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ACM Contemporary Music Production Degree alumnus Adam Valu is making himself a household name at Ealing Studios. Throughout his degree in Guildford, Adam was completing an internship in the studios’ renowned F-Block. Since graduating Adam has been offered a full time producer role and is being built a brand new studio as part of the company’s expansion.
We caught up with Adam to see what’s next for the young producer…
Tell us a bit about your background. What made you want to work in the music industry?
I have only been producing for around three years now. It all started just mashing samples I found online and making simple beats, ha ha. I then enrolled on to the Contemporary Music Production Degree at ACM and I found out that what producing really was!
I mean, I grew up in a musical family – my dad was an Elvis Impersonator, my mum loved 70’s soul & funk, my older brother was a singer and dancer heavily influenced by Michael Jackson – these influences all rubbed off onto me. My brother was the person who had experience within the music industry. Around ten years ago he was in a band on the verge of being signed, unfortunately other things happened and it didn’t quite work out how it was supposed too, but I took this all in. Even though I was young I could figure out how things were working and what was happening.
Through my brother there was an opportunity that had risen for a work experience place at a studio in London. I took it and started going up once or twice a week around my lectures at ACM. This gave me a great balance between everything I was learning at ACM and hands on experience in a professional studio. Every time I’d get back in the studio things started to make more sense and the dots were connecting! I’d know why this is done, and how that is done etc.
I want to stay and work in this industry, obviously because music is everything to me, but I never want to stop learning from others, learning from myself, helping others whether they might be singers, songwriters, other producers, sharing knowledge and to be the best I can. All praise to god.
Tell us about what you’ve been and are currently involved with since leaving ACM?
Quite a lot really. I mean I have been working with some amazing singers, songwriters and producers; such as Conor Maynard, Reign Rite, Mac & Phil (Chasing Grace) and Sam Sure. The list goes on. I’m currently working on three EP’s due for release this year so hopefully that will get some recognition.
The studio I’m in currently is where NaughtyBoy, Hank Hughes, ADP, Levi Lennox, Michael Biggs and Alan Sampson are based, so to be surrounded by these guys is so inspirational and I feel absolutely blessed to be working with some of them.
What are your aspirations for the future?
Just to work as hard as I can to get the best results out of everything I do. To listen to others and to take on board what someone says in terms of the music side of things and business side. I just want people to enjoy the music I make, thats the main goal – if they enjoy it then I am happy. Hopefully my next move will be a publishing deal. From that alone there will be more to learn and experience!
How did your course prepare you for life in the music business world?
Without the course I would’t know what some of the professional technical terms mean. It really has helped me MASSIVELY(!) when it comes to different types of publishing deals, what labels specialise in what and who’s signed to them etc.
So, all of the notes I made and pieces of paper given to me when I was at ACM were far from pointless, in fact without the lessons and notes I would probably still be struggling to get my head around the business things today. This also applies to my music production knowledge and technical skills side of things too. Massive thanks to you guys.
Do you have any advice for those looking to get in to industry?
From my journey so far, my advice is DO NOT STOP. Keep going. No matter what is thrown at you, what others say, sometimes things aren’t happening, or they don’t work out the way you expect, but trust me things can change within a click of a finger. You could have everything one day, and have nothing at all the next. But, remember it works both ways. Always connect with different people, even if its a “hello, how are you?” kind of thing because instantly you have made a contact who might want to do something, who might know someone etc. it only takes that small conversation to take you places sometimes. I’m sure whoever you are you will do it, it just takes patience and determination to get there. But you will. Same advice goes for me!
Love & Peace
Huge thanks to Adam for taking the time out to speak with us. Keep up to date with Adam’s music industry ventures by following him on SoundCloud and Facebook.
