The DJ/producer opens up about how a SoundCloud upload led him to collaborate with deadmau5, plus strategies for leveraging artist tools to grow your career.
Welcome to Sound Advice, the series spotlighting artists’ creative process and their SoundCloud journey. We’ll get the inside knowledge straight from the source on how musicians, producers and creatives are leaning into everything Next Pro offers to elevate their sound, reach the right audience and catapult their careers. Sound Advice is now available in audio format on the SoundCloud Stories profile.
On this episode of Sound Advice, we catch up with Nicholas Chiari aka Grabbitz. Nick was raised in Buffalo, New York on a steady diet of alt-rock, indie and metal, playing guitar, singing and being inspired by groups like Nine Inch Nails, Pearl Jam and Radiohead. Once he encountered Skrillex’s wild production and heavy bass frequencies, he became hooked on electronic music production. These days, he fuses it all together into music that crosses lines between dubstep, alt-rock, electro, nu-metal and beyond.
Grabbitz’s first brush with fame came in 2016 via SoundCloud when he uploaded a remix of the deadmau5 song “Silent Picture” featuring his original vocal; he ended up collaborating officially with deadmau5 and releasing his mau5trap label. From there, Grabbitz has released on a number of labels and collaborated with artists like REZZ, Subtronics, Zedd, GRiZ and ILLENIUM, to name a few. With over 700 tracks chilling in the private backend of his SoundCloud, Grabbitz recently decided to start his own label, Blue Butterfly Records, as well as has been engaging with fans directly to release music instantly. With his recent ‘In the Dark’ EP out and a new album in production, we got Grabbitz on the line to find out more about his one-of-a-kind sound, his approach to his craft and tips on using SoundCloud for fan outreach, shaping new releases and getting your music noticed.
LISTEN TO THE AUDIO EPISODE OF SOUND ADVICE, FEATURING GRABBITZ
LISTEN TO ‘IN THE DARK’ BY GRABBITZ
THINGS WE TALKED ABOUT IN THIS EPISODE OF SOUND ADVICE
- Grabbitz’s early beginnings with the acoustic guitar and making hip-hop beats, as well as insight into his vast musical influences, which span from ‘90s alt rock and classic rock to legendary producers like Dr. Dre and Timbaland.
- The backstory behind his first vocal-driven dubstep track, “Grave Escape,” and how Skrillex inspired him to shift his focus into making electronic music.
- Grabbitz reflects on his first SoundCloud upload (over a decade ago!) and how the platform’s community of fellow dance music producers played an integral role in him both sharing his tracks and pushing himself to commit even deeper to perfecting his craft.
- How he uses SoundCloud as a tool for music discovery and seeking out off-the-beaten path remixes from up-and-coming producers, as well as his insight into how the platform has evolved over the years and became a really important tool for musicians.
- Grabbitz opens up about how the SoundCloud community encourages one another to keep going and try different things sonically, as well as the impact other DJs playing and discovering his music had on him early on in his career.
- What inspired him to start his own label, Blue Butterfly Records, and how having the freedom to release music more freely is an empowering part of using platforms like SoundCloud and being an independent artist in general.
- Grabbitz drops gems on the importance of focusing on your craft and setting yourself up to succeed as an artist, as well as offers advice for navigating massive career milestones, such as having your music discovered by one of your biggest influences or experimenting with a different sound.
- How his collaboration with artists like REZZ and GRiZ came together, and how experiences like collaborating with all different kinds of artists underscores the importance of putting your music out there, as you never know who it will reach or impact, or where something will lead in the future.
- Building community with his core fan base, from live-streaming in the studio to sharing new music and being open about the creative process.
- Using the private-facing SoundCloud for Artists dashboard to plan and organize upcoming releases, from changing track order to trying out different artwork, and the importance of using those organizational tools to build releases.
- The deeply personal significance the blue butterfly has on Grabbitz, and how it became a part of his overall visual identity as an artist and musician.
- How Radiohead inspired him early on to make the stems from his tracks available to people who want to remix his music.
- Grabbitz shares his best advice for preparing for a live show, especially when going to a bigger stage for the first time, and the importance of bringing your day-one and dedicated fans along for the ride regardless of what happens or where your career takes you.
LINKS AND EXTRAS
Follow Grabbitz’s journey on SoundCloud.
Listen to tracks from Grabbitz’s latest EP, ‘In The Dark.’
Stay up to date with Grabbitz’s label, Blue Butterfly Records.
Listen to the Buzzing: Electronic playlist on SoundCloud.
Follow the official Sound Advice playlist on SoundCloud.
GETTING THE MOST OUT OF SOUNDCLOUD
- Learn more about using DMs to connect with fellow artists and potential collaborators.
- Learn more about searching your own Likes on SoundCloud.
- Learn more about using private tracks on SoundCloud.
- Learn more about getting started with Insights on SoundCloud.
- Learn more about Advanced Insights, available to Artist Pro subscribers.
- Learn more about unlimited uploads, available with a Artist Pro subscription.
- Learn more unlocking access to unlimited distribution, available with Artist Pro.
To discover additional features a SoundCloud Artist Pro subscription offers, visit here. To catch up on past installments of Sound Advice and make sure you don’t miss out on future episodes, visit here.
CREDITS: Host: Vivian Host, Executive Producer: Mike Spinella, Producer: KC Orcutt, Audio Engineer: David “DibS” Shackney, Coordinator: Trevor McGee
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