Artist Interview: KillTrack

I’m excited to present the second interview in the Artist Interviews series! This time I got some answers from KillTrack, an EDM producer and composer from Tanzania in East Africa.  

KillTrack has enthusiastically explored a variety of modern musical avenues, including house, trap, psytrance, hardstyle, deep house and lots more. He has released a number of original tunes and killer remixes over the last couple of years and as a result has rapidly improved his production skills in a very short time.

Fun, friendly and full of heart, this high energy chat is full of good stories and production knowledge bombs that any producer can use to improve their skills. He kills tracks and he killed this interview – let’s go!

NH: Hey dude! How’s it going?

KT: It's going great mate! I've been feeling really inspired lately and that means a lot of good music and fun in the studio haha!

NH: Where did the name KillTrack come from?

KT: The name KillTrack was coined in 2018, when one of my friends kept telling me about how I "killed the tracks” I was producing back then! Killer of tracks if you will! So, when I decided to start releasing music, I just landed on KillTrack and never looked back! It's a persona now rather than just a name!

NH: What first got you into music? Any bands/artists that inspired you to start making tunes?

KT: I dipped my toes into the world of music production for two reasons! One, it served as an escape tool! Times were hard here at home and there was a lot of negative tension and energy. It was getting toxic, so I desperately needed to get my mind off things! And that's when I discovered music production online!

Two, Avicii and Hardwell! These two artists mean the world to me! Their music was so amazing to me it made wish and aspire to be like them! And that's when I started learning a thing or two about music production and composition! 

NH: Music to the rescue again! How long have you been making it now?

KT: In December, it'll be four years! I came a long way haha.

NH: Nice! How would you describe the tunes you make?

KT: Flamboyant haha! I try to make music that I would listen to first and foremost! It's loud, festive and fun to listen to! Some say its generic, some say it’s not! But I know that I love it and my fans do and that makes me happy!

NH: Speaking of fans, your main platform for releasing music is YouTube. Can you tell us why you chose that and how well it works for you?

KT: Yes, I do release primarily on YouTube! Reason being, I live in Tanzania, Eastern of Africa, and services like Spotify, Apple Music and Tidal etc. aren't available here! So, when I was choosing a platform, YouTube was the best suit because it was world widely available to everyone! So far, it's been pretty amazing! My music is reaching people, I have more flexibility in terms of releases and what I can upload! It's working out better than I expected!

NH: You’ve also just started a Discord – can you tell us what that’s all about?

KT: I created my Discord so that I can have a place to hang out with friends, fans, fellow producers and everyone else basically! It's so much easier to share music previews on Discord and get input than sending to individuals using Instagram DM! Also, for memes haha! I love memes!

NH: Haha don’t we all? Do you follow any kind of formula for the structure of your tracks?

KT: Depends on the genre! If its house, I just freestyle it, but any other genre, I'll use a reference track and build off that!

NH: How do you normally start a track?

KT: I usually start a song with a chord progression and an initial melody! Then arrange out the initial structure of the song! Find a vocal sample to fit, if needed! If not, I just review the chords one more time or two, then start building by adding sounds, FX and so forth!

NH: How long does it generally take for you to finish a track / album?

KT: This really depends on the genre I'm working with most of the time! For example, late last year on December 7th, I released “Go Hard Compilation Volume I”, a collection of beats of different variety! That project took me 4 months! A normal typical self-release song would take me around 5 days to a week and half to finish and have ready for release! But a collaboration will be twice as much time!

NH: What’s your dream collaboration?

KT: Hardwell! Without a doubt! But I'd love to work with Tzar as well!

NH: And who are some other producers you love?

KT: The author of this article ;)! Never Far, Sick Individuals, Kaaze, Maddix, Strybo, KSHMR, Brooks and so many more! 

NH: Haha good answer. What was your first “aha!” moment for producing?

KT: When I learned to simulate the “suck in” effects, by adding a lot of reverb on a sound with a long decay, then exporting it, then bringing it back, reverse! I was so amazed by that haha.

NH: What’s the hardest part about producing?

KT: The sound selection! Personally, I feel like, it doesn't matter if you know sound design or not, but the sounds you choose do! They are the unique characteristics of your song, the very definition! Having a killed melody played by a weak sound makes the song bad! So, sound selection is the hardest part about producing, at least to me!

NH: Great point! What about the most fun part of producing?

KT: Melody writing! There is a very satisfying feeling about writing a powerful melody that really gets across the emotion or feeling you’re trying to convey! Messing around with different scales, time signatures and even switching keys sometimes, all coming together to make a beautiful melody is the most fun part about producing to me!

NH: What’s a production tip or technique you wish you’d known when you started?

KT: Side chaining! It just makes the whole song a whole lot better! It’s important because it allows certain transients to cut through, especially the kick; if it doesn't, you won't rock the crowd, and you'll find that out the hard way haha.

NH: What’s your approach to mixdowns? Do you mix as you go or at the end?

KT: Mix as I go! That way, I'm saving more time and allows me to change sounds on the spot without having to record again!

NH: Do you master your own tracks? Any particular way you go about that?

KT: Yes, I do master my own tracks! It’s really the basics of mastering to me that get me started! EQ (double EQ, for dynamics and tonal enhancement), some compression, saturation, and a limiter is a good chain for mastering for me! But a good mix is key! No mastering will fix a bad mix! 

NH: Another great point! What’s your DAW? Any outboard stuff?

KT: I use a DAW called LMMS! I tested both FL Studio and Cubase, but I found LMMS works best for me! I don't have any outboard things, just a laptop and speakers!

NH: Do you do anything weird in the studio while you’re making beats? Any weird superstitious stuff?

KT: I keep a picture of my girlfriend on a new window to remind me of what I'm working hard for! Sometimes I drink a litre of water before a session haha.

NH: Those are both great! How do you manage music / life balance?

KT: Self-limitation! Lately I've been able to control myself of how much time I can spend on music related things (promo, artwork, video editing, producing etc)! At the beginning it was hard to do so and that wasn't good! Affected my relationship with friends and family, it made me feel like an outcast! But, luckily, lately I've been very strict on myself on how I conduct both my social life and music life!

NH: What’s next for you?

KT: Tomorrowland haha! Um... as of right now, it's nothing but the top! Top quality music, top performance, top of the charts! I'm investing in myself to make this year a good year going into 2021! It's gonna be a good time!

NH: That’s the spirit man! Anything you want to announce / anything to say to anyone?

KT: Yes, I'd like to announce that I'm releasing a new song on September 29th, so keep an eye on my social medias for that! This is only the beginning for KillTrack!

NH: Thanks! Where can people hear you?

On YouTube, at KillTrack Music, and with every streaming services! See you there!