In the pulsating world of electronic music, one name that has consistently caught the attention of music enthusiasts is Shoby, the chill house producer with a knack for fruitful collaborations. With over 1 million monthly listeners on Spotify and a catalog of over 40 songs, only one of which was produced solo, Shoby’s expertise in collaborating with musicians has made him a respected figure in the music industry.
We caught up with him to discuss the secrets of his success, the art of finding the right music collaborators, and how to elevate your music through collaboration.
What’s the benefit of working together on songs?
“The reason why I’m so passionate about working together on songs with different people is that you get the best of everything, right? So, you bring your own creativity with the process, and then you work with someone completely from scratch where they bring in their own creativity, their own touch to how they do things.
And honestly, for me, it’s also kind of a learning process at the end of the day. Even though I’ve been producing for over ten years, you’re still learning something every day. And that’s the beauty of collaborating with other musicians because you’re learning on both ends. You’re helping each other out, you’re being creative, coming up with new ideas. And that’s why I love this whole process.”
Most importantly, if we look back at history, some of the greatest tracks have been via collaborations for example: LinkinPark and Jay-Z, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg or Daft Punk with Pharrel and Nile Rogers on their mega track Get Lucky.
How to find lyricist and other music collaborators?
“As a producer, I take in a lot of different kinds of music throughout the day. And I also try to be very open to the different music channels. Whether I listen on Spotify, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok… I am always listening to music and trying to discover new artists. For example, I also explore artists like a guitarist or saxophone player who might have done a cover of a famous track. As simple as it sounds, I just find the best way to reach out to them.
Even if it’s ‘just’ a Direct Message and that’s it. If I want to find lyricists the same applies. I look for cover songs with a singer on it I really like and try to reach out to them and discuss my idea and vision for the track. The worst thing that can happen is that they don’t respond, right?
It is also important to be open to new and upcoming musicians. Don’t cut people off for the fact that they have ‘only’ five Instagram followers. It does not matter! As long as they are talented, great to work together on songs with, friendly and on the same musical wavelength, just reach out to them.”
What do you do if your music collaborator is not on your wavelength?
“Luckily, it only happened to me on a few occasions, but there’s always the risk that you bring your ideas to the table and your music collaborator has a completely different direction in mind. The best way to combat that is to always be open in communication from the very start of the music making process. Be transparent, open and don’t forget to have fun.
Making music and working together on songs should not be stressful. When you both communicate your ideas and directions, you can meet somewhere in the middle and both be happy at the end of the day.”
Do you have to be in the same location to work together on songs?
“Definitely not! Modern technology has made it very easy to work with music collaborators from all over the world. One of my latest releases, Pressure, is a collaboration with singer/songwriter and guitarist Adam Wendler. He’s from the United States and I am from Germany. We have been working together on some songs before and he’s super talented. He sent me this rough idea of a song and I loved it. We bounced a couple of ideas back and forth through Whatsapp and Instagram, he sent me some stems and that’s how it came about.
Technology makes it so much easier to connect with other music collaborators. You can bounce ideas on and off over the phone, share Drives with song ideas and so on. You can also be creative on the fly. There have been times when I am literally sitting in my car and someone sends me an idea. I park my car, listen to it, think it sounds really cool and share my own ideas and thoughts about it over voice messages. Any musician or other creative person knows you can’t schedule creativity. Sometimes I work on music at five in the morning, sometimes at noon. Sometimes it clicks, sometimes it doesn’t.
Technology makes it possible to work together on a song with another music collaborator no matter when either one of you is in their creative flow.”
Hello from the Magnetic editorial desk.
