Mixtape Essential Gear: Futureless on the Akai MPD 26

Get familiar with the artists behind the master channel mixtape, learn from their workflow as they share their essentials.

Born and raised in Toronto, FUTURELESS has been beat-making since 2010. His mostly downtempo productions, are a mix of trap, jazz and old school. Though heavily influenced by hip-hop, he’s always on the prowl for new sounds and inspiration. Check out his banger “NVR2MUCH” off Mixtape 002.

Here’s a look under the kimono, so to speak:

ESSENTIAL GEAR

“My essential piece is anything that can cut samples with ease. At the moment, I use an MPD 26 controller and Ableton. The MPD is an amazing, it’s definitely not something that will be leaving my hands anytime soon.”

WORKFLOW BREAKDOWN

1. I start with a sample that has caught my ear. 

2. My work flow can be pretty chaotic, I try to use Ableton to help stabilize the whole process, but it’s no use. Even If I’m 90% finished mastering, and come across a sample I feel would sound perfect, I’m gonna add it.

3. I work until it’s something I can truly bump. I’m a deep lover of hip-hop and rap, so if I can bump it then it’s passed the quality control test.

4. I use LANDR like a tracing paper of sorts, I run my tracks or sometimes just stems through it, then re-upload them to Ableton to compare them with the unmastered track, so I that get a better idea of what was really happening.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

“For years, I’ve had this issue where I would only finish 30% of my tracks, but I’m ending that and releasing a full project.”

Sound familiar? Finishing tracks can seem daunting but the truth is, that feeling never fully goes away. Accept imperfection.

LISTEN TO FUTURELESS HERE:

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