We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dres Smuzic a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Dres, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.
I first learned to record in high school I was playing with this system called music maker. I had no idea what I was doing at the time I just knew I wanted to keep doing it. growing up I didn’t have access to a MacBook so I had to wait until after I was out of high school to at lease start using garage band. I eventually converted to Logic when I finally was able to start investing in my career. I’ve been hooked on Logic ever since. I like to be the one mixing my own stuff for the most part. It’s important to know how to use the equipment you purchase. you can buy all that stuff but if you don’t put the time into learning it, it then turns into a wasted investment.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I grew up all over the place. my dad was in the air-force. Hearing different music from different places inspired me to want to learn how to become an artist. as time went by I started thinking about how I can actually make a difference, so I learned how to engineer so I could get the sound that I want out of myself when I create. the biggest drive I had was passion and people telling me I can’t. a lot of people like to say no this isn’t happening or your head is in the clouds. I always like to prove people wrong. I used that as motivation to drive me more. Engaging with other people and networking is all important. I get inspired everywhere I turn. You can make a song out of anything. If you get enough people to relate to you, then that’s when things start actually moving. those stream counts go up. you start getting noticed by different people in the industry. creating and maintaining a fan base is crucial. The people that keep up with you will be the force that determine the success of your releases or products. The fan base for the most part is going to get you paid. every move I make, I like to run by my team. My team supports me for the most part, and we brain storm how to make promotions work, how many songs should go on this project, how many videos do we want for each project etc. There’s so much that goes into all of this. The goal at Nod Head Records is to get everyone’s head in the room to nod with music that opens your heart and mind. I’m a scorpio so I’m not shy of any emotion when it comes to the music haha. it’s just better music.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
I had to learn to open my mouth again. For so long I why too shy to talk to people due to my past trauma, but I realized if this is what I want to do I have to get better at communication. I started going out more to different events, networkings and meeting new people. Best choice I ever made.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
I think the most rewarding thing is hearing other people sing the songs that you put out. I had a few shows where I didn’t have to song because the crowd was doing it for me. Honestly its the best feeling in the world.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://nodheadrecords.com/dres-smuzic-drops/?swcfpc=1
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/iamdressmuzic?igshid=NWRhNmQxMjQ=
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpLV-jGr5bQ
Image Credits
Phlix Photography (Ronnie Cozzolino) Lucas Photography LLC (Monay Dashaun)