As a true electronic music lover, Frenchman Captain Mustache has worked with electro royalty, including Dave Clarke, Adamski, Chicks on Speed, The Advent, Paris The Black Fu, Keith Tucker, and Play Paul to bring an extra vocal dimension to his music. Inspired by 80’s pioneers, Detroit techno, and electroclash freaks, this mustached DJ and producer defines his sound as romantic & burlesque, and can flex a most impressive back catalog that features labels such as KOMPAKT Records, John Digweed’s Bedrock Records, and Helena Hauff’s Return To Disorder, just to name a few.
1. Keep the material that you know well
Some of my friends are always looking for new material, packs, the best gear, but they are always surprised to see that I still work with my old FL Studio 7 (I have done so since 2008). I can easily do everything I want with it, so I don’t see any reason to change.
2. Always better a few good things instead of a bunch of useless stuff
No need for a lot of VSTs, I use 4 or 5 virtual synths + 2 bundle packs of effects, that’s enough. Too many things, it’s too much wasted time. When I’m looking for a sound, I need to find it fast. I sold my hardware gear, just kept a Yamaha synth for melodies, and a BOSS drum machine for fun.
3. Nothing superfluous, go to the essential
Over the years, I learned to avoid the superfluous and keep only the essentials. I put a minimum of effects and compression on my sounds. That’s probably the influence of Dopplereffekt’s classy music. It’s important to be focused on the essence of the sounds.
4. Find your own method and do your best on the mixdown
When I start a song, I work on a loop, trying to find the best alchemy between the sounds and the best elements to create a special emotion. It’s all about emotion. After that, I duplicate different patterns, draw automations, etc, to develop the flow of the song. That for me is the easiest way. The biggest difficulty in music is the mix. Needed several years of practice to make clean things. You can spend hours on a snare to make it sound perfect. EQing is very important, and I don’t hesitate to compare my things with reference tracks from other artists. I know how I want to sound, and you have to do the necessary to achieve the required result, whatever the time spent.
5. Never throw away your ideas
Every new start doesn’t necessarily end in a new song. I keep every idea in a folder, and when I have no inspiration, I can check old files and sometimes I find a solution, or come up with a new take. Some of my recently released tracks contain elements created some 10 years ago! As the French chemist Antoine Lavoisier said, ‘nothing is lost, everything is transformed’.
Purchase your copy of Captain Mustache’s ‘Floorwax’ EP here.
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