Demanyé Duncan
Demanyé Duncan
A community spotlight on met2night, VIKSSE, and irsl—producers within the Lucid Monday community shaping new sounds through their individual styles.
Behind every track is a producer shaping the sound. Within the Lucid Monday community, a growing network of producers pushes new sounds forward. met2night, VIKSSE, and irsl are just a few of the many producers within the community. Last week, we spoke with them about their individual styles, journeys, what it is like being a producer, and how they are shaping new sounds in music.
“Hype, lush, and swag.”
Known for his swag beats, met2night is a producer and artist from Germany who has been making music for about six years. In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, met2night got into music production.
“I would listen to a lot of music, I have my whole life,” said met2night. “I started getting into YouTube drill and Pop Smoke when he first blew up, and I wanted to make music like that, really bad.”
Curious about the sounds drill artists were producing, met2night was motivated to start making his own beats and started watching a few FL Studio tutorials. With a niche in R&B and 2000s hip-hop drawing inspiration from Hi-Tech and producers like lvusm and kas, met2night develops a sound that blends nostalgia with a modern, atmospheric edge.
“I like to go for the swag beats, essentially beats around 92 to 105 bpm that have kind of, like, a laid-back feeling and are atmospheric,” said met2night.
met2night said he makes music almost every day.
“Music is really the only thing I can see myself doing for the rest of my life. It is really the only passion I have and that I want to keep on doing,” he said.
“I’m just trying to make the best music I possibly can and put myself out there more, trying to work with as many people as I can… to expand my horizon,” said met2night. “I’m just trying to establish myself as much as I can so that people recognize me, my talent, and my style,” he added.
With some new sounds on the way, watch out for “swagnation” in the next few years.
Follow met2night’s music on Spotify, SoundCloud, and Apple Music.
“Hard drums, unique, and dark.”
With a name as unique as her beats, Lithuanian producer VIKSSE creates sounds grounded in her identity.
“I am very much my own person, very individual,” said VIKSSE. “I know what I like, so I’ll figure it out myself. That’s how I found my style.”
VIKSSE’s journey with music started with dance, which led her to meet people through music. At sessions, VIKSSE would guide others until one day she was asked to take control, marking the beginning of her journey as a producer.
This then led to London-based producer Mazza, one of VIKSSE's favorite producers, messaging her, to ask if she would like music studio sessions.
“I feel like I have no reason to not trust myself. I believe in myself. I feel like because I am a dancer, I understand rhythms,” said VIKSSE.
Grounded in her identity, VIKSSE’s confidence translates directly to her sound, defined by cinematic, dark tones and hard drums.
“I like very simple melodies, almost like a background, and the drums. That's what makes my sound. The drums and the melody is very simple,” said VIKSSE.
VIKSSE continues to build her artistry through collaborations. Currently, VIKSSE is working on two projects: one with one of her favorite artists from the UK, D Double E, and a second project working with a band.
For VIKSSE, music is more than just a sound; it is a form of self-identity and definition.
“Music shows me how great I am. It makes me trust myself, who I am,” VIKSSE said. “Through music, I can express myself to show who I am and my vision.”
You can find VIKSSE’s music on Spotify, SoundCloud, Apple Music, and YouTube.
“Innovative, interesting, and melodic.”
With over 15 years of experience, irsl has been making music early on — from Magix Music Maker to FL Studio to now Ableton.
Early on, Virtual Riot was a great influence shaping irsl’s sound, who was fascinated by the sound design aspect. Today, his biggest influence shifts toward artists like quickly, quickly and others associated with Lucid Monday.
“I try to make many different genres just to try them out, and it’s a chaotic process,” said irsl.
irsl’s sound is very unpredictable as he is always trying to make something new, interesting, and consist of a melody.
“My biggest influence is always going to be what I listen to at the moment,” said irsl. “I sort of have a particular genre I listen to quite intensively, and then the music is all very much in that direction.”
Lately, irsl has been listening to IDM, getting more involved in the range of artists from Aphex Twin to more modern artists like Datassette, influencing his models.
While irsl considers himself to be a technical person when it comes to music, he becomes the complete opposite, allowing himself to freely create without rules, experiment, and embrace the randomness.
You can find IRSL’s music on Spotify and SoundCloud.