Are You Ready To Release Your First Techno Record?
How long have you been making music?
So, this is a particularly crucial thing to consider. Something I see far too often is young and talented producers releasing their music prematurely. It’s totally understandable. You have been listening to techno and slowly fell in love with its deeply hypnotic and tribal like sound before deciding to take the plunge and get a copy of Ableton Live Suite to make your first tracks. 6 months have passed, you have learned the basics and now you’ve written your first EP. You’re ready to share it with the world. If you release at this point, I promise you it will become a source of regret in the future…
As you progress through your music career you will go through different phases of music you like to produce and experiment with different styles until finally you hit something that gives you a ‘signature sound’. Only at this point would I consider a debut release. Sadly, I cannot put a number on how many years this will take because it varies wildly for every producer, however for some reference, at the time of writing this article I am 4 years into producing techno and I am only really beginning to find my feet now in this complicated genre.
If you have been producing for less than 6 months there is a good chance you have some work ahead of you. This is not a negative thing. In my opinion, if you are producing techno for any reason other than pure love of the music then you should reconsider your priorities.
Techno production is a relentless battle between you and your own mind. Like any discipline, your biggest enemy is you and understanding this will prove advantageous in the long run. It should also be noted that serious producers don’t stop learning after their debut release. Like any genre of music, the goal is only to improve as time goes on. Every EP you release after the first one should either compliment or improve upon your debut ideas. This doesn’t mean the first one will always be bad but it’s logical to conclude that you will grow and improve even after your initial release. If you research your favourite producers now and go back to study their early releases you will likely find that they represent the sound you know, only they are a little rough around the edges (usually underdeveloped mixing skills).
What you have to decide is, where will you draw the line? What level of quality is acceptable for you to release? Remember, you can only release your debut once (apart from rebranding under an alias) so think carefully and be certain you are ready to release.
…
So maybe you’re reading this article because you’ve already committed some years to production and you feel like your music is matching the quality of what’s out there (hopefully exceeding it). In this case I would advise you consider the next few points before pulling the trigger…
Do you have a promotion plan?
So… you’ve worked tirelessly behind the computer (or hardware) teaching yourself how to balance a mix, arrange you tracks, learn some sound design and most importantly finish several records. Put all of this together and maybe now you’re at a point where your tracks are sounding professional and interesting. Then what?
This is when a lot of problems arise in our scene. One of two things typically happen at this stage;
1— Producers aim too high and shoot for the stars with bigger labels (why not?) but then feel disheartened when they don’t hear back.
2 — Producers undervalue their work and release it on SoundCloud or Bandcamp with absolutely no following.
Both of these situations are problematic.
If you aren’t hearing back from the big labels then you should aim for high quality, but lesser known labels. Labels at the top of the scene will rarely sign an unknown artist. Aiming for small/medium labels that release high quality music will likely yield better results in the long run. Like most disciplines there is an expectation that you earn your place and effectively climb the ranks over time and after a handful of successful releases you might be considered for a major release.
* At this point I want to give a piece of advice that might not be directly related but I feel I cannot ignore. Please, research your desired labels before signing away your work. If the label releases 3 EP’s a week then I would strongly suggest avoiding them. I’ll talk about this in greater detail in a future article but just keep that in your mind when deciding where to send your tracks. If the label releases this much music, then there is a huge chance your release will be lost in a sea of sub-par releases and that the overall quality of the sound is not very good.
For those of you looking to self-release, consider the following…
For every track that gets discovered on SoundCloud there are hundreds that get lost. This is not because they are bad tracks but simply because nobody is seeing them. If you have 20 followers on SoundCloud then at most 15 of those people will see them. What do you expect to happen? Your tracks won’t suddenly appear in the hands of known DJ’s across the globe. It is really important to be proactive about your promotion plan to make sure your tracks are going to be heard and most importantly, played.
There are several ways you can do this but for a beginner I suggest using a digital service such as ‘DistroKid’. I should point out I have no affiliation with DistroKid, I simply refer to them as a well-known company that provide this service. They charge $19.99 per year as of the time this article was written which is really quite affordable for what you get.
Using a service like this allows you to easily manage your releases and get them across major platforms like Spotify, Apple Music etc. A large part of getting ‘known’ or picked up in the scene now is attributed to being selected for popular playlists. For a point of reference, an old record of mine under a previous alias (that I won’t disclose) was selected for a big playlist called ‘Acid Techno’ (Shoutout Adam Heaton) which now sits at 16,500 plays. Not bad right? The rest of the tracks on my EP aren’t even near this level because they weren’t added to playlists. Like it or loathe it this can have a big impact on how far your music reaches.
So, this is one half of the battle, the other half is actually getting your tracks played. This part is not so easy…
One word — Networking. For the introverts out there, I feel your pain as you read this. Truthfully, the only real way to get into the scene is to be in the scene. But the good news is that we live in a digital age that makes this much easier and less socially demanding. While it’s enjoyable, going clubbing every weekend isn’t the only way to meet people. Long gone are the days of CD mixes and handing over hard copies to DJs personally.
I advise you to go exploring and see what’s out there. The Reddit community ‘r/technoproduction’ is a great place to start. Find producers at the same stage as you and open a dialogue with them. Find Discord servers you can join, and you might meet a record label owner who can watch you grow over time. Send messages to DJ’s who play the style of music you make and be honest and real with them. Stop thinking about this like a job interview where you send a musical CV. Be polite and professional but mainly be honest and open for a genuine conversation. If you have a bit of luck and the music is good, I don’t see why they wouldn’t play your tracks. DJ’s love to play records that are unreleased and unknown. It’s way more exciting to have people asking, ‘What is that record!?’ than saying the infamous ‘Oh yeah man, I have that on vinyl’…
In short, be a genuine person and make excellent music. There is no blueprint for success here. Do what you can and realise this is a long game that rewards hard work and dedication. There are no quick wins in the techno scene.
One final consideration for label releases is to know your sound. While this sounds a bit cliché, it is extremely important. If you send a Tech House demo to a Garage label don’t expect to hear back. Spend some time to really study the labels you like and the ones which your music will fit nicely into. If you are unsure then ask some other producers what they think. Overall, just use some common sense and think about if the label would ever realistically release your music.
…
Have you considered the design? (self-release only)
So you finished your EP, you got your tracks professionally mastered by a reputable mastering engineer, you signed up to ‘DistroKid’, you set up your accounts on music streaming platforms like Spotify, your social media accounts are nicely linked together, you spoke to some DJ’s and they played out your tracks a couple of times and overall you’ve managed to build some hype around your release… what now?
EP Artwork. Something that a frightening amount of people overlook. Think about everything I just listed above… Years of dedication put into honing your craft and then falling at the last hurdle by using a poorly made cover? Please don’t.
It always surprises me that producers are willing to spend thousands of euros on software, hardware and mastering for their music then try and self-design or commission a badly made EP artwork. Your cover art is your chance to grab people’s attention, make your work stand out and most importantly give the listener an indication of the vision/sonic world you have created through your music.
Like the old saying goes ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’… except that’s the problem, everyone does it anyway and the same is true for music. Please stretch your budget just that tiny bit further and commission a designer to make you something good.
I understand that you might fear the designer couldn’t possibly understand your vision but that is their job and if you communicate your ideas coherently, they will be able to make you something great and tailored to your style. In the same way you fear a mastering engineer might not understand your musical style, you have to take a leap of faith and trust in the process. Even if your music is outstanding it might be overlooked due to a cheap and unprofessional looking cover.
I am by no means an expert in releasing music, but the above considerations are opinions I have developed over the last 4 years of my production career (mostly by making these mistakes myself) and also learned from experienced mentors. Like anything in life, it’s important to surround yourself with the right people and to always be inspired. Find these people, whoever they may be, and let them guide you.
Instagram — @sinkorswim____