With music production technology improving, gone are the days when a professional music producer needed an expensive brick-and-mortar studio to make award-winning music. In fact, in 2024 all you need is a laptop, headphones, and a wealth of creativity.
More so than ever, modern music production puts the power and keys to success in the hands of the creators. Chris Luno is a perfect example of the levels one can reach using the bare minimum to make fantastic music while on the go, traveling the world, and seeing new parts of the globe every day.
With the release of the latest track on ZEHN Records, we decided it was high time that we caught up with Chris to discover the secrets, benefits, and reasons behind producing music entirely on the go and living the life of a music-production nomad.
Support The Single And Follow Chris Luno Online: YouTube // Instagram // Spotify // Facebook // Soundcloud
Why did you make the conscious decision to start producing all of your music while on the go and traveling?
First of all, hi guys – lovely to have a lil chat with you here!
I started producing music in 2015 during my Media Management studies in Leeuwarden, Netherlands. Being abroad for my exchange semester in Bali and Bangkok, I quickly realized that I couldn’t rely on monitor speakers or even a proper studio.
I, therefore, got used to producing all my music on my Sennheiser HD-25 DJ headphones. Sometimes I borrowed my friends’ Bluetooth speakers or casually put my tracks on in the Uber for the infamous “car test.” For me, it always felt intuitive to go that way, since I am listening to lots of music through those headphones anyway. Might as well produce on them right?
Looking to master plate reverb in production? Explore ‘How Producers Should Be Using Plate Reverb for Space, Modulation, and That Pro-Grade Polish’ – elevate your sound here. ️ ️ ️
What three tools could you not live without while producing music on the go?
I have three favorite tools that I couldn’t produce music on the go without. And while they might seem a bit out of the ordinary, they are the secret sauce to everything that I do.
- A Coffeeshop! I love to sit in a lively coffee with chatter around me, the noise of a coffee machine, life going on and also getting side-eyed by the waiters because I’m ordering only one coffee every 4hrs haha
- Switching up things! I usually produce on my DJ Headphones, but after exporting the draft, I’m usually checking it out in the gym or so within a few days of distance.
- My To-Do App! Whenever I have the feeling that a track is finished, I’m uploading it to SoundCloud, set it on private, and then listen to it around 1 week later with my To Do List app opened up, ready to roast and give feedback to the production.
Where do you most often look for inspiration when you’re not in an official studio?
I’m not actively looking for inspiration, but I think I always have an open ear for any curious sounds around me.
For example, my girlfriend dragged me to this acro-yoga workshop, where the teacher funnily pronounced, “I shift my weight”. I immediately heard a hooky melody in there and that’s stuck in my head until today. Maybe I’m going to do a track with that as a catchphrase. Or maybe I will put it next to the other 86 unfinished projects on my laptop (I actually just counted).
Another source of inspiration is sample packs. A few years back, I’ve been an intern for German Deep House legends Tube & Berger. Their workflow and how they juiced up their productions with top loops or shakers really inspired me and shaped my approach to music production.
Now, whenever I see that one of my favorite artists releases a sample pack, I get excited and buy that stuff. Self-promotion is incoming: I also produced a sample pack, it’s on Bandcamp and you might recognize some sounds from my recent releases in there.
Check Out Chris Luno’s Organic House Sample Pack Here
How do you stay focused and disciplined without having a dedicated creative space?
For me, a creative space is defined by being able to sit more or less comfortably and having some time to immerse into the music and get into the flow. That literally happened to me in a Taxi in Mumbai the other month. I was stuck in traffic for an hour and had a major breakthrough on a track called “Stay”.
I’ve just sent it to labels, maybe it will be out when you’re reading this! Or maybe it will be project number 87 on my hard drive haha.
Want to get your music signed? Learn ‘How to Send a Demo to Record Labels: The Do’s, Don’ts, and How’s of Getting Your Music Signed’ – master the art here.
Share something you wish you would have learned earlier about “nomad style” music production.
A life hack that I would love to tell past-tense-Chris: Start a challenge where you’re producing a new track draft every single day for 20 days. This really changed my life. Actually, it’s not only relevant for “nomad style” people without a studio but works for every producer and pretty sure also for other crafts.
Before I did the challenge, I was always trying to polish and finish every track idea that I came up with. Sometimes though, I was not seeing that I’ve been spending lots of hours on polishing tracks that weren’t very strong in the first place. By challenging myself to nail down a new idea every day (buildup + drop was the requirement in my case), I became less attached to the idea of making the perfect track, but simply focused on having any output. This took a lot of pressure and got me more disciplined pretty easily.
I also did the challenge together with a friend, at the end of each day, we were always sending our daily productions and giving each other feedback. After 20 days I listened to all the drafts and asked myself which ones I really loved. In my case, I loved 6 of those 20 and currently am working on finishing those. Wish me luck!
My learning here is that the chances to write something cool drastically increase if you lock yourself up and create a new beat every day. In those 20 days, I had more output than in the previous year, which is crazy
Want to excel with FabFilter’s Saturn 2? Delve into ‘How To Use FabFilter’s Saturn 2: Waxman (CA) Shares Expert Advice To Get The Most Out Of The Saturator’ – unlock your potential here.
Who Is Chris Luno?
Chris Luno discovered the rave scene in Mainz, Germany and never looked back. He honed his skills as a DJ and producer by holding residences in the Netherlands and studying media management. He was soon discovered by Tube & Berger and signed to their labels, Kittball and ZEHN Records, launching his successful music career.
Chris Luno’s YouTube mix series has garnered 35 million views since its launch in 2019. He has collaborated with Tube & Berger and performed globally, with his productions receiving support from Diplo, Gorgon City, and more. His music has over 5 million Spotify streams and will be released by Anjunadeep in 2023.
Snag Premium House Music Samples Without Breaking The Bank With Our Massive Curated List Of Warm, Punchy Sounds From Across The Internet. Click Here To Get 4k+ Free Sounds and Samples
Will Vance is a professional music producer who has been involved in the industry for the better part of a decade and has been the managing editor at Magnetic Magazine since mid-2022. In that time period, he has published thousands of articles on music production, industry think pieces and educational articles about the music industry. Over the last decade as a professional music producer, Will Vance has also ran multiple successful and highly respected record labels in the industry, including Where The Heart Is Records as well as having launched a new label with a focus on community through Magnetic Magazine. When not running these labels or producing his own music, Vance is likely writing for other top industry sites like Waves or the Hyperbits Masterclass or working on his upcoming book on mindfulness in music production. On the rare chance he's not thinking about music production, he's probably running a game of Dungeons and Dragons with his friends which he has been the dungeon master for for many years.
