Gabriel Evoke’s (@gabrielevoke) Son Of Mali EP puts his Minimal and Deep Tech instincts into a focused three-track package for Zero Gravity Music. As the founder of Namata Records and a key name in Brazil’s house circuit, he has built a catalog that already speaks to DJs who care about groove, rhythm detail, and low-end control. This EP continues that path with sharp percussion, acid touches, and synth work that feels direct without losing personality.
The title track centers on organic percussion, a hypnotic atmosphere, and a bassline built for long stretches of movement. “Party Time,” his collaboration with Jorge Mattos, brings in a more vocal-led house energy, while “Mind Games” leans toward a deeper acid direction with subtle layers that keep building across the arrangement. Each track has a clear role, and the EP feels like a proper extension of the sound Gabriel has been refining across his releases on AVOTRE, Purveyor Underground, Muzenga, and beyond.
For this How It Was Made feature, Gabriel breaks down the tools behind Son Of Mali, including U-He Repro-5, Audiorealism ABL3, FabFilter Timeless 2, UAD Studer A800, and TAL-Filter-2. The throughline is motion. Each plugin plays a role in shaping groove, space, modulation, and tone while keeping the arrangement clean enough for the rhythm to stay in control.
U-He Repro-5
The highlight is the U-He Repro 5, a synthesizer that emulates the classic Prophet-5. It has a warm, rich, analog texture with that “vintage soul.” I use it a lot to create leads, bass, and pads. Like all U-He plugins, it’s of excellent quality.
In this case, I worked with a preset in the Leads bank called Az Filthy Groove, creating a 5-voice polyphonic timbre. I was looking for a synth with a more aggressive tone, not too closed off, so that it would stand out in the mix but also not steal the show. So, in the oscillator, I chose a “sawtooth” waveform and pushed it up an octave. I worked with the filter, opened the cutoff, made slight adjustments to the decay and sustain, and left the release a little more open, bringing a slight expansion to the sound. To polish the timbre, I used the Lexicon Room reverb, my favorite for synths. One cool detail was using the TAL-Filter-2 with the LP Slow Sine preset, adding movement to the sound and preventing it from sounding flat and lifeless.
I highly recommend this synth for Minimal/Deep Tech producers who like a more old-school sound; the bass, synth, key, and pad banks are great. Although I don’t usually work with the plugin’s FX section, the Repro-5 offers a great selection of distortion, reverb, and delay, which can be very rich when combined.
Audiorealism ABL3
I’m passionate about acid tones; that “melted” sound really grabs me. I believe it’s a great ingredient for Minimal/Deep Tech tracks. In Son Of Mali, it plays an important role in building the groove. I usually work with the Audiorelealism abl3 plugin, which meticulously emulates the sound of the legendary Roland TB-303 synthesizer.
I like to work in “Classic” mode, creating my tone from scratch. The cutoff, resonance, and env mode parameters are what truly shape the tone. Working with automation, opening and closing these parameters, is a great tip for adding movement to the track, as well as creating a more interesting structure, opening the sound at peak moments or during a build-up, and closing it at the end of a measure. I really enjoy working with the reverb from the Pioneer RMX-1000 plugin to create an atmosphere in the breakdowns.
One really interesting way to work with this plugin is to choose the “Random” mode in the “Pattern” section, where the plugin generates different melody ideas for you. First, you define the musical scale you want to work with, and then, using the “Apply” button, you can test different ideas. Often, when I’m “stuck” or lacking creativity, I use this option to get ideas for bass lines.
FabFilter Timeless 2
I like to bring movement and spatiality to my Minimal House tracks; I see it as an important characteristic of the genre. A plugin I use a lot for this is FabFilter Timeless 2, a great delay, super complete, with different parameters to work the sound in endless ways. Its preset bank is quite extensive.
I really like using it on stabs, vocals, or even percussion. I think it’s really cool to be able to work with the delay specifically and separately for each side of the stereo, L and R. I can choose the signature, feedback, and how the sound behaves in the spectrum in general. Remember that working with parameter automation is an important and functional feature to make your tracks sound more interesting.
In Son Of Mali, I used Timeless 2 in an FX to bring movement and continuity to the element. I used the Basic Stereo Delay preset and worked on the parameters until I found the right point.
UAD Studer A800
I have a very complete pack of UAD plugins, which are of very high quality. I use them quite a lot in my mixing processes.
The UAD Studer A800 is a plugin I often use with my synth and vocal groups. It’s a plugin that emulates the classic analog reel-to-reel recorder. It adds warmth through harmonic saturation, making the sound more “full-bodied”.
As you can see, I really like the characteristics of the analog, vintage sound. I usually work in “default” mode. I use Tape 456, IPS 15 and Cal +8. I turn off the “noise” so that there isn’t that unnecessary noise. Then I balance the audio input and output until I find the ideal point. I use it very moderately.
TAL-Filter-2
Here’s a plugin I use creatively: TAL-Filter-2.
It’s a modulation plugin, ideal for creating volume effects (sidechain/pumping), panning, and dynamic filters. What’s really cool is that it allows you to draw custom LFO shapes to modulate audio, offering oversampled filter types (LP, HP, BP, Notch) and stereo panning control. As I said before, Minimal House demands movement and spatiality, and this tool is invaluable.
I got this tip from an M-High tutorial and started using it frequently because it’s really very good.
It can also be used as an alternative to LFO Tool or Shaperbox for sidechain functions.
It’s free; you can find it on the TAL Software website.
Bonus
Groove
Focus on micro-samples and processed metallic percussion with a lot of swing to create unique rhythmic textures. Use short volume automations to ensure these elements “dance” around the kick without muddling the mix.
Drums
Bet on the feel of Jacking House drums to bring more presence and weight to the dance floor. This style of beat fits perfectly with Minimal, guaranteeing that swing and attitude that keeps the groove rolling with much more energy.
Call and Response
Instead of a long melodic line, use two short synths (plucks) that alternate: one focused on the low-mids for the groove and the other on the highs for brightness. This interplay creates complexity without overloading the mix, keeping the arrangement “clean”.
Hypnotic Atmospheres
Use evolving pads and vinyl textures with constantly moving high-resonance filters. The secret of Minimal House lies in keeping the listener in a trance through subtle variations in timbre throughout the arrangement.
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.
