MEET OIKI

February 25, 2014 7 Comments

First off, I would just like to say that it has been an awesome experience interacting with Oiki. Not only is he an exceptionally professional, talented musician/producer/DJ, but an extremely cool human being in general.

Ratchet is out! Lasers galore and growls that swallow you whole, leaving nothing behind but the ping of a harp .38. We’ve got a super interesting exclusive interview with Oiki himself to go along with it, enjoy!


Oiki - Press Shot 2014

Summer: I’m dying to know, where did you come up with “Oiki?”

Oiki: I’m not sure about sharing that… it’s a secret.

Summer: Okay. You’re based out of Moscow, Russia. Is that where you grew up?

Oiki: Yeah. I grew up in Moscow.

Summer: Did you always know that you wanted to make music?

Oiki: I’ve been making music since school, so I think to be an artist was always a dream of mine.

Summer: Only electronic?

Oiki: I have played the piano since school. I only really make electronic music, of course I also make some piano sketches, but the most part of the material is electronic.

Summer: What turned you on to Trap? Do you enjoy it, or are you just answering the call of duty as a musician to give listeners what they want?

Oiki: I’m not exclusively into Trap music. But still, it’s something fresh and it is interesting working with something that’s new for me.

Summer: Did you make a different genre before?

Oiki: I’ve got so many different tracks; Drum’n’Bass, Electro, Dubstep, Moombahton, so there’s always a place for something new.

Summer: I notice a recurring dark, frightening theme in your music. (One of my favorite things about it, besides the fact that it’s just really good.) Can you elaborate on that? What inspires you?

Oiki: I can make sad music, and always wanted to make some rave/festival stuff, so I am working on that at the moment. I think I can create something different for big festivals. The first thing that inspires me is music. I love the Dubtechno sound and old Drum and Bass tunes. There was something special about them.

Summer: I can’t wait to see you perform at a big festival. I think you have the potential to be like Skrillex. Has anyone ever told you that?

Oiki: Yeah people tell me that sometimes. I like what Sonny is doing but I don’t like when someone tries to compare us, because there’s always something different in any artist’s music.

Summer: I think the sincerity of the darkness in your music is something that makes you unique. I am crazy about your scary samples; gunshots, explosions, etc. They’re different from other artists’ samples because they’re more mid range and low end (or at least that’s how they sound to me.) Like in Groove, for example. What do you look for when eqing/compressing a sample?

Oiki: Well, this is about experience. I don’t think it matters what plugin you use. It‘s all about your feelings. Half of the samples you hear in my tracks are self-recorded sounds. Even drums and some explosions, percussion, voices. It’s always cool to design your own sounds that no one else has.

Summer: Also, your 808s and sub bass are out of this world! Do you do any special processing/layering to create them?

Oiki: My favourite part is drums. I spend days layering them, I really love the process. I don’t use 808s because it looks too simple for me. So I produce my own samples for the bass kicks using fm8, Massive etc.

Summer: What types of songs do you like to use as references if ever when doing a mix down of a track?

Oiki: When I mix down I always look at Pop, Hip Hop and Rap songs from the most famous artists. This is the best way to understand the idea of mixing down.

Summer: What gear do you like to work with when mixing?

Oiki: I only use my headphones – Sennheiser HD-25. I don’t like using monitors much. So I’m always sitting with my headphones on.

Summer: Do you build a track in any particular order?

Oiki: They all start with some idea. A melody or like the whole conception of the track. That was the case with my Are You Scared track where I tried to make the atmosphere of a horror movie.

Summer: What production technique would you say that you’ve benefited from the most?

Oiki: Sidechain compression is my favourite. You can make such unique sounds using it. And of course EQ automation. This is a kinda difficult part but the result deserves the time you will spend on it.

Summer: What is your DAW program of choice?

Oiki: I use Ableton LIVE. I used to make music in Fruity Loops, but after I changed from PC to Mac I decided to install LIVE. It is just perfect for me.

Summer: If you had to delete all of your plugins except for one, which would you choose to keep and why?

Oiki: I think that would be Massive. I’ve spent too many years working with it, so I’ve got a bunch of nice presets for it. But also I want to say that Sylenth is just amazing for growl bass lines. All the “Get It Now” EP growls were done by Sylenth.

Summer: I love the loudness and width, (I guess that’s how it could be described) of your tracks. What’s your mastering process like?

Oiki: I make them loud before mastering and then EQ and compress them. I think a crystal clear mixdown is the secret of a good mastering.

Summer: So about your handle/DJ name, any commentary at all?

Oiki: Nope. That will be kept secret.

Summer: A mystery it remains. Thank you SO much for doing this interview, I’m so excited about it, and I can’t wait until you come to the US!

 

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