Dean Lotay

To keep it simple: I've loved and lived through many experiences, musical and otherwise. Having only just turned 20, I've lived those years fast compared to some. I've been from town to city, village to venue, meeting many influences and seeing many sights that leave behind a taste of aspiration, melody and resonating emotion. Not all times have been so pleasant but thats life, life being the fuel behind a passion for music.

I live for the moment of hearing that sound that makes you think "What was that dude thinking?" when a certain track was made. I don't care whether its disco, punk, trance or organic hip-hop, if its got soul, I've got to feel it. I can't deny any particular genre or style as an influence upon my music as I write what ever I feel there and then; upbeat/downbeat, sad or funky. The only thing that tends to stick through my tracks is a modern arrangement, bringing a wide palette of sound into one motion. I dream of making a big piece transposing live with a full orchestra of synth, guitarists, drums, bassists, vocalists and DJs. Taking something live isn't about a small funked up DJ set in an area, its all about the moment you hooked a listener to the sound on record, bringing that sound to life with hundreds sharing the passion on the dancefloor and blowing them away.

A more in-depth break down of my roots in making tracks:

At the age of 12, I found myself in a desperate situation and thanks to my aunt & uncle, I woke up one christmas morning to the turntables I was dreaming of for the past year. I started spinning hip-hop, the sorta stuff that makes old people cringe, soon blending other styles. Some of the mixes, like the Real Thing & Darude, never turned out right but the sentiment was there, I couldnt just stick to one style of music. I was brought up before so many great records across the board, to pretend like only one genre tickles the tastebuds would be a lie for anyone.

Since I first had a feel of the wax, I wanted to learn as much as I can. I went into a studio once and was like "Omfg", theres so much kit here but how does it work, what does it do? What could I do with it? 

8 years on, several piercings and drastic hair growths/hair cuts later, the music has gone from strength to strength. I’ve been through so much different kit, losing well over £2000 in three years from buying and selling (I’m deffo not a Delboy), never actually getting the Juno-106 I’ve been waiting on for a while now. I learnt the policy that unless I feel I really need a piece of kit for a track, I just stick to the basics and let the good times roll: A PC, Ableton/Cubase, a handful of synths/samplers, Waves FX, EMU 1212M, Spirit Notepad, Maverick Guitar, Cheapo Bass & any keyboard/control surface that no one realises is missing for a few months. Using this kit, I just hammer out anything that comes to mind. Sometimes, it dosn’t cut it but sometimes I think "Hang on, that actually works."