Doing Music

In the studio, where do the technical tasks end and the creative work begin? In this episode of Doing Music, Ebonie Smith talks to Craig Schuftan about her work as an engineer and producer for Atlantic Records. Ebonie's varied career covers a lot of ground, and she describes the influence she draws from cinema soundtracks and celebrates the ingenuity of contemporary hip-hop and trap producers. From the unique challenges of working with spoken word performers to amplifying the voices of Black women, poets and political figures, Ebonie offers unique insight into the top tier of major label production and the artistry you can bring to the most technical jobs.  Explore further: Danny Elfman - The Nightmare Before Christmas OST 101 Dalmatians OST Alice Randall Phillis Wheatley - On Imagination  Kris Bowers - Bridgerton OST Kesha Lee & Lil Uzi Vert Recording Unhinged Book About Unconventional Techniques By Sylvia Massy And Chris Johnson   Keep up with Ebonie Smith on Instagram, on YouTube and via her website.    Tell us what you think of this episode: doingmusic@ableton.com Doing Music is brought to you by Ableton. Follow us on TikTok and Instagram.

Chuck Sutton, a producer and educator known for his engaging teaching style and innovative electronic music, chats with Craig Schuftan about turning technical challenges into artistic opportunities. They discuss transforming a microphone into a MIDI controller for realistic percussion. Chuck shares insights on navigating creativity within limitations and the effects of technology on collaboration. The pair also explore sound design through word association and how analogies to everyday life can demystify complex concepts in music production.

How hard is it to break the cultural coding around an instrument and realize its true potential? In this episode of Doing Music, Emily Hopkins talks to Craig Schuftan about her life-long relationship with the harp and her exploration of the instrument's experimental possibilities. Joined by her partner and sound engineer Russ, Emily details the various electro-acoustic methods she uses, the deep well of sound that comes from running her harps through pedals and her desire to inspire with her successful YouTube channel. As a classically-trained player now scoring high-profile soundtracks on her own terms, Emily's story is a relatable quest to maintain her own identity with an instrument everyone thinks they know. Explore further: Edmar Castaneda  The Emotron - Life Without Horses Wah Pedal on Harp is Ridiculous Addi & Jacq Zeena Parkins   Keep up with Emily Hopkins on YouTube, Instagram and via her website.   Tell us what you think of this episode: doingmusic@ableton.com Doing Music is brought to you by Ableton. Follow us on TikTok and Instagram.

Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser of MGMT dive into their 20-year journey, celebrating the absurdity that fuels their creativity. They share their early experiences in dorm rooms, where makeshift gear sparked innovative sounds. Their latest album, 'Loss of Life,' reflects on personal growth, parenthood, and the balance between humor and deeper meanings in songwriting. With a love for the strange and a knack for playful experimentation, they reveal how embracing the weird has shaped their iconic psychedelic pop-rock identity.

When does self-doubt overtake the creative process? On this episode of Doing Music, L'Rain's Taja Cheek tells Craig Schuftan and co-host Christa Belle about the doubt she faces down when committing her musical ideas to a recording, especially when she’s working with others. A New York-based multi-instrumentalist with a mercurial twist on electronic soul, Cheek tells us about the various stages of her music making, from quick-fire voice notes and being alone in busy places to her love of lo-fi sound. It's a fascinating insight into the inner workings of a musician who prizes the patient art of the album to convey her ideas more deeply.  Explore further: National Sawdust Artists in Residence Program Terry Riley - Poppy Nogood and the Phantom Band Everybody Shut Up by DJ Pacman   Keep up with L’Rain on Instagram and via her website — and check out her music on Bandcamp.   Tell us what you think of this episode: doingmusic@ableton.com Doing Music is brought to you by Ableton. Follow us on TikTok and Instagram.

When you flip a sample for a Hot 100 hit, are you trading on nostalgia or breaking an iconic sound to the next generation? In this episode of Doing Music, Malibu Babie tells Craig Schuftan how she approached the big samples that turned into big hits for artists like Nicki Minaj and Megan Thee Stallion. As a producer toying with the space between pop, rap and club music, she explains the exciting results that come from crossing over styles and shopping them out to unlikely artists, and the ways she'll try to get a collaborator in the right headspace before getting into the beats. Explore further: I’ll Never Write My Memoirs by Grace Jones and Paul Morley Elizabeth Gilbert - Big Magic and her Ted Talk Lil Jon feat. E-40 and Sean Paul - Snap Yo Fingers  WhoSampled: Missy Elliott feat. Ciara and Fatman Scoop - Lose Control   Keep up with Malibu Babie on Instagram, TikTok and Twitter.   Tell us what you think of this episode: doingmusic@ableton.com Doing Music is brought to you by Ableton. Follow us on TikTok and Instagram.

For Lukid, bouncing out unfinished sketches is an essential part of the music-making process. In this episode of Doing Music, host Craig Shuftan finds out how Luke Blair drew on a well-stocked archive of ideas to revive a past project after a 10-year hiatus. Along with his untrained melodic process and many-sided approach to sampling, Blair opens up about the existential dread that pushed him towards finishing new music, the art of forgetting and the strange allure of working within constraints.  Explore further: Philip Guston - Paint What I Want to See The KLF - The Manual    Keep up with Lukid on Twitter, Instagram and Bandcamp — and check out his latest album TILT.   Tell us what you think of this episode: doingmusic@ableton.com Doing Music is brought to you by Ableton. Follow us on TikTok and Instagram.

How do you go about teaching a history of electronic music which fairly credits Black innovators? In this episode of Doing Music, King Britt talks to Craig Schuftan and Christa Belle about his groundbreaking Blacktronika course at University of California San Diego. In the process of educating students about seminal music movements pioneered by Black communities—from funk and disco through Chicago house and Detroit techno on to drum & bass and beyond—the acclaimed US producer reveals the positive impact being an educator and instigator has had on his own music making. Learn about the importance of nurturing community and hear illuminating stories from a lifelong devotee to the culture.  Explore further: Blacktronika on Instagram Lynnée Denise Juan Atkins Alvin Toffler - Future Shock Kodwo Eshun - More Brilliant than The Sun DeForrest Brown Jr. - Assembling A Black Counter Culture Bob Gluck - You’ll Know When You Get There: Herbie Hancock and the Mwandishi Band   Keep up with King Britt on Instagram, Twitter and via his website.   Tell us what you think of this episode: doingmusic@ableton.com Doing Music is brought to you by Ableton. Follow us on TikTok and Instagram.

If you could design the perfect clubbing experience, what would you put in it? Zora Jones explores that idea in her audio-visual world-building projects, where the technological wonder of the virtual collides with the human connectivity of community. In this episode of Doing Music, Zora tells Craig Schuftan about how she toys with fantasy and reality in her modernist bass-heavy productions. As an ever-evolving artist, she delves into her development as a singer and songwriter, her appreciation for devoted fandom and the enduring influence of golden-era MTV.  Explore further: Gorge Music Recording Unhinged Book About Unconventional Techniques By Sylvia Massy And Chris Johnson The Lives of the Surrealists by Desmond Morris Eroge Video Games Busta Rymes ft. Janet Jackson - What’s It Gonna Be?!   Keep up with Zora Jones on Instagram, Bandcamp and via her label Fractal Fantasy.   Tell us what you think of this episode: doingmusic@ableton.com Doing Music is brought to you by Ableton. Follow us on TikTok and Instagram.  

How do you design music education that’s engaging for beginners and experienced users? That’s the challenge Dennis DeSantis faces as head of Ableton’s Learning Team. In this conversation with Craig Schuftan, Dennis talks about the importance of play and interactivity in learning and making music, as well as the value of simplifying complex concepts for beginners. Along the way we hear about his own musical journey, the power of diverse influences and debates around pitch and tuning systems.   Explore further: Learning Music Learning Synths Making Music: 74 Strategies for Electronic Producers by Dennis DeSantis Première Poème Symphonique, György Ligeti 1963 Patrice Rushen - Forget Me Nots (Official Video)  Our Band Could Be Your Life by Michael Azzerad   Keep up with Dennis DeSantis on Instagram, YouTube and via his website.   Tell us what you think of this episode: doingmusic@ableton.com Doing Music is brought to you by Ableton. Follow us on TikTok and Instagram.