Thomas Gold is a Berlin-based, German DJ and producer with a career spanning hundreds of dance-floor-destroying anthems, and he’s released on some of the world’s biggest dance labels. His remix work has seen him work with pop superstars like Adele, Lady Gaga, Madonna and gain track support from the biggest DJs in the business. We caught up with him after his recent three new free sample packs, Progressive House, Tech House and Tech House Constructor are live at BandLab Sounds and inside the BandLab app.
BandLab Sounds lets you download your favorite samples from world-class producers and artists like Thomas Gold and more. All for free, and free to use whether personally or commercially.
Tell us about what you’ve been up to during the pandemic?
As all my upcoming live shows got cancelled, I had a lot of free time from March 2020 onwards – and I used this time to realise several business ideas, which I had been thinking about for quite a while. So, besides working on my ongoing music productions, I created an online platform for samples, I focussed on coaching and mentoring producers and I created TEN A SEASON – a TV reality-docu-show about ten producers on their way from the start of the production until the final stage of a track.
Obviously one of the things you’ve done is an amazing sample pack for BandLab Sounds!
Yes, creating those sample packs for BandLab was a fantastic opportunity for me and I’m happy you guys like them! With these packs, I wanted to give producers the opportunity to create the typical sound of two of my most popular signature sounds, progressive house and tech-house.
The idea was to put together a collection of samples and loops which could easily fit together, and which can be mixed in a lot of ways to give the producer an arsenal of tried, tested and approved sounds. But, also to deliver as much flexibility as needed for producers to create their own musical pieces with them.
You chose the two sounds you are known for, progressive house and tech house. Explain the difference in those genres?
Progressive house is more based on big sounds – loads of big reverbs and delays; also the emotional aspect is very important and essential to most of these productions. It’s about epic and melodic breakdowns, very often with vocals; the drop sections are mostly melodic and strong, but not aggressive. Everything is kind of smooth in the mix, but still with a certain amount of power and uplifting energy.
Tech house isn’t based on emotion as such, but rather on cool beats, dry sounds, and an evolving energy throughout the track – as opposed to progressive house where you try to keep the energy from beginning to end. Instead, tech house tracks flow and are about the groove. The basslines are often subtle but deep; melodies can happen but mostly more as an add-on, rather than being one of the key elements. Vocals are rather short and chopped instead of having a classic full-song structure that you might go for with progressive house.
What do you hope creators on BandLab get from the packs, who did you design them for?
I hope to get them a lot of inspiration and ideas. For me, that’s the main point of a sample and loop pack! You should use the elements from the pack to start an idea and then develop it into a full track. Of course, I would encourage the producer to make extensive use of my sounds, but even better if these only serve as the initial idea and are then being replaced by their own ideas!
What tips do you have for upcoming dance music producers?
Take your time to get to know your gear – your DAW, your synths, your studio software etc. I can see in my coachings, that very often, producers have a lot of equipment, but they don’t know how to get the best out of it. This leads to a lack of quality and to frustration. So, take your time! Things don’t happen overnight, especially not in the music industry. It might take some time and effort to get you to the next level, but trust me, investing the time is worth it!
What’s next for Thomas Gold?
I am finalising the first season of TEN A SEASON, I am currently expanding with my Fanfare Records label, where we will open up a sublabel together with Universal Music. I’m also working on a bunch of new music productions for myself and preparing some new business ideas for the rest of the year.
If you’re inspired by the samples and Loops created by Thomas Gold, you can download them and use them for free, for both personal and commercial use. Tap the button below to explore Thomas Gold’s sample pack and more.
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