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Trying to keep this account disconnected from my real life persona so won’t name names. But we had a series of number ones around the world in countries like t

Trying to keep this account disconnected from my real life persona so won’t name names. But we had a series of number ones around the world in countries like the US, Canada, UK, Germany, Japan, Brasil, France, Italy, China, Australia...really every country you have ever heard of. Of course some of the tactics had to be translated into 2000s world but I still recommend aspiring music artists to read it when they ask me for advice today. It’s of course not the only strategy that works...but I’d say it’s the easiest to execute if what you want is commercial success So in either case the book levels the expectations (“sex, drugs and money will always be a problem”) and establishes some fundamentals...and it’s of course a really fun weekend read. Many of the general ideas also translate 1:1 to startups or really any kind of endeavor and have served me very well in my career

ilamont 7y ago
I always remembered the line from the book about finding a bass line being like a "panther on the prowl" and IIRC mentioning Billie Jean or some other Michael Jackson song as an example. It really made sense. The same section also warned against hiring some "thumb-slapping dickhead" to play bass which made sense from their perspective (The KLF never used bass players) but doesn't hold true for all types of songs, even dance music.
- rock_hard 7y ago
  I remember now One of my takeaways was to not try to do everything yourself...if fact to try to do nothing yourself except piecing together existing stuff in novel ways I just watched a YouTube video of one of the producers of Demi Lovato and he frames it like this: “What makes a great producer is not the ability to play any instrument or be a good engineer or anything. You can find others to do that for you. What makes a great producer is the ability to know how to tell a compelling story with your work!” Paraphrased from here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kre17S89-j8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kre17S89-j8 I think this is true for any product...your are selling people on a story/vision...of what could be, not what is!
blast 7y ago
What are some of those general ideas that have served you well?
- rock_hard 7y ago
  It’s been a while that I read it but generally speaking: 1. How to strip things down to their essence and focus on that. 2. What to expect and not to expect from Being successful 3. Being scrappy as fuck Just read it...it’s available for free online as pdf...it’s quick and super fun read
  - Uhhrrr 7y ago
    The elements which stuck in my head were: 1. Steal the drum and bass from an old soul record, don't try to engineer your own. 2. For lyrics, use things you hear shop clerks saying. 3. (from the opening of the book) "Start off skint and on the dole." Did you do any of those?
    - rock_hard 7y ago
      Did all of them We would usually program the bass ourselves for the type of music we made but the progressions were battle tested decades earlier

ilamont 7y ago

I always remembered the line from the book about finding a bass line being like a "panther on the prowl" and IIRC mentioning Billie Jean or some other Michael Jackson song as an example. It really made sense. The same section also warned against hiring some "thumb-slapping dickhead" to play bass which made sense from their perspective (The KLF never used bass players) but doesn't hold true for all types of songs, even dance music.

rock_hard 7y ago
I remember now One of my takeaways was to not try to do everything yourself...if fact to try to do nothing yourself except piecing together existing stuff in novel ways I just watched a YouTube video of one of the producers of Demi Lovato and he frames it like this: “What makes a great producer is not the ability to play any instrument or be a good engineer or anything. You can find others to do that for you. What makes a great producer is the ability to know how to tell a compelling story with your work!” Paraphrased from here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kre17S89-j8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kre17S89-j8 I think this is true for any product...your are selling people on a story/vision...of what could be, not what is!

blast 7y ago

What are some of those general ideas that have served you well?

rock_hard 7y ago
It’s been a while that I read it but generally speaking: 1. How to strip things down to their essence and focus on that. 2. What to expect and not to expect from Being successful 3. Being scrappy as fuck Just read it...it’s available for free online as pdf...it’s quick and super fun read
- Uhhrrr 7y ago
  The elements which stuck in my head were: 1. Steal the drum and bass from an old soul record, don't try to engineer your own. 2. For lyrics, use things you hear shop clerks saying. 3. (from the opening of the book) "Start off skint and on the dole." Did you do any of those?
  - rock_hard 7y ago
    Did all of them We would usually program the bass ourselves for the type of music we made but the progressions were battle tested decades earlier