Known for Mixing Songs By All The Top Artists, The DJ Extraordinaire, DRAPER, Breaks It All Down For All Access!

Since the age of 16 years young, Draper has always been intrigued as to how music is made.

Two years later, inspired by the stiff competition on producer-based website Indaba Music and the vast numbers of online EDM communities, he became heavily involved in the remixing scene.

After rising through the ranks, he appeared frequently on the winners’ list at Indaba, winning accolades such as runner up on the Laurie Anderson competition judged by Lou Reed, first prize in the ‘Electronic Musician’ and ‘Conspiracy For Good’ original composition contests, and runner up in The Qemists remix competition.

Last year Draper managed to deliver remixes for the likes of Dan Croll, Tall Ships and Iggy Azalea, as well as a remix EP commissioned by Bring Me The Horizon called “The Chill Out Sessions”.

As of January 2015, Draper’s total aggregated plays online via YouTube and Soundcloud have passed the 15 million mark.

Learn more about this talented artist in the following All Access interview with him:

How did you first get started working with music on your computer? Have you always been interested in doing this?

​When I was about 16 my dad got a piece of software called “cakewalk guitar tracks pro” to record onto. Seeing this software opened up a new world for me which I never knew about and taught myself how to use it.

Tell me about the producer-based website Indaba Music?

Indaba was the catalyst to my music career. It’s a community based remix/session website where you can remix some huge names. It was the most invaluable place to improve my skills because you get so much feedback from everyone on there. For me it’s where any budding producer should start because you’re amongst a very supportive and helpful community.

What would you say has been your biggest accomplishment so far and what do you have your eyes set on next?

A great point for me was officially remixing Ellie Goulding, Passion Pit and Twin Atlantic in the space of two months in 2012 and then being able to buy my own computer. That’s when I knew this could actually work. Next I’d love to write some tracks for some more big artists, ones that will really put me on the map.

How has your sound and style/technique changed over the years?

It’s constantly evolving, I learn new techniques and I get new plugins. The main thing I’ve noticed is how my production matures, you get a better ear for sounds and not everything has to be sharp or perfect, a lot of the time something you wouldn’t normally use becomes the character of the track.

The name of your latest album is Glossolody. Can you explain what that means exactly?

It derives from the term Glossolalia which in essence is speaking in tongues. Combined with the word melody, it’s what I describe the vocals I (and many others) use in tracks. You can audibly discern that it’s a human vocal carrying a melody but it has no meaning.

Your remix repertoire includes work on songs by Strange Talk, Worship, Bring Me The Horizon, Bluebell, and many more. So when it comes to working on remixes, what key things are you looking for when picking a song to work on?

​Vocals. Almost every time I put a vocal section on loop and figure out my own chord progression. I then take it from there in developing the remix using other elements from the original.

Living or dead, who would you love to collaborate with and why?

Jónsi for sure, I find his techniques and recording style insanely powerful and would love to work with him.

I recently read that in June 2012, Rita Ora personally invited you to DJ for her at the 2012 Capitol Radio Summer Ball at Wembley Stadium for 100,000 people! What was that experience like?

Mind blowing. I’d never seen that many people before and the sound of it blew me away.

​After that show, what was it like supporting Rita, alongside Iggy Azalea, on her debut headline arena tour?

It was a great experience, 13 shows in different arenas in the UK. Being a part of it was awesome.

What artists have consistently inspired you? Who are your all-time favorite musicians?

Jónsi for sure. Déja vu… There is no one else that genuinely takes me away into a another world with their music. I take a huge amount of inspiration from him.

What songs that you’ve created are you most proud of? 

My latest single “Pressure” with Laura Brehm has been a great success and it took such a long time to get right and to get the response it did is really rewarding.
Thus far, what’s a favorite memory or something quirky that’s taken place (in-studio, onstage, or elsewhere)?

My favourite memories are all the times I was at my desk during 2012 at home and at uni where I was doing it for fun and to get to where I wanted to be so quickly afterwards makes me proud of my journey thus far.

What do you hope listeners take away from your music?

Anything. If they feel any feels then the music has spoken to them in their own way. Which is what music is all about.

What advice would you give any aspiring producers and DJs out there today? Is there anything you wish someone had told you when you first started? 

Don’t rush your sound, figure out what defines you amongst a world of bedroom producers and make it your own.

Is there anything else that you would like new fans to know about you or your music? 

I’m always writing so there’s always something on the horizon for Draper. I recently launched my new live project called Chimes with another writer/vocallist called Paul Aiden. We’ve started to roll out live shows in the UK, and should be coming over to the US this year. Really excited about it.