Name: Luke Gomm
Nationality: British
Occupation: Producer, composer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist
Recent release: Luke Gomm's With Love EP is out via Taste of ’96.
Recommended artists who also use the MPC: Fred again.. - I mean he drums out jungle music on the pads at an incredibly fast pace which is very exciting to watch him and the crowd both gathered around the MPC like some sort of shrine.
Metro  Boomin - I have big respect for Metro and his use of the MPC. In my eyes he is continuing the tradition of the MPC in Hip Hop music and the way his beats are so modern and fresh is already inspiring a younger generation to get off the laptop sometimes.

Tool of Creation: MPC
Type of Tool: Music workstation
Designed by: Roger Linn for AKAI
Country of origin: Hong Kong
Years produced: 1988-

If you enjoyed this interview with Luke Gomm about the AKAI MPC and would like to stay up to date with his music, visit him on Instagram, Soundcloud, twitter, and Facebook.  



What was your first encounter with the Akai MPC Live?

My first encounter with the MPC Live was in a jam with my brother Yuval Gabay who worked with Roni Size and was in the band Soul Coughing. He’s a drummer and was using the MPC Live to play Hip Hop & Jungle backbeats 7 samples alongside his drum kit.

At the time I had an MPC Renaissance which was semi modern but still had a little calculator style screen so I hardly used it, when I initially got that I thought it would be what the MPC Live is to me now.

When I saw Yuval play the MPC Live I had a lightbulb moment as it was literally what I had been looking for for years.

Just like any other piece of equipment, the Akai MPC Live has a rich history. Are you interested in it? And if so, what are some of the key points from this history for you personally?

All respect to Roger Linn who invented the MPC and the Linn Drum, also big respect to Akai as the latest MPC is also a game changer.

I’ve had some great times with the MPC3000 and the MPC2000XL and these two models are probably the ones that I’m the most interested in the history of as some of my favourite records of all time incorporated them.

What, to you, are some of the most interesting recordings made with the Akai MPC Live?

Some of my favourite recordings made with the MPC Live include ‘Astrothunder’ by Travis Scott that has production from John Mayer and Thundercat.



John Mayer’s album ‘Sob Rock’ uses a lot of MPC Live work which is a good example of an artist who sold many records embracing modern tools and techinuqies going on to have a super successful album on streaming.



I was also in attendance at Fred again..’s Glastonbury set which was a mind blowing masterclass on MPC Live chops.

What interests you about the Akai MPC Live in terms of it contributing to your creative ideals?

One of my creative ideals is definitely to be away from the laptop and to be present in the room with the focus on the sound.

The MPC really helps me to do this as first and foremost it’s a musical instrument which can be just as flexible as an acoustic instrument in some ways.

Some see instruments and equipment as far less important than actual creativity, others feel they go hand in hand. What's your take on that?

On some days creativity strikes me and the instrument/equipment comes in useful afterwards to help me channel that creativity into something tangible. On other days I start playing an instrument without anything on my mind and then just by getting started a strong feeling of creativity arrives.

So personally I think they have to meet each other half way as you need the creativity and the tools to translate it into something more than just a thought.

What are some of the stand-out features of the MPC from your point of view?

One of my favourite features is the use of sequences that can be easily qued up to lead into to different sections whilst performing, this allows me to stay flexible and repeat a section of a jam if we feel like it rather than being restricted to the layout of a previously made backing track.

When programming drums I like the time correct on the MPC Live as it’s easy to get some parts aligned, leave others free and use the amount of swing desired. Again this function is easy to use which allows me to make these developments without ever having to stop the music playing.

I could go on listing features but primarily the best feature of the MPC Live is that it’s got the same power and facility as any DAW but essentially in a portable drum machine. This still amazes me every time I use it.

Prior to using it for the first time, how did you acquaint yourself with the Akai MPC Live? Will you usually consult a manual before starting to work with a new device – and what was that like for the Akai MPC Live?

As someone who’s had some experience with various other MPC’s in the past I was quick to just get hands on with it.

I definitely had to watch a couple of YouTube explanations for certain features that I was figuring out at the time. I do have the manual in my draw at the studio but to be honest for as powerful as it is the MPC is pretty hands on and simple to use, also Akai make some quite straight forward videos which I found useful.

Tell me a bit about the interface of the Akai MPC Live – what does playing it feel like, what do you enjoy about it, compared to some of your other instruments?

I would say that it’s extremely flexible and reliable. I enjoy playing the 16 pads as much I enjoy using it to arrange and develop previously programmed drums to lead the sections of the jam into one another.

It gives me confidence and control compared to using a laptop on stage which should really be used to do your emails ;)

How would you describe the sonic potential of the Akai MPC Live?

I would say the sonic potential of the MPC Live as limitless. Unlike old school sequencers and drum machines, this is just as powerful if not more so than a DAW.

If you can imagine it and you have the skills, you can make it happen on the MPC, so the limit really is up to your imagination.

In which way does the Akai MPC Live influence musical results and what kind of compositions does it encourage / foster?

I tend to lean more towards making Electronic music or Hip Hop on the MPC but that’s more a me thing.

At times I’ve programmed back beats for indie rock songs and to be fair after listening to the previously mentioned John Mayer album I’m intrigued to bring the MPC into a more diverse range of situations.

More generally, how do you see the relationship between your instruments and the music you make?

My live rig consists of the MPC Live in combination with the Sequential Prophet XL. The MPC covers the drums, song structures and tempos. The Prophet allows me to play synths and sampled instruments. In the studio I often have guitars and some other synths around as well as a microphone to sing and rap into.

The instruments allow me to channel my creativity and enter a playful state that results in a record even being made.

The idea that I often return to my regular instruments probably helps to establish some sort of sonic sound that is consistent. I’ve coined the phrase Electronic Soul to describe the aesthetic.

In the light of picking your tools, how would you describe your views on topics like originality and innovation versus perfection and timelessness in music? Are you interested in a “music of the future” or “continuing a tradition”?

It’s authentic to innovate and be original. It’s important that as a creative we keep moving to the next frontier.

Perfection is an ideal that I’ve often aspired to and in some ways it’s un attainable, which can actually be used as a motivator. Other times the idea of facing imperfections can cause anxiety which is the con. So essentially I find perfection to be motivating con haha.

Some ways of doing things are known to work and I think those timeless traditions should be respected to some extent but never taken for granted. I feel it’s my job to try new things and constantly push the boundaries. We all aim to make something that will still sound great long after we’re gone but the only way to do that is to make something that leaves us in awe right now!

My new EP ‘With Love’ incorporates some musical traditions and classic funky things that just feel good, I naturally mixed that approach with new techniques and it seems to create an amazing atmosphere when we play live. The projects I’m currently finishing that will be out in 2024 required me to do NASA training in order to work on them as they are definitely leaning into and creating for the music of the future.

Could you describe working with the Akai MPC Live on the basis of a piece, live performance or album that's particularly dear to you, please?

When I play 'I’m Thru’ live I’m basically recreating the process that happened in the studio when I made the record up on the stage.

I have my varisped up vocals with the crusty electric piano part chopped up into 32 parts and allocated to each of the pads across 2 banks of 16. I then play these chops in different orders against the drum break to create different feelings and hooks for different sections.

The chops on the MPC are still saved from the day I made the record.

How does the Akai MPC Live interact with some of the other tools in your studio?

Well in the studio I have everything connected via midi so when I hit play on the MPC all the instruments start playing along with it and I build up tracks that way which is fun and can feel a bit like being a conductor.

It’s a great feeling when you can record a song and all the instruments are playing at once in the room. Obviously on band sessions that’s a given but it’s unique and exciting experience to do this with electronic instruments, each with their own personality.