Audeze catches up with DJ, producer and engineer Maor Levi

Maor Levi is a DJ, Producer, Sound Designer and Engineer hailing from Israel.

"The LCD-X have been very loyal and transparent to me, I know I can trust them inside and outside the studio environment with my mixes, they translate amazing and are enjoyable to work with."  - Maor Levi 

Here's our chat with Maor:

Can you pick out any highlights from your work that you're particularly proud of?

Some recent co-productions/productions: 

MORTEN - No Good [Spinnin Records] 

David Guetta & MORTEN - Together [Future Rave/Spinnin Records] 

MORTEN - The Drill [Spinnin Records]

Londin Thompson - Don't Prove Me Wrong (Maor Levi Remix) [Republic Records]  

Era Istrefi - Prisoner [Ultra Records]

Recent own productions/remixes:

Maor Levi & Brandon Vendetta feat. Ash Nova - Alone [Anjunabeats] 

Maor Levi & Magnificence - Let You Go [Anjunabeats]  

Above & Beyond feat. Marty Longstaff - Chains (Maor Levi Remix) [Anjunabeats] 

Above & Beyond feat. Richard Bedford - With Your Hope (Maor Levi Remix)  [Anjunabeats] 

Armin van Buuren & Maor Levi - Divino [Armada] 

How would you define your main role on most of the projects you work on these days?

I'm currently working on my debut album, in between some EPs and a bunch of co-productions for others, engineering, sound designing and of course, producing!

How did you get started in music? What kind of music did you listen to while growing up and how has that progressed?

Music was a random decision in my life, It all started when I was only 12 and found interest in Punk/Rock Music, then the interest evolved into Electronic Music, from that onwards I was listening to Hardstyle, Hard Trance, Club Trance, and decided I wanna learn and discover how those guys make all those sounds, let alone how to produce a track, I was completely fascinated and mind was blown away, as a kid I haven't experienced that kind of adrenaline and fascination this music gave me. I decided to pursue It as my career after signing my first record in the UK when I was only 15.

Can you name any factors that influenced the course of your musical life? Heroes, role models, moments, interactions, etc?

What really influenced me to start this journey was when I was just 12 discovering the group Infected Mushroom, local legends here in Israel, they were (and still are) ahead of everyone, sonically and musically, It was very refreshing, and I make the best music when I'm sad or stressed, funnily enough, of course over the years I discovered more names in the scene such as Armin van Buuren and Tiesto, Above & Beyond, and Paul Oakenfold, from there onwards I wanted to take those influences and inject them into my sound, till this day, with a modern twist of course.

Can you briefly describe a moment of frustration from your past work, and what you may have done to overcome the obstacles? Would you approach it differently now?

I think the most frustrating moment I've had and still is, is when you have a deadline for a Remix/Production and you don't have ideas or the muse to work on It and get It delivered on time, almost like a full-blown artist block, sometimes I released stuff I'm not happy with, but at the same time, I'm my own worst critic, so it's an endless battle with perfection. I've learned over the years to just leave the studio and do something else in case that happens, even if it takes weeks and months, it's better than sitting in front of a monitor and frying your own brain, overthinking in music production sometimes can cause more harm than good!

Is there any gear you find yourself turning to most when working on a project? What are some of your favorite tools/instruments recently?

I love my Moog Subsequent 37 synth, it's the only hardware synth I actually use, mostly because no modern in-the-box plugin came close to the sound of that beast, other than that majority of my process with music-making is using stuff inside-the-box, its convenient, especially for a touring artist like me, who needs easy access and fast results (sometimes), than the software factor wins here.

Do you have any words of wisdom for people who might aspire toward a similar path for their own careers?

I've said It to a lot of people over the years: do it because you want it not because you have to. If you want to be a successful musician you have to pursue it, it has risks, it makes you pull your hair, but you can't get enough of it, I think these days originality and thinking out of the box is crucial for every artist development, never be a slave to a genre, just do what you love.

How long have you been working with headphones, and how do you typically use them in your workflow?

I got into the headphones game around 2011, when I started touring heavily and was barely home or in my studio, I needed reliability and something that can almost capture the sound of my studio, of course, I personally think headphones are incredible for reference, some even better for mixing and mastering, It's a hit or miss, but mostly requires a lot of adaption and awareness of what you want and search in a pair of headphones, some like it bass heavy, harsh and some like it flat, all comes down to preference, but mostly ear-practicing and adaption.

How have your Audeze headphones affected your work? What have you been working on with them recently?

The LCD-X have been very loyal and transparent to me, I know I can trust them inside and outside the studio environment with my mixes, they translate amazing and are enjoyable to work with. I've used them on bunch of projects as well as my own solo records and every genre I hit, they do the job, simply amazing!

Reveal+ is a great way to give your cans a boost and open the sound space in them, the simulation and EQing is great, and the translation is fabulous. Top notch!