We chatted to Amsterdam based producer Saygin about his view on money & art, his rituals when composing and how production and performance can co-exist.

Saygin spends most of his days in his little studio in Amsterdam, messing around with grooves and ideas.

After years of partying and DJing, he felt it was time to give something back to the scene by making his own tracks. His productions change with his mood, while his DJ sets are all about reading the crowd, never stuck to one genre.

 

Could you tell us a bit about the process of making your track? How did it come about? Can you remember where you wrote it? What methods did you use to produce it? 

For me, it’s important the type of music I have been exposed to before beginning a new track. In the case of “back in the day”, it was there just after a period of listening to and playing lots of minimal house music. Simple, groovy basslines, repetitive synth melodies and vintage house vocals are just reflections of what I like to hear when I listen to tracks of other producers. 

My production process is quite intuitive but I always have an idea of what kind of vibe I would like to come up with before I begin building up the track 

The common saying “ Starving Artist”, describes the all too common path of artists and their lack of commercial success. Yet, millions of new artists emerge every year, hoping to make a living from their art. In your opinion, is art compatible with money ? How do you stay authentic in your music when your livelihood depends on it? 

I believe art is not a good choice if making money is high on the priorities list. But, certainly, once you dedicate your life to something, you would also like to maintain a certain standard of living. 

Noone is a full-time creative. Creativity comes in certain moments and if the artist utilises some of those moments, it’s already quite fulfilling. It’s always good to have other skills and options to generate a flow of income, either in or out of the music industry. The parts of one’s life which have been dedicated to making money can also be the necessary experience to support those moments of creation. 

At Outboard, our aim is to establish a new way of remunerating music producers , fairly and transparently. Why did you choose to come on board? 

There are so many beautiful tracks out there but we miss most of them due to the algorithm structures of the online world. Many people produce tracks because they love to do it, while they are not totally content to promote themselves on their social accounts. Especially as a selector or a dj, these are the types of producers and tracks you would be looking for. 

So, Outboard is a great choice for the enthusiastic listener, the dj and the producer all at the same time.

 

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? 

In case of electronic music; production, djing and enjoying parties, all feed each other. 

The dj booth and the direct connection with the listeners, are great experiences to have which then would reflect to and add value to one’s production process. 

A dj or a producer is firstly a very dedicated listener of music. Digging into unknown tracks, finding out gems, sharing them with others, playing them at gigs and being influenced by other’s music as a producer are all parts of the same cake. 

About making a living strictly from production; I’m sure it’ s possible but making a living requires a certain set of commercial skills. If one already has or is willing to develop those skills, then why not. 

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

I’m the most productive in the early mornings and when nobody is around to distract me. Most of the stuff I produce comes up between 08:00 to 11:00 in the mornings. 

My inspiration comes from digging into other people’s music and attending parties with good quality music and warm vibes. 

When I started going out to clubs in my teenage years, it was all about a cozy and safe space for people from all walks of life. Electronic music was bringing everything together and setting the perfect vibe. Lately, It’s difficult to find the similar vibe but it’s still out there if you know where to look for it. Enjoying such a nice party is always an inspiration for me to produce my own music.

 

Saygin’s track "Back In The Days" is now available on OTBD011

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