rinsing it out I make a point of buying it, but more often than not I stick to streaming instead of just downloading. At least that way the artist sees some kind of gain.

8 — What’s new in your current studio setup?

Hardware wise I’m super basic, it has always just been my laptop, headphones and Yorkville monitors. While I do pick up little plugins once in a while (iZotope VocalSynth 2 is my newest addition, could not recommend more highly), I’ve actually been practicing limiting my tools more and more, in fact I have been trying not to use Serum at all lately (gasp) to force more creativity in sampling and resampling, I’ve been having great results with it.

9 — Who do you wish you could thank for discovering Electronic Music?

For this, I have to first and foremost thank my parents, who introduced me to artists like Stromae and Zed’s Dead very early on in my life, and specifically my dad who would always play these obscure African House CDs he had acquired on his travels, which exposed me to Electronic Music. Outside of that I just kind of jumped in and right away consumed myself with every possible subgenre, each one more obscure than the last.

10 — Finally, what does Crimson Child have in store for the rest of 2018?

So much still left to do this year! I am sitting on an enormous pile of unreleased music which I’m working with my team on figuring out the best time and places to release over the next few months. You can look forward to tracks coming out at least once a month for me (if not more often) for the conceivable future, across a variety of labels but also some self-releases.

In terms of recent news, you can look out for my remix of “Don’t Let Me Fall” by Asaa & Neo on Esydia Music, on the official remix LP. Super excited for that one, the response so far on the promos have been amazing.

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