Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Danny Lewis. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Danny, appreciate you joining us today. Do you wish you had started sooner?

I had zero guidance, from anyone. I was also incredibly lacking in confidence. I remember being at school and literally in the middle of my Art A-Level being told ‘you’ll never work in a creative field’ by a teacher. This instilled into me a sense of needing to get a ‘normal’ job. After all it’s what everyone else in my family did, not one person I knew worked in a creative job. This was a time where there was no internet, no mobile phones even so there was no way someone could access the information that would be valuable to them to escape such banality. So I left school with A-Level Art as well as A-Level Design and Technology. I managed to get a foundation place at a local college that might lead on to a degree in (probably) product design but I felt that I didn’t match the type of people who were there, I felt out of place. I do believe however this was conditioned in me by family and surrounding people. If only I could go back to tell me 18 year old self that I had the capability to do something different. It took me a long, long time to gain confidence in my ability, only through dramatic life events did that happen.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m a music producer famous for a niche genre that these days is called Garage House. It’s a fusion of deep/soulful house but with a London lean, a slightly edgier attitude. I’m also known as an educator, from my 10 year span at Point Blank in London where I taught Sound Design using Native Instruments products in person but also helped build up the online school. Since I left I’ve continued the educational aspects going on my YouTube channel musicprotutorials (over 85k subscribers) and built up a community of music producers on my Underground Music Production Group on Facebook (over 9k members) I think what sets me apart from other producers is my transparency and honesty, I only recommend products I believe in and I’m always trying to show people how I make the music I make in the hope they can learn from it.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

In the late 90s I was working in music and technology for my day job and was lucky enough to get headhunted to form a new .com startup helping bands promote their music online. I was part of a team that built the business up and turned it into a successful company that was sold off but I was disappointingly one of the many unfortunate people in a mass redundancy shortly before the sale. My marriage had deteriorated in parallel and then whilst separated my wife was killed in a fire. I was essentially destroyed emotionally and it could have gone one of two ways but I decided to pivot into teaching through a chance meeting at the .com startup with Rob Cowan who set up Point Blank. The next ten years were my reparation, a chance to create a new version of myself that could help others achieve their goals. Then it felt time to move again and I pivoted back into the music and tech world as consultant Project Manager on Data Analytics product for a Major Music company. I haven’t turned back since and am now Head Of Data Analytics for a Major Music Publisher. I still make music in the evenings and continue tutorials whenever I get the spare time (which in practical terms is quite rare these days)

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Being creative is my therapy, it’s literally saved my life I feel. If it wasn’t for the ability to create and help people who also want to create I think I would have gone down a darker path. There is an incredibly mystic magic in the process, an addictive one. There’s nothing like it.. sitting down with an empty arrangement screen and after a few hours having something that you are vibing on.. those initial stages especially are like surfing the most incredible wave and not falling off.. a natural high like no other. Then, being able to pass on knowledge that will help others.. to see them grow.. put releases out.. magical stuff..

Contact Info:

• Website: www.dannyjlewis.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dannyjlewis/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dannyjlewismusic/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dannyjlewis/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/dannyjlewis
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@musicprotutorials