Over the past decade, British producer and DJ O'Flynn has carved out a distinctive sonic identity, sitting somewhere between the melody-rich electronics of his past collaborators Bonobo and Barry Can't Swim and the more bass-driven sound of artists like Floating Points or Caribou.
Following releases on Ninja Tune and Blip Discs, this summer O'Flynn returns with his third LP, Kairos, on his own Hundred Flowers label.
We visited him in his London studio to watch him build a track from scratch and break down the elements of new single Sekete. This is what we learned.
Don’t worry if something is “good” while you’re making it
Being too critical of your own work can be one of the quickest ways to kill creative momentum. As O’Flynn explains while sketching out the idea for a new track, it’s important to get your ideas recorded – you can worry about whether or not you think they’re any good later.
“I don’t know if anything’s actually any good when I’m making it,” he explains. “I think you’ve just got to get stuff out, not think about it too much and, you know, play it to a few mates after you’ve made it. Then see if it’s good, rather than worrying about if it’s good when you’re doing it.”
Sampling from vinyl adds ‘warmth and texture’
Sampling is at the core of O’Flynn’s production style. Although he doesn’t religiously stick to a single source – often pulling samples from YouTube, sample packs or field recordings – he says there’s something special about capturing sounds from vinyl records.
“When you sample from vinyl, you immediately just get so much texture,” he tells us. “It’s all been run through really expensive compressors and mixing desks, sometimes recorded to tape as well. So you just got this really nice, warm sound, which just lacks in a lot of sample packs.”
Work on music while you’re “not working”
One of the downsides of crate digging for vinyl to sample is that it can be incredibly time consuming. Even when you’ve got your hands on some records with potential, the process of listening through each track to identify breaks or vocals can be laborious in itself.
O’Flynn uses downtime away from the studio to listen out for samples, making quick notes that he can return to later.
“When I’m cooking or playing FIFA or cleaning I’m listening to records, it’s a great time to sort of work whilst you’re not actually working,” he says. “Every time I hear a sample, I will then make a note on a sticky note. It’s a really easy way to do it, so I don’t have to immediately sample it. Then I can just come back to it.”
Using external processing to bring a bassline to life
In the video, O’Flynn demonstrates how he uses external hardware to create a more vibrant, humanised version of the bassline he writes in Ableton Live. He does this by duplicating the MIDI part and sending it out via an External Audio Effect device.
“I send external MIDI out to this Moog Mother‑32 and then record the bass through the Kaoss Pad,” he explains. “It can do some mental stuff, basically… it’s really fun to suddenly make a bassline feel alive.”
Rather than replacing the existing bass part, O’Flynn layers the new recording on top, creating a thicker bass that has lots of top-end interest but also has a solid sub foundation.
When you’re bored, add something
Turning a great loop into a full track is often easier said than done. O’Flynn’s approach is simple: when you grow tired of one section, add something new.
“I think [the answer to] trying to get the full track from the loop is to, first of all, extend it and then listen to it” he tells us. “Then when you realise you’re bored by one section, you need to add something to it. That could be more percussion, another vocal chop or whatever.”
In the case of his new single, Sekete – which he talks us through in the video – that meant adding a completely different bassline for the second half of the track, creating a B section with a whole different feel.
