CRSSD Festival returns to the San Diego waterfront next month. We caught up with five artists performing at the festival to get the all-important DJ and producing hacks.
Tomas Høffding – WhoMadeWho
What is your all-time favorite bit of kit, and why?
My all-time favorite piece of gear would be my Prophet 6. I jam and write a good 50% of my tracks on it. It has a very analog vibe but is way steadier and easier to use than some super expensive old, rattley vintage synths. This and my old Swedish nylon string guitar are my beloved workhorses.
What one production technique do you wish you’d known when you were starting up?
Listening to my productions in mono now and then! You get so easily caught up in easy stereo tricks, but they often tend to just phase and mud.
What one DJing technique do you wish you’d known at the start of your career?
Haha, any! I’m not a DJ. I still wish I knew how to dance properly. That would be the DJing technique I wish I had learned. Still, I often fool around in the booth with my own homegrown moves and steps. It’s not pretty.
Give us a quick tip for improving productivity.
I got tons! Here are a few:
- Take breaks
- Don’t infinity scroll
- Take walks
- Listen to other people’s music
- Don’t work too long on the same thing
- Don’t fall in love with your own work too much
- Make many tracks. Sack 90% of them
- Play your stuff to people to trust. If they don’t like your track, sack it and make another one
- Get in the habit of making music on the road. Try to get obsessed by it, so you do that rather than Netflix.
Don't infinity scroll
Archie Hamilton
What is your all-time favorite bit of kit, and why?
It’s definitely the Roland TB-303 or any emulator. My usual go-to is the ABL3, which is great on the road.
What one production technique do you wish you’d known when you were starting up?
That modulation on certain elements can really give them movement and keep them interesting.
What one DJing technique do you wish you’d known at the start of your career?
The technique of not going to every afterparty!!
Give us a quick tip for improving productivity.
Make sure you get some exercise/fresh air before and during your session.
What can we expect from your set at CRSSD Festival this year?
High energy and good vibes.
Modulation on certain elements can really give them movement and keep them interesting
KASIA
What is your all-time favorite bit of kit, and why?
The Prophet 6 synthesizer. Its warm analog sound and versatility make it an indispensable tool. Whether I’m crafting lush pads, biting leads, or intricate sequences, the Prophet 6 consistently pushes the boundaries of music production.
What one production technique do you wish you’d known when you were starting up?
When I was starting up, I wished I had known how to automate the rate of the LFO to create stuttering stabs more efficiently.
What one DJing technique do you wish you’d known at the start of your career?
When I was starting out, I wished I had felt more comfortable experimenting with new techniques, such as adding a 2nd and 3rd channel. That and mastering the use of equipment, like the RMX-1000 or other effect machines, as they’ve become my favorite tools to enhance my sets.
Give us a quick tip for improving productivity.
I’ve found a few tricks that work when it comes to getting stuff done.
First, I’m all about carving out specific chunks of time for different tasks – it helps me stay focused and progress without feeling overwhelmed.
I used to be skeptical about making to-do lists, but I’ve come around to the idea. It’s surprising how satisfying it is to cross things off!
And taking breaks is key. I make sure to step away from my desk every so often to recharge – it makes a big difference in my productivity levels. Plus, I’ve learned to minimize distractions as much as possible by turning off notifications, and finding a quiet space to work really helps me focus.
And you know what? Setting clear goals is a game-changer. Knowing exactly what I want to accomplish keeps me motivated and moving forward.
Lastly, staying organized is crucial. Whether jotting things down in a notebook or using an app, having a system in place keeps me from feeling overwhelmed.
What can we expect from your set at CRSSD Festival this year?
I can’t wait to make my debut performance at CRSSD Festival and connect with the vibrant audience in San Diego. It’s an exciting opportunity for me to share my unreleased music, adding an element of anticipation and exclusivity to the set. Get ready for an electrifying experience – we’re going to make some incredible memories together at CRSSD Festival!
When I was starting out, I wished I had known how to automate the rate of the LFO to create stuttering stabs more efficiently
Simon Doty
What is your all-time favorite bit of kit, and why?
It’s definitely my Prophet 6. It’s been the signature sound on a number of my tracks over the last few years. It has a lot of analog character but a really sweet and emotive sound. It’s something that I will never get rid of.
What one production technique do you wish you’d known when you were starting up?
Realizing how powerful referencing can be for improving your tracks is important. There are now some great plugins that let you A/B tracks against something polished.
What one DJing technique do you wish you’d known at the start of your career?
Double-tapping the sync on CDJs so that it automatically sets it to the right tempo but then turns the sync back off. Saves a lot of time trying to move the pitch manually!
Give us a quick tip for improving productivity.
I’m all about using Do Not Disturb on your devices—that and setting a timer for working on music. I usually do shifts of 30 minutes and then take a little break. During the break, I’m strict about not looking at my phone.
What can we expect from your set at CRSSD Festival this year?
I’m always trying to bring the dancefloor a blend of melodic and emotive music that is also powerful and impactful. I’m committed to playing as much unreleased music as possible from myself and others. I’m super excited to experience the waterfront at CRSSD for the first time!
Realizing how powerful referencing can be for improving your tracks is important
Kruder & Dorfmeister
What is your all-time favorite bit of kit, and why?
Richard Dorfmeister: My favorite is still the Wurlitzer 200A. It’s one of the first instruments I bought in the early 90s. I have all the emulation plugins available, but the original tone is best! I just got it refurbished and it sounds beautiful. You can hear it on lots of our records over the last 30 years.
Peter Kruder: The sampler changed everything for us and is still important in the studio. From the early Akai S1000 to Sampler inside Ableton, I always liked to play with a sound on a keyboard once I found it. With an LFO on the filters or the starting point, there is an endless world for soundscaping.
What one production technique do you wish you’d known when you were starting up?
Richard Dorfmeister: Honestly, at the time we started, there was only the Akai S900 sampler. Later, we had the Akai S1000 and the EMU, the Atari 1040 STR, and a Technics record player. We somehow developed our own way of producing with limited equipment. In a way, it was the best way to produce a track with hardly any equipment.
The only thing we didn’t do was make proper track backups as they do in commercial studios on multitrack. So, all the recordings from the mid-90s were recorded live with no automation or recall. Looking back, that`s the beauty of it!
Peter Kruder: Not a production technique, but equally important is to back up, back up, back up! There is nothing worse than losing a great song because you didn’t back it up.
What one DJing technique do you wish you’d known at the start of your career?
Richard Dorfmeister: It was all about mixing the vinyl correctly. That’s a real art and Peter was always very good at it. It was always a challenge for me, but I managed to learn it. Nowadays, you hit the sync button, and your problems are solved. But at the time, adjusting the beats and properly crossfading was somehow magical.
Peter Kruder: I wished I had the looping functions years ago. This sole function expanded the way we DJ today and is something I wish we’d had.
Give us a quick tip for improving productivity.
Richard Dorfmeister: Avoiding crazy substances and alcohol. They damage your concentration and power big time.
Peter Kruder: Set an alarm clock for 1 hour as you soon realize how quickly time passes and you will focus more and stop fooling around! A little bit of fooling around can be great though…!
What can we expect from your set at CRSSD Festival this year?
Richard Dorfmeister: A classic K&D quality selection!
Peter Kruder: Exactly!
I wished I had the looping functions years ago. This sole function expanded the way we DJ today and is something I wish we'd had
X CLUB
What is your all-time favorite bit of kit, and why?
Would have to say the Elektron Octatrack II. A lot of our production is sample-based synthesis and sequencing, and there’s no tool quite like the Octatrack for such a thing.
What one production technique do you wish you’d known when you were starting up?
I wish I’d explored the world within Ableton’s ‘Max For Live’ feature earlier. It’s something we didn’t catch onto until embarrassingly recently, but when we finally delved into it, it opened up a whole new world for our production. Pretty much everything we use now is Max for Live based instruments and sequencers.
What one DJing technique do you wish you’d known at the start of your career?
One thing I wish I had started earlier is sorting my tracks in Rekordbox more efficiently. Using things like ratings is a great way to arrange tracks by ‘energy’ or their place in your set.
Give us a quick tip for improving productivity.
Something that I have found helps us is having all your song drafts and sketches privately uploaded to Soundcloud, no matter how bare bones. Just so you can tune in and listen whenever you’re on the go and make notes for next time you open it up.
What can we expect from your set at CRSSD Festival this year?
As always, lots of fun, high-energy, groovy techno!
Follow CRSSD Festival on Instagram.
Based at the Waterfront Park in San Diego CRSSD Festival runs over two days: March 2nd and March 3rd.
Buy tickets from the CRSSD Festival website.