by DJ and music producer OFFAIAH, keeps reaching new heights with every release he unveils, and recently, with the release of his track ‘Satisfied’ alongside David Penn, OFFAIAH continues to prove why he’s a name to keep on the radar. With the release reaching #1 on Beatport’s House chart, it’s clear that ‘Satisfied’ is poised to reach even higher grounds. In this exclusive interview, we sat down with OFFAIAH to discuss the behind the scenes details of the production process of the track, we learn how this collaboration with David Penn came about, and more secrets behind this undeniable dancefloor anthem.
OFFAIAH, David Penn – Satisfied | Stream
Hi OFFAIAH ! How’s it going? Congrats on your release ‘Satisfied’!
Hi – thank you so much!
To begin, can you tell us a little more about the story of how this collaboration between you and David Penn came to be?
I actually bumped into David Penn at a Defected party at Eden in Ibiza summer of 2022 and we said we should work on a track together – and 18 months later we made it happen haha. I was messing around with the vocal and thought it would be perfect to collaborate with David Penn on this idea so I sent it to him, he loved it and we got to work!
What is something about this track that makes it such an effective dancefloor hit?
I think the vocal is pretty catchy and the whole vibe of the record screams spring/summer pool parties which makes it a perfect time of year to release this record, right ahead of Miami Music Week.
‘Satisfied’ evokes an infectious groove through the drums and funky bassline, what production-based methods and techniques did you employ onto the bass and drums to achieve the catchy groove?
I like to gather a whole bunch of loops and samples together then chop bits out and paste them together to create a whole new loop, which is pretty much what I did with “Satisfied”. The bassline was just something which was played in which seemed to work from the off.
With this having such a classic House sound, we would presume some leveling of sampling was employed within the track? If so, how do you usually go about sampling and what kind of sources of inspiration are you drawing from to execute this?
The original sample in the song is actually a more ethnic sample at 150bpm, but I slowed it right down and added a few extra groves to give it that House feel.
The modulating, almost Disco like synth sounds drive the record really nicely. What are your go to synthesizers to get this sound? And what parameters and effects do you add onto them to get them this way?
I have a few go-to synths that I like to employ, those being Serum and Sylenth just to name a few. There’s also some looped vocals that gradually come into the track which gives it that driving effect.
Again, following along with the theme of this vintage House sound of this record, are there any go to musical elements you included in this record that you think are crucial to achieve that timeless sound?
I think a good solid melodic bassline helps when making a classic-sounding House record, which is what we tried to achieve with “Satisfied”. And drums have to be selected quite carefully, making sure the kick drum has that warm feel but also has a lot of weight behind it.
Were there any particular drum machines or software that played a significant role in shaping the percussion elements of the song? Do you prefer to mix and match sample selections from sample packs or program drum elements from machines directly?
Personally, I like to use a mixture of both sampled drums and drum-machine-type percussion. As I mentioned before, I like to chop specific parts of sampled loops and use them all to create brand new loops and once that’s done I’ll sometimes layer them with some kind of 808 drum-machine elements.
Hardware can be expensive these days and not everyone can afford to buy such units. Being a hardware and software user yourself, what would you recommend up and coming producers focus their attention on, hardware or in the box? Or maybe a mix of both?
I thing hardware units are always going to be preferable as they all have their unique sound, but if cash is tight soft-synths are an excellent alternative, as there is so much you can do with them these days, depending on your level of creativity the skies are the limit.
Have you used the new update of Ableton Live 12 yet? If so, what new features excite you that you think will help you in creating future OFFAIAH tracks.
Yes, I have used the new Ableton 12 and although I haven’t had the chance to explore all the new features fully, I’ve already made use of the new plugin “Roar” which is an excellent saturation plugin. There’s also a lot of new midi-generative features that I want to dig into in the near future.
What’s next for OFFAIAH in the music production world? And can we expect to see more future collaborations?
My next track is called “Hands” and is out on Subjekt/Armada on March 22nd. Then following that I have a remix of Mike Mago – “The Show” coming out on Defected on May 3rd. More collabs are to follow so watch this space!
We thank OFFAIAH for his time sharing a glimpse into the production process behind ‘Satisfied,’ the time, knowledge and experience crafting House hits is evident in this production, that carries both artists’ signature sound to the forefront of Electronic Dance music today. Make sure to follow OFFAIAH across social media to remain updated on his latest releases and live show dates, as he shows no signs of slowing down.
OFFAIAH Online
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INTERVIEW: OFFAIAH Talks New ‘Satisfied’ Collab w/ David Penn, Music Production, Future Plans + More
