TOMMY VERCETTI
Step into the his studio to see how he manufactures his Balearic beats and basslines in FL Studio
“It was confusing having so many musical influences. It’s this big confusion of ‘What do I want to make?’”
Like his gun-toting namesake from
GTA: Vice City, young Tommy Vercetti has quickly risen to infamy thanks to his Eton Messy- and Hed Kandi-endorsed uplifting house sounds. We caught up with Tommy in his Walsall bedroom studio to find out how he gets his Ibiza-inspired vibes, and to learn more about his efforts to create a unique sonic identity while staying faithful to the scene that he loves.
“My dad got me into music – he was a DJ,” begins Tommy. “We used to do discos together – when I was about 15, me and my dad would do a wedding every weekend. He got me into stuff like disco, Northern soul, Motown and reggae. When I was at school, I never wanted to do anything – in most of my lessons, I’d be sat drawing DJ decks, not wanting to listen. I just couldn’t wait to finish school. But I’ve always been into production since I was about 14. I remember getting a copy of
Dance eJay with a box of breakfast cereal, then Music 2000 on the PlayStation. Me and my brother would mess around with different bits of software; he didn’t take it very seriously, but I kept at it. The next thing you know, you buy a piece of equipment, and some software… And then I went to college at a place called Access to Music and did three years there.”
Despite getting to grips with music production software, Tommy initially struggled to find a musical direction.
“I’ve always been into different types of music; I just didn’t know what I wanted to produce. At the time, drum ’n’ bass was, like, the massive thing; I really loved liquid DnB – people like Netsky and Brookes Brothers; I used to be into happy hardcore as well – people like Darren Styles; then it was bassline and speed garage. It was confusing having so many musical influences – not to mention all the Motown and stuff – so it’s this big confusion of ‘What do I want to make?’
“Then I fell in love with house music, going to house music raves. When I was 18, I’d go to the Rainbow in Birmingham… Ibiza… I went to DC-10 and heard people like DJ Cassy, and my mind was just blown. I was into house music already, but this was a lot more underground than what I was listening to, which was a lot of Hed Kandi albums and polished house music.”
Tommy quickly saw success in the house scene, making a name for himself with his trademark feel-good piano anthems, though his obsession with underground sounds means that he wants to take his music in a less glossy direction.
“As I’m becoming a bit more established, it’s all about trying to adapt to what’s current. On a business level you have to, but you still need to be you, so I can’t experiment too much; but, if you do exactly what everyone else is doing, that’s when it becomes a problem.
“I just want to experiment more and go more into the underground. I want to incorporate the soul. Music’s supposed to be a happy thing, and I think a lot of people forget that. A lot of music is getting a bit stale – the Beatport tech house chart pretty much all sounds the same – so I just want to be a little bit different but still current.”
Tommy’s first sample pack – Tommy Vercetti: Underground House & Tech – will be released on 26 May on SampleState. Get it at loopmasters.com, and see page 43 for more info.