Name: Davina Moss

Nationality: French
Occupation: Producer, DJ
Current release: Davina Moss is one of the artists featured on the new drumcode compilation Elevate, Vol. II which also includes tracks by Drunken Kong, Marie Vaunt, Mha Iri, Anna Tur, Simina Grigoriu, Sydney Blu, KASIA (ofc), DI SUN, ANII, Mari Ferrari, and May Larke.
Recommendations:
1. Audio Production Principles by Stephane Elmosnino, one of the most complete books about music production
2. Music tuned to 432 Hertz focuses on frequencies, harnessing their power to attract positive elements into one's life. Can be find all over the net

[Read our Mha Iri interview]
[Read our Simina Grigoriu interview]
[Read our Drunken Kong interview]

If you enjoyed this Davina Moss interview and would like to stay up to date with her music, visit her on Instagram, Facebook, and Soundcloud.



Do you think that some of your earliest musical experiences planted a seed for your interest in production and technology?

My earliest musical experience definitely planted a seed. I fell in love with the piano when I was nine years old. Then, when I was 20, I developed a big passion for psy trance and produced it for 12 years, playing live shows.

I just love instruments, technology, computers … I love computers!

What were your very first active steps with music technology and how would you rate the gains made through experience?

I started with music technology at a very young age. I was already very passionate about computers.

At first, I bought a lot of equipment without knowing how to use it, but over time, I learned, and it became more and more exciting.

I remember my first OV Yamaha mixer, I was so excited about it, seeing all those knobs we could tweak!

Were/are you interested in the history of production and recording? If so, which events, albums, artists, or insights stand out for you?

I was interested in the history of production and recording but on a different way.

I am from a French island in the Pacific called New Caledonia. So I grew up with Bob Marley culture and listened to lots of reggae. I went to lots of reggae concerts and was always hanging around bands!

Making music, in the beginning, is often playful and about discovery. How do you retain a sense of playfulness and how do you still draw surprises from tools, approaches, and musical forms you may be very familiar with?

I still have a lot of fun. Every day, new plugins come out, new synthesizers, and crazier sounds than ever before. Creation never stops because imagination never stops.

Thanks to new tools we have, every day is a new production day.

For your own creativity, what is the balance and relative importance between what you learned from teachers, tutorials and other producers on the one hand – and what you discovered, understood, and achieved yourself? What are examples for both of these?

I learned a lot from tutorials, that's for sure, and also from friends. I love to make collaborations and be in the studio with different people. You always learn something new - you discover a new plugin, a new way of making music.

When you watch a tutorial, you're really paying attention to details, and a whole new world opens up to you. Now, when you are in your own studio and working on new material, you learn a lot by yourself, and sometimes you even make some big mistakes that make the whole song very interesting.

I teach electronic production and I always say to my students: there is not one way to learn and produce music, you just have to find what suits you best!

How and for what reasons has your music set-up evolved over the years and what are currently some of the most important pieces of gear and software for you?

My music setup has evolved over the years mainly due to technological advancements and changes in my creative process. Initially, I started with basic equipment and gradually upgraded as my needs evolved.

Currently, some of the most important pieces of gear and software for me including my DAW is Logic and I mainly use Virtual instruments mixed with my Moog.

But I have to say I love my Eventide.

Have there been technologies which have profoundly influenced, changed or questioned the way you make music?

Yes, there have been several technologies that have profoundly influenced the way I make music:

Virtual Instruments and Plugins: High-quality virtual instruments and plugins have transformed the way musicians and producers create music. Virtual instruments emulate traditional hardware synthesizers, pianos, drums, and other instruments, as close as they could to the instrument itself!  

Sampling technology as well now is becoming so easy! We have access to so many libraries which totally differ from long ago, when we had to spend nights looking for the rare little sound effect!

Already as a little kid, I was drawn to all aspects of electronic / electric music but I've never quite been able to put a finger on why this is. What's your own relationship to electronic sounds, rhythms, productions like – what, if any, are fundamental differences with “acoustic“ music and tools?

When I was seven years old, I already loved the early electronic elements, but growing up on an island where the internet arrived late.

We had more access to acoustic instruments like the guitar or anything we could find - even a coconut!

Late producer SOPHIE said: “You have the possibility with electronic music to generate any texture, and any sound. So why would any musician want to limit themselves?” What's your take on that and the relevance of limitations in your set-up and process?

I have no limitations in the setup and the process. I have a piano in my studio and even had a drum set in my living room.

And to be honest, you can make fabulous music with almost nothing as long as you have determination.

From the earliest sketches to the finished piece, what does your current production workflow/process look like?

Well, it mostly always starts with an idea and builds on top of it.

For example, I'll start with a melody of a synthesizer and then I start to add loops on it until almost all the track is made on a 4-bar loop, and then I dispatch.

Rhythm, sound design, melody/harmony, something else – when do the different elements of a piece come into play for you?

Rhythm, sound design, melody / harmony, and other elements all come into play from the beginning. Always start with a feeling, then it all falls into place.

Sometimes I start by establishing the rhythm or groove of a piece, as it lays the foundation for the entire composition. Once I have a rhythm in place, I focus on sound design. But at other times it can all be reversed as well.  

In relation to sound, one often reads words like “material”, “sculpting”, and “design”. How does your own way of working with sound look like? Do you find using presets lazy?

My own way of working with sound involves a combination of experimentation, and intentionality. I love to tweak parameters, layering sounds, or processing them with effects to achieve the sound I want.

But sometimes presets are fabulous and have been created by very talented people - so why not use them!

What, to you, are the respective benefits of solo work and collaborations and do you often feel lonely in the studio? Can machines act as collaborators to you?

I enjoy both collaborative and solo approaches to music production. Working with friends can indeed bring about a unique fusion of ideas and a lots of fun in the studio. However, there's also something deeply fulfilling about expressing one's own ideas in solitude, free from external influences.

While machines may not act as collaborators in the traditional sense, they can still serve as powerful tools for self-expression and creativity.

To some, the advent of AI and 'intelligent' composing tools offers potential for machines to contribute to the creative process. What are your hopes, fears, expectations and possible concrete plans in this regard?

I have mixed feelings about AI.

On the one hand, it greatly improves everyday life by providing assistance and generating ideas across various aspects. On the other hand, it's concerning that many people, including musicians, may lose their creativity replaced by artificial music.

If you could make a wish for the future directly to a product developer at a Hard- or Software company – what are developments in tools/instruments you would like to see and hear?  

I would like developments in tools and instruments that prioritize creativity and accessibility.

Specifically, I would like to see some more intuitive and user-friendly interfaces and also music tools that resonate with your own choice of audiences worldwide. Like a new Omnisphere.