"Flava D discusses the challenge of creating drum and bass, asserting it as the most difficult genre in production compared to garage music."
In the bustling music scene of Bournemouth on the British south coast, Danielle Gooding, known as Flava D, began her musical journey. Her early career saw her creating beats for notable MCs such as Wiley, Ghetts, and Merky Ace.
Flava D's path took a turn towards more dancefloor-focused music and DJ gigs, leading her to focus on the technical aspects of structuring and mixing tracks. This shift, coupled with her move into drum & bass, required her to learn new skills and upend some of her previous techniques.
Her early productions were rudimentary in terms of production techniques, with Flava D not fully understanding concepts like compression, echo, reverb, and delay. However, each genre shift necessitated improvement in her production skills, particularly in terms of structures and mixing down.
The move into drum & bass was the most significant challenge and the apex of her production journey. In this genre, Flava D learned the importance of a small, poppy kick and a massive sub, contrasting with her previous genre preferences. She even had to create her own shaker loops manually due to a lack of samples.
Flava D took around a year to rewire her brain to adapt to the different production requirements of drum & bass. Her hard work paid off, as her latest work has been released on the influential Hospital Records.
"Here & Now", Flava D's album released via Hospital Records, showcases the depth of her skills as a producer. The album includes liquid, harder, and collaborative elements, reflecting different aspects of Flava D's style. It also features a balance of sweet and sour elements, making it an emotional project for Flava D.
Flava D is associated with Butterz, an influential label that spans instrumental grime and underground dance music. Her productions have evolved, moving from grime to UK garage, bassline, and now drum & bass.
Despite the search results not providing the names of the collaboration partners on her newly released album "Here & Now", one thing is certain - Flava D's versatile and broad skills as a producer are on full display.
