This week I'm joined by Amy Dabbs - Berlin-based DJ, producer, and label owner who has built a music career entirely around a demanding job in digital advertising, international gigs, and a self-run release schedule.

No shortcuts, no safety net - just an incredibly honest account of what it actually takes.

We get into how she structures her time to protect studio sessions, the moment during covid that forced her to either quit or throw everything at it, and the creative process behind going from self-taught beginner to releasing music she's proud to play in her own sets.

We also talk about running her own label, why she can directly track gaps in her release schedule to her bookings dropping off, and the technique she uses - the golden hour - to hear her tracks with fresh ears before that window closes forever.

This one's for anyone trying to make music fit around real life without losing their mind or their sound.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Protect your golden hour: After two sessions building an idea, leave it completely alone for one to two weeks. That third session is the only time you'll ever hear it with fresh ears - make every decision you can in that window because it never comes back.
• Finish it even when you hate it: Every good track was once a track you wanted to bin. Pushing through that moment - not opening a new Ableton session - is the single most important habit you can build as a producer.
• Kill your darlings: Sometimes the thing you've spent the most time on is the thing that's holding the track back. Save it somewhere, close the folder, and let the track become what it needs to be.
• Release schedule drives bookings: If you're not releasing consistently, you're going backwards. Amy can see the correlation on a graph - gaps in output lead directly to fewer gigs.
• Ask for what you need: She asked to go part time and remote before covid made it normal. They said yes. If you don't ask, nothing changes - and more flexibility might be closer than you think.

BEST MOMENTS

"Every good track I've ever made was a shit track I didn't give up on." - Claude VonStroke, quoted by Amy

"That third session is the golden hour - the only time you're ever going to hear that track with fresh ears in the whole world. It never comes back."

"I've missed my friend's birthday for this. I can't do it. Maybe I've written all the good tracks I'm ever going to write. And then you turn a corner - and you did not see it coming."

"If you have a gap between releases, I can see a couple of months later my bookings lay down. Put it on a graph - it's very easy to correlate the two things."

"Don't lose yourself. Don't let the knockbacks make you start changing who you are. Being authentic is the most important thing of all."

EPISODES TO CHECK OUT NEXT

Kidnap

ABOUT THE HOST

Lex Luca is a London-based DJ, producer, and tastemaker, known for his infectious energy both behind the decks and in the studio. With releases on Snatch!, Nervous, and his own label In Tune, Lex has garnered support from industry heavyweights like Pete Tong, Annie Mac, and Claude von Stroke. A former BBC Radio 1 producer, he brings a wealth of experience to his craft, delivering a unique blend of house, disco, and techno that has taken him from London to Ibiza and beyond. Lex founded OpenDAW Songwriting camps, bringing together independent musicians to collaborate. And now, as the host of OpenDAW Talks, Lex shares his journey and insights with the next generation of music creators.

CONNECT & CONTACT

http://instagram.com/opendawmusic

http://instagram.com/lexluca

Email: hello@opendawtalks.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week I'm talking to James Hurr, a producer who's been behind some of the biggest records in dance music for over two decades. Over a thousand released tracks, a top 10 UK hit, a gold record for Tiesto, and a long-running studio partnership with Mark Knight.

We get into James' full creative process - how he starts a club record versus a commercial one, how he uses reference tracks inside the DAW to stay objective about his own work, and the songwriting camp session that started as a 90-second demo and ended up in the UK top 10.

We also talk about what it's actually like navigating feedback when a record goes major label, why stripping your plugin folder back to almost nothing can unlock better results, and the business basics that took him years to figure out and cost him real work in the meantime.

If you're serious about making records and building a career around it, this one's jam packed.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Start with the end in mind: Knowing who the record is for which DJ, which playlist, which market — makes every creative decision easier.
• The magic lives in the first 10 minutes: Most great vocal hooks and ideas come before anyone has time to overthink. Capture them fast and raw.
• Less is more with sound design: Stripping back to simple oscillators consistently gets more excitement in the room than complex layered sounds
• Creativity isn't scarce: Don't get tied to one idea. There are limitless records to make. If someone doesn't want that idea, save it - it'll find its moment.
• Business is just two people with mutual needs: Get the basics right, they're the ones that cost people real opportunities.
• 
  

BEST MOMENTS

Just because you love it doesn't mean the rest of the world is going to love it.

I am today the sum of all the people I've worked with.

Creativity isn't a scarcity. There are limitless songs you can write. Don't limit yourself by getting tied to one idea.

Nothing's ever finished - it's just knowing where to define the boundaries of what other people think is finished. Not your own.

The first preset on Omnisphere is just a saw lead. Eight or nine times out of ten, everyone goes, oh my god, what's that sound? And it's literally nothing.

EPISODES TO CHECK OUT NEXT

Mark Knight

ABOUT THE HOST

Lex Luca is a London-based DJ, producer, and tastemaker, known for his infectious energy both behind the decks and in the studio. With releases on Snatch!, Nervous, and his own label In Tune, Lex has garnered support from industry heavyweights like Pete Tong, Annie Mac, and Claude von Stroke. A former BBC Radio 1 producer, he brings a wealth of experience to his craft, delivering a unique blend of house, disco, and techno that has taken him from London to Ibiza and beyond. Lex founded OpenDAW Songwriting camps, bringing together independent musicians to collaborate. And now, as the host of OpenDAW Talks, Lex shares his journey and insights with the next generation of music creators.

CONNECT & CONTACT

http://instagram.com/opendawmusic

http://instagram.com/lexluca

Email: hello@opendawtalks.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.