135 - Serious Things Tomorrow

Author

Giannis Kampiotis
December 05, 2023

Artist Interviews 🎶 Studio Tours 🎛

Hello music people 👋

Today in the spotlight, Serious Things Tomorrow

Currently in the UK, a drummer that also honed the skill of producing his own music 🎶

Interview & Studio Tour

Who are you and what is your relationship with music?

My name is Tom aka Serious Things Tomorrow and I’m based in London.

I’ve been making music my whole life as I come from a very musical family. I originally played the trombone when I was young but switched over to the drums which I still play to this day.

Around the age of 17 I got into electronic music and production as an ‘instrument’. Since then I’ve been producing music on and off in various styles and under different names, as well as playing drums in a few bands.

Back in 2020 I released my very first album, and this year I released a 3 track EP. I’m very fortunate to work in a couple of universities as a music technician, so I’m surrounded by gear every single day and I love it!

Which piece of equipment in your studio is essential to your production process?

Currently I’ve made the Elektron Digitakt the centerpiece of my entire studio, which I purchased back in 2021. It's been an absolute game-changer for me as it sequences all my other synths and also has insanely powerful features. I also love how it has just enough limitations to force myself to work creatively, but not too many limitations that I can’t make serious music with it. I am also extremely grateful that Elektron keeps pumping out major updates for it despite it being over 6 years old at this point - the 1.50 update with the new sampling machines has literally changed how I make music. Other manufacturers should take note!

What is the least expensive piece of gear that gave you the most results?

I started my hardware journey with a single Korg Volca Keys back in 2018, and soon after caught the bug and paired it up with a Beats & FM. My early hardware jams were mainly pure Volca’s and I think a lot of people like to see them being used effectively, so I managed to connect to a solid audience of people online. I think there is now much larger competition when it comes to super budget synths, but the Volcas when they came out were pretty revolutionary for getting broke musicians out of their computer screens. They are also very useful for creating happy accidents with the unique sequencers. I am always conscious of saving space so I still use two Volcas in my set up to this day, I love them to bits.

I also technically got my 4 track Tascam cassette deck for free from my Dad, which I’ve used for lofi ambience and glitchy chords on everything, but to me it's priceless.

Walk us through your process for creating and producing music.

Since I’m a drummer I usually start with the beat, but occasionally I'll be inspired by a synth sound or a sample which can set the vibes. I like to create a 1 or 2 bar beat in Logic - usually at a faster tempo than I have in mind, and get it sounding nice and punchy and or crunchy before exporting it into the Digitakt. I like to use the werp or repitch algorithm to slow the beat down, the werp mode gives slowed down beats a really nice glitchy feel. From there I will add extra elements, reinforce the kicks/snares, and add extra percussion with the Volca drum, which is really useful for freeing up valuable sample slots on the Digitakt. From then on I usually create a patch on the Microfreak to find the melodic basis for the track, create some tape loops for ambience & figure out which elements or synths I actually need on the track. Occasionally I’ll actually decide that a track doesn't need one of my synths or any more elements - sometimes minimalism is key.

I used to find myself bogged down when creating tracks in a DAW, I would get caught in the dreaded 8 bar loop on repeat for hours, as well as pouring over the mixdown for an eternity. My current setup has been created in mind to combat this, so I can quickly create full tracks with much more emphasis on performance rather than programming. I used to utilize the Overbridge feature of my Digitakt to multitrack record everything, but now I just have 3 stereo channels to track and that's it; my Digitakt with synth inputs, my Tascam 4 track, and my reverb pedal which I can use to quickly add ambience thanks to a homemade knob. This minimalist setup forces me to mix mostly within the Digitakt, and allows me to worry more about the music itself.

What is a production technique that you always come back to?

As I mentioned earlier, I love using tape loops as a way to add natural sounding ambience to colder digital sounds. I’ve modified a few cassettes to just play a 5/10 second loop, which can then be recorded on to create interesting sounds and textures. Often I’ll record 4 notes of a single chord which can then be played like an instrument, with a very healthy dose of reverb/delay. The Tascam unit I use has a colourful 2 band EQ which can shape sounds very nicely, as well as having a great sounding natural overdrive when it's pushed. It always seems to add the final cherry on top to whatever my Digitakt or other synths are doing.

I also always enjoy creative sidechaining; most people associate the word sidechain with compression, but there are a lot of different ways to use sidechaining in interesting ways, like with gates or saturation. For instance

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sometimes I’ll sidechain a saturator on a synth to be triggered by the snare, so it feels like the snare is almost “breaking” the synth.

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How would you describe your style?

I’d say I lean more towards darker sounds and styles, whilst still trying to maintain harmony and melody.

I have a particular fondness for older electronica/downtempo music, and especially anything to do with trip-hop. I feel like electronica can feel like a bit of a cop out as a descriptor since it's so all-encompassing, but I take influence from so many varied styles of electronic music, so I feel like it fits - whilst also being admittedly vague!

What is a big challenge you have as an artist?

I have always struggled with discipline when it comes to finishing music, especially as my music is all self released, so I don’t ever have deadlines as opposed to my professional work. My current hardware setup has been created with this in mind, so I can just sit down and get creating as quickly as possible.

I also wrestle with the whole idea of self promotion, as I am not the biggest fan of social media in general, but there seems to be no other way of getting yourself heard these days and it's almost mandatory for any aspiring musician. I am hoping to be able to take my hardware setup out into the real world and play some shows, and hopefully in the process create some real connections with real people.

Has building a hardware setup changed your perspective on music or life in general?

It definitely has shifted the way I think about music creation - in a very positive way. We are constantly tied to computer screens in everyday life, so to be able to make an entire piece of music whilst only ever looking at a screen to hit record has helped me to use my ears much more critically. It's also great having invested in tangible pieces of gear that I have grown to become attached to in the real world, which makes me utilize them much more sincerely than a random plugin I got on a discount.

One tip on how to spark creativity?

Resampling! I love going back to old abandoned projects and finding some great forgotten sounds, even if the tracks themselves are subpar.

Also, if you are feeling unmotivated, just sit down with one piece of gear (or softsynth) and hit record - see what weird sounds you can come up with. You might just make a sound that is unique enough to resample and become the basis of your next track.

A book, movie, article, or album that has inspired you?

Ivar Tryti - Underutilized

Anything else you'd like to say?

Just wanted to say thank you so much for interviewing me, it's been fun talking about what I do for once instead of just doing it!

Where can people find more of your music and connect with you online?

I also have my music on most streaming platforms including Spotify and Bandcamp!

I also released a free sample pack on my Bandcamp page that everyone is more than welcome to download and use here.

Gear List

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