MFA: How do you generally start a track? What's your approach to those first moments of a blank project?

LV: There's no one way. Often I start with the drums first.

People spending six hours a day staring at a laptop,
listening to techno looping as it forms,
and might not get the best results that way.

Yeah, it’s not uncommon to lay rhythmic foundations from the outset. But you build from there into such a captivating, raw, yet sophisticated blend of techno & house.

Thank you for these kind words. I do like when a piece of music unfolds in front of you.

But so what happens when you hit a wall in the studio? What are your strategies for getting unstuck?

I've never had that problem. Not one time. I have tons of ideas. Although my quality control doesn't let me work too much, because I don't want to make generic music. I like to spend time doing nothing in preparation for music making. The most overlooked part of writing is sitting and thinking. It's a type of meditation.

If you just sit and think, that's where the music forms first. Don't worry about rigidity each individual day, because that denies you the ebb and flow of music making over long periods of time; sometimes music-making is really intense, sometimes more of a light activity — sometimes no activity at all.

A real production, that you give everything to, is a mountain to climb, and there is a ton of important prep work you do in the "off" time. That's not every day. You only get those "channeling" moments when they come, and they come in waves. The biggest error I see people making is trying to force those moments.

You seem to have incorporated generative processes into your work - what can you tell us about this?

While I’m interested in all the generative devices related to Max for Live and whatnot, I’m more of a fan. I like your Pattern Engine device, that's lovely.

Nice one. I believe you have an ongoing interest in alternate scales and tuning systems - how do these factor into your process?

I enjoy choosing my own frequencies. I used to make scales all the time, but now I just like playing with them. I suppose it will come again when I actually need a certain scale.

The most overlooked part of writing is sitting and thinking.
It's a type of meditation.

Amazing. I assume you’ve been using Scala resources for those. So how do you know when a track is finished? Do you have a system for this you can share?

I haven't written anything since I booked an important live show. All I do in the studio these days is rehearse, the live show will see a debut in September, at Sub Club in Glasgow. So that's all I do in the studio these days: practise, jam, rehearse, practise. It will all be worth it though, when the show is a success.

So besides upcoming live performances - what fuels your creative appetite these days? Where do you look for inspiration?

The most important thing I do is sit and think. Or, lay down even, and just think. The times in my life when my music is good is when I have the time to prepare my thoughts and plan of execution. People spending six hours a day staring at a laptop listening to techno looping as it forms, and might not get the best results that way. If you looked at my hours per day, it’s probably more like: 0,1, 3, 1, 0, 5, 12, 2, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 3, 0.5, 1, 1, 11, 4, 5, 7, 4, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1 — just as an example.

So a lot of down days with no production at all, then some high-intensity ones sprinkled throughout. I wonder if location is a factor with your schedule. For example, you were living in NYC when you first became known as an artist, but eventually relocated to Berlin. What role do you find place might have in your creative process? And how have these two cities influenced your work, if at all?

I took my youth and formative years in NYC with me, embedded in my music and artwork, to Berlin. But I've been in Berlin for 12 years now, and I have roots here, so this is where I'll be — until one day that I leave.

What’s your latest technique you discovered that you might be excited to share?

If you've not experimented with all the new tuning software that is out there lately, that is very exciting. Things that weren't possible before are now incredibly effortless to accomplish, like changing tunings dynamically in the music, which couldn't really be done before.

A real production, that you give everything to, is a mountain to climb,
and there is a ton of important prep work you do in the "off" time.

Do you have any recent projects you’re excited to share?

Yes I do! I released a new full-length last month called Work In Progress — I hope you enjoy.

What can you tell us about what inspired this album?

The only criteria for it was that every track had to be playable on a dancefloor. Previous albums of mine followed more of a narrative, but this time around I thought, "Why do I do that? Nobody is making me follow a narrative." So, the whole album is tracks for DJs.

Check out Levon Vincent’s latest work on Bandcamp.