LAMP Mix #327 feat. Franklyn Watts

Whats up LAMP Fam!! Today we are excited to showcase So Cal native Franklyn Watts. He has a brand new release out today ‘Corazón Partió’ with his buddy dATELESS. This will be the second release on the upstart label from dATELESS, Thanks For Sending. We fell in love with the track from first listen. There are some really fun and unique sounds that that create a nice dynamic with this song which give way to a strong vocal hook that pulls everything together to create a solid groove to get you in the dancing mood. This is just one of many releases from Franklyn that really show his passion and drive when it comes to producing and contributing to the amazing house music scene here in Los Angeles and beyond. He has a catalog that spans many of the top labels. I personally have been rinsing his track Cuando Mueves from Safe Records in my sets recently and others include CUFF, Repopulate Mars, Dirtybird Records, Glasgow Underground and there are so many more. We are honored to have Franklyn contribute to the LAMP mix and Interview series. He is someone we have been following for quite sometime and are huge fans of his music and glad we finally got a chance to connect with him. A huge congrats on his career so far and thank you is in order to Franklyn, we wish you the best and look forward to what is coming in the future. Check out our interview with him down below to get more insight on this new track and his career. Cheers.

Corazón Partió Fan Link Stream / Buy

LAMP · LAMP Guest Mix # 327 Feat. Franklyn Watts

Full Tracklist after the interview

Hi Franklyn, my name is Josh Brooks, lead editor of LAMP. We have crossed paths a couple of times in the past at Dirtybird Campout and here in LA, and you have always been such a pleasure to talk to. I want to start by saying thank you for the opportunity to showcase your music and learn more about you as an artist.

We are excited to share your mix with our audience and talk about your upcoming release, “Corazón Partió”, which drops Dec 2nd on a new up and coming label here in Southern California Thanks For Sending. So why don’t we jump right into that?

LAMP: First off, I love the track. It is vibrant, fun and has a wicked groove that definitely gets me in the mood to shake a tail feather or two. You teamed up with dATELESS on this one, and my track info says it was conceived during a road trip! Where were you guys headed, and what happened along the way that brought about the inspiration that led to you guys putting this one together?

Franklyn Watts: Thank you! Yeah, we were on our way up to San Jose to hang with some friends for the weekend when we were sharing our current music projects and mentioned I had this instrumental that could be cool for the label. Instantly vibed to the track and was on board for recording a fun hook to piece it all together. Within that next week or two, the way was done!

LAMP: This will be the second release for the label Thanks For Sending (which I am just learning about). How did you connect with them, and do you have any other projects in the works for them you can tell us about?

FW: Over this pandemic period, dATELESS and I have been hanging more, and it's been a mutual music connection from the start. I heard early on about him starting a label and the style of music, branding, and shows he had in mind for it, so I was stoked to see it come together. This is my first release on there but definitely will not be the last ;)

**Pick up *Corazón Partió* now on Beatport**

Corazón Partió Fan Link Stream/ Buy

LAMP: Being the Los Angeles Music Project, we always love when we get to connect with an LA native. Can you tell us what it was like for you growing up here and how your music career has been influenced by coming up in this massive city?

FW: I grew up in a small town called La Puente and would say that my musical journey started all here. Throughout high school, I played guitar in a punk/thrash band and would play local backyard gigs all the time. I graduated in 2008 when I attended my first electronic music event, Electric Daisy Carnival. I Instantly became obsessed with the energy of the festival and the fact that the musicians were playing music created on a laptop. At the time, LA would have small raves almost weekly somewhere, and I would find myself at them soaking it all in. It wasn’t long after that I pursued learning music production.

LAMP: On that same sort of line of questioning, When did you start writing/producing music - and what or who were your early passions and influences? What is about music and sound that drew you to it?

FW: I started producing my music around 2011. My early influences were artists such as Lazy Rich, Wolfgang Gartner, Lucky Date, Dirtyloud and Deadmau5. They all had a very distinct style with crazy sounds and aggressive grooves. The music's energy was similar to those at rock events, which is why I drew to it but enjoyed the dance grooves more.

LAMP: As you jumped into the world of producing, what would you say were your main compositional- and production challenges in the beginning and how have they changed over time?

FW: At the beginning of learning production, it was overwhelming because there were so many tools and techniques to learn. To this day, mixing down the whole track is a tedious but fun challenge. After ten years of producing, you eventually find what works for you and what doesn’t, but it is still great to break some rules and learn new modern tricks. I can hear the quality of my productions getting better over time and my style in general evolving.

LAMP: You have a fantastic catalogue of releases on so many top labels over the years. Could you describe your creative process based on a piece or album that's particularly dear to you, please? Where did the ideas come from, how were they transformed in your mind, what did you start with, and how do you refine these beginnings into the finished work of art?

FW: Not for any specific track, but I usually like to start my ideas with the drums. I am getting the suitable drums together that have a good rhythm and groove. The mind can go towards a vocal sample, synth, or bassline; I start jamming at random until I find elements that complement the original drum groove and build up the track idea. I work very spontaneously and usually don’t have any specific sound in mind, just kind of go at it and see what come out! Then comes the mixing.... -_-

Franklyn Watts · FW TRAX

LAMP: For people familiar with your work, we know you are no stranger to collaborations with other artists, including this latest release which is about to drop. Collaborations can take on many forms. What role do they play in your approach, and what are your preferred ways of engaging with other creatives through, for example, file sharing, jamming or just talking about ideas?

FW: Collaborating can be done in many ways. I love working in person with local producer friends as it's always a good time with good company to jam out and build something together. I can’t beat ordering some noodles and being in the studio all day with the homies. But I have also collaborated with people on the other side of the world by sending files online, and it works out well! Collaborating is best done when it's a genuine interaction and friendship instead of just pitching to work.

DIRTYBIRD · Franklyn Watts & Steady Rock - Ghetto Freestyle [DIRTYBIRD]

LAMP: What was your first studio like? How and for what reasons has your set-up evolved over the years, and what are currently some of the essential pieces of gear for you?

FW: My very first set-up was a Macbook Pro with a single living room studio speaker tower and a hand me down the midi piano, haha My set-up has evolved with some external controllers. I love using the Toraiz Squid midi sequencer along with a Native Instruments Maschine. I also got two vintage Roland pieces that I sample early 90’s sound from. I love being more hands-on with my productions as opposed to a laptop keyboard.

LAMP: Do you have a favourite venue here in Los Angeles that you love to get down at? How about outside of LA?

FW: My favourite places to play here in LA are at Sound and Academy. Always a good time with a killer sound system and sick light production. Outside of LA, Halcyon in San Francisco has been one of my favourite spots, along with Shady Park in Arizona.

LAMP: We are getting close to the end of 2021, and it has been a roller coaster year for musicians and just the world in general. Can you think back on and tell us about an extraordinary moment to two that stick out for you this year?

FW: I think once live public events, in general, started coming back, my whole mood changed and pushed me to get back to work and get ready for the new year. Since then, it's been non-stop in the studio.

LAMP: Lastly, can you list us a few new tracks that are finding their way into your rekordbox crates for your sets and a couple of classics that never leave your containers.

FW: Some newer tracks I’ve loved are Closer by Jaden Thompson and Dope as Me by Facu Baez. Some classics that I will always play are Shake and Pop by Green Velvet and Fake by Jesse Perez

LAMP: Is there anything else coming up in your world we should be on the lookout for or anything you would like to add?

FW: Be on the lookout for more new music soon next year. In January, I am kicking it off with an EP on House Keepers and a few more releases following. I also release a monthly mix/radio show, WATTS GOOD, on SoundCloud if anyone follows and listens!

Aside from everything else, I want to say thanks for having me on and appreciate everyone that has followed my music up until this point! Much love to LA and the actual music scene. Long live LAMP!

LAMP: Thank you so much Franklyn. It was a pleasure to get to know more about you and be able to share your music with our audience. If you aren’t following Franklyn, all his socials are posted down below and we also recommend you check out his radio show Watts Good over on Soundcloud. Cheers LAMP Fam.