Upcoming Decloak Music x Pirate Studios Online Workshops: Boost Your Music Production Skills with Ableton
Join Decloak Music for Two Exclusive Online Sessions This October
Decloak Music, in collaboration with Pirate Studios, is hosting two online Ableton Live workshops this October, led by seasoned production tutor and Decloak founder, Jack Barton . These workshops are designed to help both beginners and intermediate users unlock the full potential of Ableton Live, one of the most powerful digital audio workstations (DAWs) available today.
Workshop 1: Your First Day in Ableton Live
Date & Time: Sunday, 6 October 2024 | 19:00 - 21:00 CEST
Loction: Online (Hosted by Pirate Studios)
Capacity: 100 Person Limit
This 2-hour session kicks off the Ableton Online Workshop Series by offering a comprehensive introduction to Ableton Live. Perfect for newcomers, this seminar will cover everything you need to know to start producing music. From navigating the software's interface to building your first beat, this session lays the foundation for your music production journey.
What You’ll Learn:
- Introduction to Ableton’s interface and basic workflow
- Understanding Session View and Arrangement View
- Overview of instruments, MIDI, and audio effects
- Step-by-step guide to creating a basic track
- Q&A session with Jack Barton, who brings 20 years of Ableton experience
Whether you’re new to music production or looking to refine your basics, this class is the perfect entry point into the world of Ableton Live.
To book your place
Workshop 2: Creative Sound Design with Ableton Live
Date & Time: Sunday, 13 October 2024 | 19:00 - 21:00 CEST
Location: Online (Hosted by Pirate Studios)
Capacity: 100 Person Limit
The second workshop in the series dives into the creative side of production, focusing on sound design using Ableton Live Suite’s powerful audio effects. This 2-hour session is all about transforming your samples into immersive soundscapes using effects like delay, reverb, and saturation.
What You’ll Learn:
- Understanding EQ and manipulating the frequency spectrum
- Techniques for creating unique soundscapes and textures
- Using delay, reverb, and other effects to add depth
- Working with return channels and effects racks
- Advanced resampling techniques for unique sound manipulation
This session is ideal for those wanting to enhance their sound design abilities, whether you’re a producer looking to explore new textures or an artist developing your sonic identity.
Spaces are limited to 100 people, so be sure to sign up and secure your spot for these exclusive online workshops with Decloak Music and Pirate Studios.
Decloak Music is 10 Years Old!
As of this month I have officially been running Decloak for 10 years. Starting in Manchester back in 2014 and moving it online and to Berlin in 2020, I’ve had the privilege of teaching some incredible people from all warps of life.
10 years is a massive achievement for me, as when I started this as a stab in the dark to help pay my rent after quitting my last “proper" job, I had no idea it would take up the next decade of my life and would be so fulfilling.
Massive thanks to everyone who has supported me and Decloak Music over the past decade and a huge thanks to Phil Denton who has been there as a freelancer since day one, supporting people in a similar way.
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Black Friday Exclusive: 33% Off Ableton Live Masterclasses
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No fluff, just focused learning. Our online masterclasses ensure you get the attention you deserve, providing practical insights to enhance your music production skills. Check out our past customer Reviews to see how we helped them.
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Invest in yourself and take your music production skills to new heights. Our Black Friday offer ends on Friday 1st of December.
Ready to Join us? Here’s how…
JUST 4 Masterclass Places Left!
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JUST 4 Masterclass Places Left! -
Got Questions?
Have some questions? Then contact us now.
Decloak Music Collaborates on Hard Techno Tracks with DJ TRY for "Freedom" Art Project
In a collaboration that merges art and music, Decloak Music joined forces with Manchester based artist Maggie Stick, AKA DJ TRY to produce two hard techno tracks for her thought-provoking art project "Freedom." This cutting-edge venture, comprising powerful vocals provided by DJ TRY, amplifies the project's message of migration, home, and the fight for freedom.
Maggie’s "Freedom" project revolves around creating a sense of belonging in a foreign land and shedding light on the challenges faced by migrants in search of a place to call their own. The installation features a second-hand shed transformed into a free home, a poignant symbol of cultural fusion.
The heart of the project is embodied in "Hardcore Cracovianka," a resilient alter ego representing DJ TRY's journey from Kraków, Poland, to the UK. Through captivating visuals and an emotive narrative, the character's struggle and determination to fight against oppressive forces come to life.
Decloak Music's Jack Barton collaborated with DJ TRY to produce two hard techno tracks, where DJ TRY's vocals take center stage. These tracks serve as an aural backdrop to the "Freedom" installation, complementing the immersive experience with evocative beats and powerful lyrics.
DJ TRY's aggressive and emotive vocals weaves into the hard rhythms, mirroring the emotional and narrative depth of the art project. The tracks, produced in Berlin, add an extra layer of intensity to the character's transformation as she confronts the metaphorical "Red Dragon," a representation of the government.
The collaboration culminated in a performance where Maggie, under her alter ego, delivered a set at an anti-fascist protest in Kraków, Poland. This powerful performance not only showcased the musical prowess of the two but also highlighted the importance of using art and music to drive social change.
The "Freedom" project was the final stage in Maggies studies at the University of Salford and her BA Fine Art Degree. It showcased a testament to the strength and resilience of migrants, aiming to spark conversations and challenge societal attitudes towards migration. By blending personal narratives, cultural symbolism, and elements of protest, the installation invites viewers to reflect on their perceptions of home, migration, and the pursuit of freedom.
Decloak Music's collaboration with DJ TRY not only elevates the impact of the "Freedom" project but also demonstrates the potential of art and music to drive social awareness and change.
Through this unique artistic synergy, Maggie Sticks's "Freedom" installation has become an even more potent force in sparking empathy, understanding, and dialogue about the universal human longing for a place to call home. The two hard techno tracks provided the ideal soundtrack to accompany this thought-provoking journey of migration, resilience, and the fight for freedom.
Visitors to the "Freedom" installation were able to experience the immersive power of the tracks with the art project's narrative to create a captivating experience that lingered long after the performance ended.
You can keep up with her future projects and art works on Instagram via through the username maggiestick.art_ or via her website.
Decloak Deep-Tech Sample Pack In Association With Zonal Audio
Tales Of The Deep Sample Pack In Association With Zonal Audio
In recent months we have been working away on a Sample Pack in association with Zonal Audio. The sound of the pack is inspired by Jack Barton’s Notraab alias, and works superbly well for a variety of House and Techno Sub-genres. Read on for a juicy discount code!!
It’s Time To Get Deep…
Dive into a world of mesmerising melodies, groovy basslines, soulful chords, atmospheric pads, crisp drum loops, and a wealth of unique one-shots. Each sound has been carefully created and processed to deliver the authentic essence of House Music, allowing you to produce tracks that will captivate audiences worldwide.
Specialist Samples For Serious House Music Producers…
Tales Of The Deep features some extraordinary samples, check out the FX and atmosphere loops that take inspiration from glitchy sounds of Romanian minimal house, and a specially crafted set of perc and foley one shots that will give your productions a warm, organic feeling.
There’s a total of 240 Loops and 115 One shots. You can see the full contents here. We've also added some bonus content in the form of raw, unprocessed 909 drum loops, MIDI files and Ableton Live Instrument racks. This pack is not to be missed!
Like what you hear? There is a limited time 70% discount code when you sign up to the Zonal Audio mailing list which you can do here.
Past Decloak Masterclass Client, Tom Healey Continues His Campaign With Another Top-Shelf Techno Release
It’s becoming quite common within the techno scene to see our past clients smashing out tracks having completing a course with us, and each time we can’t help but feeling a strong sense of pride in them.
Manchester’s Tom Healey is absolutely no different.
Having come to us for a Masterclass in Ableton Live production just prior to a certain pandemic, his determination was immediately evident. Undeterred by the craziness of the world around us at that time, he was the first one to jump at the chance to continue with his learning following our hasty scramble to take things online with our classes, something we are incredibly grateful for to this day.
With a solid focus on techno as the style he wanted to create, his commitment to the craft was clear from the start. Like many who came through our doors before him Tom was already DJing in and around Manchester and he came to us to take the next step in learning how to produce within Ableton Live.
Since completing his course towards the end of 2022, Tom has been on quite the journey. Moving down to London for a short while he fine tuned and crafted his sound and continued master his skills, culminating in a combination of groovy and rolling percussive rich techno which is so popular on the underground dance floors across Europe currently.
Tom had his first release picked up by Berlin’s SYXT, joining a roster of underground names such as Temudo, no.name and RONY Group on a label which has been making waves in the city since their first release back in 2018. A full EP consisting of 4 original tracks, this would be the first of many productions to reach the release phase for the up and coming artist.
Following this his second EP, Nebula was picked up by the formidable Canticle Records run by Berlin’s very own Assumption. Released in Febuary of 2023, with the mastering done by the man himself Rene Wise, this subsequent EP was to cement Tom in a groove that set the tone for what would be a productive year to come.
His next release was picked up by Influenced Records for their second VA, which featured a total of 13 tracks.
Influenced Records, a London based techno label has been pushing out up and coming Underground producers for the past few years.
Following this, Tom’s next release came in the form of a remix with Japan’s established techno producer and fellow Ableton tutor Toru Ikemotu on his Chimera series of releases which can be found on Toru’s Bandcamp page below.
In this past month Tom has seen the release of his third full EP, featuring 4 original tracks and a remix by Toru Ikemotu. Released on Dublin’s Syncopated Records, the whole release is a complete banger from start to finish. With his sound now fully established in the popularised grooves that are dominating the underground dancefloors of Europe, this EP is a must have for any techno producer in 2023.
Check out the full EP below and show your support by getting your copy on Bandcamp.
Keep your eyes peeled for more upcoming gigs and releases from Tom Healey over on his Instagram page.
Another Decloak Client Gets Music Signed to Label
More good news from Decloak veterans this week as another client of ours, Dave Louca, has just had his first track signed as his new solo artist alias, Love Assassins.
Love Assassins “Brighter In The Darkness” fuses piano house with happy hardcore chords and rave breakbeats. A classic house vocal combines to give an anthemic party tune. Dave, aka Love Assassins draws on his wide range of influences as a DJ, Producer and A&R to make a track full of old-skool influences.
“Brighter In The Darkness” is Dave’s first signing of his solo production material and marks
the start of a fun adventure in the world of music production, continuing the big,
commercial, party house sound that Love Assassins are known for.
Signing the track to LFTD Global (Light From The Dark) [lftdglobal.com] and is due for release on 25th August 2023 with club promotion starting in June.
Love Assassins found early success in 2006 working with fantastic producers at Big In Ibiza records, Pete Pritchard and Josh McInnes, with vocals from JoBabe who all worked on their debut club smash, Teardrops which featured killer remixes from Fonzerelli and Agent X, gaining big international DJ support, global radio spins, exclusive licenses around the world and features on no.1 selling compilation albums from Ministry of Sound.
For over 20 years, Dave has rocked parties, clubs and radio with no nonsense, fun, party tracks across an eclectic mix of dance genres including house, trance, hard house and hardcore.
For 8 years Dave was Head of A&R and Marketing at the influential records labels Nukleuz Records, Big In Ibiza and Media Records. His big break came following a monthly residency on Ministry of Sound Radio, playing at Turnmills and warming up for Basement Jaxx before then DJ mixing numerous compilation albums, reaching a height with several #2 UK compilation albums (CD) and #1 UK and US iTunes dance albums.
After a break from the music industry, in 2021 Dave decided that he wanted to produce his own house music which he could then put out on his own label, Freshcrew Records (freshcrewrecords.co.uk) or sign to other record labels around the world. To help, he worked with Decloak music and Zonal Studios for mentoring, tuition, guidance and inspiration.
Dave adds, “Decloak got me where I wanted to be, able to produce to a high standard and compete in the crowded house music field. ZNL Mastering also helped add that extra polish and final tweaks to really help elevate my sound.”
“Brighter In The Darkness” is Dave’s first signing of his solo production material and marks the start of a fun adventure in the world of music production, continuing the big, commercial, party house sound that Love Assassins are known for.
Masterclass Student Get Featured in Local Paper After Reaching Number 4 in the Charts.
This month one of our past Ableton Live Masterclass students was featured in the Shropshire Star with news he had released his first track and it reaching the number 4 spot on Beatport.
Managing to crawl up the charts, only being pipped to the top spot by heavy-hitters Floorplan and Master As Work, Kevins track settled at the Number 4 spot - a great achievement for someone who had only began to learn music production less than 6 months prior.
Many thanks for Kevin for the plug within the article, sharing the love and giving our humble little teaching platform a little push.
“In June last year, he signed up for a six-month masterclass with Jack Barton at Decloak Music Studio which offers one-to-one personalised electronic music production courses at its bases in Berlin and Manchester as well as online.”
You can read the full article here: Shropshire DJ releases first track to raise money for charity
Decloak Masterclass Student Gets First Track Played on BBC Introducing.
Kevin Taylor has been mixing tracks up and down the country for the best part of four decades and is part of the Underground Kollektiv - a global collective of house and techno DJs delivering regular radio shows and events.
It was his love of deep and progressive house music that brought him to us back in summer of this year as he wanted to apply his years of experience in listening and playing the music into learning music production.
With little to no knowledge in music production or Ableton Live he began on our Online Ableton Live Masterclass back in June. Delivering the sessions around his preferred tastes in dance music, Kevin soon showed why a passion for the music and a solid amount of experience listening to and DJing this music can fast-track the learning experience.
Quickly taking to the theory and practical sides to the course, within 16 weeks Kevin had created his first track from scrach completely on his own and this month had a track picked up by BBC Introducing and played on air on 3rd December.
An upbeat, french house inspired banger with a beautiful vocal it was only an experiment by Kevin as he continues to explore his artistic direction. However, since sharing it with some of his network it has received some nice critiques from various DJs such as RobinVP and radio show hosts prompting him to send it out under the alias DJ Kevski.
BBC Music Introducing is BBC Radio's platform supporting unsigned, undiscovered, and under-the-radar UK music talent since 2007. It has given a springboard opportunity to acts such as London Grammar, JME & Skepta and Alt-J to name a few. In 2017 BBC Music Introducing was present at Creamfields and the Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE), focusing solely on DJs and electronic acts for the first time.
The full show can be found at the link below and Kevins track can be found by forwarding to 1:39:30.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0dg2xv2
Follow Kevins socials here for regular DJ mixes.
You can also see what Kevin thought about his time with us via his review on Facebook. Check it out :)
Decloak x In Place Of War
We are proud to be working alongside In Place Of War - A global organisation that uses creativity in places of conflict as a tool for positive change. The network of artists and activists can be found across 26 countries in Africa, South America, The Middle East and Europe helping communities through the arts.
The charity have three pillars of work where they help in areas of conflict; Firstly Creating safe cultural spaces in some of the worlds most unsupported regions. Secondly they provide creative entrepreneur training designed specifically for conflict zones. While their third pillar is facilitating International artistic collaboration as an antidote to violence.
Decloak Music was asked to provide content for their #HackMusic Production Module - which is aimed at providing video lessons around various core aspects of music production and recording. We happily obliged submitting a short video course on Audio Frequency and Equalisation.
We are confident these videos will help educate the next generation of artists thanks to the great work done by IPOW.
Check out their website and all the excellent things they are doing here.
Zonal Studios Opens In Manchester, Our New Base For 1-2-1 Tuition in the City
Clean, Modern, Professional Production Suites
Zonal Studios is a brand new facility with Four brand new Productions Suites In The Heart Of Manchester. They offer Clean, Professional and Acoustically Treated Studios, plus a selection of Synths, Mic’s and Amps at no extra charge. They are based in Ardwick, just ten minutes walk from Piccadilly station.
Studios start at £9p/h, with discounts for longer bookings and also some semi-permanent residencies. Contact info@zonalstudios.co.uk or head over to the Zonal Studios Website for more information or to make a booking. You can also reach out on Instagram @zonal.studios.
Zonal Studios is the partner company of Habitat Studios, who provide professional and acoustically treated Rehearsal Rooms and a Recording Suite. They pride themselves on having a personal approach as well as clean, affordable and modern facilities.
Their rehearsal prices start at just £28 per hour, and the rooms are suitable for up to eight people, so if you are in need of a rehearsal space for bands or live electronic acts please get in touch at info@habitatstudio.co.uk or book now at habitatstudio.co.uk. You can also check out their recording packages here.
DECLOAK COURSES, 1-2-1 AT ZONAL STUDIOS
We are delighted to have teamed up with Zonal Studios, and this great facility will now double up as our base for 1-2-1 Tuition in Manchester. Courses on offer include bespoke Ableton Live Tuition, Full Masterclasses, Attended Mixing and Mastering, Ableton Live based Synthesis & Sound Design Courses, as well as Our Elektron Digitakt Courses, with Digitone and Analogue RYTM coming soon. Get in touch if any of these are of interest, either online or in person.
Josh Reeves Releases New EP With A Tip of the Hat to Ourselves
Josh Reeves has continued his on his release journey with a banger of an EP on the excellent Diffuse Reality Records.
As a talented techno DJ within Manchester’s thriving techno scene, Josh came to us back in 2017 to get to grips with Ableton and music production. Learning quickly he began releasing a few years later and has now mastered his sound. Groovy, stripped back techno. Functional and to the point, his music is beginning to catch the ears of some big names as his technical ability goes from strength to strength
In his latest release, Josh tips his proverbial hat to his early days with us, which I absolutely love.
Check out his EP here and show some support.
ZonalAudio.com - Inspirational Soundpacks to take your productions to the next level
ZonalAudio.com - a place for producers to get inspired...
Zonal Audio has a growing selection of resources in the forms of Sample Packs and Ableton Live Templates, and will soon be adding preset packs for both hardware and soft synths. Their focus is on the the deeper, edgier and darker side of electronic music, and there are forthcoming packs from several talented artists.
One of the packs we decided to take a closer look at is the “Weird & Wonderful Textures” pack which has loads of mind bending textures and drones which really are inspiring and can be used in so many ways. We tried dropping in some full samples length and keeping them low in the mix for some unique atmosphere and depth, and we also decided to throw them into Ableton’s sampler then using the slice mode in conjunction with a sequencer and it yielded some very interesting results indeed! They have even included some presets that were used to create these samples which we had a play with - you could see these sounds fitting into cinematic sound design pieces just as well as almost any genre of music.
Zonal Audio have kindly offered a discount code for Decloak students and associates - just enter the code “decloak20” when checking out for a full 20% off your cart total, this code will be live for all of 2022.
If you’re not yet ready to take the plunge there are several taster packs that you can check out for free today, including for the first fully featured pack “Driving Techno Essentials” - this really is a high quality sample pack! It has all the necessary building blocks needed for any sub-genre of techno. There’s an abundance of one shots, kick and rumble loops, ride loops, top loops etc. Further to this there is a dozens of lead, bass and pad loops that even have the exact MIDI used to create them. This is really great if you want to quickly access the notes for layering up with your own synth, or maybe get the route notes of a lead to create a bass lines, top work ZA on that one! There is even an Ableton Live template included in the pack which show’s off beautifully just some ways that the samples can be utilised. This also give great insight for new producers of how to organise, mix and master you Live sessions.
What’s more is that Zonal Audio have a unique opportunity for Decloak alumni by offering a stepping stone into the world of professional audio. If you have ever thought about making sample packs but daunted by the scale and size of the task, the guys at Zonal Audio are offering free 1-2-1 seminars that will help you understand the process of making sample packs. From utilising your current creative process to efficient rendering workflows and tricks and tips to make the admin side of things quick and smooth. If this sounds of interest then check out the link here and quote “decloak” when making your enquiry to see if you have the skills and drive required to earn passive income doing what you love.
As you will most likely know if you are reading this we are kinda crazy about Ableton Live, and how inspiring and creative it is a DAW. Below are some examples of the Ableton Live Templates offered by Zonal Audio. These are a great and cost effective way to enhance your learning and see how sessions are organised, mixed and mastered by the Pro’s…
In summary, Zonal Audio are pushing the boundaries of sound design and music production. These aren’t ‘stock’ sample packs that will just sit on your hard drive doing nothing, they are well thought out and with the producer and creativity in mind. The fact they actually include presets in some of the sample packs is a great idea and definitely allows you to get more creative than just warping and chopping up samples, and both new and experienced producers can learn a lot from taking a deeper dive into the patches and processing chains used.
Check out ZonalAudio.com today and don’t forget to use the code “decloak20” for a juicy discount!
#SAVEOURNIGHTLIFE - Manchester Area Producers Band Together To Help Local Venue
This week saw a massive release from Manchester and North West based producers in aid of the local nightlife. With music venues being one of many industries struggling with COVID restrictions many community based projects have come up all around the country to help keep the doors open to those establishments without enough support to keep their doors open, and with lockdown easing seemingly just around the corner, a group of Manchester based house and minimal producers banded together to help one of Manchester oldest nightclubs, Stage & Radio.
Located on Port Street in Manchester’s Northern Quarter, the place has always held a special place in Decloak’s heart as it was right next door to our old studio on Hilton Street, so it was our local by default. Not only this but Decloak Music’s Jack was the Events Manager their for a year before lockdown happened, so getting involved in this project was a no brainer.
Brought together by DJ and producer Kerouac and featuring local artists like KRS-two, Kerouac&SMILE, Adam Nahalawitz, Bokah, Notraab and a Brawther remix by Zweizig (all of whome have had something to do with Decloak along the way) the release is out now on Bandcamp.
Stage & Radio, Bar and Nightclub.
All of the proceeds from the EP goes towards helping keep the doors of Stage & Radio open, so show some support and be ready to join us in the not so distant future in the basement of the venue for a good old knees up.
Buy Here: https://savestageandradio.bandcamp.com/album/save-stage-radio-a-fundraising-va
To contribute to the Stage & Radio Crowd funder: https://bit.ly/39GCNy1
Decloak Tutors and Clients Part of Massive Techno Release In Aide of Honduras Hurricane Effort
Ascetic Limited and One Night Collective Join Forces…
In a year of seemingly never ending struggle and strife the string of hurricanes that ripped through the Central American country of Honduras largely avoided any news time over in Europe. With Covid reigning supreme in regards to media attention a band of DJ’s, producers and record label owners from the nation decided to do something about it and help.
This small band has turned into an Army with a huge release now compiled by artist from around the world. Some of Decloak’s patrons are also involved, including J. Barton, Phil Denton, Renwick and Josh Reeves.
In total there are 35 tracks available for less than £17.
Check them out below and get it in your Christmas stocking!
BLACK FRIDAY - 50% OFF ALL WEEK!
This year we are joining in with the commercial hype train that is Black Friday. And like most other places, we are ignoring that fact it is called ‘Black FRIDAY’ and running our offers all week.
We are giving a massive 50% off all our Ableton Live and Synthesis courses which are held online and are one-to-one.
Check out what we have on offer below!
Be warned that spaces for all the courses are limited due to the fact they are one on one.
If you have any questions feel free to contact us over at the Facebook page or via email at info@decloakmusic.com.
Featured Discounted courses
Decloak Music Studios Forced to Vacate Manchester Home Following Developer Buyout
Goodbye Marlsboro House!
You shall be missed by all…
Today we say farewell to the bunker studio at Marlsboro house. Seven years since the inception of Decloak Music Studio in the basement of this building it is time to part way. From floods, robberies, crumbling walls and even ghost sightings the place was a labour of pure, unadulterated love. Friends were made along with a mountain of music from many people who came through our doors.
We knew the writing was on the wall however. Recently the property was purchased by the owner of Boohoo.com, a business located around the corner from ours and one who has been redeveloping large parts of the city centre. Last month tenants of Marslboro House were served notice bringing to an end our time here over the past seven years. It is one of the final city centre bastions of independent, creative spaces, so the loss of the building is far greater than the loss of Decloak’s home.
We cannot thank enough everyone who has supported and believed in Decloak Music, and I can not thank enough those who have been that positive about the services they received it has meant I have barely had to run a single advert in four years - seriously, thank you!
But this is certainly not the end. Decloak will be continuing to help anyone looking for support in underground electronic music production. With the massive influx of online students over the past 6 months a larger amount of our focus has moved over to this format.
Decloak Music and the services we offer lives on in the next chapter of the story and I look forward to giving more details on this in the next few weeks.
Much love,
Decloak Music
Manchester Based Promoter and DJ ‘Renwick' Releases First of a String of Techno belters.
Once again we are celebrating a release from those involved with Decloak Music Studio.
Manchester based, Honduras born Renwick has been getting entirely stuck in to both the Manchester techno scene with his co-run club night, One Night Collective, and his mastering of the techno craft since he arrived in the city a few years back.
He started the club night One Night - Manchester Techno Sessions with fellow resident DJ Carlos Sousa and it has been building up support and respect amongst the locals, having played host to the likes of Manchester born, Berlin dwelling techno producer Setaoc Mass among others dedicated to playing the darker, heavier sides of techno.
One Night - Manchester Techno Sessions
In 2018 Renwick came to us at Decloak to get a helping hand on the production and Ableton Live front and it’s beginning to pay off with several of his new tracks being picked up over the past few months, with others bubbling away on his hard drive waiting to be unleashed.
The most recent is a collaboration with Decloak Music’s Jack Barton and is part of a large VA celebrating 4 years of Solemn Records.
Their track titled ’String Theory’ is a trippy, rolling number and is the first of a series of collaborations by the two.
You can check the track out below, along with the other tracks on the VA.
Further releases coming for the pair include a VA on Illegal Alien Records which will be announced soon. In the meantime you can check out the live jam for Decloak Jams they did a few months back!
One Night Collective Podcast Series w/ Phil Denton
One Night Collective is an event, podcast series and soon to be record label run by former Decloak student, Renwick. Having also featured another Decloak alumni in the form of a belting mix from Josh Reeves, this instalment sees Phil Denton lay down a heavy slab of his trademark hard hitting techno.
The mix features unreleased tracks from Phil’s production alias, Zonal, as well as one from One Night label boss Renwick called “To Follow The Worms”. This track was mastered at Decloak studios so we have had a nice sneak preview, and we expect it to be big when it drops!
The mix also includes tracks from artists such as Eric Axelsson, Keikari, Phara, Stef Mendesidis, Callum Plant, Vinicius Honorio, Michal Jablonski, Blawan and Berg Jaar. Labels featured include several British imprints such as Ear To Ground, Platform 22, Zeca Records and DeadCERT as well as plenty of tackle from over the water from the likes of Klokworks, Planet Rhythm, Subsist and RAW plus others.
This is a heavy mix that should help you forget about lockdown, whilst also evoking imagery of dark dirty basements, to large warehouses reappropriated for no-nonsense raving. We will be back on the dance floors soon! Enough chat about it now, take a listen for yourself…
Decloak x MIF - Getting Started With Ableton Free Webinar
Decloak x MIF - Ableton Live webinar for musicians and producers looking to keep creating during the pandemic
Decloak Music Studio's are excited to bring you this free online Ableton Live training event, supported by Manchester International Festival's "Get Creative" strand of online events. To register go to the Evenbrite Event Page
Live is a beast, and an amazing tool for songwriters and producers alike, with a focus on being able to create and capture your idea's and performances with ease. This event is for musicians or producers who are new to Ableton Live and would like a helping hand to using the software as to easily realise your creative ideas. Perfect if if you are unable to get to your normal studios or recording spaces, or just fancy starting out in your bedroom. We will be providing a thorough overview of the software and its functionality, plus providing advice on any other equipment you might need depending on the instruments and microphones you may already own. We will also be catering for new producers that only have a computer for making music but not already familiar with Ableton Live.
During this 2 hour session we will be taking questions related to Live and other equipment, therefore this event will be limited to 30 people, so please book your place at the Evenbrite Event Page straight away!
Ableton live are offering a free 90 day trial during the Lockdown period, as well as 30% off all packages so this is a great time to get creative! Further to this event we are offering all attendees 50% off our online courses. These can be done as full courses or taken in smaller sections. See here for more information https://www.decloakmusic.com/onetoone-online-tuition/ableton-live-one-to-one-online-tuition
We hope you can join us for a fun and informative session that will help you keep creating and realise your ideas and inspirations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The event will be hosted on Zoom, and the meeting link and password will be emailed to attendees after registration on Eventbrite - Evenbrite Event Page
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Supported by Manchester International Festival #MIFCreatives2020
Facebook – /mcrintfestival
Instagram – @mifestival
Twitter – @MIFestival
Website – mif.co.uk
Level – Beginner
Format – One-to-one Online (12 Sessions)
Learn to make music from scratch — no prior experience needed.
This course is perfect if you’re new to Ableton Live or music production entirely. Across 12 tailored one-to-one sessions, you’ll be guided step-by-step through all the essential features of Ableton Live needed to make a complete track from start to finish.
We’ll cover everything from understanding the interface and arranging loops to applying effects and creating your first mix. Along the way, we’ll build in the foundational knowledge and music production theory that every artist should know — including structure, rhythm, sound design basics, and creative workflow tips.
Whether you're into house, techno, hip hop, or ambient, we tailor the sessions to suit your musical taste — so what you learn is always relevant to what you want to make.
By the end of the course, you’ll be able to:
Navigate Ableton Live with confidence
Build drum patterns, basslines, and melodies
Arrange, structure, and finish a full track
Apply EQ, reverb, and automation
Understand essential music theory and workflow fundamentals
If you’ve always wanted to make your own music but weren’t sure where to start — this is your entry point.
Want to make sure it’s the right fit?
Book a free 30-minute intro call to talk through your goals and get a personal recommendation.
No pressure, no obligations — just honest guidance to help you start strong.
👉 Book a Free Q&A Session