Production

1. The vision

   First, I want a clear picture of the artist's vision for the song, and roughly which direction we want to take the production. We listen to references together, and if there's no demo yet, we jam a bit to find ideas for the instrumental.

2. Collecting ideas

   At the start, I want to be as creative as possible. Nothing gets rejected; it's all about finding as many ideas as we can. Once we have a few options for the drum groove, the chords and possible breaks, we shape the structure and see what works and what doesn't.

3. The sketch

   That gives us a rough sketch of the song: a structure, programmed drum grooves, and maybe some percussion, acoustic piano, MIDI keys or guitar. Then it's time for a proper recording plan. Which instruments do we record, and with which musicians?

4. Recording

   My acoustic piano is well mic'd, so those recordings are release-ready straight away, and I often make electronic drum productions that end up in the final track. Synth bass and MIDI bass I play myself. My studio isn't suited for acoustic drums, so we plan studio sessions for drums, electric and acoustic guitar, bass guitar, strings, horns, or whatever else the song needs.

5. Mix & master

   Once everything is recorded, I mix the song: every instrument gets its own place, and the feeling of the song comes through as strongly as possible. Then we master it. That's the finishing touch: we make the track loud enough and make sure everything sounds smooth and polished. We keep going until the song is truly finished and ready for release.

   More about mix & master

• Catch SOPH · Vokall Records

  This track came from pure flow. It was a joy to make and came together really quickly. 2.3 million streams later, I'm glad we didn't overthink it.

• Chance Westheaven · Vokall Records

  The band already had a live arrangement, and together we turned it into a studio version. I'm really proud of the quality we achieved: great recordings, beautiful mixes and lovely studio performances by the musicians. It became NPO Soul & Jazz's Tip of the Week and has 150K streams.

• Autumn Days Djaliviah

  Together with Djaliviah, I turned her song into a full production that really captures the warm, cosy feeling of autumn. We recorded lots of instruments at my parents' house, including the acoustic piano there, which always gives us a real sense of home. The song got us on RTV Rijnmond.

• Take My Hand Jan 2027 SOPH · Stereofox Records

  Out in January.

• Walls Mar 2027 SOPH · Stereofox Records

  Out in March, together with the EP.

Westheaven · SOPH · Djaliviah · Ebony Winter · Quincy George · Ben Red · Fenncy · Yasmina

Everything I've produced or co-produced, in one playlist.

Got a song, a demo or just an idea? Let's talk.