Name: Raj Gupta aka Ray Mang
Nationality: British
Occupation: Producer, DJ, remixer
Current Release: Ray Mang's remix of Kraak & Smaak's “Velvet Seas,” taken of their Velvet Seas Remixed EP is out via Boogie Angst. The release also features Yuksek and Diogo Strausz.
Shoutout: www.beatroutes.co.uk

[Read our Kraak & Smaak interview]
[Read our Yuksek interview]
[Read our Diogo Strausz interview]

If you enjoyed this Ray Mang interview and would like to find out more about his music and current tour dates, visit him on Instagram, Soundcloud, bandcamp, and Facebook. 



Production is a discipline bordering technology, art, and creativity. How do you see the relationship between these and what is their balance for your own music, do you feel?

The hope is they are all intertwined and you achieve a complimentary balance between all three that suits any given project.

Art and creativity are highly subjective things obviously whereas technology is more a tool which can enable them.

Which part of the production process do you draw the greatest fulfillment from?

That varies greatly from project to project!

I get fulfilment from lots of parts of the process. It’s always good to get a production across the line but the final stages of getting things finished is not always the most fulfilling part.

I’d say when the creative sparks are firing during composition and mixing are my favourite aspects. When you find a flow and things seem to write themselves.

That and making the tea.

For you personally, where does composition end and production start (or vice versa)?

For me, as I tend to write in the studio with technology and always have, that line is very blurred. Again, it depends on the type of project.

But even for more brief-lead composition / production jobs, or working on a demo’d song, the technology, mixing, arranging and tea often have creative influence on the production to the extent that it can become part of the musical composition.

Is technology something that you would like to have disappear behind your music – or is it a musical element that you want to bring to the fore and play with?

Both depending on the situation. But most of the time it’s the latter.

Could you describe how your relationship with your studio/set-up feels like - is it an extension of your self/body, a partner and companion, a creative catalyst, a challenge to be overcome, something else entirely?

Haha – there is a danger that it’s all a bit of a traditionally masculine environment and tool extension certainly!

But for me I hope more a creative tool, palette and catalyst.

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

I started with the classic late 80s early 90s Atari, Cubase, Akai samplers, analogue desk, a few bits of cheap outboard / synths, DAT machine, kettle and ashtray. Enough to start making tracks mixing live straight to DAT and sometimes utilizing the sampler as a basic digital recorder as well as the traditional uses as I had no multitrack.

As I got the funds I stepped up to an Apple, Logic with Protools, a bigger analogue A & H desk and a whole bunch of plugins to go with what I already had. So, I then had a proper DAW which helped a lot although the limitations of the previous set up was of course interesting in its own way.

I’ve basically been working in a DAW ever since and just upgraded as the Apple’s got more powerful and the possibilities grew for in the box without adding cards. So Logic has been my workhorse for the last couple of decades.

Never had as much outboard as I would have liked as didn’t have the spare cash. Actually, only just recently been building a new studio and about to add a couple of synths or three, some outboard and a dash of modular!

Tell me about the space of your current studio/workplace and how you've set it up to further your creativity?

Just finishing a new studio, as I said, in a loft having been in a basement with little light or headroom (physical not sonic) for 25 years.

The new space has three windows so more light and a lovely view. Hoping that will help … let’s see!

Late producer SOPHIE said: “You have the possibility with electronic music to generate any texture, and any sound. So why would any musician want to limit themselves?” What's your take on that?

Limitations can be helpful and highly creative. Too much choice and possibility can sometimes be overwhelming and even a hindrance to or paralysing for creativity.

Really, whatever’s working for you though. There are no rules. But maybe if you get stuck try something different or perhaps imposing some limitations to see what happens.

Tell me about one or two of your early pieces that you're still proud of (or satisfied with) in terms of production – and why you're content with them.

I’m never really totally happy with any productions to be honest. In a way that’s the nature of the beast. There will always be something niggling you or you’re in two minds about or that you feel you would have done differently given better equipment, knowledge, more time or whatever.

It’s nice when some people out there still enjoy early productions though of course, despite what I might think of them! A couple that still seem to get a few spins are:




From the earliest sketches to the finished piece, tell me about the production process for your current release, please.

This was a remix of Kraak & Smaak’s (with Izo FitzRoy) title track from their recent album Velvet Seas. Been without a proper studio for a while so had to do this entirely on my laptop in headphones.



I’ve been a fan of Izo’s vocals for time now so was drawn to the song in no small part for that reason. I fancied trying to take the song in a different direction stylistically and hopefully push it closer to the dancefloor. Booted the stems and worked out the chords as usual to see if I wanted to change the structure, took the tempo up as far as felt comfortable and stretched accordingly.

On this occasion, much as I love the original and its music, I took the decision to pretty much only use the vocals for this remix. I started with bass and drums hoping to find a slight Disco Not Disco leaning. Once this was rolling I built up the synth and texture parts around that along with more percussion and FX.

Once I was happy enough with how that all felt with the song and ran it past the artists I tried to find a twist for the last third to hopefully give it a lift and add some different interest. I mixed along the way as I often tend to, then focused just on that at the end to take it home.

After giving my ears a rest for a few days, I rounded things off with a short edit and stripped back dubbier version.

There are seemingly infinite parameters to change, influence and shape the sonic results. From your experience, what actually makes a piece better and what sets a “finished” version apart from one destined to linger in the archives?

A lot of the time it’s a hard deadline that pushes you to get something across the line. Whether that’s self-imposed or given to you by someone else it certainly pushes you to get to a ‘finished’ master.

You’ll probably never be 100% happy as already discussed. But it’ll be out in the world for better or worse so there’s no way back for that version.

How do you see the relative importance of arrangement versus sound design versus composition (including, potentially, lyrics)?

The balance between these obviously depends on the nature of the project.

They all play an important part to a greater or lesser extent depending on the type of production you’re making.

Have you used AI or generative music tools for your own productions? If so, in which way and what did they add?

Very little. The only time I’ve ever dabbled was quite recently while doing a remix of a good friend’s song, again on my laptop as without studio.

I wanted to add some backing vocals but had little budget or means to record well so gave AI a try. It did the job and I was impressed with what it had to offer!

One big question resulting from the use of "intelligent" production tools and AI is whether the results are as important (or even more important) than the process (and the joy of creating). How do you see that yourself?

I don’t think there are any rules really.

If people enjoy the results or at least want to listen then they are valid. And if the ‘creator’ enjoys doing it however that’s achieved then there is some joy.

How much potential for something “new” is there still in production? What could this “new” look like?

‘New’ in production has often been driven by technology. There’s recently been and continues to be more development there than ever it seems so surely there’s plenty of potential.

Whether or not things take off or catch on is another matter. I’m still waiting for the Dyson kettle!