Producer Interview: Richard Dinsdale

Producer Interview: Richard Dinsdale

28 January, 2008 | 11.00AM

• Section: Music News Topics: Beatport Blog, Technology
• Written by: francispreve

Richard Dinsdale is one of the most respected new producers in the club scene.

In addition to collaborations with Mark Knight and his involvement with the ever-happening Toolroom record label, Richard has become a force to be reckoned with in his own right.

Since 2006, his melange of funk, soul, twisted glitch and hard electro has electrified dancefloors around the globe.

Since Richard is a tremendous programmer/musician as well as DJ, we tagged him to kick off our 2008 series of producer interviews.

Read on…

First off, you’re a huge influence on the electro and fidget house scenes. Who are your influences and what artists are you spinning these days?

My big influences back in the day were groups like Full Intention, Da Dronez and DJs like Pete Wardman and Carl Cox.

The artists you will see me play these days are artists like Mark Mendes, Nico Purman and Cirez D (Eric Prydz).

I’m really into that groovy techno and just love to play it out in clubs.

More and more quality techno is coming out now; dark tracks with a groove.

Let’s talk about some of the tracks on your recent ‘Handle It EP’. On the title track ‘Handle It’, what’s the main synth that plays the bass and lead? Sounds like there’s some layering going on. Care to go into detail about this track?

Well, I wanted to do a track that was quite straight forward but had a nice punch groove to it and every time it came to the breakdown it would build you up every time time.

I think the synth I used sits well along the whole track.

Basically it was a sound I created on the Nord Lead 3 one day and saved the bank to use on a track like ‘Handle It’.

I also created a slightly de-tuned synth to go along the top.

It wasn’t my intention to do that, but when I was fiddling around with the oscillators on the keyboard, it came about and I thought it sounded quite good.

It’s quite a risky thing to do — de-tuning a sound — because it can obviously clash with the rest of the track, but I think it worked.

As for the drums, I just compressed them quite hard to get that punchy feeling.

I had to do a lot of track automation, but it works.

‘No Soul’ is the most direct use of musical sampling you’ve done to date. What was the inspiration?

Obviously being brought up on 1970s and 1980s music, I wanted to do a track that incorporated those sort of sounds.

I mean, I did it on ‘Crunch’ by using a horn section and I think it worked well, but I wanted to do a more disco orientated track, so I did ‘No Soul’.

For the echo effects, I just used the Stereo Tape Delay which comes with the Logic program, clicking on the note and shortening the feedback you can get that effect and sounds quite good on vocals.

Again the Nord Lead 3 was used to create the sawtooth-like baselines and sounds in the track.

The thing with the Nord 3 is that it’s really good for getting into sounds and changing them totally because you have so much choice on the board.

A lot of listeners feel that ‘Firewire’ is a bit of a departure for you sonically. What are the dominant synths for that one?

A lot of the sounds created on this track are from the Monopoly and Serge VST plug-ins.

I thought I would have a go at making a darker number just like the ‘Too Much’ track, which is also on the EP.

A lot of the squiggly digital sounds were just made up by taking bass, synth sounds, etc., off the key board and putting them through effects.

While we’re chatting, do you mind sharing some insight into some of your older classics? Your collaboration with Mark Knight, ‘Crunch’, was a mainstay in funky electro sets last year. I’ve always wondered how you created the “squeaky kiss” sound in that track. Care to share?

Yeah sure, basically I wanted to incorporate more of the old disco sound into the electro scene.

I just think the music from those eras have so much soul.

I came up with the percussion and bassline, and thought it would be cool during each break to build back into the track by putting a nice trumpet sound.

I would like to tell you where I got the trumpet from and the “squeaky bits”, but I might get in trouble.

Finally, I still hear ‘Pulling Me Under’ used as a secret weapon in DJ sets. That’s quite an early track for you, but so definitively Dinsdale. The entire track pivots on that amazing bass-plus-lead sound. What are the source(s) for that one?

That’s so nice to hear — I appreciate that!

Yeah, I still get people requesting it now on MySpace and out in clubs, etc.

I didn’t think it would be as big as it was, especially in Australia.

When I went over there for a tour last year, it was mad.

As you say, it was an early production for me.

I was introduced to a singer called Viveen Wray and we got together and came up with ‘Pulling Me Under’.

The version you hear is the second take on it.

I used the mini Korg MS-20 and the Nord Lead and got some nice fat sounds out of them.

So with all of this insight into your production, what’s your advice for budding producers who are looking to emulate your success?

The best thing to do is just keep working in the studio.

Never give up in trying to develop your own sound.

Have a go at trying to incorporate all your favorite artist sounds into a sound for yourself.

Also don’t just listen to house, techno, etc… Listen to the music your were brought up on.

Dig out your old faves that you listened to when you were at school.

Finally, it won’t harm you to go into debt for a while and do shitty jobs; just to keep you going until you make it.

It sounds cheesy, but if you believe in yourself, then other people will believe in you and your music.

It’s really good, as well, to start going to clubs and meeting promoters.

Any final comments for Beatportal readers?

Work, work, work and work your nuts off in the studio because you will get there one day, I promise.

And a big, big thank you to everyone who has supported my music and me since I got into this industry.

Anything I missed that you’d like to add or promote?

A year and a half ago, I teamed up with Michael Gray to start our album, and that will be finished at the end of February this year.

And we have a load of vocal projects to finish afterwards, which I’m really looking forward to.

Also, Michael and I have decided to team up and DJ together.

Our first gig was done on NYE and we really enjoyed it, so we are going to do more of them this year, probably once every month.

You can catch us in Ibiza this year and at various clubs around the U.K.

As for DJing by myself, I have another Australia tour coming up in April.

I’ll be doing the Climate Festival and various other gigs out there.

On top of all that, I might be starting up my own label from Toolroom… Maybe a sister label or just my own label; it’s in discussions at the moment.

That label will exist to release more of my underground, non-vocal tracks.

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