Hi, Arnault, how is life going this year? Can you tell anyone reading this a little bit about yourself?
Hey Enda, life is ok, even though I guess 2020 has been strange for everyone. Nothing changed much for musicians and producers, we’ve all been locked-up in studios for years, so I don’t complain. What is going on outside hasn’t affect much my daily life- but I get that it’s hard for DJs, performers, the nightlife industry. Not being able to work or knowing when it’s going to end must be pretty tough.
I’ve been doing music for almost 15 years, but really focused on my own projects for around a decade. I have released several EPs on labels such as Discotexas, Animal Language, Toolroom, and a first album last year on New Retro Wave. I’ve had the chance to collaborate and do some remix jobs for big names like Alan Braxe, Holly Johnson, Robin Thicke, Kris Menace, Simon Lord or Sally Shapiro to name a few.
Earlier this year I decided to step away from music production, but I’m slowly getting back to it for a couple of weeks.
We’ve had the pleasure of working together before on La Bombe. Can you tell us about your new music and project under L.O.V.E. Ltd?
Working on La Bombe was an amazing experience. So many great tunes released in the early 2010s, it was an honour that Sharooz liked my tunes and decided to put them out!
L.O.V.E. Ltd is just a playground where I can keep on releasing my music; experiment on new things, and also try to put some light on projects from friends and artists that I really like.
We have exciting things in the pipeline. New artists, 2 new releases before the end of the year and an album for early 2021.
What do your current setup for creating music entail? Any new pieces of gear you’ve added to your collection?
I still have a couple of analog synths but I rarely plug them these days. Recently I’ve been trying some of the clones and re-editions of analog classics that have been out for the last couple of years but I’m not really convinced. They do sound good but they don’t deliver anything stronger than what developers have put on plugins recently.
These days I mainly sketch in the box, thinking that I would replay it later with the real deal, but most of the times I don’t even have to. This workflow just works for me at the moment, even if I have to keep my eyes open on what’s going on.
We’ve always loved your sound. It’s been a staple in our playlists for years. For you, what is the key to creating good music, but being consistent?
That’s a tough question, and I’m not sure I have an answer.
Every time I finish a track I’m anxious about the next one. I think every music producer (or artist in general) is looking for the satisfaction of a new excitement, that, "yeah, ok now I’m proud of it" moment. So, I guess the key is to keep going - always be trying to do better and running after that feeling of hunger and creation.
And finally, do you have inspiring words for budding producers, to encourage them to keep making music?
I know it’s cliché, but you have to believe in your dreams. Most of all, do anything you can to make them happen. Staying strong and working hard is one part of the path, keeping your mind open will do the rest. Everything will come in time.
Listen to Douze's latest EP below: