Tom Churchill

We caught up with Tom Churchill about his creative processes, things that keep him inspired and the challenges of making a living solely from putting dance music out..

If you could go back in time and give guidance to your younger self, what would you say that would impact your career the most?

I would tell myself to make the most of the opportunities that come along and maybe take things a little more seriously. Looking back, there were some times when if I’d been a little more motivated, I could have gone a bit further in my career.

I’ve always been very laid-back and I was maybe enjoying the ride a little too much instead of thinking about the destination. But I’d also tell myself to stick to my guns and only do what feels right. There’s a fine line between seizing opportunities and selling out!

How is making a living from music affecting your creative output? Do you feel as free as when you started?

I’m actually not making a living from producing and DJing, and I never really have done. But right now all my income is at least related to music, which it hasn’t always been, and I’m really enjoying being involved in a wide range of things.

I have a day job as the operations manager at Signal Sounds, which is a retailer of synths and studio gear. And I have a YouTube channel focused on modular synth stuff which brings in an increasingly significant chunk of money through sponsored content (doing demos for Eurorack manufacturers) and ad revenue. So although I release music on labels pretty rarely, a lot of my time still revolves around making music, either directly or indirectly.

I think the fact that I don’t have any pressure to make money from producing music or DJing is great for my creativity. I’ve made peace with the fact that I’m probably never going to be a well-known artist in the way I maybe wanted to be when I was younger - I have a different definition of success now.

More people watch my YouTube videos than ever bought my records on vinyl, and that’s just as valid as a creative outlet - it’s just using a different medium. I write a lot of musical sketches in the course of making the videos, and lots of these could end up being full tracks that get released elsewhere.

if you’d rather not DJ, I think the trick is to work out how to raise your profile

How do you feel about music producers having to DJ in order to bring in an income? What would you need to be fully dedicated to music production? Do you think it’s still possible to make a living strictly from production?

I think it’s almost impossible to make a living simply from putting dance music out, without either DJing or playing live to promote it. And to be honest it’s always been pretty tough to do that! If you enjoy DJing and you’re getting gigs and being paid well, and that gives you the freedom to spend the week producing music, then it’s not really a problem, is it?

A lot of producers were DJs before they ever made their own music. But if you’d rather not DJ, I think the trick is to work out how to raise your profile and earn money while still doing things you enjoy. These days there are more choices than ever - it could be a podcast, a YouTube channel, online tutorials, a radio show, music for TV/film or whatever else you’re able to do.

I’ve always been someone who rotates gear rather than hoarding things.

Do you have a ritual when composing music and how do you stay inspired after all these years?

I don’t have a ritual as such, but I find it helps to have a goal in mind whenever you go into the studio. It doesn’t need to be ‘finish a track’ - it could be to sort out the cabling that’s been bugging you, to run all the firmware and software updates you’ve been putting off, or to learn a particular piece of gear or software in depth. If you can keep on top of all the more mundane tasks, it should mean that when you’re feeling more creative, the ideas can flow more quickly.

As for staying inspired - new gear always helps! I’ve always been someone who rotates gear rather than hoarding things. Trying new workflows and exploring new sound palettes usually sparks some inspiration. Or setting myself some arbitrary constraints - trying to make a full track with one bit of gear, or making all the drum sounds by sampling objects on my desk, or doing something with no drums at all… whatever it might be, the saying about ‘limitations breeding creativity’ is a cliche because it happens to be true!

When producing, are you more in the box or do you use outboard too? Could you share with us a single unit or tool that is a true game changer for you, and why?

I use a lot of outboard gear. These days most of my sound sources are hardware and it’s only arranging and mixing that I do in the box. I also have a vintage Tascam mixer and some hardware effects so I can jam completely outside the computer or use that gear to warm things up as part of a mix.

As for the biggest game-changer… it’s not strictly speaking a single unit or tool, but it has to be my Eurorack modular synth setup. It’s opened up so many ways of composing that don’t involve pushing blocks around a screen with a mouse, and it really appeals to the scientific side of my brain. I can sit down with the computer turned off and just explore sound in a really hands-on way that almost always leads somewhere interesting.

Check his track “Strade Bianche”, released on OTBD002