Mikey Foden

My Story

1. Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of?
Arcadia was my first release, and was an idea I had bubbling around for a long time (9 years!). I was super proud for that to come out, as it was an idea I just felt I needed to share!

2. What's the biggest misconception about DJing and producing?
I think the biggest misconception is that you need all the expensive gear - I produce on a laptop with headphones, and these days I DJ with a controller instead of owning the latest fancy decks! The barrier to entry is a lot smaller than people think.

3. How would you describe your music production style and genre?

I think I very much sit in the trance genre, taking inspirations from progressive house and techno as well. I'm lucky that I have a wide range of musical inspirations to draw from, and that gives me the chance to try out different things without feeling 'restricted'.

4. What styles of music do you usually DJ?

I tend to play all forms of trance, from the slower melodic 122bpm stuff all the way to the 140+bpm. For me, it very much depends on where I am playing and reading the crowd (and event).

5. As a DJ, analog or digital and why?
I'd say digital, as I love the fact I can easily transfer an idea onto a USB and be playing it out shortly after making it!

6. What do you like most about music production?

Honestly, it's seeing people's reactions to ideas that I have come up with. When you see someone dancing to a beat that you came up with, it is such an unreal feeling!

7. How long have you been producing and DJing?

I started DJing back in 2007, although I first started with electro & progressive house. Trance took a hold of me in 2009, and I started producing shortly after. My first release was at the start of this year, so to anyone reading this - don't chase perfection! Create your art and release it!

8. What's your typical work process when producing a new track?

For me I start off with a melody, slowly working on a loop to fill out a drop or midsection. I tend to start with a lead or bass first, and once I have an idea then I'll start to think about fleshing it out with some noise candy.

9. Tell us about your studio setup.

I have a very basic setup - I have a MacBook Air with Ableton Live & a pair of Sennheiser HD6 Mix headphones. Nothing fancy at all! I use a Pioneer DDJ400 controller as well, but I do miss my old CDJ800 MKII's.

10. Can you share one DJ tip?

For me I always tell people try mixing the same song into itself - one fun thing you can do is touch the tempo slider slightly and then practice bringing the other copy of the song in sync with it.

11. What other musicians or music producers inspire you?

I'm inspired by a few people - I have a big soft spot for a lot of the Reaching Altitude artists like MaRLo, Oskah, MatricK & Uberjak'd. I also love both Genix and deadmau5's productions - I think they constantly evolve their sound really well.

12. What are some upcoming events or projects you are excited about?

I'm playing a local event in February to celebrate a YouTube trance show's 50th show which will be fun, and I am working on a few new tracks to be released next year!

13. Where can we find out more about your music and DJ schedule?

The best place for me is instagram (@mikeyfoden - I do post some silly reels from time to time) or my website https://mikeyfoden.com