| Listen. This is vitally important. If you do not listen | | | | the week for a no music day. When you come |
| then your track will be very poor indeed. Listening | | | | back to your work you will be refreshed, your |
| is what most musicians have forgot to do and | | | | ears will be willing to take a pounding and you will |
| that is why we do not hear from them again. | | | | listen to your music differently, tagging pieces that |
| They have lost their roots, what ultimately made | | | | don't fit, sounding strange or having a better idea |
| them famous. Trying to move away from your | | | | to implement.Listen to the worst music. Now this |
| group roots is very risky. The Prodigy made | | | | isn't an exercise of laughing at poor techno, but it |
| fantastic rave and deep techno, then starting to | | | | is to train you to what is poor and what is good. |
| go into a rock phase. It didn't work out too well, | | | | For an example, if I sat in any Ferarri I would |
| now they are trying to get back into their old | | | | think it is pretty cool, but top motor journalists |
| territory but its hard. Their fan-base has shrunk | | | | would always give a downside, will always |
| as new groups have come up. The Prodigy are | | | | compare it to something else. Why? Because |
| now releasing their classic hits to try and | | | | they have sat in poor cars and they have sat in |
| re-energise themselves to grab back their old | | | | the best, now they have a scale to use to judge |
| fans, telling them "remember this, you liked it and | | | | any car. This is what you need to do. How do |
| now we are going to do the same".Alot of money | | | | you know a good song is a good song? |
| spent, alot of marketing time used. With example | | | | Subliminaly you cross-reference it with something |
| 2, Elton John has constantly chirped out piano | | | | poor. But instead of doing it in the back of your |
| tunes for along time now, always variation on the | | | | mind, dig out the poor songs and (unfortunatley) |
| same theme and he is still lasting the time.Listening | | | | listen to them. Another example. I have seen on |
| to your audience, your dedicated audience (that | | | | some websites they give away cassettes of their |
| will buy from you regularly) is the life-line to your | | | | work. I know that this is poor practise because I |
| selling. Go off-track and some will not like it but | | | | have seen MP3s being offered for download |
| then again you might attract some new | | | | (quicker, free and better quality).Listen to other |
| customers. For me, I would stick to what you | | | | styles. This may be tringgering the "what is he |
| know, you are good at it so why change? Sure | | | | talking about" response, but hold with me. On my |
| re-invent yourself or adapt to the ever changing | | | | site I have demonstrated a fundamental fact |
| music market, but never change style. Case in | | | | through alot of top techno acts. They all have |
| point. Kyle, pop queen and the lady who brought | | | | elements of different styles interwound within |
| us the Locomotion and I should Be So Lucky. But | | | | their own. For example, The Shamen and The |
| instead of keeping with cheesy pop she has | | | | Prodigy have most noticable rock influences. The |
| slowly re-invented herself- pinnicling at Can't Get | | | | great thing about rock is that there is only a few |
| Your Out Of My Head. Same pop, but with 21st | | | | things that you can do with an electic guitar. So |
| Century twist.Listening also means you should | | | | their tracks have to be really catchy, employing |
| listen to other tracks, go to concerts, clubs, | | | | good lyrics, cool bass and hookable leads. It is no |
| wherever they play your music. DJs are always, | | | | wonder then that other artists from other styles |
| and have to be, up-to-date with "whats hot and | | | | look to rock as an influence. If I was into ambient |
| whats not". They listen to their audience, and they | | | | music, I would listen to classical music for |
| know sure well that if they get it wrong they | | | | inspiration. Both are similar to each other in that |
| either won't work again or they will get booed | | | | they have long sweeps and can go on for a while |
| at!Listen to other peoples comments. I had a real | | | | but still sound fresh, evolving, and can still use |
| hard time listening to other people rip my music | | | | hooks. Classical music has been an influence for |
| apart but I realised it was for the best. You must | | | | William Orbit (helped Madonna with her Ray of |
| make sure that the people who listen to your | | | | Light CD, including that cool track Frozen), and he |
| music is your sudience. If you do Drum and Bass | | | | technoified Barbers Adaigo for Strings, a cool |
| and give a track to your grandparents to hear | | | | classical track in itself and was brought into the |
| they might not like it. Playing a track to your | | | | light when it was played in Platoon.Finally Listen to |
| friends of similar style liking, or a group of people | | | | yourself. Why did you make the track in the first |
| is much better. A group increases the reliability of | | | | place? Were you going to build it up into a cool |
| your "little study into your tracks", more people | | | | chorus, or was there an idea that you wanted to |
| increases the reliability and gives you a better | | | | tinker around with that sounded really cool? Not |
| opinion of how your tracks will be accepted. If | | | | knowing where the track is going, not seeing the |
| one person says "ohh I didnt like that sample" | | | | light at the end of the tracks tunnel, or the loops |
| keep it in mind, but if alot of people say the | | | | are just not sitting right can have a negative |
| same, change the sample. It is a rare oportuinity | | | | effect on your confidence and moral. Write down |
| to see how your audience will react to your | | | | what you would like to see from this track. |
| tracks, in the real world your sales would reduce, | | | | Maybe even before you start get all the basic |
| and you would just scratch your head wondering | | | | loops, or downloading website names all collected |
| why.Listen to the best in the genre. If you want | | | | before setting off. If the track is just a notepad, |
| to know what excellent and top techno tracks | | | | make it so, don't spend too much time on |
| sound like ask your target audience who their top | | | | something that is just a sketch pad. If it doen't |
| artists are, sometimes you might get inspiration | | | | work, fine, but why, if you have no joy, leave it. |
| from artists that you haven't heard from before, | | | | Go back to it later on, don't make yourself too |
| then surround yourself with the tracks. Listen to | | | | angry or involved in something that can have a |
| the tracks and bathe in their coolness.Listening can | | | | nehgative impact on all your techno |
| sometimes mean not to listen. Sounds strange I | | | | making.Dominic Hough has made music for over |
| know. But if you have been listening to your | | | | 18 years. On his site Make your own Dance and |
| tracks day in day out, then listen to other peoples | | | | Techno he has proved that you can make, and |
| tracks, you can get a bit bored, tired, and to a | | | | market your own techno songs for free. His site |
| point the tracks get samey. Have a day out in | | | | also covers sampling, MP3s, loops and much more. |