Burns talks about working on Chromatica with Gaga

[monketsharona 80,551]

Kocay: You co-wrote and co-produced eight of the singles on Lady Gaga’s Chromatica. Can you explain the specific dance influences and reference points in the songs that you wrote for the album?

BURNS: “It’s kind of been a dream of mine for a while to be able to work on an artist project that I could have the freedom on to reference the music that inspired me to become a producer in the first place. As a young kid growing up in the Midlands, I was exposed to house music at an early age. In the ‘90s in the United Kingdom, there were a lot of electronic acts breaking through, so you would hear stuff like Black Box, The Beloved, SNAP!, CeCe Peniston, etc. all over daytime radio. It  was kind of an era where acid house was crossing over into the mainstream, and that was really embedded in my mind since my mum was a big fan of dance music. 

“I went back through all of those records when we were making this album, studying the techniques and sounds, trying to figure out ways to bring them into 2020 and still have it translate. I also listened to a lot of the dance music that broke through in Europe during the early 2000’s when I actually began making music—lots of the French crossover records/big house records that ended up on UK radio after coming up from the club scene. Those two eras to me are what influenced everything I was doing on this project. ‘Rain On Me’ specifically was referencing sonic textures from records like Stardust - ‘Music Sounds Better’ and Roger Sanchez - ‘Another Chance’ from a feeling standpoint. I wanted it to have that same energy and feel classic but modern at the same time. ‘Babylon’ is more of a reference to the ‘90s, so we used an old Roland 909 drum machine and old keyboards like the Korg M1 piano and the Roland SH101 to really bring that energy to it, referencing stuff like 808 State, Future Sound Of London and The Beloved. I wanted everything to feel timeless in a sense and to avoid any cliches or trends in current music, and just focus on authenticity and what dance music really means to me as a producer who grew up during the peak of it all.”

Kocay: What’s your creative process like? 

BURNS: “It varies depending on the environment and what type of project it is really—sometimes you have less freedom than others. The Gaga project was great for me because I was working closely with my friend Bloodpop, and we had a great understanding and common goal for everything. That meant that I had more freedom to try stuff out and really dive into old references and techniques because we were both aiming at this overall authentic sound. Generally, I like to listen to old records for inspiration, though—music is very much a revolving thing. It keeps turning and eventually things come back that have already been considered popular and then they go away again for a while, if that makes sense. So with the Gaga record, we were all in agreement that it was time for dance music to have its place again in popular music, which became our goal. It felt like it was time for the world to dance again in general.”

Kocay: What has been the highlight of your career thus far? 

BURNS: “Having a Billboard US and UK official No. 1 record with ‘Rain On Me’ and No. 1 album with Chromatica has to be the highlight so far, obviously. Having a No. 1 record at some point for a producer is really a peak goal for a lot of people I think, so achieving that this year is extremely surreal. I’ve worked with a lot of incredible artists and writers, too, and I’m just extremely thankful that I get to be able to do this as a job. It’s pretty wild.”

 

And more :  https://www.forbes.com/sites/lisakocay/2020/07/01/lady-gagas-chromatica-burns/#5f1060451ed2

[Ladle Ghoulash 23,834]

I want Burns to make a Spotify playlist of his influences! Just checked out a lot of the music he referenced and I am slain

[Chinosky 1,984]

Great read! I love Chromatica so much and SOOOOO appreciate its producers 

[Curunir 7,510]

He produced most of my favorite songs on Chromatica 

[Mr S 8,672]

Seems like quite a few of the producers are talking about their work on the album. I wonder if they are campaigning for some production Grammys.

[MingersPrayer 581]

It’s funny he referenced Stardust and Roger Sanchez as my mind went to those records the first time I heard rain on me. I’m the same age as Burns & from UK so i totally get where he’s coming from. I think they did a great job on making Chromatica sound modern. Replay for example is also so strongly connected to that late 90s / early 2000s style - I really hear Sanchez in it and also Lady Hear me Tonight. 

[MingersPrayer 581]

57 minutes ago, zebulonpyke said:

I want Burns to make a Spotify playlist of his influences! Just checked out a lot of the music he referenced and I am slain

You should look up 

- Livin Joy

- Baby D

- Robin S

- inner city 

- Modjo lady hear me tonight 

 

[DpHitch1992 1,158]

Great interview! I feel like burns done a great job with what he wanted it to soundlike. The whole album screams 90's british club scene and it brings alot of nostaligia to me 

'Replay' also reminds me of producers like Bassment Jaxxs 

[Massive Monster 5,003]

[Guest]

2 hours ago, MingersPrayer said:

- Robin S

i LOVE this song