DJ and Producer Tensteps has been demanding attention with his succession of recent accomplishments, from his winter tour dates supporting Andrew Rayel’s ‘Lifeline Tour’ to his latest musical releases teasing his upcoming album. With a distinctive style that encompasses elements from Trance, Progressive Trance, and Melodic Bass, Tensteps has become a name to watch out for within Electronic Music world.
Fresh from the release of his latest single, ‘End Of The Earth’, Tensteps sat down to share an insight into the creative process behind the track. A collaboration with Los Angeles-based vocalist Natalie Major, whose work with DJs including Showtek and Craig Connelly has reached leading charts across streaming platforms, ‘End Of The Earth’ showcases both artists talents and skills in a powerful dancefloor anthem. In this interview, Tensteps delves into the track’s production journey and technical details, to shed light on his work behind the scenes.
Hi Tensteps, how are you?
I’m doing well, thanks!
Can you share the inspiration behind “End Of The Earth” and how the track came to life?
This is one of the songs on my album that I wrote entirely myself, including the topline. The whole song started with the line “If stars can hide our memories, we can find them”, I was sitting at the piano messing around, and I sang that line out of nowhere: it struck a chord with me (no pun intended), and I wrote the rest of the hook around it. I quickly moved on to the verse and the entire thing ended up being written sitting at the piano in about 15 minutes or so. The whole idea ended up becoming about having someone standing by you and supporting you through everything, good and bad, thick and thin, even when it’s not easy. I quickly recorded a vocal demo for reference and then started working on the music.
How did your collaboration with Natalie Major come about, and what was it like working together on this track?
Since I already had the topline written, I knew I needed to find the right voice to sing it. I’m incredibly picky about the singers I work with, so I have a private Spotify playlist where I drop in songs I find with singers that I’m impressed by and would want to work with one day: so, when I’m stuck, I can always reference that playlist. Natalie’s on a few songs in that playlist, and it also just so happened that she’d recently worked with a friend of mine, and he had all great things to say about the process of working with her. Luckily when I reached out, she was down to do it and we were able to make it happen! She was such a pleasure to work with and so talented: I’m quite sure you’ll hear more from us down the road!
Can you walk us through the creative process behind this production? How did you approach crafting the uplifting and energetic atmosphere of the track?
The whole song started on piano, so the chord progressions were there from the beginning. The lead melody honestly just kind of came on its own, it just fit so well with everything, and it was really simple and memorable: it just stuck with me.
Were there any specific production techniques or tools that you utilized to achieve the desired sound and vibe in “End Of The Earth”?
I’m always stacking tons of lead layers to create my main synths. I’ll usually have anywhere from 7 to 12 layers just for the lead melody alone; plus, all the pads, background synths, bass, etc, that are there too. I’m careful about what sounds I use as each has to serve a purpose, it’s not just layering for the sake of layering. But that’s one of my big signature techniques in fact, I have a whole YouTube video on it! (https://youtu.be/6fbBOwvx3-g)
How did you balance the vocal elements provided by Natalie Major with the instrumental aspects of the track? What was your approach to ensuring a cohesive blend between the two?
In this case, the vocal mix was actually pretty easy, I think.
Did you face any particular challenges during the production of this single? How did you overcome them?
Most of the time that the vocal is present, the music is fairly minimal behind it: piano, maybe some pads or strings, but most of the vocal line isn’t happening at the same time as a lot of other elements. This made it pretty easy for me to keep the vocals clear and at the forefront, while also having room to make them sound nice and full. There’s some more surgical mixing going on when the vocal comes back in during the last drop, for example, but most of the time the vocal line is against a much more open backdrop.
“End Of The Earth” features an uplifting synth progression and captivating vocals. Can you share any insights into the process of creating those elements and making them stand out in the mix?
Funny enough I have another Youtube video about how I mix vocals (https://youtu.be/lAfx5xsbD1s), which is a great resource for any producers who want to learn how to get vocals to be mixed into a clear and central position in the track. And for the synths, it’s just a matter of properly using tools like EQ, compression, and sidechain, to get things in the pockets they need to be in.
What was your vision or goal for the overall sound and impact of this track? Did it evolve or change during the production process?
The final product really was where I intended it to be from the beginning. It was clear this needed to be a really uplifting, hopeful, inspiring kind of piece, and I think we executed that brilliantly – if I do say so myself!
Were there any specific emotions or experiences that you aimed to evoke through the music of this single? How did you incorporate those elements into the track?
To me, everything about this track is emotional. It’s meant to convey a sense of hope, and to a certain degree, it should make you feel powerful. Having someone be there to support you, should make you stand up a little taller, move with a little more authority, and be a little more confident. So, there are ripple effects to the emotion we’re trying to create with this. Every element helped convey those feelings, from the soft piano in the verse, to the swells of the strings and pads as the hook comes in, to the massive climax of the leads, to Natalie’s vocal performance. I literally teared up a bit when I heard her vocal for the first time, so I knew we were hitting the things I wanted to hit.
How does “End Of The Earth” fit within your larger body of work, and what does it represent in terms of your artistic growth and exploration as a producer?
It really embodies everything I love about music. It makes me feel something, it makes me cry, it gives me energy, it makes me dance: it’s everything music should be in my opinion. And that’s always what I’m striving for in all of my music, so I think it fits well within the world of Tensteps.
In this interview, Tensteps gave us a glimpse into the thoughts and process behind the making of his new single, ‘End of The Earth’. His passion and enthusiasm for creating powerful musical productions translate inspiringly into the sonic elements and production process behind his music that captivates listeners and proves, yet again, why his name deserves attention. We thank Tensteps for sharing his insights and look forward to hearing more music from him soon.
Listen and buy ‘End Of The Earth’ now
https://www.beatport.com/release/end-of-the-earth/4142813
Tensteps Online
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