The time and effort necessary to become a quality producer is something only those who have traveled the same road can understand. Most of the time it begins as a hobby, with nothing but the pure joy of learning a new skill to spur further involvement. How much time and effort, and the extent to which someone is willing to learn, is what makes the difference between those who keep producing/mixing as a hobby and those who take it to the next level. Seattle-based producer/DJ Spencer Stumpf, aka Treyis (pronounced ‘trey-es’) knows this as well as anyone, and proves it daily with his dedication to learning and improving as an artist.
Like many producer/DJs involved in dance music, Stumpf has a musical background. Stumpf played multiple instruments and was involved in music in some form for more than half of his life.
I started playing music when I was around 11 and have been playing Drums/Percussion for 13 years now. I also dabble in a little bit of piano and some guitar, but I’m not very good with either. By the time I started applying to colleges my level of skill in performance and technicality got me accepted into the WSU School of Music (Go Cougs!) where I continued to study music as well as business.
Where this connection with music would take him, nobody knew. That is, until Stumpf was introduced to the sounds of Sonny Moore, aka Skrillex. Once he heard the dubstep demigod, everything changed and Stumpf was hooked.
When I discovered Skrillex I was completely blown away; it literally changed everything I was listening to at that point in time and it was a whole new world in music for me. The Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites EP was so monumental and inspiring that it really pushed me to want to learn how electronic music was being created at such a high quality.
Skrillex managed to grab Treyis’ attention in a way other styles of music had failed, and the reason is one that many bass music fans share: the energy.
I’ve always loved the energy behind bass music, especially from dubstep. I didn’t get into drum and bass until about a year ago, but now I absolutely love it. The technicality and sound design behind it too is crazy. Most of the public doesn’t understand how difficult it is to make some of the crazy sounds you hear in bass music.
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