We had the chance to catch up with Atlanta, Georgia based producer NATE2TIMEZ. Find out what the lofi specialist had to say about his favorite plugins, production rituals his album “Dream Catcher” and much more.
You’ve recently released your lofi album “Dream Catcher”. Can you give us a little background story on how it came to life?
The idea of my debut lofi album, “Dream Catcher” came to me after making the first song of the project, “timelapse.” I decided to take a dreamy, chill approach to the production and fell in love with the sound. When I heard that Homework Radio’s label wanted to release the album with me, I knew that I had to make the rest of the album with calming, sleepy vibes.
How is your approach to your own releases different to beats you’re trying to make for other artists?
When I make beats for other artists, I usually start with a few catchy melodies and then add some bouncy, hard hitting drums and 808’s to fill out the beat. I try to keep my beats fairly simple to leave room for the artist’s vocals. These beats take anywhere from 10 – 30 minutes to make. I spend a lot of time making Nate2Timez lofi releases, it usually takes me a few days to finish one song. I find ways to make the music personal to my life by using instruments to tell a story and recording ambience that is relevant to the track. For example in “poolday” off of “Dream Catcher,” I recorded the waterfall from my pool to use it in the background throughout the entire song.
Do you have a production routine or ritual?
When I walk into my studio I always start by saying, “Alexa, power on,” which turns on all of my led lights. I usually start to listen to my peers / collaborators’ music on SoundCloud to try to catch a vibe for what I want to create that day. When I enter FL Studio, my routine is to open up one of my favorite plugins and start by making a melody. When I finish the beat I’m working on, I often enjoy taking breaks by playing a game of CSGO or watching a YouTube video.
Name your top three plugins which you would not be able to live without. Explain why they’re awesome!
My favorite plugin is Serum, this vst is very versatile and has a lot of cool sounds. I usually use Serum for making beats for artists but I have used it on a few lofi tracks as well. My second favorite plugin is Omnisphere. Omni has a lot of unique sounds that I use when I am scoring films and when making beats. My third favorite plugin is Cymatics Origin which is great for giving melodies a vintage, old tape sound and adding vinyl samples to the back of my tracks.
How do you think the role of a music producer will change in the coming years?
I think that producers are starting to enter the spotlight more and more. Listeners are starting to recognize producer tags and appreciate good instrumentals because of the unique approaches producers are taking on their beats. I have also noticed that a lot of beat makers are experimenting with vocals which is something I may have to try in the future.
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Which artist are you dreaming of collaborating with?
There are a few artists that I would love to produce for. Corbin is one of my favorite artists. I would enjoy producing for him because of how unique and fresh his music is. Another artist I dream of collaborating with is Oliver Tree. It would take me out of my comfort zone with making alternative beats and he has made some of my favorite songs . I would love to collab with Nick Mira because I learned how to make beats through watching his YouTube videos and Twitch livestreams. It would be so cool to go to his label’s house, Internet Money, and work with some of my role models from when I started to produce.
How important are data insights for your (strategic) decisions?
Seeing the amount of people who stream my music definitely helps keep me motivated. Using the ForTunes app is a great strategy because I can see which playlists are adding my music, and then keep submitting to them! I really appreciate seeing how many people actively stream my music, knowing that my supporters enjoy listening is the main reason I continue to release my art.
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