Name: Franky Wah
Nationality: British
Occupation: Producer, DJ
Current release: Franky Wah's mixtape This Is SHÈN is out now. It includes collaborations with Sasha, Robinson, Luisant and Lunar June.
Gear recommendations: My focal trio speakers are worth a mention. They’re around 6k/ 6.5k so are generally quite middle of the round in terms of price. For synths, I think if you’ve got anything from u-he you’re onto a winner.

[Read our Sasha interview]

If you enjoyed this interview with Franky Wah and would like to know more about his work, visit his official homepage. He is also on Instagram, Facebook, and Soundcloud.

What was your first studio like?

My first studio was literally just a garden shed.

I had a MacBook, a pair of crap speakers and a keyboard someone gave me.

How and for what reasons has your set-up evolved over the years and what are currently the most important pieces of gear for you?

I'd say the biggest difference / improvement in my setup over the years has to be the acoustics in the studio and generally the environment that I now produce in.

I used to send all of my tracks off to be mixed by an engineer because I just couldn't get the levels right. But now I've got a room that's treated properly. It means I can now mix everything myself.  

I know my speakers inside out and that's really paid off.

Some see instruments and equipment as far less important than actual creativity, others feel they go hand in hand. What's your take on that?

Without creativity, the instruments and equipment that you use are deemed completely useless but when they’re used correctly, it all goes hand in hand.

A studio can be as minimal as a laptop with headphones and as expansive as a multi-room recording facility. Which studio situation do you personally prefer – and why?

If I had to choose out of the two I’d definitely pick something on the minimal side.

But ultimately my own studio is my ideal. It’s not massive, it doesn’t have multiple rooms but it’s treated well, I’ve got everything at my fingertips.

Most of all I know exactly what a good track should sound like when I’m in there.

From traditional keyboards to microtonal ones, from re-configured instruments (like drums or guitars) to customised devices, what are your preferred controllers and interfaces? What role does the tactile element play in your production process?

I’d definitely say the Universal Audio Apollo 6. It was recommended to me a while ago by an experienced producer that I was in the studio with so I went with it and have since stuck with it.

I’ve got a few synths in the studio that I sometimes reach for and they’re great for benefiting work flow and also filming content etc but I think VST synths have got so good that sometimes you can’t even tell the difference.

In the light of picking your tools, how would you describe your views on topics like originality and innovation versus perfection and timelessness in music? Are you interested in a “music of the future” or “continuing a tradition”?

Music of the future definitely. No matter where music takes me I want to continue to push boundaries in whatever I do. I want to keep evolving and not be pigeonholed into a certain genre.

Hopefully this latest mixtape really showcases that.

Most would regard recording tools like microphones and mixing desks as different in kind from instruments like keyboards, guitars, drums and samplers. Where do you stand on this?

I was in San Diego recently and ended up in a studio where the guy started showing me round all the mics and telling me about all the stories and people that had passed through. He showed me the mic that Chaka Khan recorded one of her tracks on and the difference in that and a standard run of the mill mic was night and day. Same with mixing desks, that’s why so many people opt to buy vintage desks. Each desk gets a different sound.

So I guess in that way I’d say it was similar to any instrument in the way that people will use what they use because of the sound it gives you.

How would you describe the relationship between technology and creativity for your work? Using a recent piece as an example, how do you work with your production tools to achieve specific artistic results?

It’s taken me nearly 8 years to find a formula that works for me.

In the early days I’d waste so much time routing through different kicks, hats and snares etc that it ends up impacting your productivity. These days I’ve got 5 go to kicks that all do the job, a handful of samples, hats, claps etc.

These days I tend to produce a record, throw in all of my stock sounds, get the melodies right and then work backwards refitting everything. It’s made the creative process a lot smoother.

Within a digital working environment, it is possible to compile huge archives of ideas for later use. Tell me a bit about your strategies of building such an archive and how you put these ideas and sketches to use?

It’s totally possible but I personally find it’s counterproductive. You’ll start a track and then, because you have to spend so much time ploughing through piles of different sounds, you’ll end up with 500 ideas that never get finished.

How do you retain an element of surprise for your own work – are there technologies which are particularly useful in this regard?

I think keeping it fresh as to how you acquire samples is really important. I also think that it's fundamental  to listen to as much music outside of your genre as possible.

It's crazy the amount of inspiration you can take from other productions that have nothing to do with what you’re producing. They can still influence you heavily.

Production tools can already suggest compositional ideas on their own. How much of your music is based on concepts and ideas you had before entering the studio, how much of it is triggered by equipment, software and apps?

None of it. The ideas are always all my own.

I know a few producers that drag and drop loops and use pre-set midi packs that give you access to chord progressions for example, but I find it all a bit mad. I always write and produce from scratch.

Have there been technologies which have profoundly changed or even questioned the way you make music?

Not really. I’m a creature of habit so when I find something I like and something that works for me, I tend to stick to it.

To some, the advent of AI and 'intelligent' composing tools offers potential for machines to contribute to the creative process. Do you feel as though technology can develop a form of creativity itself? Is there possibly a sense of co-authorship between yourself and your tools?

To be brutally honest, I’d hope not. I think one of the main reasons people connect with my music is because it resonates with them and it’s got feeling. I feel like as soon as you start relying on the technology to create that for you it completely loses that ability to connect.

As much as you can continue to innovate you can’t reinvent the wheel and I think sometimes people try and get too advanced with this stuff and the track ends up losing soul.

What tools/instruments do you feel could have a deeper impact on creativity but need to still be invented or developed?

Interesting! Imagine if you could voice note a melody or an idea and it could then print the midi into the software for you to go in and manipulate it to get the right sound.