I met with James Dietrichson (DETØX) to learn more about his new EP and Sample Pack, “Don’t Be Afraid.” His new EP reached #1 on the Beatport Dubstep New Releases chart and his unique sample pack is a diverse collection of inspirational and heavy hitting sounds designed by DETØX himself.

James, congratulations on the release of the Don’t Be Afraid EP! How much time did it take for you to complete the EP in full and what is the story behind “Don’t Be Afraid?”

Essentially after working and grinding on not one thing specifically but a wide range of genres and emotions, within the past year this EP ultimately pieced itself together. The message hidden within the EP and the way it started really came out of the blue. I always put myself in my music. So wherever I am at that point in time, I make music that represents those emotions which allows the listeners to connect and follow along in my journey. These 5 songs are really about getting tossed into a dark situation or period in your life that pulls you away from yourself but instead of letting it crumble you, you choose to stand above it and to grow stronger so when you get back to your “Ordinary Conscious State” you are not afraid but rather unstoppable and empowered.

Do you have a favorite song on the EP and why?

My favorite song on the EP… hmm they all hold their own weight in their own ways. But it would have to go between “Don’t Be Afraid” and “Far From Home.” Both songs were moments in my life that I felt a breakthrough. “Far From Home” was a track that me and a good friend (Justin Simon) made together. We both had our personal life lessons lead up to that point and it all just clicked. 

What are some of your favorite approaches for quickly getting a great idea down in the DAW? 

Making music can start off in many different ways. Inspiration can come from all directions. You just have to put yourself in a position where you are ready to open that window and let it flow. Giving yourself time with a simple beat or rhythm can help you to get started. Why? Because instead of focusing on creating a specific drum pattern and then working a melody to fit that pattern. You again give yourself room to play and time to play with. Just a simple kick snare. After you can start to create a melody and maybe some sound design. Start working the drums to start moving with the melody a bit and so on. Do not try to make something perfect right off the bat. You will stop yourself from getting through the basics. Just give yourself time to work with and to play with and then just break apart each section of the song and dive into what they are. If it’s an intro… emphasize that it’s an intro. Be patient, you don’t need a million sounds to fill up the space. You just need the right sounds. 

How do you approach Collabs? Do you have any best practices to share?

So collabs personally for me haven’t been on the radar as much as i’d like. But when I do, it typically begins with someone’s song or my own that has been sitting for a while that someone else finds inspiration on and actually wants to do it. A lot of times people say they wanna collaborate but then they have a million other things on their plates. So sometimes it’s good to have some older project that has potential but you just don’t have the time maybe and share it with friends. If they are inspired and want to work on it…you just hand it over and see what their minds could create.

Tell us about your new DETØX Don’t Be Afraid EP Sample Pack available in the Producer DJ marketplace. 

This sample pack is going to go beyond. Including key Serum patches designed by DETOX that were used in the EP, there will also be tons of synth bass one shots as well as fx, arpeggiating samples and key drum samples used throughout my career. 

What are your top 5 favorite VST’s at the moment?

Serum is one used a lot. I also love a lot of stock plugins for FL Studio. I use Maximus to master my music in house. Soothe 2 is key for working with hard and sharp frequencies. I added it to my collection and I use it on almost every track now. Kontakt has tremendous amounts of quality sound fx, drums, woodwinds, brass instruments that you can take and create all your own midi and melodies with. 

What can we expect from DETØX in 2021?

I have recently aligned myself with an amazing team that is going to help with this movement. They have been a tremendous support so far and we are planning exclusive merch drops, live stream events, single release as well as “EP” releases. Potential Florida run if the virus clears up later in 2021. New logo, a little rebranding. We have a goal of 3 low budget music videos this year as well. There is a ton in the works that I am very thankful and excited for.

Is there anything else that you would like to share with us? 

Side notes. I am a full blown artist at heart. I create sculptures for major companies like Netflix, Nickelodeon, MTV, etc. I have been building the first ever DETØX center where we all come together as a community to create ourselves through one of the artist outlets we have. From music to animation to graphic design to 3d printing to sculpting and so on, we are striving to be a center for the creative mind and an outlet for those less privileged to have the resources to practice these arts and potential careers. 

Stream/Download the Don’t Be Afraid EP here.

Buy the “Don’t Be Afraid” Sample Pack here.

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