Meet Dave Winnel; Artist, Ableton Guru and all round perfectionist… Last year this kid showcased his debut release on Neon Records, delivering a buttered up bit of nostalgia with a wild western flavoured weapon called ‘Draw Your Guns' (feat. Las Vegas-based vocalist Sherry St. Germain of ‘Steel Eyes‘ fame). Since then he has released three other smash hit club records including his festival anthem ‘Atchung’, which captivated every A-List DJ from the likes of Tiesto, Axwell, Showtek, Alesso, Steve Angello, Porter Robinson (and the list goes on…). His next release “Remember to Breathe" with fellow Aussie Chris Arnott garnered huge local support, hitting the ARIA Club Chart Top 5 and spending a solid 8 weeks in the Top 50.
But his latest progressive house collab “The Great Valley” with ARIA & APRA Award-winning duo Denzal Park may be his biggest masterpiece yet. The track has so far propelled itself into the Beatport Progressive Chart Top 30, with early international support from Avicii, Dada Life, W&W, Afrojack, Laidback Luke, Chuckie, Ivan Gough, Gareth Emery, Michael Woods, Max Vangelli and Promise Land.
1. Which DAW do you use? (Ableton, Fruity Loops, Logic etc.)
I’ve been using Ableton for 6 years now. Before that I used Reason and Fruity Loops. I find Ableton the quickest but at the end of the day its all about the Chef and not the kitchen.
2. Favourite VST/Plugin and why?
..tough one. I’d have to say the Native Instruments ‘Guitar Rig’. It comes with a whole array of effects that sound really unique and I love how it’s all in the one box! Also the waves CLA & Maserati plugins are Dope!!!
3. Favourite DJ/Producer and why?
Axwell… No matter what he does he keeps it soooo cool. I feel he ignores the current trends but at the same time creates his own, and pushes this hard through Axtone. And this goes for his DJ sets as well as his productions. Also everything he touches has this signature Axwell ‘touch of gold’, it’s so inspiring.
4. What would you say is the most common music making mistake made by DJ/Producers today?
Developing this ‘Copy cat syndrome’. Copying your favourite artists is a great way to learn new techniques, but it’s not going to get you noticed. If you look at all the big players of the industry like Wolfgang Gartner, Tommy Trash, Zedd, Skrillex, you can pin point their tracks a mile away because they are so unique.
5. Best advice you could give to any up and coming DJ/Producers?
I know everyone says this but honestly stick to your guns and find your own sound. I see so many people floating around aimlessly copying the trends… It’s happening right now, dubstep producers are now making deep house to make a quick buck. If you truly believe in something, keep thrashing away at it till you come out on top. Also ‘OK or FINE’ is not good enough. Keep working on your music until it’s ‘PERFECT’. Don’t settle for anything less.
6. (Fan Question) Why do you prefer to play out on Ableton over other platforms (CDJ’s / Serato / Traktor etc.)? Does it take you a long time to prepare for your sets?
Honestly I was becoming a bit bored with the CDJs, this was back in 2008, so i started looking for something new. I got the idea from Deadmau5 at the time because that’s what he was using. At first I used the DJM 800 as the midi controller than ran the audio back into a spare channel on the mixer, now i’m using the APC40. I’d say I spend about the same amount of time preparing my sets, as people spend preparing their tracks in tractor, or record box. Over the years I’ve developed a really unique DJ template which allows me to do crazy build ups midset & even side chain accapellas & loops. I’ve made this available from my Facebook page for everyone to download.
Buy The Great Valley on Beatport
Find out more about Dave Winnel
FACEBOOK | TWITTER | SOUNDCLOUD
DOWNLOAD Dave Winnel’s Ableton Live DJ Template
