With releases on Third Ear Recordings, Room With A View, Dirt Crew and Poker Flat to name a few, as well as on his own “Full Bleed” imprint, Alland Byallo flutters between Broken Beat and classic House sounds with impressive ease. An LA native, Byallo earned his stripes as a resident at infamous San Francisco club The Endup before relocating to Berlin, where his production journey has been gaining momentum ever since. A visual artist as well as a musical one, Alland paints his audio canvases bold and bright, with scant regard to convention.

His latest EP, Fill Light Shine, released in March on his own label, comprises two contrasting works. The meandering “Karma Beach” has a melodic strangeness to it that’s hard to pin down, but somehow it still reassures thanks to its idiosyncratic charm and emotional depth, which pull this strange caravan along at a perfect pace. “Reflect, Rotate” brings a darker and more driving vibe to proceedings, with broken, almost UK-Garage-eque drums and bass providing ample power to raise the roof. I was excited to chat with Alland, to learn about his process, and I was delighted to find someone open to discussing the personal challenges and breakthroughs along his musical journey with a refreshing level of candour. It turns out Fill Light Shine reflects a personal and creative turning point — a snapshot of the moment that the weight of stress, comparison and burnout gave way to exploration, wonder and, most importantly, contentment. There are many great takeaways in this conversation for both music-making and for life, not least the fact that we all need to take a proper break from time to time and reconnect with the pure joy of music for music’s sake.

Photos by Kenneth Scott.

Were you a DJ first, or a producer? At least to start with, how did one practice inform the other? And how about now?

First of all, thanks for having me!

I was definitely an amateur producer well before I was a DJ. That was my first love. Eventually I started going out a bit more, soaked up the culture, and saved up the cash for 1200s and a fancy chrome Vestax. I think I was 18 or 19 when I was finally able to afford them. With classical and jazz training in my youth and into my late teens, I quickly adapted to the technical essentials of DJing. The actual mechanics are super simple. Rhythm and phrasing were ingrained in me, allowing me to mix, add or subtract elements on time, if in key, with relative ease. Now? Well from 27 or more years of experience on the dance floor and 25 in the booth, I believe I’ve learned a bit about the psychology of effective dance music production.

Do you play any instruments?

I dabble in trumpet and keys. But trumpet’s really a full time instrument isn’t it? Strong lungs and precise embouchure don’t come from dabbling. I work out of my home studio now so I can’t quite practice, out of consideration for my very nice, very patient neighbors. So I just play the keys now. Last I played the horn was on the second KAMM album for Circus Company, KAMM being my band project with Dave Aju, Kenneth Scott and Marc Smith. That was already a some years ago. I think I was five years old when I started learning piano. After I switched to horn, I really only kept up with piano when I started producing, and I’m by no means a solid player, so it definitely takes multiple attempts and edits to get licks laid down right.

‘Tools don’t make the artist or the song. One can make absolutely beautiful, unforgettable music with a couple of sticks, a Pringles can and their voice if they have it in them.’

What was your first production setup like, versus your current setup?

Oh if you call a hack of Audiomulch, Cool Edit and Acid a “setup,” that was my first! Honestly I had no idea what I was doing. No mentor, no YouTube. Just did the damn thing. Trying to sound like my heroes. Slicing up samples, not even time matching or stretching. In hindsight it looks kind of like a digital approach to analog tape edits. Then I got into FruityLoops when I got serious.

These days I’m a gear junkie. Got a Moog Matriarch, Moog Sirin, Moog Slim Phatty, a Nord Electro 3, Prophet Rev2, Korg Monologue, and the Cyclone tt-303 mk2. Also my buddy Kenneth Scott just let me borrow his Moog Minitaur and Roland SH-01a. A couple pedals, Novation SL mk3 controller at the helm, Focal CMS65 monitors and it all goes into a Universal Audio Apollo x8, with a Lucid 88192 A/D converter for extra ins and outs. I track, produce, rough mix in Ableton, and do my final mixes in Luna with the Neve Summing and all their tape tools. I love Luna so much sonically, but there’s no way to beat Ableton for production. At least not for my kind of music.

Anyway I absolutely adore my studio. Just rebuilt it last year and made it pretty damn cozy and inspirational.

You mentioned you often buy synths you can’t afford… In these glory days of plugins that sound so close to the instruments they’re emulating as to be indistinguishable, what’s the attraction of all that bulky and expensive gear? Do you use a combination of both plugins and outboard?

Yeah I was kinda just being silly, but it’s not far from the truth. I don’t know that they’re indistinguishable as much as it simply doesn’t matter if they are. Tools don’t make the artist or the song. I enjoy the tactile experience, I enjoy the harmonics that come from my analog synths which I find are generally missing in VST. I like that I need to warm them up for 15 minutes, that they might be a touch detuned, that they have quirks, moods. That makes them feel alive to me.

I use UAD emulations of outboard gear all the time and also boast about just how close they get. But they’re not indistinguishable. I know it’s not 1:1 and I’m missing plenty of nuance. I simply can’t afford the real stuff and don’t want cheap clones simply for the sake of having something on a rack.

On this new EP I used the Metric Halo x Make Believe Studios Sontec mastering EQ. It’s by far the best mastering EQ plug I’ve ever heard by a long shot. A real vintage unit is $20K if you can even find one. And here I am, blessing my tunes with an insanely close emulation, for a mere fraction of that.

Ultimately, I just love the hardware synth experience. But one can make absolutely beautiful, unforgettable music with a couple of sticks, a Pringles can and their voice if they have it in them.

‘A strong remix should be an artist’s re-envisioning of a piece of music. It should be clever and crafty, and offer a new perspective to the original parts. I mean, ideally. There’s nothing wrong with simpler takes, but I think that should at least be the motivation.’

How do you deal with the paralysis of choice (too much gear, too many plugins, unlimited sound choices)?

I don’t really get that too much. Besides the hunt for the perfect snare or kick, I generally know what I need and how to get it. Sometimes I do cycle through a few compressor options if I’m not getting the character I want. But I’m not one that collects plugins for the sake of collecting them. I say, have a decent selection of tools you know, love and always come back to, and you’ll build a style and a sound. That’s another reason I’m enjoying the synth collection. Each one does their thing with minimal overlap.

Do you think regular DJing and exposure to dance-floors makes you a better producer and arranger when it comes to dance music?

Absolutely. I’m not going to even go off here. Yes. Full stop.

Composing / Arranging / Mixing: do you separate these steps, or do you mix and arrange as you go? What would a typical workflow look like for you?

I usually rough mix as I go, but a lot of that is making sound design and sculpting work in relation to the rest of the track. Or just basic preamp sauce, subtractive EQ, compression stuff.

I work in stages. I usually start with drum work. I guess sometimes a chord progression is fighting to get out of my head and I go off with that, but effectively I’m a drums-first guy. Then yeah, the “meat” of the track gets made, like 32-64 bars or enough to loop and still feel like a song that moves and does things. I’ll work on that for quite some time and get it as close to thematically complete as possible, and once I’ve got a good foundation going I’ll dive in and just hit all the synths, record a bunch of random stuff and see how I can use that stuff to drive the rest of the track. Transitions, intro, outro, a reprise, that kind of thing. I suppose I kind of let the synths get in the driver’s seat for a bit. Final arrangement comes next. I obsessively listen to songs over and over in every possible environment and context. I send it over to a couple of friends to check out. Then once I’m happy it’s final mix down time. Another obsessive period. It’s crazy how much work I put into this now. It’s never really been my forté, so I’ve been super invested in getting better at this the past few years.

For you, what defines a great remix? Do you enjoy hearing remixes of your tracks?

A strong remix should be an artist’s re-envisioning of a piece of music. It should be clever and crafty, and offer a new perspective to the original parts. I mean, ideally. There’s nothing wrong with simpler takes, but I think that should at least be the motivation. Remixes of me? Honestly… there’s been a few over the years that blew my mind. But overall I just kinda shifted away from this stuff. My tastes have moved away from the dance floor stuff anyway, and even though the music I listen to and make is still in large part electronic music at root, it’s more musical and less about different interpretations for the dance floor or the DJ. At this point if I do any more remix releases for my little boutique label, it will be just to have friends I admire involved and in my musical orbit. Not to release dance floor burner versions or whatever.

General advice new cats should hear: Learn the history. Dig deep and learn why you’re able to do what you’re doing with such ease now. It’s important, and will only make your world bigger, brighter, more rewarding and honorable. Read the books, dig through the records, enjoy the process.

Sample packs: how do you feel about their proliferation? Useful tools and textures, or shortcuts for the lazy?

Ah that’s a tough one. I guess it depends on how people use them. It bugs me when people just kinda snap pieces together and call it their own production. But here’s a couple of thoughts I’ve had: I’ve made plenty of tunes that sample old music in loop form. I’ve made tracks that sample disco or jazz drum loops, and a soul or R&B or disco loop from somewhere else. I use jazz drum loops today. Sure I finesse and edit them plenty, and sure I dig for these samples all day and night, sure thoughtful sampling relies on actually knowing your music history and its players, but it’s hard to say “your way of using loops is not as cool as my way” with a straight face anymore.

The other thing is… look… these days I try not to think about what other people are doing too much. If they don’t get to experience the joy of creating original music, or think putting random pieces of other people’s music is somehow meaningful or original, then cool for them. Do your thing. You happy? Alright then. Happiness is in relatively short supply these days. I still hope they can one day find the time and space to let in the joy of creating something unique and original. But yeah, I’ve seen people I know who use sample packs exclusively be like “I’ve got a new track coming out” and I’m thinking: Do you though? Plus there’s certain sub-genres… I mean it all just starts to sound the same because everybody’s using the same damn sounds. But you know, with the pandemic and all, one positive is that musicians can still live their dreams and supplement their income with this stuff. I’ve got friends doing sound packs and doing well with them. Rent’s gotta get paid.

Is there a particular piece of studio gear that finds its way into all your productions, or defines your sound would you say?

I think the Moog Matriarch and Nord Electro are the two I use the most these days. I’m really into huge gliding leads like “Summer Madness” vibe… it’s a thing. That sort of lead is in most of my music these days. I didn’t know exactly what to expect when I got the Matriarch but over time it’s blown me away with it’s wide range. The bass is rich and juicy, the leads cut through and sings, and sure, you can get your sci-fi blip bloops and wooshes out of it too. The Nord… well I just kind of throw a load of instruments at my music now. Flute? Sure. Strings? Alright. Male choir? Comin’ right up. My music’s gone that route and this is the tool that brings all my ideas to life. It’s an older model but it’s all I really need for studio use.

If you could be a fly on the wall in any studio session in history, what would it be?

Quincy and Michael doing Off The Wall. Mike Patton and John Zorn making the debut Mr. Bungle album. And if we’re going way back, would be wild to see just how Joe Meek & The Blue Men’s I Hear A New World album was made. So ahead of its time, and Meek contributed so much to modern recording and production techniques.

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5 Mag Issue 206
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MOVE: This was originally published in 5 Mag Issue #206 featuring DJ, dancer, teacher and producer Coflo, Alland Byallo, Phil Kieran, DJ Rocca, Jeff Mills’ Metropolis Metropolis and more. Help keep our vibe alive and our shine bright by becoming a member for $2/month and get every issue in your inbox right away!

What has running your Full Bleed label taught you? Would you say that making A&R decisions for the label has given you a different insight when it comes to critiquing your own work?

Full Bleed is a bit of a boutique project just for putting out my own music. I had a rough few years at the end of my DJ career. Things didn’t end great. Lots of struggle. Got a bit of depression over it, bit of burnout, jealousy, resentment… the whole bag. It was a tough time in my life, and it wasn’t healthy. Took me a while to even admit, confront and talk about it like this.

But it wasn’t for nothing. I started to listen to new music, explore new sounds, made a whole ton of tunes I’d never put out… process and processing. It was great in the end. I found myself again and it brought me back to where I started, both in terms of musical styles and drive, passion. It didn’t hurt to try new things in the studio during that break, either. I got a bit more into sound design, playing with rhythms outside the four/floor I was stuck on for years, learned loads about mixing and engineering.

One day, when I felt more at peace with myself, I decided to start a new label, a new home. It’s all me now and I don’t gig, so there’s no pressures for quantity. Purely quality now. I can take all the time I want to finalize a tune. That’s all this label is. My passion, my playground, my terms.

I can’t say that Full Bleed has taught me anything, rather it’s a result of learning things along the way since I started what, 20 something years ago? I’ve self-released a long time. I love it. This is simply my latest project and it’s also the happiest, most free I’ve ever felt with my music. I am in a perfect place right now and I’d like to think it shows in my music.

Tell me about the new Fill Light Shine EP. How did it all come together come together (quickly or slowly — based around a particular sound or piece of kit — inspired by anything in particular)?

The single took quite a long time actually, in large part because I have limited studio time. And yeah, I went a bit nuts on the mix down stage. Mixing something like this was a first for me, in UA Luna for the first time, no less.

The EP title refers to cinematic or three point lighting. I like dropping references to graphic design and visual art jargon with Full Bleed, hence the label name. Fills are used to soften up contrasts in a scene, smooth out and balance rough edges, bring out details from the shadows. I had a really, really rough 2022. Everything you could imagine was coming at me hard, and I was kinda losing it by autumn. I had a chat with HR at work, and she told me to get my ass on vacation immediately. So I jumped off the call and booked a trip. Ended up in Zadar, Croatia pretty soon after. Found a little strip of beach called “Beach Karma” that was relatively isolated, spent every day laying around reading Dilla Time, listening to Azymuth, Bob James, Yusef Lateef, Joe Sample and so forth on repeat, and literally felt every single bit of stress melt away. That beach, that week, was my fill light. The struggles, the memories… sure they were still there, but this smoothed out the edges and showed me the love and life that was hidden in the shadows. I hadn’t left those shadows in a long time. I came back a totally new, calmer, friendlier person. The person I used to be. So thanks, Jules!

“Reflect, Rotate” is similar inspiration. More about battles with my own repeating patterns of behavior, and yes… another design reference. There’s a reflect/rotate tool in Illustrator. It really fits the theme. And yes, I’m a huge nerd.

What’s next for you? Gigs, productions, remixes? Your own brand of after-dinner mint?

Just staying busy with new original music, the label and of course design work. I do a lot of learning in the scraps of spare time I do have. Always learning something. Just got a fancy new camera, learning videography, exploring cinematic lighting as best I can. Also started learning TouchDesigner recently but that’s a long road. I guess I hope I can one day merge all my talents and skills into some kind of magnum opus. That’s the dream right? I quit remixing but an old project for Worship Recordings out of Philly just came back to life, so working on that right now. Just gonna keep on keeping on. Living a very happy, very fulfilling, very fortunate life as a creative for a living. Oh and no mints, but I make a mean chili oil using 12 aromatics. Might do something with that some day.

Finally, what’s a piece of advice you would give a new producer just starting out, that you wish someone had told you back in the day?

Learn about publishing, royalties, the long game. Nobody taught us that at the rave back in the day, and we certainly didn’t have the wealth of online resources you all have today.

General advice new cats should hear: Learn the history. Dig deep and learn why you’re able to do what you’re doing with such ease now. It’s important, and will only make your world bigger, brighter, more rewarding and honorable. Read the books, dig through the records, enjoy the process. You’ll get so much more out of creative life if you’re not racing to be a star. I mean sure, shoot for the stars but know that very few make it to a point where they don’t have to consider other careers, backup plans. Don’t paint yourself into a corner. And finally stay cool, honest, ethical and don’t burn anybody to get somewhere.

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