Author: Martin

LennyTunes – Beats from Jaffa’r Away

1. Favourite knob or fader or switch on a piece of gear and why?

The glorious Pultec EQ switches and knobs have the empowering effect of making you feel like you’re doing something meaningfully right.
It’s a cruel lie unfortunately.

Pultec EQP-iA3 Program Equalizer

2. Do you have an ‘almost’ perfect bit of kit? What would you change?

The Roland SH-1000 is a magical wild beast. It has it all, mojo-wise and sound-wise – but lacks midi, stable oscillators and a decent keyboard.

Roland SH-1000

Also – Dear Elektron please add 1 more LFO to the Rytm. It’s so close to perfection.

3. What setup do you bring on holiday or tour or commute etc.?

On holiday I will usually try and revert to my other senses, and give my ears a bit of a rest.. but I will occasionally bring a portable recorder to capture a few interesting sounds. (Like my father’s old Kenwood cassette recorder).
On tour (it constantly changes..) – Elektron Rytm/Analog4 + Roland AE7 + Moog Phatty/Jen SX1000 + Korg Wavedrum.

Kenwood cassette recorder

4. What software do you wish was hardware and vice versa?

I wish we had more old school “ethnic” arranger keyboards in software emulation. Love those sounds.. and I can’t live without my quarter-tone mini keys:)

5. Is there anything you regret selling… or regret buying?

Yes, stupidity was inevitable, but regret is pointless. Lately I do wish I had my old Oberheim SEM to play around with.😢

6. What gear has inspired you to produce the most music?

I would have to give this one to the almighty Tascam 424. It’s how I got my first experience of producing and multitracking music, back in my teen years.
I recently recorded my “film Grain” album, on 2 cassettes, tape loops and bucket-brigade delays, so occasionally, it still puts its enchanting spells on me.

Tascam 424

7. If you had to start over, what would you get first?

I’m pretty sure starting over with only a laptop, or a couple of groove boxes, would not feel limiting in any way.. as boring or predictable as it sounds.
But in case of a climate catastrophe or zombie apocalypse, I would probably be stringing a tortoise shell, at some point, and be fully happy starting over as the local weirdo bard.

Tascam 424 and friends

8. What’s the most annoying piece of gear you have, that you just can’t live without?

I don’t think I’ll get any arguments against this one – surely, it has to be cables.

9. Most surprising tip or trick or technique that you’ve discovered about a bit of kit?

Delay – it makes you play less.
Also, manipulating tape speed and sculpting reverb echo repeats, it really wonderfully showcases how music can explore the human concept of time.

Lexicon model 200

Artist or Band name?

LennyTunes

Genre?

Bellydance music
Organic House
Folktronica
Warped Pop
Indulgent Ambient

Selfie?

LennyTunes

Where are you from?

I grew up, mostly bare-foot and happy, in a communal agricultural cult, called a Kibbutz. And been living most of my life in the musical, strange and wonderful 4000yo city of Jaffa. It is still my main inspiration and muse.

How did you get into music?

No point in lingering over past mistakes.
I formed my first punk band with my school friends at age 10. Since then, I’ve never obsessed over anything as much as I did over music..

What still drives you to make music?

When you love something, you want to study it forever.

How do you most often start a new track?

Usually when I play and stumble on to something I like, find a pretty sound or have a melody in my head.. I keep a short recording of it as a note, and come back to it later, if it’s any good. I have a million of these, because it rarely is.

How do you know when a track is finished?

It’s never finished. You just have to let go.
I’ll just (sort of) quote the great Ben Burtt here – Songs are never released, they escape.

Show us your current studio

LennyTunes Studio
LennyTunes Studio
Fender Jazzmaster
Rhodes and Minimoog

Best creative advice that you’ve ever heard?

“Stay true to what you are representing, it’s not about you”. Someone luckily told me that early on..
On a more practical level – If you feel burned or musically empty inside, try just picking up a new instrument to play. Or buy a new synth.

Promote your latest thing… Go ahead, throw us a link.

With my latest release “Fine Sands”, I tried to prove to my self that club/dance/house music can be created with only live-recorded acoustic middle eastern folk instruments, and acoustically amplified synths. I had a great time trying my best. was I successful in any way?
Please check it out, my music friends –
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3YYNR3x
Album Visualizer on Youtube: https://bit.ly/3Xfif8C
Tascam Cassette ambient extravaganza: https://spoti.fi/3rSLnzo

Aage Johnson – Sounds like ‘Oh’

1. Favourite knob or fader or switch on a piece of gear and why?

The mighty Hammond Organ

After giving this a lot of thought, I must admit it’s the power switch on almost any piece of gear. If not all gear. Being a Hammond organ player by heart, it’s always a bit of a cliffhanger, if the instrument will work or even turn on from one gig to the other – and with newer synths, the joy of seeing the lights flicker across the instrument when turning on, is pure bliss! The rest seems purely functional, but that first way of making contact with the instrument by turning it on does it for me. That almost sounds wrong.

2. Do you have an ‘almost’ perfect bit of kit? What would you change?

What first comes to mind is my Holy Grail (old reverb pedal). It has one knob: reverb amount. There’s absolutely nothing I would change on it. If not that, it’s gotta be the Korg MS-10. Super simple and perfect for what it can do and does. If I could change anything, it might be another oscillator – or the possibility of hearing a polyphonic version of it. Oh, and midi.

EHX Holy Grail

3. What setup do you bring on holiday or tour or commute etc.?

Holidays and commutes is where I bring the outcome of other people’s gear and ideas: their music. Since most of my worklife is based around music, holidays are not really a thing. Other people’s holidays are my busiest times of the year, and… well, as musicians, we don’t really take time off, do we? There’s always some sort of music going on… and this question got me thinking: if there was a piece of gear, I could bring – and this is sort of a dream for me – it would be the Vongon Replay. I don’t own one, and unfortunately never tried one, but wow… just look at it!

Vongon Replay

4. What software do you wish was hardware and vice versa?

I only use Ableton when it comes to software, but definitely wouldn’t wish all my hardware had turned to software overnight.

5. Is there anything you regret selling… or regret buying?

I bought an MS-20 and an MS-10 in 1998 and paid 2100 Danish kroner (about 300 dollars) for both of them. However, they seemed to be broken, ‘cause none of them produced more than one note at a time. Disappointed as I was, I sold them again for 2500 kr.
I did, however, buy an MS-10 a few years back, and love it to heaven and back.

Korg MS-10

6. What gear has inspired you to produce the most music?

The Hammond Organ. No doubt. The simplicity and it’s way of letting it sound like you can actually play, when all you do is just switch between a couple of keys and know your C7.

Hammond Organ

7. If you had to start over, what would you get first?

A band. Definitely. That has always been the main reason for playing music: hanging out, sharing stories and creating music. Dreaming.

8. What’s the most annoying piece of gear you have, that you just can’t live without?

The Roll’or’kari’s (dolly to haul the Hammond B-3 around). It’s heavy as hell, even by itself, and then you slap them on a 150 kg organ and carry them both. Hate it.
If it’s playable gear, it would be the Chase Bliss Mood. Not even the MKII. The first one ‘cause it’s such a beautiful piece of aesthetic wonder. Can make anything sound good and musical. Thing is, I still don’t really know exactly how it works or what it does and when it does it. Sort of like eating food when on vacation. You don’t really know what it is, how it tastes so good or what the consequences will be…
When it comes to annoying gear, that I wish I could sell, it’s the Chase Bliss CXM 1978. I wish I’d just sell it, but it just sounds so damn good. And those motorized faders… (getting chills just typing this)

Chase Bliss CXM 1978

9. Most surprising tip or trick or technique that you’ve discovered about a bit of kit?

Ooooh, this is a great question! Nikolaj Svaneborg from Svaneborg Kardyb taught me this trick for the Juno-6 and 60’s:

Set the resonance at 7 or 8, set the ‘kybd’ knob to 10, turn off all three oscillators, set the filter to 10 and then slide the fader down until tones start to come out. You can tune it quite precisely, but you never get it to tune perfectly – that’s the charm:-)

This sound can be heard on the track ‘Balancen’ from their newest album.

Juno-6

Artist or Band name?

The Orgelheimers, Nairobi Auto Service, Me Llamo Speedos and Hippie Da DA

Genre?

Hammond stuff, Ethiojazz, souljazz, surf, electronica, calm stuff

Selfie?

Nikolaj Aage Høi aka Aage Johnsen

Where are you from?

Copenhagen based

How did you get into music?

Wanted to hang out with the kids playing music in the small town I grew up in. It was an easy transition from skateboarding into music.

What still drives you to make music?

Good question. I’ve been low on drive for a while. The hassle of playing live, working with musicians (who run different notions of time and professionality) and a general “Why do we do this? Why do people need to hear this?”. And frankly, this is still a question for me. The key so far is sharing. Bringing music to people for whatever reason. As long as it means something. As long as it matters.

How do you most often start a new track?

By hearing a melody, beat or bassline in my head.

How do you know when a track is finished?

Usually doesn’t take long. when there are no more ideas that present themselves in relation to the piece I’m working on. Sometimes it’s as simple as others saying: “I think it’s great like this!”, then it’s done.

Show us your current studio

Studio space

Best creative advice that you’ve ever heard?

“No matter how much you practice, you can’t run away from who you really are”. Meaning: you are you, and you’ll sound like you. That’s who people go to see/listen to. They don’t listen to you to hear Bowie or Engelbert Humperdinck.

Promote your latest thing… Go ahead, throw us a link.

Maybe this odd piece:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6hVgcTTGJg

Thanks for reading:-)

Lucas Delacroix – Caveman Rec

1. Favourite knob or fader or switch on a piece of gear and why?

UAD 1176 Rev E

The input knob on the 1176 compressor is my go-to. There’s this little trick I love—turning the attack off to turn compression completely off . It makes the compressor act more like a tonal distortion, adding this raw, saturated tone, especially on drums or guitar. Then you use the Input and Output knob to taste. Of course it has to be an emulation in software that replicates the whole circuit, and not just the compression part.

2. Do you have an ‘almost’ perfect bit of kit? What would you change?

Sontronics Helios Microphone

Yes! I’ve got this Helios microphone that sounds great, but it has this high-pitched noise that I can’t control. I bought it used, and it has some weird charm, but that noise can ruin a take if it decides to act up.

3. What setup do you bring on holiday or tour or commute, etc.?

I keep it simple with a nylon string Spanish guitar. It’s not a fancy one; just something that feels like home. Perfect for when I’m on the go and want to mess around with ideas.

Acoustic Guitar

4. What software do you wish was hardware and vice versa?

Decapitator by Soundtoys, hands down. I wish it were hardware. It adds this perfect, warm saturation, like analog gear. I use it on pretty much everything!

5. Is there anything you regret selling… or regret buying?

Oh, definitely. I bought this beautiful 1962 German-made 335 style electric guitar that looked incredible but played horribly. I couldn’t get a decent chord out of it. I ended up trading it for a Strymon Timeline pedal, which was a much better decision.

Strymon Timeline

6. What gear has inspired you to produce the most music?

Guitars, absolutely. I’ll start with guitar ideas and build the rest around them. I think it’s my main voice as a musician; it’s where my best ideas come from.

Fender Jazzmaster

7. If you had to start over, what would you get first?

I’d go for a guitar again, for sure. It just feels right, and it’s where I get the best start on my ideas.

8. What’s the most annoying piece of gear you have, that you just can’t live without?

My tape machine, a Revox A77. It’s a hassle to maintain, and it breaks down more than I’d like, but I can’t imagine not using it.

Revox A77 Tape Recorder

9. Most surprising tip or trick or technique that you’ve discovered about a bit of kit?

There’s another trick I like besides the 1176 one. It’s the classic with the Pultec EQ—the ‘boost and cut’ technique. Basically, you pick a frequency, boost it, and then cut it at the same time. Sounds strange, but it actually saturates the tone in a way that just works. I use it a lot because it brings this really smooth, controlled sound, especially on drums or if I’m running it on a bus. It’s one of those little moves that changes the character of the mix without being too obvious.

Pultec EQ from UAD

Artist or Band name?

Just my name — Lucas Delacroix.

Genre?

Alternative… though it’s a mix. Could be rock, could be something else entirely. It depends on the track.

Selfie?

No selfies here, but maybe a picture of my hand?

Monty Burns as Howard Hughes tattoo

Where are you from?

Buenos Aires, Argentina. Currently living and working in Copenhagen, Denmark.

How did you get into music?

Guitar was always around when I was growing up. I think it was just natural—I’d mess around on it as a kid, and it felt like the most obvious thing in the world.

What still drives you to make music?

Sometimes I hear a specific guitar tone or melody, and it just fires me up. I could spend years chasing that feeling, trying to capture it in a track. It’s like a love affair that never gets old.

How do you most often start a new track?

Always with guitar. I’ll get an idea down and then build out the rest from there.

How do you know when a track is finished?

It’s a gut feeling. It’s like there’s this small voice that just says, “Alright, you’re done.” It’s rarely 100% satisfying, but at some point, you just know it’s time to move on.

Show us your current studio.

I like keeping it low-key. Let’s just say it’s an underground space, literally.

Caveman Records Studio

Best creative advice that you’ve ever heard?

It seems like it’s obvious, but mix at a low volume. I realize it feels nice to listen to a song loudly, so it feels like the earth is moving and something dramatic is happening. But it really does you no favors, if you’re totally deaf after mixing for an hour.

Promote your latest thing… Go ahead, throw us a link.

I’ve got a playlist with my latest productions which I have recorded and produced for other artist. Check it out. Also, if you’re curious about my own music? Here’s an album called Somos.