The 329th episode of our 12 Questions segment features producer Dimuth K.
1. How old are you, where are you living and how long have you been producing and Djing?
Hi! I’m 24 years old and living in the beautiful paradise island of Sri Lanka. I’ve been DJing since I was 15 with my first public performance in 2012. I got into production quite a bit later, starting about a year and a half ago.
2. Where do your musical roots lie, what are your first memories of electronic music and when did you know you wanted to pursue it seriously? Are there any particular productions or artists from the past that really made you think to yourself ‘this is what I want to do.”
Well, I’ve been a lover of music since I can remember. Starting off with listening to a lot of 80s music, I then progressed through listening to a range of genres ranging from alternative rock music, pop music to rap music and hip-hop. I also found myself enthralled by soundtracks of movies and their scores which I think had a tremendous impact on me musically. Listening to movie scores became something I love to do as I found it both uplifting and emotional.
In terms of electronic music, artists such as Armin Van Buuren, Deadmau5, Above and Beyond and Eric Prydz (to name a few) initially got me hooked to the genre. I started my career as a DJ, playing a lot of trance /progressive music and loved to see happiness exuding from people as they connected on the dance floor. Taking the audience on that musical journey and giving them an enjoyable experience gave me immense pleasure. I didn’t really think of it as a career, it just made me feel good to be doing it, so I found myself putting in a lot of time and effort to continuously keep improving and deliver the best I could to the people who follow me.
3. How difficult was learning to produce for you in the beginning? Did you take any Audio Engineering programs or production courses to help you out or are you pretty much self taught? And did anyone give any advice early on that really helped?
It was undoubtedly a challenging task but it was something I found very interesting at the same time which motivated me to spend a lot of time on experimenting and learning. I didn’t attend any programs or production courses, it was predominantly the internet that guided me through with some very important guidance and insights given to me by one of my very close friends, Shannon Davin. I will forever be grateful for all the knowledge he passed on to me which had a major role to play in me figuring out certain technicalities and challenges I faced along the way.
4. What parts of the production process do you find the most difficult and what comes easiest for you? When you do hit a creative block what helps you through it?
My production process is not really an orthodox one. New music, sounds of nature, beautiful sceneries, science fiction movies and generally the world around me always play a big role in inspiring me when it comes to making music. I don’t really come from a very fluent theoretical music background so I find it challenging to make melodies and this has pushed me to work harder and put a lot of effort into it. I love producing atmospheric and pad effects in my tracks which come with ease to me at the moment. It always varies, since I start every project from scratch and just go with what I feel at the time. When I feel like I’ve hit a creative block, I take a break producing and do something else that’s completely unrelated to electronic music like watching a movie or even playing a sport such as Football.
5. What’s a normal day like for you? Do you have a job outside of electronic music? And what do you like to do when you’re not working on music?
Yes, I do have a job outside of music that takes up my mornings, but I utilize my evenings and weekends to do what I love the most and try to balance it all out. I would go to the gym in the mornings, play some futsal during the weekdays, hang out with my friends and I absolutely love to travel to places I haven’t visited in Sri Lanka which gets me so inspired to make new music.
6. Apart from electronic music what other genres do you listen to and who are your favourite artists outside of electronic? and do these genres or artists have a direct effect on your own productions?
Micheal Jackson has always been a favourite of mine as well as The Eagles , Scorpions and Eminem (Again, to name a few!) I used to listen to a lot of alternative rock music, not just the big names but I was continuously trying to find new music to listen to. I love listening to acoustic music and instrumental tracks like the movie scores I mentioned before. And yes, any sort of music I listen to inspires me in some way or form to try something new and experiment with my own music. At the end of the day, whatever music it may be, it’s someone’s work of art which was made with a lot of hard work and it should be appreciated.
7. What was the first and last physical (CD, Vinyl, Cassette etc) piece of music you bought?
First – Michael Jackson – HIStory: Past, Present and Future
Last – Linkin Park – Meteora
8. Tell us something about yourself that might surprise people?
I represented Sri Lanka as a National Water polo Player
9. Which producers in your opinion get consistently overlooked?
There are so many! The world is filled with an abundance of talented individuals, but sadly this industry is such that some of the most deserving names do not get highlighted sometimes.
10. Which producers consistently inspire you? And where else does your inspiration come from?
Once again, there are so many producers out there and such large volumes of new music being released on a daily basis and all of it really inspires me. I especially love the productions that Jeremy Olander & Guy J always have to offer. The music they produce have always been an
inspiration in my work.
11. There are countless producers out there trying to find their way and create their own unique sound, what advice do you have for them?
Well, I believe that the key things to do in finding your way and creating your own sound is to be true to yourself, be passionate and professional about what you do and try not to follow trends or take shortcuts in trying to be famous or make a big impact in a short span of time. The harder you work, the more experience you will gain and the more you will grow as an artist. Always be open to constructive criticism from producers that you admire. People are often under the impression that using the same sounds or samples over again give you your unique sound, but I personally think it’s the process that you go by in making your tracks and also the last minute tweaks that give you your true sound. Producers should always aspire to create the music they feel with whatever equipment available to him/her. Always be positive, keep yourself motivated and make music that makes you smile. It is quite impossible to become successful overnight, it will take a tremendous amount of time and dedication to master. Nothing in life comes easy, but the harder you work, the sweeter the taste of success would be and most importantly, don’t forget to enjoy the journey!
12. If the final DJ/live set of your career was next week what would your last track be?
Haha that’s a tough one! But, as a closing track I would choose Dizzy Moments by Guy J.
‘Eternity’ is out now on Balkan Connection, you can purchase the release: here
