War and Melody: Inside the Life of a Ukrainian Music Producer

Ok, folks! We will be delving into an exclusive three-part interview with one amazing musician and producer for our next few issues. He hails from the heart of Kiev, Ukraine, and amidst the turmoil and the uncertainty, thriving in a city amid a war zone, he continues to create and inspire. It has been, with great pleasure, working with him over the last year and we thought it would be an inspirational interview, and a great insight into a creative spirit working under such circumstances. 

His name is Den Milli, and his journey is by far an interesting one, at that. Let’s get into it.

Inspiration and Beginnings 

● So, what inspired you to start a career in music production? 

I think I should talk about what inspired me to get into music in the 1st place. I started as a guitarist in a band called INDT and only after 7 years of playing in the band, I’ve got into the music production world. As to how I decided even to start playing the guitar, it is quite silly, to be honest. As a teenager, I liked watching the “Drake & Josh” show on Nickelodeon, and I really admired Drake Bell and his songs back then. I thought that it was so cool, he plays the guitar, he’s super likable, talented, etc. So, a 13-year-old me decided that he wanted to be like him, and this is how I started learning how to play the guitar.

● Cool, can you share a bit about your journey and how you got started in the industry? 

After 2 years of learning the guitar, my best friend offered me to create a band, and I guess this is how it all started. At first, it was mostly just for fun, but throughout the years, we started recording, touring, performing at festivals, organizing our own gigs, selling merch, etc. It was a great and interesting journey that made me realize what it’s like to be an artist. Of course, this helped me in the future with my music production career since I know all the pains and obstacles that artists face on their journey. With my band, we switched our sound a few times by starting with an aggressive British Post-Punk in the style of the Arctic Monkeys' very 1st album. Then made a weird but gradual switch to Psychedelic Indie inspired by Tame Impala and I think that’s the sound that we were remembered by in Ukraine as there were very few bands playing this style in Ukraine. And closer to the sunset of our band’s journey, we started combining our sound with Hip-Hop. We were collaborating with different Hip-Hop artists all over the world, and our last album that is called “On Cloud 9” is a collaboration with multiple Hip-Hop artists out of NYC, LA, Melbourne, and Kyiv.

The Creative Process 

● Nice! So, how do you approach the creative process when working on a new project? 

To be honest, my approach is quite practical. The hardest thing for me is to start, but when I do start, I just intuitively get soaked in. Might sound very weird, but I think I approach music as a software developer would approach coding. This means that I know well all the tools I’m using, and I’m thinking in advance, about what has to be achieved and how I can achieve this. I do experiment still, but mostly with my own music only. Because when it comes to producing for other artists, I just gather as many details as I can from an artist, to understand a task and just work on achieving it. Like achieving a particular, sound, etc. For me, sometimes it even feels like a mathematical task, rather than a creative one. Just with a bit more creative freedom. 

● Yeah, do you have any rituals or routines that help you get into the creative zone? 

Yes, 2 cups of coffee and I’m good to go :)

● Nice!

Challenges and Triumphs 

● Can you tell us what has been the most challenging project you’ve worked on, and how did you overcome those challenges? 

I cannot point out 1 particular project that was very challenging to work on as a producer. There were a few though. I’d say, the project becomes really challenging when an artist doesn’t understand what he/she wants. And I know that it is my job, as a producer, to help them figure out what they want, but sometimes you do meet artists who just tend to always switch from one thing to another and there’s nothing you can do to help. I think that comes from some sort of artist identity crisis. When an artist is not sure about what is his or her message, who he or she is speaking to with their music, what genre they are even working in. When you don’t know all of this, you can’t expect a producer to figure all this out for you, create your identity, your message, etc. This is something that each artist has to decide for themselves based on their life experience. If they haven’t done it, this is when the projects become really challenging.

As for any challenges music-wise, I’m pretty fast with figuring stuff out, so I actually like overcoming music challenges.

● Wow, ok, so can you tell us about a project that you are particularly proud of and why? 

I’d say those are my projects with the artists “Ayotemi” and “DJ Sauna”.

A few reasons.

1) I’m a big fan of their music and I really admire what they’re doing, as well as their talents.

2) Those are very genuine relationships that we’ve developed with them and I’m proud of having those.

3) We’ve made tons of music together.

4) I’ve learned a lot in the process.

Sometimes, it was really hard to achieve the exact sound an artist wanted, but I did it, and I’m very happy with the result and with the fact that I managed to do that.

Influences and Collaborations 

● Can you tell us who are some of your biggest musical influences? 

My music influences change almost every year as I discover new music, and explore new genres, all the time. However, if I had to pick some artists whose identity really speaks to me and who I’ve been listening to for years, I’d pick:

1) Mac Miller

2) Fred Again

3) Post Malone

4) Labrinth

5) And tons of underground artists that nobody knows :)

I even wouldn’t be able to pick some particular genres that have had a huge influence on me, because it always changes as I grow. I do know some people who have been listening to Punk music since they were 16 and still keep listening to it when they’re 36. But that’s not about me. I was obsessed with absolutely different music genres at different periods of my life.

There was a period, at the beginning of my production career when I was almost not listening to anything but Hip-Hop for about 3 years!

Now Hip-Hop holds about 15% max in my playlist.

● Yeah, I get it. How do you approach collaborations with artists, and or, what do you look for in a collaborator? 

So, based on what I mentioned earlier regarding an artist’s identity. It is really helpful when an artist knows who’s his/her target audience, what’s the message of his/her music, what he/she likes, doesn’t like, etc.

I’m also expecting an artist to be a good human. Since I worked with Hip-Hop music for 3 years, which is a very ego-based industry, I’ve had enough of this. I’m looking to work with people who are sincere and understanding, and those who want to make our world a better place with their music, build a great community, and somehow contribute to other people’s lives with their music.

● Yeah, I know that one. LSD (Lead singer’s disease) ;P

Well, this wraps up the first part of this interview, so stay tuned until the next issue where we will go more into the belly of the Ukrainian music scene, future projects, and experiential advice and visions for the future.

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