Name: Luke Hess
Nationality: American
Occupation: Producer, DJ
Current release: Luke Hess 's These Streets is out October 20th 2023 via dolly as part of their TS series.
Recommendations: Book - Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis; Painting - “Chance Meeting” Drypoint and Etchings by Martin Lewis

If you enjoyed this Luke Hess interview and would like to keep up to date with his music, visit him on Instagram, Facebook, and Soundcloud.



When I listen to music, I see shapes, objects and colours. What happens in your body when you're listening? Do you listen with your eyes open or closed?

When I listen to good music I’m usually transported to a place I’ve been or a place I want to be. Often times music helps me to escape my surroundings and if I’m exactly where I want to be then music helps set the mood, and when I re-listen to the music I’m transported back to a specific time and place.

I would say I typically listen to music with my eyes open. However, for a deep listening experience or when mixing/engineering my own music - closing my eyes seems to help heighten the sonic experience and open up further detail in sound, imagery, and imagination.

What were your very first steps in music like and how would you rate the gains made through experience - can one train/learn being an artist?

My first steps in music were listening to my parents record and tape collection. Next was piano lessons and choir lessons. Next, collecting my own music that I seemed drawn to. And finally, musical experiences like concerts, my first warehouse parties, travel, gigs, countless hours spent in record stores and online music research, and musical mentors helping me understand how to hear and engineer music differently.

I do believe one can train to be an artist. I think extensive training and regular practice is important to refine and perfect your inspiration as an artist. Passion, drive to improve, applying oneself and work ethic can be just as powerful as natural giftings (natural gifts can be squandered without work ethic).

But you need both to be a great artist.

According to scientific studies, we make our deepest and most incisive musical experiences between the ages of 13-16. What did music mean to you at that age and what’s changed since then?

I was mostly brought up on 80s and 90s music / from heavy synth sounds, dreamy melodies, sci-fi, fantasy, the darkness and noise of trip-hop, grunge, the smokiness and rhythms of hip-hop, and then finally “the escape from mainstream”, which in the early-and mid-90s was warehouse parties and techno.

I went to my first rave parties when I was 15 and 16 and that vastly changed my perception on what was possible with music, sound, lighting, setting, and community.

In my younger years music was only something I experienced. As I grew as an artist, I realized I could help create a musical experience for other people and hopefully, continue the process of inspiring others through sound.

What, would you say, are the key ideas behind your approach to music and what motivates you to create?

My main inspiration is my faith in Jesus. My deepest inspiration comes from my relationship with God, reading His word and through prayer. It gives me the will to learn, to be transformed, become better as a man and as an artist and the power to press on no matter life’s setbacks.

Secondary to that is nature and relationships. Then finally, everything that is man-made: travel, art and architecture, musical experiences, musical education, new tools/gear, mentorship and artistic community, math and science, and listening/studying more music.

All of the above is important inspiration for motivation, but some inspiration grows motivation more perfectly than others.

To quote a question by the great Bruce Duffie: When you come up with a musical idea, have you created the idea or have you discovered the idea?

Existence is not an accident and every human has intrinsic value. Every artist has their own interpretation and their own voice.

100% of an artists inspiration is from the discovery of something that is already in existence. However, the artist’s interpretation is what brings something new and beautiful into existence.

Paul Simon said “the way that I listen to my own records is not for the chords or the lyrics - my first impression is of the overall sound.” What's your own take on that and how would you define your personal sound?

Music is a feeling. Some poorly engineered songs with an amazing feeling that catapults you into an emotional state make a much more significant impression than perfectly engineered songs with no soul. Of course it’s best to have a high level of both inspiration/feeling + exceptional engineering.

I must have an emotional and spiritual connection to my music. If a session doesn’t produce this then it goes in the garbage can. I aspire to be a better engineer every time I get into the studio, but I will never prioritize engineering over inspiration.

I’m not interested to define or pigeon hold my personal sound into any type of genre, that’s what critics are for.

Sound, song, and rhythm are all around us, from animal noises to the waves of the ocean. What, if any, are some of the most moving experiences you've had with these non-human-made sounds? In how far would you describe them as “musical”?

Nature is music. This organic ambience is all around us every day.

Some of the most healing sounds are those found in nature: the wind blowing through trees, the sounds of the ocean waves, insects in the forest, the crackling of a fire, and even sounds of industry can all be inspiring. Its natural white noise and can be an incredible source of rest and peace.

Field recordings are still a large part of my sound palette when building tracks.

From very deep/high/loud/quiet sounds to very long/short/simple/complex compositions - are there extremes in music you feel drawn to and what response do they elicit?

It is essential to consider and incorporate crescendos and decrescendos while producing / this also is important when playing long sets. It is analogous to an oration or story telling with proper use of syntax, pauses, the silence between the sounds, it all builds tension and helps the listener focus in on certain emotional or elemental parts of the track or DJ set.

These methods are import to tell a story within any body of musical work. The idea of a theme can sometimes be lost in DJ sets. Simply stringing together hot tracks can get old quickly.

With proper use of syntax and thematic elements a DJ can take a listener from just another night out to a moment and experience that is burned into memory.

Could you describe your creative process on the basis of one of your pieces, live performances or albums that's particularly dear to you, please?

One of my most fun albums to write (and perform) was for FXHE - Omar S’ label - Keep On.



All parts for this album were recorded in my studio as long stems with each individual sound source (drum machines, synthesizer, sample) running through a series of efx. I would tweak knobs live on all the signal path pieces and keep my favorite stem recording. Then I would cut up the stem and keep only my favorite sections.

Then each stem was loaded into Omar S’ mixing board and from this point addition fx or EQ or compression was patched and added as needed. Then I would mix the tracks live in a take and perform the song. I performed each song about 3-5 times and we chose the best take for the album.

In this way the album felt a bit more human and the “imperfections” gave the album much more character.

Do you conduct “experiments” or make use of scientific insights when you're making music?

Certain studio sessions are set aside specifically for creating wild sounds. Through experimentation these signal paths are documented for future tracks.

Regarding scientific insights, I would say mostly through trial and error, I find signal paths that work well or help rule out signal paths that don’t produce much fruit. These studio sessions greatly improve my chances of having a productive day in the studio when I’m truly inspired to write a track or record some stems.

How does the way you make music reflect the way you live your life? Can we learn lessons about life by understanding music on a deeper level?

We are all born with a purpose.

I think a fulfilling life is a combination of inherent giftings and perfecting those giftings through application and service. We all have a choice every day: a choice to follow the light or the dark, a choice to do what is right or what is easy, and a choice to grow every day and believe the truth or to shrink back in fear and believe a lie.

Music production and the process does reflect in some ways how to live life well. For me personally and as an artist, it is my responsibility to stay true to my inspiration, to not conform to current musical trends as an artist or a DJ, and to continue to grow, create, inspire and to challenge myself and others.

Do you feel as though writing or performing a piece of music is inherently different from something like making a great cup of coffee? What do you express through music that you couldn't or wouldn't in more 'mundane' tasks?

There is always a difference in my musical output when I feel forced to finish a project on a deadline vs going into the studio when I’m inspired to create and have time to experiment with sound.

A barista must create a cup of coffee (great or not), if they want to or not because it is their job while they’re on the clock (though they should take it seriously and do their best because a proper cup of caffeine can literally change someone’s world for the better that day especially after a proper rave).

It’s important as an artist to create while inspired and not be too burdened by deadlines.

Regarding performances - the energy and reactions while DJing or performing LIVE definitely gives real-time feedback for shifting and creating in a spontaneous way that would not happen during a studio session. However, the shift in the artistic process during a performance can either benefit the performance or inhibit the performance depending on the artists relationship to their process.

In DJ sets I think this energy and feedback can be extremely beneficial. In LIVE sets, depending on how specific my vision is for the musical output, sometimes this feedback is not beneficial, although the energy and love in the room is always beneficial.

Every time I listen to "Albedo 0.39" by Vangelis, I choke up. But the lyrics are made up of nothing but numbers and values. Do you, too, have a song or piece of music that affects you in a way that you can't explain?

The song “Desire” by Yello gives me this feeling. The lyrics are open to interpretation. The idea of desire and what each of us desire is different for everyone. Although, we are keenly aware every day that something is missing.



If we actually had what we desired, would that give us the fulfillment that we are looking for? How long would the fulfillment last? As I kid my dad would play that tape for us over and over on road trips. I remember staring at the passing landscapes being enthralled with the sounds, the lyrics, the day dreams - not exactly knowing what the song meant - but just knowing that my dreams and desires for something beyond my reality were real and palpable and unattainable at that present moment.

I believe this longing can only be truly fulfilled through my relationship with God.

If you could make a wish for the future – what are developments in music you would like to see and hear?

I’d wish for more artists to feel artistically free.

More exploration in sound and less restrictions on genres.

Taking more chances instead of playing it safe.

Creating truly inspired music instead of following a formula.

Less social media algorithms and superficial promotional methods that seem to degrade the quality of artistic musical output and more hard work in the studio.

Less politics and more dancing.