The British dubstep powerhouse offers insight into building a cinematic universe, drawing inspiration from Quentin Tarantino and using SoundCloud to share ideas and drop exclusives.
Welcome to Sound Advice, the series spotlighting artists’ creative process and their SoundCloud journey. We’ll get the inside knowledge straight from the source on how musicians, producers and creatives are leaning into everything Next Pro offers to elevate their sound, reach the right audience and catapult their careers. Sound Advice is now available in audio format on the SoundCloud Stories profile.
Many artists, especially in the electronic music space, feel pressure to constantly release tracks, remixes, social media videos and content to stay relevant. But British producer Zomboy has made it to the top of the dubstep game with true artistry, putting out only one or two carefully curated releases a year and placing each one in a cinematic creative universe that he designs himself.
Originally a metal drummer, Zomboy fell into producing dubstep on a dare while at sound engineering school. An early SoundCloud demo of his was discovered by SKisM, the label head of massive dubstep imprint Never Say Die who soon became his manager. Very quickly, Zomboy was bringing his tearout beats and monster synths to the biggest stages in the world, with tracks like “Rotten,” “Invaders” and “Mind Control” getting millions of plays on SoundCloud and gracing the sets of the scene’s top DJs.
Ahead of releasing his ‘Dead Man Walking Pt. 2’ EP on October 25, Zomboy dropped the SoundCloud-exclusive premiere of “D.E.A.D.,” his collaboration with EDDIE. To celebrate, we caught up with Zomboy to find out about his new EP, his musical and visual inspirations, his legendary mainstage mishaps, and what he uses to make all those bonkers bass sounds and crazy drops. We also get the inside scoop on where he’s musically going next. Welcome to Sound Advice.
LISTEN TO THE AUDIO EPISODE OF SOUND ADVICE, FEATURING ZOMBOY
LISTEN TO "D.E.A.D." BY ZOMBOY AND EDDIE
Things We Talked About In This Episode of Sound Advice
- Zomboy reflects on growing up in Cornwall, a coastal town in England, and how it wasn’t until he moved closer to London that he was exposed to electronic music for the first time.
- We get the backstory on the experiences that shaped his taste of music, from being a self-described metalhead and playing in bands to listening to different genres of electronic music and drawing inspiration from Skrillex.
- How running a bedroom recording studio and learning how to become a sound engineer laid the foundation for him to begin dabbling in music production — and how, in fact, if it wasn’t for friends in London egging him on, he may not have shared what would soon become career-changing uploads on SoundCloud.
- Zomboy shares how his career in music took an unexpected turn when SKisM, co-founder of the massive independent label Never Say Die Records, discovered his SoundCloud page and soon became his longtime manager of 10 years.
- The DJ/producer reflects on how SoundCloud has been a haven for experimenting with ideas, discovering new music and building community with fellow artists and fans alike.
- Insight into how Zomboy approaches crafting a cinematic creative universe around his music, and how learning how to create his own visuals and artwork helped him become a better storyteller through his music and self-expression.
- How giving each record a theme allows him to experiment and get creative with Easter eggs that nod to past and future releases and create moments for fans to dig deeper into the musical world he’s building.
- Zomboy breaks down the creative inspiration behind his track “Valley of Violence” and how it doubled as a symbolic stepping stone between different projects and career milestones, leading to the release of his ‘Dead Man Walking Pt. 1’ EP (which was also the inaugural release on his own Rott ’N Roll Records imprint).
- Creating characters in his music and bringing them to life with 3D animation, creating an interactive and engaging way for his fans to learn more about the detailed storytelling he strives for.
- Drawing inspiration from filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino, and being influenced by his approach to directing, masterful attention to detail and ability to elevate his storytelling through cinematic world-building.
- Zomboy gets real about what it’s like to navigate festivals with massive crowds and what it’s like to perform in that environment, detailing the stage move he’s since had to retire and his close calls with crossing the “pyro line.”
- Advice for artists who are preparing to play on huge stages for the first time, including the importance of putting your own spin on hit tracks.
- Insight into his release strategy, which prioritizes quality over quantity, and what is a non-negotiable for him when it comes to releasing new music.
- Zomboy shares his favorite part of the production and songwriting process – and his least favorite. We also get the scoop on his go-to plugins, and his tips for sound design.
- Using SoundCloud as a tool of music discovery, and how the comments section – with fans/artists sharing real-time feedback – is an incredibly useful tool for him, both as a label owner and artist.
- Zomboy shares what his bucketlist collaboration would be if money or time were no object, and manifesting how he’d like to make it happen someday.
Links and Extras
Follow Zomboy’s journey on SoundCloud.
Listen to “D.E.A.D.,” Zomboy’s collaboration with EDDIE, which premiered exclusively on SoundCloud.
Check out Zomboy’s Rott N’ Roll Radio page.
Explore some of Zomboy’s favorite plugin companies, including AIR, NEXUS by reFX, Rift by Minimal Audio and iZotope’s Trash.
Listen to the Buzzing: Electronic playlist on SoundCloud.
Never miss an episode and follow the Sound Advice playlist on SoundCloud.
GETTING THE MOST OUT OF SOUNDCLOUD
- Learn more about using DMs to connect with fellow artists and potential collaborators.
- Learn more about searching your own Likes on SoundCloud.
- Learn more about using private tracks on SoundCloud.
- Learn more about getting started with Insights on SoundCloud.
- Learn more about Advanced Insights, available to Artist Pro subscribers.
- Learn more about unlimited uploads, available with a Artist Pro subscription.
- Learn more unlocking access to unlimited distribution, available with Artist Pro.
To discover additional features a SoundCloud Artist Pro subscription offers, visit here. To catch up on past installments of Sound Advice and make sure you don’t miss out on future episodes, visit here.
Credits: Host: Vivian Host, Executive Producer: Mike Spinella, Producer: KC Orcutt, Audio Engineer: David “DibS” Shackney. Coordinator: Trevor McGee
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