A truly contemporary artist, Franky Wah’s music epitomizes the exhilarating power of club culture. Born and raised in Yorkshire, in the north of England, Franky has an intuitive understanding of emotion, dance floor energy, and catchy hooks culminating in a sound that resonates with both the underground and commercial ends of the dance music spectrum. A series of chart-topping releases have catapulted him into the public eye, where he’s picked up a dedicated fanbase, as well as backing from his peers and idols. This includes a glittering endorsement from Pete Tong who tipped Franky as one of his ‘Future Stars’ for 2020 and regular spins on Radio 1 from Annie Mac, Danny Howard, and Mistajam.
Kicking off 2022 in true style, Franky Wah now presents ‘Dopa La Vita / Mandé’, his debut EP for John Digweed’s iconic Bedrock Records. To celebrate the occasion, the Yorkshire native artists shared 5 tasty studio tips.
1. Make sure you’re producing in a productive environment
It’s so important for me to be producing in a space that motivates me. I know this will be different for everyone, but I like to light some candles for some ambiance and I’ll always have something visual playing in the background. 90% of the time it’s something nature-focused like ‘Our Planet’. There’s just something about it that makes me feel at ease and puts me in the right creative headspace.
2. Trust your gut
Make what you think is right. Keep bringing it back to you and your creative vision and make sure that you’re not producing for anyone else or with anyone else in mind. A lot of people produce what they think other people might like but make what you think is right for you. That way, no matter what the outcome of the record, at least you can say you were true to yourself and you’ve made a track that you personally would play. For me, basslines come in seconds, as do melodies but it often boils down to a process of elimination in choosing which to stick with and which not to stick with at which point you need to trust your gut and your taste. Every DJ trusts their taste in music when they’re selecting tracks for a mix yet when we come to producing our own records we all overthink it. In the early years, I was making music for labels, not for me and I ended up with a pile of material that was unsigned and that I just wouldn’t play in my sets.
3. Know your room and know your environment
When I say this, I’m mainly talking about how sound travels throughout the room you’re in as I think it’s so important. Learn your equipment and learn your speakers. This can take time and is a problem that every producer has come across at some point in their career. During the first year in my studio, I was pulling my hair out as I could never get anything to sit right and everything was always so bass-heavy but it’s just about learning the room. Once you’ve got that down your creativity will flow a lot more and you’ll end up being more productive than ever.
4. Don’t force it
Too many times I’ve been subject to this. I would always put a lot of pressure on myself, especially when I’m spending a big percentage of my time in the studio alone but I’ve learned to give myself a bit of a break because if I’m not in the headspace I don’t force it. Whenever this happens I use the time to do something outside of music that I enjoy or use it to try and upskill. No matter what stage of your career you’re in there will always be something to learn, so using the time to do this makes me feel like it’s time that I haven’t wasted. You can learn pretty much anything on YouTube these days so that will always be where I’ll start.
5. Enjoy it
When you’re producing daily it’s sometimes easy to forget the fundamentals. We all got into music because we love it and it’s something we’re passionate about and I know I am so fortunate to now be able to call this my job. It’s good to take a step back, stop putting pressure on yourself and just enjoy it.
Franky Wah’s ‘Dopa La Vita / Mandé’ is out now via Bedrock Records. Purchase your copy here.
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