Ricky Felix
With the imminent release of Vol-1 of our Crazy Cat Man various artist series, we thought we’d throw a few questions to the artists appearing on the EP. This time it’s Ricky Felix with his Deep House cut “Nue Gruve” …
How long have you been producing, how did you start?
I’ve been producing for a year or 2 now, most of that time was spent finding my feet though. Coming from a live band background, channeling my creativity into a piece of software was kind of difficult at first. I have only really been listening to electronic/house music for a few years now, but I have always been more inspired to be the person behind the tracks rather than behind the DJ booth (maybe one day haha).
What influences your sound? Is there a particular artist have you drawn the most inspiration from?
My friends and I constantly exchange music, so my influences change monthly haha. I really enjoy jungle / drum and bass, so I try to bring elements from that into my house tracks. I think Low Steppa has got to be one of my main influences though, His sound is what introduced myself to the new bass house sound, which I’m loving at the moment…
Is there a track or 2 that is really doing it for you at the moment?
Oh man, the track “Incoming” by “Celsius” is easily my song at the moment. The chilled sustained intro and the triplet chords in the hook just send shivers down my spine.
Secondly, I’ve got to add “Dappy” by “Hannah Wants & Chris Lorenzo”. That bass makes my jungle senses tingle! Im certainly leeching a lot of inspiration from that tune at the moment.
Any locals you draw inspiration from?
My local inspiration has got to be Motez, he has been making tunes for quite a while (compared to me) and its awesome seeing him getting international recognition, not to mention being signed to one of my favourite labels Food Music!
What is your production process?
I’ve been a drummer most of my life, so naturally drum patterns are something I find relatively easy to get down first. From there, its plenty of synth surfing, trying to find a sound that works well with my drums and the direction that I’m going, and then tweak what I need to. As apposed to initially creating a hook or main part, then arranging the track from there, I tend to work from the very start to the end (if that makes any sense). Vocals are generally dealt with towards the end of my production process, along with effects and so on. 90% of any particular song that I’m working on is done within a day or two, then I spend loads of time tweaking, re-listening and pulling my hair out haha.
Do you have a favourite piece of hardware or a plug-in?
My plug-in collection is definitely in its early days, but at the moment Massive is my favourite. I have spent so much time learning it, I just find it easy to use and very powerful!
Future Plans?
In the future, I just want to keep making more music, and continue to be motivated to do so. I also want to work on some remixes to help network with other producers and get my name out. From there, I’d love to perhaps begin DJing at a club or sound pond, and meet new people with the same interests and passion as me…