Leonidas shares with us his production processes, his views on what being a DJ is and his hopes for the future on music and humanity

Analogue producer and audiophile partyman Leonidas made his debut as a recording artist in 2012 on Kay Suzuki’s Round In Motion label, with his Sequential EP, gaining acclaim from the likes of Manuel Gottsching, Theo Parrish, and DJ Harvey.

He collaborated with Suzuki on two further EPs (Synqlock Vol I & II) and worked concurrently with Edinburgh label owner Hobbes on 7 vinyl releases, including the Balearic disco hit “Web of Intrigue” which topped Bill Brewster’s 2017 DJ History DJ poll. Their 2021 EP Aranath received support from industry heavyweights and BBC 6 Music.

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?

I made Panorama in my old home studio in South London using outboard gear almost exclusively, specifically my NAVA 909 clone, SH-101, Pro-One and JX-8P.

I used the NAVA’s trigger out into the SH-101 sequencer for the acid bassline and into the Pro-One sequencer for the stab and lead line.

I used the 909 rimshot to trigger the JX pad/stabs through my Drawmer DS-201 gate. The signal was then going directly into my 2 Lexicon PCM-70s, one for reverb (I believe the “Long Hall” setting) and the other into the Pan Delays. I also put the lead line through my RE-501 tape delay.

The recording was made into Logic 9 through my Apogee Ensemble (8 in). The only MIDI I used was to send the chords to the JX. All of the synths were tweaked live and I then edited and mixed the track in Logic 9.

It’s a pretty raw, analog “DAW-less jam”.

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?

If I could go back to the mid 90s I would buy up as many analog synths and drum machines as possible, when they were super cheap, and press and distribute my own records.

I started releasing music (on vinyl) quite late (2011) - partly because I wanted to get good at it first. I’m lucky that I caught the back end of the “cheap” analog synth phase, in the mid-late 00s, after which I started to take music a lot more seriously.

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

Making any sort of living from music is incredibly difficult these days, and it has been for at least a decade. You have to be reasonably good at many aspects of being an artist - including promoting yourself on social media and generally.

I worked in digital marketing for almost 25 years, mostly freelance, which allowed me to invest time and money into making music and equipment - very intentionally from around 2010 onwards.

I have to like the music I’m working on - whether it’s fresh and experimental or a classic remix/re-edit. I can’t recommend music as a career to anyone. You have to love doing it for the sake of it and for what you get from it in the moment when you are making it. It’s a form of therapy. As George Clinton said “the funk is its own reward”.

If other people also get something from it, then that makes it that much more worthwhile. You get a lot of satisfaction from having others enjoy something you’ve made. And it’s not about ego - it’s about making a difference, reflecting what you have received from certain (party) situations and people and connecting with others.

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?

Some of the best known and most successful (dance music) artists (i.e. Daft Punk, Chemical Brothers etc.) were born into a privileged situation. I’m not saying this to throw shade at all but it’s a fact that without being able to dedicate time to getting good at music, and (to some degree) without money for a studio, and (in some cases) without contacts, it’s very unlikely you will make any sort of living from music.

If I could give anyone starting out any advice, it would be to do it because you love it, and to practise, practise, practise! Learn to play an instrument. Learn music theory. Apply that. Challenge yourself. Get into an almost daily routine of making a new track every day. Learn your equipment.

…but have no expectation you will get rich or famous from this. If you do something well you will gravitate towards people who appreciate it (and vice versa). You have to be patient and not greedy or needy. Help a scene grow and you will grow with it.

5. 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?

I like Outboards ethos and professionalism. I like the fact that you’re doing something outside of the mainstream and that you’re building a community and looking to support the scene. It is clear that you’re doing this to make a difference to all involved. Ultimately it comes from wanting to make a difference and from a place of love.

What is the one thing that you always do when producing that if you didn’t, it wouldn’t be a ‘Leonidas’ ’track?

I try to keep myself interested and creative, in the sense that I try to do new and different things a lot of the time. I don’t have a “formula” as such. I think once you start applying a formula to making music you quickly become stale and predictable.

So, over the years, and increasingly in the past 5 years or so, I have tried new things: whether it is putting synths and drum machines through guitar pedals, or restricting myself to using the scales of certain instruments (i.e. kalimbas and tongue drums), I try new things and different instruments, including percussion and even guitars, as much as possible.

I’ve also taught myself music theory and different mixing and mastering methods. There is so much to learn, and you really do need to be competent at every aspect of making music. Ultimately it comes down to one’s own taste. We make art because we appreciate it, and I have a genuine love and appreciation for many types of music.

If you were to ask me (as Price used to) where “home” is, my answer would be “disco” 🙂

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?

It’s possible but unlikely. I mean you could produce, remix, have a super high output and maybe make some sort of living from production. The thing with DJing is that it’s not what many think it is. DJing is not about “mixing”. DJing is about loving music and loving people and wanting to share this great music with people. But timing and “reading the room” - playing the right track at the right time, without being confined by having to mix every track - is the most important aspect of DJing for me.

You have to prepare your set, put yourself in the party while choosing your records or tracks. Imagine who will be there, what the party will look like. And you have to trust your feelings when you listen to the music beforehand. Preparation is the key to a good set. It is this that allows you to get into that “flow state” and then the music chooses itself on the night.

Gate keeping is one of the main obstacles for up and coming artists. Promoters book the same dj’s over and over, and labels are more receptive to established names, making it hard for lesser known artists to get a chance to shine. How long did it take you to breakthrough and what strategies would you recommend for up and coming producers?

It’s a fine line between “hustling” and becoming annoying. You have to be prepared to do this and to be knocked back. It’s not easy. There’s no surefire way to get gigs or to become established. You do have to deliver and you have to be someone that people want to work with. And you have to leave your ego at home.

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

Music is not something you choose - it chooses you. Most producers and musicians I know do it because they have to - for their own self-expression, sanity and general wellbeing. Nobody in their right mind chooses to make music as a “career move”. If your goal is to make money, become a banker or something. If you want to become famous, become a youtuber or social media “influencer” like Jake Paul.

My inspiration these days comes from having had some success - and by that I mean recognition from people I love and respect. So I am incredibly excited to share new music and new ideas with the same people, and to hopefully reach new ones. It’s a wonderful journey especially once you start to get some “traction” and momentum.

I don’t always make music and I don’t beat myself up when I don’t. But I always come back to it because it’s the one thing that keeps me sane.

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 find more inspiration from being “hands on”. I use 90% outboard for creating music, and maybe around 50% ITB for mixing. Over the past year I’ve really got into Reaper (DAW) and it’s been a game changer for me. It’s open source which means there’s a massive community of music geeks out there creating free plugins and skins etc for Reaper, that are just as good as the super expensive VSTs. There are also dozens of youtubers giving advice on how to do things in Reaper, so you’re typically a 2minute clip away from finding out how to do something.

I’m currently working on a remix for my good friends Beauty and the Beat and I’ve been using some free orchestral disco strings and horns I downloaded for Reaper. Apart from recording my NAVA 909, everything else has so far been ITB. I need to get some of my gear out of storage (including my tape delay, MuTron Bi-Phase and spring reverb) and put some of the parts through these to give it more of an analog edge.

I can’t point to one piece of gear that I love more than any other. It’s a bit like asking a chef what their favourite ingredient is, or a parent who their favourite child is…

If you could travel into the future and bring us back newfound wisdom that could help music producers make a sustainable living from their craft, what would you hope to experience?

That will depend on a much wider transformation of humanity as a whole and as such it is a massive topic, which can quickly turn political. I would say that there are a few positive developments that have the potential to make this happen. One example is UBI. Some people think that giving people money for “doing nothing” will lead to people just getting drunk all day. And no doubt there will be those who do just that.

Then there are people who will make good use of this free time - they will make art, they will care for the elderly and disadvantaged, they will invent things that benefit humanity. I believe in a good combination of communism and capitalism (if that’s not a contradiction). We have enough money, resources and technology for everyone on the planet to have a decent, healthy life. At the same time it is good to have an incentive to work hard at something, and for that to be rewarded.

Having said that, there are some dangerous forces pushing humanity (not to mention the climate) towards a cliff’s edge. For me, the role of art is to reflect the times we live in, and to try to influence others in a positive way; towards a more positive outcome. But you have to enjoy the journey and be prepared for the ride.

Leonidas's Track 'Panorama' is available on OTB015 on the Outboard back catalogue

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Benjamin Philippe Zulauf