School of Electronic Music Producers #002: Luke Burras

Luke Burras is a solid School of Electronic Music studio-dweller and as a result another high flier on our Music Production Course. We’ve got a tasty remix that he’s done with Damien Maskell and Danny Knowles for your ears – great work from the three of them after only 7 months in the School! We asked Luke a few questions about how he got involved with music, and we’ve also got 5 of his influential tracks for you to listen to. Make sure to follow Luke’s soundcloud, there’ll be big things ahead we think!

Hey Luke, thanks for stopping in! Tell us, what made you decide to study at the Midi School?

After applying to multiple universities to study Music and Audio production, I still wasn’t satisfied. Most courses were so Media based and not as ‘hands-on’ as I wanted them to be. Manchester School of Electronic Music is 95% practical which I find awesome, and still cheaper than any university.

How are you finding the course so far?

So far the course is going great. The first half of it I found easy, because it was learning about things that I found really interesting – reverbs and delays, EQ, compression etc. Within about 6 weeks of starting at the School I found my production was getting better. And now I feel ready to begin saving up to get a good home studio going, and just keep doing what I love which is making music.

What’s your next move in terms of your production style?

I don’t have too much of a next move to be honest! I started the course just to get better at producing. I’m gonna continue doing what I love and hope that one day there’s a possibility it can take me somewhere.

That’s Right – Burras, Knowles & Maskell by Luke Burras

 

Time for Luke’s 5 tracks. Here we go…

The Cribs – City of Bugs

About 6 years ago, when I was 14 or so, I went to see Bloc Party at the GMEX in Manchester, where the Cribs supported. This was the first time I had seen them, and really kick started my love for indie music. Although I am slightly out the loop now, this song never gets old to me. It hasn’t influenced me so much in terms of production, but a teenage dream of mine was to one day perform a cover of this live, as it is such a powerful song in terms of performance. I love the tremolo picking on the guitar and the general epic feel. It brings back a lot of young memories for me.

Dr. Dre – Big Ego’s

At about the age of 17, I started to pick up on hip hop. Listening to indie music and dedicating so much time to it in my early teens I didn’t give other genres much of a chance. Once I listened to “The Chronic 2001” by Dr. Dre it was a different story. I guess it was a breath of fresh air in a part of my life where I was changing. I was struggling to find music I really liked and my mind opened up to a whole new badass side of the music world. I love how clean and crisp the drums are on this track, but the piano just makes it for me. The chords are so simple, but so perfect. I’ve had many good times cruising around in my mate’s car listening to this album. Hip Hop is a genre that I will definitely always have time for.

Jacques Greene – Another Girl

On September 29th, 2011, I went to Liverpool to visit a few friends who study there. It was the usual plan, a big night out and a big chill to help us recover the next day. I was told we were going to ‘The Shipping Forecast.’ A very strange name, but I it was a cool venue. The night ended up being amazing. It had an unforgettable line-up with Ifan Dafydd, and of course, Jacques Greene. It was the first time I had really been introduced to this side of House music, that almost had a Garagey/RnB twist. The vibes were amazing, and I heard Jacques Greene’s track “Another Girl” for the first time. The track has such a good feel. I love the vocal sample on this one. It’s hard to pick out what I like so much because I like it all. Give it a listen and I’m sure you’ll understand.

Pillowtalk – Soft (Life and Death Remix)

I could go on about all sorts, all day, but considering I am producing mainly house music now I think it is right to dedicate my last two songs to the genre that is my main focus. At about aged 19, I started to realise that all my friends were crazy about house music. It was mainly “deep house” that they seemed to talk about and browse youtube for. At first, I wasn’t really interested. House music just seemed like one big general thing to me. It was kind of the same story as hip hop. I had never thought to give it a chance and kind of dismissed it before really trying to get into it, (stupid, I know.) But at the same time, I kind of like that. It takes a lot of time for things to grow on me. Songs of a new style have to challenge me before I can really begin to appreciate them. It’s hard to explain. I guess I’m a tough critic. When I was roughly 19 and a half, I had pretty much fallen in love with this kind of house music. This tune was probably the one that sealed the deal for me. I love the sleepy male vocal, the percussion, and the way the bassline subtly drops in still puts a huge smile on my face. I have no doubt found a style/sound that I like, and will appreciate for the rest of my life.

Martin Roth – Deep Style

When I first started listening to house music I was big on Maceo Plex. I thought the sexy vibe he portrayed in all of his songs was so individual and unique, which it is. I probably stumbled across Martin Roth on youtube via related videos. Deep Style is an awesome track. It has been out just over a year now, but it is kinda new to me. It has the similar sort of sexy vibe that Maceo Plex sports so easily, but also has techy kind of qualities shining through. The airy pad sounds that burst through in this one are just too cool. I’d love to know what Martin uses to produce. If I had a list of all the synthesizers he owned I would save up and buy every one. His ear for sounds is just impeccable.