byDJBLVD joins us today to talk us through his latest track, ‘Life Without You’. Having had a busy year, releasing numerous stellar productions, this new release comes as another powerful addition to his production catalogue; showcasing his energetic signature style, continuing to bring tracks groovy in vibes and high in quality, byDJBLVD is fast becoming one of the most exciting talents to watch out for within Electronic Music. So, we’re excited to have him here with us and look forward to diving into the production process behind ‘Life Without You’.
Hello byDJBLVD, how’s it going?
Hey! Things are going well in my world, and I look forward to closing out 2023 strong. As always, I’m glad to chat with you and look forward to a great discussion. Let’s get into it!
Can you start by walking us through the inspirations for your new track, ‘Life Without You’?
I’d be happy to take you through my inspirations for my track, ‘Life Without You’. Honestly, I think I was in my feelings the night the idea hit for the song. Typically, I like to lead with emotion first when building my tracks and let that define the musical key it’s composed within and the melodies that compose it. Lately, I’ve been on a string of producing tracks in the key of B Minor, a key commonly associated with melancholy, patience, love or submission. ‘Life Without You’ represents a story of someone confessing their devotion to their partner, particularly noting that they’d prefer not to live a life that doesn’t include them.
Once I have my emotions and keys down, I dial into the sub-genre of House I’ve been feeling lately. I was listening to a lot of Latin and Deep House at the time, so I threw some heavy influences in there to give it that hearty, jumping feel.
How did you approach producing this new track? Can you tell us about the production process?
When approaching the production of this track, this was/is probably my most sampled track to date. I began with my drums and percussion, as always. I have to get that initial groove before moving on to melodies, including synths, instrumentation or other sounds. I knew I wanted a heavy kick, something that really brought out the song’s feeling and made you feel the heartiness it sought to convey. The percussion and supporting sounds came easily — I sampled from a couple of Latin tracks and packs to help out my melodic groove.
The track’s structure came naturally, meaning how I envisioned the story being told. It begins heavy, progressively increasing in intensity. The song gets you dancing and bopping initially and becomes more of a ballad toward the end once the lyrics are introduced. I imagined a dimly lit nightclub with a couple of scenes: one with intimate dancing, another with close contact whispers and a final one with rejoicing in the power of love. When you add a story behind the track, it makes it so much more enjoyable.
You have had a busy few months releasing smash productions, how would you say this new release differs from your other singles? And, what makes it stand out within the genre?
Ironically, this sound is one that I’m trying to move away from. When I produce tracks like this one, it’s innately different from my other singles. I’ve been leaning more into the UK Garage world in my tracks and fusing that R&B and Jazz vibes recently. I categorized this one as a mix between Deep and Latin House, ultimately settling on the track as a Deep House tune. I think what makes this song and others stand out is my implementation of Jazz strings across my songs. It doesn’t matter what type of song I’m creating; there will be an infusion of Jazz somewhere in it.
Also, with all of my tracks in their respective genres, including this one, one thing that sets me apart is the amount of thought, emotion, and feeling that goes into them. And you can hear that as you listen to it. With this song, I strived to make something different for my listeners. It will probably be my last Latin House-ish track for a while. I’m having a lot of fun infusing UKG and other genres together.
Your sound often blends elements from Funk, Soul, and Jazz, which elements of ‘Life Without You’ do you think most exemplify these influences and how do you think the track showcases your signature style?
Great question! ‘Life Without You’ definitely exemplifies Jazz more than anything else, precisely elements of Latin Jazz. Adding heavier funk and soul elements didn’t feel proper in this tune, so I stayed true to my style with the Jazz implementation. Like many of my songs, there will ALWAYS be an inclusion of a horn arrangement, whether saxophone or trumpet. They are such beautiful sounding instruments that can truly spice up a track and bring out the sexiness of each sound.
Can you tell us how you created the groovy rhythmic vibes of ‘Life Without You’? Which elements did you focus on?
Of course! Since I was aiming for a blend between Deep and Latin House for this track, getting the groove of a true Latin House song is what I primarily focused on. A couple of the elements I put a lot of time into, including the horn arrangements, the supporting melody, the piano and chord structures, and the overall flow. I’ve said this before, but I have to be able to groove to the song myself. The music isn’t there if I do not dance or tap my foot aggressively.
I mentioned above that this song was probably the most sampled track I’ve done in a while. There were a couple of songs and packs I pulled from to help build the groove. Of course, these samples were used as inspiration, and I cut the sounds up to make them my unique version. I like to remind fellow producers that it’s okay to sample when it makes sense. Ensure you make it your work with a twist, and do not copy sound for sound.
Which part of the production process is your favourite?
My favourite part of the production process will forever be finding, building and structuring my instrumentation. Many folks don’t know that I used to be a part of a formal Jazz band when I was younger. I played the trombone. Jazz has always run through my blood — I love spicing up a song with horns, keys or other instruments that can evoke certain feelings. I love tying every sound back to an emotion. That’s where the fun is — playing with different instruments among several keys to craft a unique sound that leaves listeners saying “WOW.”
The track features a funky piano and horn line, can you walk us through the process of creating these elements? How do you create such groovy energy with these parts?
As I mentioned, the piano and horn lines were sampled from a pack I found, and I cut them up A LOT to make them my own. I knew I wanted a running piano that kept a groove proper to Latin House. My main piano line has two variations that appear across the song and flavor the track as it progresses. The horns play a similar role — I rarely use a sample directly from a pack or a song without cutting it and re-mixing it. The horns were originally part of a much larger arrangement, and I didn’t want all of that “noise” in my song. I needed a clear, cut horn to add just enough flavor. Again, I’m picturing a movie scene while making the track, right? Imagine, as the intensity builds, you have one trumpet player under a spotlight going to town! That’s what my horn signifies to me, and it was essential to capture that when choosing how to sample and re-mix the horn.
Typically, I’ll build all my lines for keys and horns from scratch. However, this is still a genre I’m improving in, and when I heard the initial groove, it caught me by surprise; I couldn’t resist.
Did you incorporate any new techniques during the production process of ‘Life Without You’?
Regarding any new techniques, I produce all my music between Serato Studio and Logic Pro, and I’m working on making the full switch to Ableton soon. One thing I’ve incorporated into all my recent tracks is taking one section or piece and building it out solely in Ableton. For this song, it was my drums. Getting the drums to sound right was hard at first; many potentially clashing sounds had to be appropriately mixed to complement each other. Thanks to plenty of tutorials and more time than I’d like to admit, it came out relatively good.
Another new thing I’ve been implementing in my songs is more vocals. Using vocals alone is a new technique for me, especially when mixing them down and making it sound like the voice was meant to be a part of the song. I have a pretty sick vocal FX chain in Logic that helps me appropriately situate my vocals. Besides these two items, I’m always striving to learn more and improve for the next track!
Looking ahead, what do you have planned next? Do you have any upcoming releases that you can share with us now?
As for what’s next, the skies are looking great as we move closer to 2024. I have one last release for 2023, “The Backrooms,” signed under Smashing Trax Records out of London. I’m also pitching another Electronic track with more of an R&B feel called “Lover’s Groove.” That song is probably my newest favorite, right behind “The Genius is Me,” another recent track I loved producing.
I promised myself that I’d release a track at least once a month next year, and I will try my best to stick to that. Be on the lookout for plenty more coming from me soon.
As we close our conversation with byDJBLVD, we thank him for his time and for sharing an insightful look into the creative journey of ‘Life Without You’; with a promise to end 2023 with yet more infectious music, we eagerly look forward to hearing what byDJBLVD has lined up next. So, make sure to keep an eye on this talented Producer and stay up-to-date on his upcoming releases by following him across social media.
Listen to ‘Life Without You’ Now:
https://open.spotify.com/track/2QojYImYnAxK5WTJEityRu?si=349356f2bcab45b8
