We recently sat down with the iconic Headphone Activist and discussed trade secrets and thought processes behind one of the most eclectic and renowned electronic artists in the industry. Throughout the interview, he made a point of illuminating the artists and influences that helped him forge his sound and provided an in-depth index of the synthesizers, plugins, websites, libraries, and other sonic tools he’s found invaluable over the past few years. It's our hope that the next generation of electronic artists can use this resource as a stepping stone toward unlocking their own style and artistic potential.
"When I was younger, music was all I cared about. I knew I wanted to create music, and that I could do something that stood out in the industry if I put my mind to it... I looked up to artists like Aphex Twin and Clams Casino. I wanted to be one of those guys: no genre, no limits, just put out Good music."
A ubiquitous theme in our conversation with Headphone Activist was artistic growth and evolution. As an artist, you either get lost in a metamorphosis of music business and trends, or you find a way to claim your true identity. From tangible resources to inspiring ideas and valuable advice, Headphone Activist provides the blueprint for an artistic life worth living.
Tune Parade: A couple of days ago, I told a friend of mine that I was getting the chance to talk with Headphone Activist. He responded with “No way, I remember him from Trap Nation!” As I’m a relatively new fan of yours and know you mainly for your dreamscape music, I was surprised after some research to learn about your eclectic and lengthy journey as an artist. How did you develop your current style, and why do you think your sonic identity has changed so much over the past few years?
Headphone Activist: I’ll start by providing some background. I entered the industry during the “SoundCloud Era”. Aside from various endorsements, it was platforms like Trap Nation and Suicide Sheep that found my music first and went out of their way to help connect me with a larger audience. I was fortunate to be working from a place where most of my releases were independent, which gave me a lot of freedom at the time to make what I wanted but still reach a much larger range of people with having those curators & now friends supporting my project.
Fast forward, I got to the point where I was regularly playing shows, festivals, and touring. I found that the higher up I got in the industry, the more it became a business-centered experience that moved further and further away from respecting the artistic process. I also began to realize that graduating to the main stages at festivals meant having to play "underground top 40” music that I didn’t really want to play. I began to get burned out. By October 2019, I had let my booking agent and management know that I would be stepping back in 2020 to focus on making more new music: no more touring and no more festivals. Now where ambient music fits in, I had been writing ambient music over the past decade when I wasn't focused on writing hip hop-influenced electronic music. I’ve always been inspired by music from Aphex Twin, Burial, and Clams Casino, plus soundtracks like the Alien films, Dune, and Skyrim. Unfortunately, whenever I had brought that style to a record label or whoever was managing me, no one would know what to do with it. They regularly wanted me to add 808’s and drums, or make it “catchier” and more EDM-friendly. So by the end of 2020, I decided to go back to being an independent artist and remove the extra noise around me. Nevertheless, I didn’t quite know where to start. I considered lowercase, cyberpunk, sleep music, and more. In the end, it was my discovery of the Dreamscape label and finding music from Øneheart, Antent, and Bonjr that made me feel like I had finally found what I’d been searching for community and inspiration-wise.
Tune Parade: What are some of the resources you’ve found to be the most useful for your musical identity, and what about these Dreamscape artists inspired you?
Headphone Activist: At this point in my career, I am just grateful to still be able to make music for a living. What I love about the ambient space is it reminds me of how it was back when I started putting out music on SoundCloud. It's a bunch of smart and creative people, making innovative and good music, while also keeping themselves free of the burdens of “trends”. For example, my head is empty has been one of my favorite artists that I have found this year. His catalog is filled with quality singles and EPs.
It is truly inspiring when you listen to how good these artists' discographies are but also how impressive their work ethic is when it comes to working on new ideas and putting out new records.
Headphone Activist’s favorite synths, plugins, and resources 1. Boosty.io – This site is essentially a Russian Patreon. Quality sound packs that directly support the artists. Most of the foundation of my work was started by buying ambient sample packs from both Antent & Oneheart. you can pick them up from the links attached.
Antent's Boosty:
Øneheart's Boosty:
2. GMS – Groove Machine Synthesizer or GMS is an FL Studio-native plugin, and it’s regularly used in the Dreamscape scene. I have been using GMS for years to add melodies to my songs (floating through time, starbound, ocean floors). When I discovered that some of these artists were using it, I felt like this genre was meant for me. It's a solid VST, worth checking out.
3. FabFilter Pro-Q 3 – This is the best EQ tool imo. It creates a 2D render of your sound that is easy to shape and shift to help you clean up your audio tracks. It’s incredibly useful, I use it on 95% of my mixer channels now.
4. Omnisphere – Its cost is high, but the libraries that are designed in Omnisphere are pretty incredible. For building the atmosphere of a song, you're not going to find a better VST imo. Outside of VSTs, Splice is a good source for new sounds, but I find most of my inspiration from listening to good music. These are a few of the other artists that I recommend checking out (there are too many to list all of them): reidenshi: You would know reidenshi from his collaboration with Øneheart, snowfall. Personally, I think his approach to piano is very refreshing. This is one of my favorites from his discography:
endless withdrawal: This record is one of my favorites, the ominous moody pads with the melodic bell...
Metahesh: His work with pads and layering is very impressive, I have been finding a lot of inspiration from his music lately.
vowl.: vowl also has a great approach with his sound design. it's been awesome connecting with him recently and talking about music theory. Check out this collaboration he did with Antent.
Tune Parade: I think this could be a powerful resource for aspiring artists who admire your work and career. Sometimes craftsmanship isn’t everything, one must also maintain consistency and a healthy mindset surrounding one’s artistry. What inspires you to keep going? Headphone Activist: When I was younger, music was all I cared about. I knew I wanted to create music, and that I could do something that stood out in the industry if I put my mind to it. Again I looked up to artists like Aphex Twin and Clams Casino. I wanted to be one of those guys: no genre, no limits, just put out Good music. Nowadays, my inspiration is a little more direct. For example, when I talk to fans and hear that they love listening to my music while studying, sleeping, or feeling a certain way, it makes me want to keep going. Streams, shows, or notoriety are all great, but something as simple as finding out that your music helps someone sleep better is why I love what I get to do for work. However, getting away from the computer is just as important: Have hobbies, get outside, and live your life. Get inspired by the world around you. Not just online.
Tune Parade: You mentioned that stepping away from shows and touring gave you the space necessary to forge your new sound. Do you have any plans for playing shows again in the future? Do you have any aspirations for the broader future of your musical endeavors?
Headphone Activist: I’m not planning on playing shows again. I had a good run, and I’m grateful for that. Towards the end of my run, though, it felt like when I was playing a set, I was taking that set away from a younger artist who deserves to have that spot with how much energy and time they are focusing on their sets. It’s a lot to ask a fan “Hey, buy a $50 ticket, find a babysitter, pay for parking and overpriced alcohol, and then listen to a set that doesn’t quite have my heart in it like it used to." If my perspective and attitude change towards spending time curating another live set I would consider playing shows again, but until I'm ready to give my “DJ sets” the same dedication I used to, I don't really deserve the crowds' time/money when there are so many other artists waiting for that opportunity. Production and sound design have always been my main focus, I enjoyed experiencing the DJing side of our music culture, & I am very grateful I got to play the shows and events I have been invited to. However, If I had to pick one, I would rather spend my time working on ideas and building a catalog.
As for future plans, I plan to enjoy the rest of the year outside before winter gets here, Autumn is my favorite season, So aside from enjoying Halloween, I will also have a collaboration releasing with Antent in October. Stoked for this one. Other than that, I will mostly be focusing on writing more music for the labels I am working with and enjoying the seasons changing before winter gets here, and I'm back in the studio full time.
Check out the 24seven label:
Playlist to support on Spotify:
Discover Headphone Activist:
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