My Forever Studio: Mella Dee and the joy of presets

The Techno Disco Tool producer talks windowless studios, his H3000 effects unit, dub reggae vibes and the love of presets

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Mella Dee

Mella Dee

On this week’s episode of the My Forever Studio podcast, in partnership with Audient, hosts Chris Barker and Will Betts speak to Mella Dee. Thanks to the wonderful facilities over at Tileyard Studios in London, this episode was able to be recorded in person.

He’s a man who needs no introduction in UK dance music circles – but we’ll give you one anyway. Real name Ryan Aitchison and proudly hailing from Doncaster, the producer and DJ started out in 2012 making underground bass and breaks-infused rave music. Rave has been a constant theme throughout his music, as he’s traversed through various styles, landing on a driving techno sound with a huge warehouse feel on Dusky’s 17 Steps label and Waze & Odyssey’s W&O Street Tracks imprint.

Since 2017, Mella Dee’s music has existed mostly on his own Warehouse Music label, where his even harder techno sound has been able to flourish. You’ve most likely heard his massive grooving sample-heavy track, //Techno Disco Tool//, which now has 30 million streams and very quickly became a regular ear worm on radios and at festivals.

In this episode, the Doncaster don shouts out his friend Redlight who apparently shares a habit for blowing up studio monitors. He also discusses his love for dub reggae, his refusal to have windows in a studio, and his adoration for the iconic Eventide H3000 pitch shift, delay and modulation unit.

For those who don’t yet know about the premise of the My Forever Studio podcast, it’s a place for artists, producers, and engineers to envision their ideal creative space anywhere in the universe. Our guests have shared their unique setups, including Dot Major’s London space, Amon Tobin’s floating studio, VNCCII’s futuristic AI-integrated space utopia, Jordan Rudess’ Hawaiian mountain-top studio, and Callum Marinho’s countryside arrangement.

Although participants can dream big and go bold with their choices, there are limitations. They must carefully select their possessions, as they are restricted to a limited number of items. However, there is one strict rule: no bundles are allowed. It’s all about individual items, no bundles whatsoever.

Make sure you go and follow the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Castbox to stay up-to-date with the latest episodes at musictech.com.

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