Want to know how famous producers create their beats? Bay Eight has you covered. We’re starting with a deep-dive into producer Dijon’s techniques and equipment. In addition to his own releases, he’s worked with Justin Bieber, Charlie XCX, Bon Iver, and many more. If you want to know how Dijon produces his hits, we’ve got a cheat code for you.
Rather than a step-by-step, we reccomend incorporating three or four of these techniques for a Dijon-inspired track.
Cheat Code to Producing Like Dijon:
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- Choose a setting. Start with sounds you would hear in that setting.
- Use an omni-directional microphone.
- Play with loop pedals or distortion to achieve a unique guitar tone.
- Pan your instruments so nothing is fighting to be heard.
- Experiment with dynamics.
- Sing your heart out! Leave in imperfections. Add reverb to your vocals.
- Incorporate an intro or outro to help set a vibe.
- Add nostalgic music-making sounds like record scratches, cassette samples, etc.
“Daisies” and “Yukon” have become Tiktok hits. You’ve probably heard them by now. Perhaps due to his varied influences, Dijon has helped craft songs equally beloved by singer-songwriters, R&B singers, and even famous actresses.
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Who Is Dijon?
Dijon has cited D’Angelo, Erykah Badhu, Joni Mitchell, Norah Jones, Lucinda Williams, and Little Feat as influences. His music has been labeled everything from Americana, to Alt R&B, to Folk. Dijon even considered being a rapper at one point. It was a rap battle with LaKeith Stenfield that led him to rethink that idea. “He ruined me,” Dijon said of the experience.
Born in Germany to a Guamanian father and a biracial mother, singer / songwriter / producer Dijon Duenas spent his early life going between Germany and the US. He was based in Maryland before his career prompted a move to Los Angeles. His genre-crossing music is experimental, informal, and atmospheric. In addition to his work on Swag, Dijon has six additional writing and production credits on Swag II. If you love Sonder, Frank Ocean, Bon Iver, or James Blake, he just might be your next favorite artist.
You won’t find a lot of interviews of Dijon out there, but his frequent collaborator Mk.gee is an instrumental part of his sound. Like Dijon, he has writing and producing credits on “Daisies.” This is Mk.gee talking a bit about his setup for live performances:
The Equipment Dijon Uses When He’s Producing:
Dijon started with FL studio, a four track recorder, and a guitar. He told Reverb:
‘The Dress’ was done on an AKG C414 and run just through a [Heritage] 1073, and that’s it. We learned it with ‘Big Mike’s,’ but I always made sure the polar pattern was omni and I would always make it as hot as possible without it initially [clipping].”
The AKG C414:
“There are no wrong notes if you’re grooving.”
– Victor Wooten
Dijon’s 2021 album Absolutely was made using “guitars, keys, an Elektron Octatrack loaded with breakbeats, and a bit of his Eurorack skiff, all recorded onto Ableton. Other instruments Dijon uses include an electric piano, a lap steel guitar, and an Analog Four synthesizer.
All of our studio rooms at Bay Eight have an AKG C414. If you want to try out this microphone and aren’t ready to purchase it, book a session with us so you can try it out. Of course, recording studios are not just for recording, they are great for building a network and helping you find collaborators. Bay Eight just may be the place you find your musical soulmates, just as Dijon and Mk.gee found each other.
These are the Techniques Dijon Uses in his Biggest Hits:
“The omni polar pattern, that’s the sound of the record,” Dijon summarized to Reverb about Absolutely.
Dijon lets his microphone capture sound from all around the room. He embraces background noise. It’s like the canvas he paints the song onto. He embraces sounds artists often try to stay away from in the name of making their music sound more professional, especially if they are recording from home. Atmospheric background noise, often from the behind-the-scenes parts of the music making process (hisses, glitches, etc.), are kept. This contributes to how intimate Dijon’s music feels. If you don’t have an omni-directional mic, try adding a track of background noise to your recording.
Dijon’s music is often dynamic, so try creating swells in your beat or playing with volume (for example, try playing guitar gently in the verses and loudly in the chorus). Pan the drums and add reverb to some synth or electric piano chords. Though many of his songs are slow, these techniques add a lot of movement to Dijon’s songs. Thanks to Dijon’s work with Mk.gee, his songs often feature a signature guitar tone. To recreate this, experiement with any loop pedals you may have. You can also try adding distortion to an acoustic guitar melody.
Vocals
Above all, Dijon’s experimental nature means his sound is ever changing. “pink diamond,” which he cowrote and co-produced for Charlie XCX, sounds nothling like Justin Bieber’s “Daisies.” With more collaborations likely in his future, we are bound to hear even more iterations of his sound.
That’s the rundown on how Dijon produces his songs. If the production side of things is not your forte, Bay Eight is happy to help you achieve the sound you’re going for, whether its inspired by Dijon, DJ Mustard, or some combination of the two.
