In this exclusive interview, Kallaghan is here to discuss his latest release, ‘Skyfall’, delving into the creative and technical processes behind the production and sharing details about the key inspirations that led to the dynamic and driving energy of the track.
Known for his distinct Bass House sound, Kallaghan is fast gaining traction within the world of Electronic Music; as he now channels his many years of experience working as a Producer for Artists across numerous different genres into his own productions, Kallaghan is emerging as an exciting talent within the genre, one to keep a close eye on as he promises to keep dropping smash productions and delivering unmissable live performances.
So, sit back and enjoy, as Kallaghan shares an insider’s look into his innovative creativity.
Hey Kallaghan! How are you?
Bonjour! I’m doing great thank you!
Congrats on the release of ‘Skyfall’! Can you elaborate on the creative process behind the track and how you approached blending different elements to create such a unique sound?
Thank you! My approach always leans towards Rock. Typically, I kick things off with a catchy riff and then piece together the beat and various lead elements to infuse a groovy but choppy vibe. This song was originally 7mins long and super progressive but I ended up cutting 50% of it. I wanted to blend a melodic vocal sample that Farrell could have done in the early days of NERD, with a riffy synth, absolutely influenced by Prodigy. Once I had these 90s/early 2000s elements in I made sure to make it sound more modern.
Could you share some insights into the inspiration behind the track and the emotions you aimed to evoke in your listeners?
I'm a big fan of songs with catchy riffs and sweeping melodic transitions. I also love delving into intense Techno parts. I try to take my audience on a trip that fuses different genres and sounds but always with a Dark Mood to it or a Dark Sarcastic Mood haha, reflecting my musical journey from the days when I first started crafting nu-metal riffs in my teenage bedroom to big Techno drops in raves.
Can you walk us through your approach to sound design and how you achieved such a vibrant and dynamic sound in ‘Skyfall’?
For Skyfall I first wrote a “singable” riff which was going to end up following my bass and lead, then I side chained a bunch of compressors and Kick Start2 to my percussive elements, tweaking the thresholds until I made the groove feel right to my ears. I wanted to create a different effect of tucking between center and sides.
First, I worked on getting all the layers to sound as one cohesive unit. Then, I drew inspiration from Virgil Abloh; I'm greatly influenced by what he created with “the 10” collection back in 2017. I enjoy deconstructing my work and giving it an ‘unfinished' feel, allowing people to wonder and read between the lines, and create their own interpretations of my sound design.
The deep, dirty bass is so thick and warm, how did you achieve this from a processing perspective?
I designed the sub part of the bass in Serum. Two oscillators, basic shapes, synced together with the higher octave slightly detuned so a bit more stereo. I added a tube distortion post processing, high pass up to 950hz + kick start 2 on the 1/4 note slightly after beat.
The “higher” register of this Bass was made with my Moog sub27 with Micro Shift post processing in Protools to get it to sound full stereo. It’s a basic saw shape with no filter, RAW!
What was the inspiration behind the choir-like vocal in this one?
As I said earlier, I love Farrell and early NERD songs. I wanted to add a Soul feel to a Bass House / Tech House track. When I found these samples, I got them to sound very dark and “1975” and placed them far away in my mix and that was it.
The drop has a trippy, LFO jumping driven drop. Could you explain how this was executed and with what plugins?
The Bass on the drop is a hoover bass with a fast pitch movement on the attack, makes you feel a bit dizzy to be honest haha. Then, the rhythm section are guitars (telecaster + drive) I played and I overly Lo-fi them until they got that “what is that made with?” feel.
Can you explain how you created your breakbeat drum patterns that drive the song so well in this record?
So, Battery from Native instruments for my House drums. Nothing crazy on that end but the entire track uses a lo-fi Darbuka drum sample I got from Splice and chopped hard to create these different grooves. I love how it turned out on the “break beat” post chorus. It really contrasts the Tech House drums that are very mechanic and electronic.
What would you say is the most important part to this song that gives it its own distinctive character from everything else that is out there right now, and what do you hope listeners take away from it?
I blended a Rock-inspired bass riff with Tech House drums, oriental percussion, and soulful R&B vocals, putting my utmost effort into crafting something truly distinctive. I really hope listeners understand that I approach my music with the intention of taken them on a journey that they are familiar with but haven't been on yet.
Looking ahead, what can fans and the industry expect from Kallaghan in terms of future releases and live performances, and how do you see ‘Skyfall’ fitting into your evolving musical journey?
I want to keep on innovating in music, I come from the Rock scene, so I have always written tracks calibrated for live performance, and I see my DJ sets as stage performances. ‘Skyfall’ is definitely the first song of a new era for me that will transform my DJ sets into Electronic Music live shows.
Now, we thank Kallaghan for taking the time to share such a detailed look into the technicalities behind his newest track, ‘Skyfall,’ and eagerly await to hear what’s next to come from this talented DJ and Producer. As the next instalment in his musical journey promises to be just as exciting as the last, make sure to follow Kallaghan across social media to stay up-to-date on his upcoming releases and live performances.
Listen & Buy ‘Skyfall’ Now
https://soundcloud.com/kallaghanmusic/skyfall
https://open.spotify.com/album/3ewZFlO4RxtV8sUjPQ0Uoi?si=uEukNSdVQwCU-cmwUAdRVg
Kallaghan Online
