Chris Grabiec – Interview
Chris Grabiec is signed with our partner label Dance Regime and has been steadily growing in polarity over the past 3 years. With the release of his debut album in 2010 we thought we’d catch up with him and get to know a bit more about his background.
Where do you live and how did it all start for you?
I live in Acton, West London. I made dance music several years ago but I had a break from it until 3 years ago when I started producing again. I have been giving music my all since January 2009.
What was the first bit of studio equipment you purchased?
My first bit of kit was my Mac Pro – no computer no music!
What was your first release and who were you working with at the time?
My first release was a track called Guardian Angel under the pseudonym Silverback. The group Silverback included Nat Clarkson and Raechel Waldon.
Who do you currently work with? and what’s your process?
I produce all my tracks with Nat Clarkson and I write all my tracks with my partner Sarah-Jayne Newton. Each track involves 6 phases.
1. Initial writing, which can take several sessions at my home studio. 2. First production at Nat’s studio in Suffolk. 3. Song writing with Sarah. 4. Vocal recording and production at Nat’s. 5. Final production and mixing at Nat’s. 6. Mastering by Stuart Hawkes at Metropolis iMastering, London.
What are the top 5 plugins you use? and why?
In no particular order my top plugins are 1. Access Virus TI – this is an amazing synth with a very unique sound – I normally use this for main leads and main riffs 2. ReFx Nexus 2 – I go to Nexus for my pads and strings. 3. Lennar Digital Sylenth 1 – excellent for mid-range bass sounds as well as riffs and leads. 4. Native Instruments Massive – Very similar to Sylenth. 5. EXS24 Sampler – we use this for beats and FX.
Your working on your second album, what can people expect?
I’m at the halfway point of completing album 2 which I’m co-writing with Sarah-Jayne. People can expect in the region of 15 Trance and Progressive Trance tracks. Almost all of them are vocal tracks sung by Sarah-Jayne as well as a number of other artists. In addition also expect haunting melodies, powerful trance riffs, chunky beats and heartwarming and very emotional songs.
Who would you most like to collaborate with?
There are several artists that stand out for me in the Trance scene that I would love to collaborate with. The usual suspects that come to mind are Emma Hewitt, Stine Grove, Audrey Gallagher, Bo Bruce, Aruna, Cristina Soto & Sarah Howells, the list goes on. They all have a very unique sound. Outside the scene Sarah McLachlan and Leona Lewis and I am also really loving Emeli Sande’s sound.
What are your main goals for 2012
First of all our album completed and released in early Summer, getting married to Sarah and then going on honeymoon. I want to lie on a beach with a cocktail watching the sun go down while listening to the new album.
Any final thoughts?
What came first – chicken or the egg?
