24-year-old LYOD, who hails from Cologne, has already amassed over 35 million streams, released an official remix for Dutch star DJ Sam Feldt and provided the music for the German Google Pixel Campaign with ‘Never Fall’. LYOD has arrived to put the soul back into dance music, as he explains: “It has always bothered me that in the past, in most dance songs, hardly any emotions are expressed and the warmth is missing. For me it’s important that feelings come across and it moves people” During recent months, LYOD has locked himself in a small cabin by the sea and worked exclusively on new tracks, including his new drop ‘If You Ever Need A Friend’. DMCWORLD dives in for a world exclusive…
Q1. Hey LYOD, welcome to DMC! How’s 2023 going for you?
Hi guys, thank you for having me.
2023 is going very well so far! I just released my second song from my upcoming debut Album “Forgot How You Dance” and I’m very happy with the feedback and the reaction of the people. And…the summer is around the corner, which is my favorite time of the year.
Q2. Can you talk us through the meanings behind ‘If You Ever Need A Friend’ and ‘Why Does My Heart’?
Sure – “If You Ever Need A Friend” is the first single release of my album.
I have picked it as the first song because it really reflects my feelings like no other song I did before. It has this melancholic, yet euphoric feeling I was searching for a very long time, and I love the character of the record.
The song talks about the importance of a friendship and being there for someone, always lending a helping hand and standing by through good and bad times, which is also the mood of the song. I wanted it to be heard on both good and bad days. Originally, the song was a demo for a retro rock project. I fell in love with these vocals, reminding me of “Stand By Me” by Ben E. King, which is one of my all-time favorite songs. So I had to give it a spin, and I am so happy it worked out.
This is also the first song I did for the album. When I was younger, I always dreamed of renting a house by the sea and spent weeks just writing music on my own. When I decided to make an album I did that and the idea for this song was done the very first night I locked myself in.
“Why Does My Heart” really needs no introduction. It’s my homage to the legendary song “Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?” by Moby. I have a lot of childhood memories associated with this song and I wanted to bring the nostalgic feeling of the late 90’s back and put my own touch on it, while keeping the main essence of the original. I had this song on my list for so long and with the album it all came together, and it felt right to put it out. I’ve been working on the song for almost a year now, re-recording the vocals and recreating all the samples of the original. Trying my best to honor the work of Moby.
Q3. How long have you been making music? Do you feel like your sound has evolved?
I started making music when I was 13 years old. This is about ten years ago now.
And since then, my sound has developed a lot.
I started producing Big Room in the first years. But I was always missing warmth and emotions in most dance songs at that time. That’s when I started writing more melodic and vocal oriented songs that were influenced by pop music.
Before I started working on the album, I knew I wanted to go for a new direction soundwise, but it never felt right. When I began brainstorming for the album and the first songs came together, the new direction felt so natural, and it all came together so quickly. Now, putting the final touches on the album, I am more than happy with the result of the records. They 100% represent me & it’s exactly how I imagined, it would sound like.
Q4. When creating a track, what does your creative process look like, from start to finish?
It always varies from song to song, but especially for the album I changed a lot of my habits. When I start an idea, I love to be alone in the studio and shut myself off for a while. This way I can let my thoughts run free and really just think about the music.
Most of the records from the album started with the vocal. I like to take a demo or even a finished song of a completely different genre and build a new song idea around it. That way you create something different, something that it wasn’t meant for or that no one thought of when writing the song. That’s when for me the magic happens.
When I start working on a song, I always try to find the right chords and melody to underline the emotions of the lyrics and the feeling I have in my mind. When the song starts to sit in the right emotional framework and it carries exactly the right feelings, I start to build the arrangement. This whole process should never take too long. That way, I make sure to catch the magic of the first idea and to get in a state of mind where I don’t think too much and just let my thoughts and emotions run free and capture the moment.
When I start to build the song, I always make sure to use as few tracks as possible. If I achieve that, I have a strong base, which consists of only a few elements. And then afterwards, I expand it and embellish the song, to bring it to life and add all the little details that make it special.
As soon as I have the first idea laid down, I like to put the song away and let it sit for a while and come back a little later. I don’t like to rush a song, since it’s a process.
I spend a lot of time thinking and making different versions of the song until it finally feels right. During this process I always come back to the very first bounce because most of the time it carries so much magic, without knowing it & I try to relive the moment I did it and recapture that feeling.
When I am working on a song, I always search for mistakes or irregularities in a sound or in a sample. Often I resample the whole song or only the drums and see if there is something magical in it, that comes through a mistake. That way I can give the song some character, and it does not sound too digital and clean.
Q5. How would you describe your sound now?
For me it’s important that feelings come across. I love songs that sound warm and create a certain kind of longing in the people’s head. I am a huge fan of songs with great melodies and soul. That’s what I am also chasing with my music. No matter what genre or direction. I love to use warm sounding drums, pianos and synthesizers & I am obsessed with soul vocals, like those from the late 60s. And in general, voices that sound special and have a lot of character.
On my album I feel a lot of inspiration from the South African house movement.
I would describe my songs as more pop influenced, but you can definitely hear the Afro House influenced drums in my songs. Paul Kalkbrenner & Fred Again were also a big inspiration for the records on my upcoming Album.
Although the new songs feel like a signature LYOD song, I would say you can connect on an even deeper level now, the beats are more sophisticated and stripped back. Delivering the essential emotion.
During the last two years, I collected a lot of pictures that inspired me and put them on my wall in the studio. I wrote the phrase “Sunsets & Heartbreaks” on it & tried to capture all these pictures and feelings in my songs.
Q6. Who would be a dream artist to collaborate with in the future?
There are quite a few. If I had to choose my favorites, I would say Paul Kalkbrenner, Calvin Harris, &Me from KeineMusik and Benny Blanco.
And if it were still possible, Avicii….
Vocally, I would love to work with Etta James or Nina Simone, although unfortunately they also have both already left us. I adore female soul singers and would love to do a song with one of them. And I would love to work with Jorja Smith….
Q7. Who is your biggest inspiration in the music industry?
I started falling in love with music because of Avicii. I remember when I was like 9 years old I always listened to his new songs on CD compilations in my mum’s and dad’s car and it never stopped since then. I will always be fascinated by his musical genius and his timeless songs, always wishing he was still here.
And I really feel inspired by the sound aesthetic of Fred Again. I love what he does with all kinds of samples and how he breaks barriers every time. Manipulating sounds and bringing life and character into every drum sample or sound.
Q8. What do you do to relax?
I take my headphones and go for a walk, listen to new music or put on a playlist of my all time favorite songs.
Q.9 What’s next for LYOD?
I am very much looking forward to the next two singles of my album, the first one out just last week and the next August 4th. The next song has a very personal meaning and is a little bit different to the ones I already released and for the last single of my album I recorded a choir from Nigeria to pay homage to one of my all-time favorite songs.
So I am very excited for you to hear these songs.
And of course I am very much looking forward to my debut album to drop on September 1st. I have locked myself in for almost 7 months now and I’m very excited for people to finally hear the full album and understand the story it’s telling.
And I hope to play some gigs at festivals and shows in the near future. That would be a dream and my next goal. And of course I am always working on new music!!
Thanks for having me, x
