My Toolbox: DVRKO

DVRKO is the anonymous dance alias of a Grammy-winning producer who has worked with R&B and rap artists. Hailing from the Detroit area and now based in Los Angeles, the producer put out his first single under the alias last year (with loads of remixes sprinkled in) that cover everything from house music, to bass music and a mix of tracks in-between. With a stream of music that seems to hit every other week, DVRKO has a studio filled with drum machines, synths and more from a lengthy career producing for others. Now it is his time and we step into the lab for a new My Toolbox feature. Listen to “I Want More” now and check out his studio below.

1. JoMoX ModBase 09 MkII – Bass Drum Module

Using that with the Pamela workout sequencer. Basically using that to design the kick drums for all our DVRKO records. Running that through the stereo Rupert Neve 542 tape emulator, to give it saturation. This is one of my main pieces of equipment.

2. Arturia MatrixBrute – Analog Synth

I use this to create aggressive bass sounds. It has a built in sequencer, which I have set up to control my entire modular synth rig. This allows me to have a much more streamlined flow to my production.

3. LAVRY AD122 96-MKIII

I use this for the end master chain. I have it going into the Lavry and going out digitally. By doing this it gives you more headroom and makes the mix sound huge. It is an essential piece for my setup for sure.

4. Qu-Bit Data Bender – Modular Component

I use this only to make insane dial up modem sounds!!! Not much more to say about this besides its hyper unique purpose, sometimes you just need some wonky dial up modem sounds to add to the mix.

5. Novation Bass Station II

Making all my bass sounds and layers with this. It has tons of dope patches available for it that I’ve been able to integrate into my mixes. Layering my sounds off this device has been amazing for the DVRKO brand.

Listen to “Wasted” and “Don’t Save Me.”