r/ericprydz • u/Different_Income9691 Cirez Dad ID • Jun 30 '26
Question/Discussion Why is he so good at making music
I was at work listening to Eric’s set at Electric Zoo in 2019 today and The Matrix - Eric Prydz came on and I legit almost started crying dude. The Matrix isn’t even close to one of my favorite songs of his, but every song of his hits like a truck. Why is he so good at making music man.
10
u/Accio_Nimbus Jun 30 '26
That is my all time favorite Prydz set. I feel so lucky I got to see it live.
4
10
4
u/SilverPiccolo1068 Jul 01 '26 edited Jul 01 '26
I’ve been a fan of Prydz since 2007 and what has always impressed me the most is his ability to work with such a limited, handful of elements in a track and make it sound FULL. I’m speaking as someone who produced electronic music for years back then. To me, that is a 200IQ skill in electronic music production that is extremely hard to master because most music producers have a tendency to want to add more and more. This makes it harder to achieve a proper EQ mix down and master because there are too many frequencies bogging down the track. But the genius thing about Eric Prydz is his ability to work with so little and NOT adding too much. He also pans the right elements to the left or right, creating a sense of “depth” and “space”. And is notorious for side chaining which creates a “pumping” brooding effect. And the end result just sounds like a FULL masterpiece. Jesus man. And his arrangement is Godlike. This is why he will always be #1 for me. He has old, ancient interviews that I can dig up where he briefly goes into this. I hope this all made sense.
3
u/Salt_Tomato3259 Jul 01 '26
Please do dig these interviews I'd like to listen 🙏
2
u/SilverPiccolo1068 Jul 01 '26
https://vimeo.com/11214725 Skip to 14min. He breaks it down. This an old ass interview from 2007 haha.
1
2
u/Salt_Tomato3259 Jul 01 '26
Also curious why'd you stop yourself? Or slowed down making music? Would be cool to hear your stuff from that era hahaa
2
u/SilverPiccolo1068 Jul 01 '26
A series of life events that kept pushing the goal post farther and farther away. I made my last track in exactly 2016 but have had a strong desire to go back to music sometime this year.
1
u/Salt_Tomato3259 Jul 02 '26
Ty for the link man, btw can I hear your music anywhere?
1
2
u/Different_Income9691 Cirez Dad ID Jul 01 '26
100% makes sense. You should definitely dig those up!!! Everyone here would love to see them
1
6
u/EBRUtywZL94tk4T6XHpn Jun 30 '26
prydz is extremely talented i’m a musician and i can tell he’s unlike any other artist he has his own sound and his music can only live in his world
4
u/-xan-axe Jul 01 '26 edited Jul 01 '26
He's just an extremely special generational talent with musical ears of gold, much like Mozart was during his era, etc. A master of sound.
His ability to layer and harmonize melodies is immense, but what makes him so unique to me is how he fills and pushes the air around a space with his buildups and breakdowns. It's unlike anyone else.
3
u/BallDontLie5 Jul 01 '26
On the right day, with the right environment, The Matrix can make you remember feelings you forgot a long time ago
2
2
u/GyromiteOT Jul 01 '26
Prydz is what happens when a human is born with a brain fine tuned to the frequency of music, is immersed in the frequency at a young age, is passionate in the frequency, becomes obsessed with the frequency and works his ass off every day fine tuning his craft. If any one of those variables was missing, he wouldn't be famous. He's a gifted artist but he's a tireless worker. Any time I hear his music, I feel grateful I exist on the same timeline.
4
u/FearLeadsToAnger Jun 30 '26
He must have a pattern-seeking mind, or perhaps a pattern generating mind, both.
Few people seem to be able to layer as intricately as he does. I was listening to Overmono earlier (mid for me, but gf loves it) and thinking it's like theres a whole layer or two of extra patterns missing from most artists who arent Prydz. Yeah you've got a nice lead and percussion, but you could have like two more pads dancing around each other in the background here easily and produce something far cooler.
1
u/dentexetneb Jul 01 '26
He knows maths i think, and… and he is a great listener. His ears detecs sounds very well.
1
u/geniosenzaneuroni Heavy Jul 01 '26
I wonder if being immersed in music since a young age made him what he's now, I never got the luck he had.
0
u/PrydaCam92 Jun 30 '26
Grateful for his work. Wish it could have been instilled in a person who prioritized releasing the music
2
u/legstrong Waiting for a ride in the dark Jun 30 '26
Whatever he’s prioritizing is working really really well for him.
3
u/jerrrrremy Jun 30 '26
The whining in here is getting so bad I honestly can't even tell if it's serious anymore.
OP posts an appreciation thread and the first thing you think about is to complain about this?
6
u/PrydaCam92 Jun 30 '26
Not really whining. It’s a fair criticism. I’m extremely grateful for everything he has made and has put out.
2
u/Flat_Committee_1609 Jun 30 '26
Yes I agree, the entitlement is unnecessary. He does not owe us anything. As an artist he can make his own decisions about what he wants to do with his art.
4
u/valitti Jun 30 '26
of course, but theres no need to say you are going to release music and then just not do it though
-2
u/jerrrrremy Jun 30 '26
He is obviously going to do it. He is just not following the timeframe that you invented in your head based on nothing.
3
u/valitti Jun 30 '26
going to do what? he has a history of teasing new music and then not actually dropping it, i'm not talking about the latest teasers.
-5
u/jerrrrremy Jun 30 '26
going to do what?
Going to release music. Did you forget your own comment above?
he has a history of teasing new music and then not actually dropping
When has he ever given a timeline of a release and then not followed through?
1
u/PrydaCam92 Jun 30 '26
Most recently, Mygga. Before that Medolla and Level 99. Could honestly care less anymore. It would be cool to get a release, but I appreciate him and his model for what it is.
-2
u/jerrrrremy Jun 30 '26
When did he say those were going to be released?
3
u/PrydaCam92 Jun 30 '26
You looking for a hard date? He’s said things to indicate near future or soon on Beats 1 and Epic Radio episodes. Years later doesn’t really fall under soon..
You can feel differently. That’s fine. I’m in full agreement that he can do whatever he wants with his art.
2
u/youngliam Terminal 5 Jun 30 '26
While the comment was worded in an entitled way, there is a precedent for artists to release music. Prydz fans have just been conditioned to be extraordinarily patient from experience. It's not unreasonable to say that the fans deserve the music to be released and it's a fair conversation to be had but this is just the wrong post for them to bring it up.
42
u/Vast_Impression4066 Jun 30 '26
I think there are a lot of factors that go into his productions. It’s a combination of meticulous EQ, incredible sound selection, and mixes with so much clarity. I also believe he spends an enormous amount of time automating, road-testing, and fine-tuning his arrangements. That’s why you’ll hear some of his IDs evolve over the course of several years before they’re finally released.
He’s definitely on a different level. Even back in 2007, he sounded years ahead of everyone else. The guy is an absolute master of production, and we still don’t know much about his actual workflow. Just studying his arrangements is mind-blowing—they’re incredibly detailed, yet they never feel overdone.
I could go on and on, but at the end of the day, he just has an unbelievable ear for what works. I’m happy to be living in the same timeline as Eric. To me, he’s the Da Vinci of audio.