Me in my studio: Dave Seaman
Welcome
Whether DJing, producing or remixing, Dave Seaman has been leaving his mark on the dance music scene for well over two decades now. In that time he’s worked with the likes of Kylie Minogue and Pet Shop Boys, and reworked tracks by David Bowie, New Order, U2 and Michael Jackson (among others).
These days, he co-owns the Selador Recordings label with Steve Parry, which now has more than 50 releases behind it.
We asked Dave to show us the gear that he’s currently relying on, and to tell us why it’s important to his setup...
The studio
“I don’t actually have a full studio at home any more. As I have a young family now, it’s very difficult to find time to get my head down into making music without any interruptions from inquisitive minds and sticky fingers!
“So, for the last 4 years I’ve been working out of a studio in London with my production partner, Jay Gilbert. It allows me to get away for a few days every month and focus completely on the job in hand. It also forces us to be as productive as possible for the time I’m there. So less room for too much procrastination - the producer’s worst enemy.
“Here are s a few of our favourite pieces of equipment that regularly get used on the Dave Seaman productions and remixes...”
Ableton Push 2
“The best new bit of kit we’ve added to our arsenal recently. Taking over from what the Akai MPC used to give us in terms of a step sequencing and then some. User friendly and very vibey. Throws up different and unusual chord combinations that you wouldn’t necessarily play on a conventional keyboard.”
Moog Voyager
“Amazing rich Moog sounds. Great for leads and bass, especially growls. The bassline from my collaboration with Acumen ‘Ines’ came from here.”
Nord Rack
“A leftover relic of the ‘90s prog days and something we still use for leads and bass stabs. We used it recently on my new single, Voodoo Disarray, which is forthcoming on Selador, and also on a new remix we’ve just done for Metodi Hristov. Its lovely Sawtooth oscillator bites through mixes.”
Roland JU-06
“We used the original synth back in the day and this new module from the Roland Boutique series replicates the original sounds very well. The chorus function especially so. Again, it’s very portable.”
Roland TR-8
“We use this as a vibe machine. Great for throwing MIDI at and seeing what weird and wonderful stuff comes back at you. Opening and closing the decay on hats with this is a trick we use a lot to give depth to rhythm sections.”
Moog Minitaur
“A 2-oscillator bass synth that’s highly portable. The Naughty Forest bassline came from this. It features that classic Moog filter. The new Minitaur software editor now allows you to save settings, which has been a cool addition, too.”
I’m the Group Content Manager for MusicRadar, specialising in all things tech. I’ve been playing the piano, gigging in bands and failing to finish tracks at home for more than 30 years, 20 of which I’ve also spent writing about music technology.