HARDROCK SOFA'S PRODUCTION TIPS

Denis Chepikov from Russian DJ and production duo Hardrock Sofa details how they got the Killer Sound on their dancefloor smash 'Quasar'...

“During one of our summer Russian tours we came up with an idea for ‘Quasar’. When we got back home we already had the track almost done. It took us a week to master it and we sent it to Axwell. He was impressed with the break but advised us to work on the main drop to make it more powerful. We tried quite a few different basslines, playing the test versions at clubs and festivals for a month or so, but still weren’t fully satisfied with the sound of it.

“Eventually we came up with the idea of using the dubstep bassline, blending it with the melodic sound of progressive house, keeping it at 128bpm. In the process, new ideas were constantly coming to us and we really enjoyed creating something we had never done before. To make this dubstep-sounding fat bass we used a few synths like Logic EFM1, Sylenth1, Synplant and Gladiator, switching the waves, changing decay, sustain, release and LFO.

“When we sent the final version to Axwell everybody in the Axtone crew was really impressed and thought it was awesome. After its release, right before the Ultra Music Festival and during Miami Music Week, almost every house DJ used it in their sets. We were happy that it turned out so sweet and everybody enjoyed it.”