T.H.E Interview – Craig Oram

Meet Craig Oram, a dynamic music Producer and DJ whose electrifying sound blends powerful, funky basslines with Indie Dance, Minimal, and Psychedelic vibes.

In this exclusive interview, Craig shares his journey into music production and DJing, sparked by the vibrant energy of festival dancefloors around the world. He delves into his creative process, equipment, and musical influences, offering a glimpse into the innovative approach that defines his unique sound. In our talk, Craig also discusses his standout career moments, upcoming projects, and his vision for the future of Electronic music; join us as we dive into the world of Craig Oram, a rising star in the Electronic Dance music scene.

T.H.E – Hi Craig! To start we’d like to ask, what first sparked your interest in music production and DJing?

Craig Oram – From partying on the dancefloors all over the world, and especially at campsites of festivals, where you can show off some tunes you have found and the reactions from people nearby, resulting in meeting some of the soundest people.

My friends and I are always hunting for the best tunes and I guess around 8 years ago, I think I was on the dancefloor at Timewarp and I decided to download Ableton and just get to work learning how its done.

T.H.E – How would you describe your music style or sound to someone who hasn’t heard it before?

Craig Oram – It’s hard to explain these days, Its definitlely rythym focused more than melodic.

So, I’d say I am for a darker style of Indie Dance/ Tech House where the low-end groove carries the track forward. My tracks are usually around 126BPM-ish but they can feel faster. The will make you wanna party for sure.

T.H.E – Can you walk us through your creative process when producing a new track?

Craig Oram – Most of my tracks start with me just creating basslines in my head and basically making the sounds with my mouth then transposing that into midi.

I need to feel a solid kick and bassline usually, before I progress into the drums and percussion. I like my drums to be tight and to accompany the groove of the bass.

In other cases if I have found a vocal or a song I’d like to remix, I just work a bassline around rythym of the vocal. And then it’s a mix of instinctual decisions and happy accidents experminenting.

Regarding synths or leads, similarly to the bassline I will use my own voice to create the kind of sound and pattern I am looking for.
I often gravitate towards a crunchy 303 style in a predominantly 16th note kinda rythym, and I will just play around untill I get it grooving or pitch-bending into place. I also love to break that up with a snappy stab or vocal.

T.H.E – What equipment or software do you typically use in your music production setup?

Craig Oram – As I am on the move a lot with working on a 4 week rotation, most of my tunes will start on my laptop with Ableton Live and my Sennheiser HD660s2 headphones and that is it.

When I am home in my little Harry Potter-style beat lab, I move to the desktop and Adams A8H monitors, this allows me to really get into the track and worry less about CPU.

I have got a couple synths a Behringer TD-3-MO and a Novation Ultra Nova, however most of my sound design is just done with plugins.

T.H.E – Are there any artists or genres that have particularly influenced your music?

Craig Oram – I take inspiration from underground progressive Minimal and Indie Dance artists and I’ve always loved the energy at Psytrance festivals.

Artists like Lu4o, Shagy (IL) and Jacob (IL), Mooh, and listen to a lot of Brazilian funky Minimal artists like Louie Cut, Groove Delight and Devochka.

The way they get the kick and basslines moving really hits me where I want it to, not to mention their amazing percussions and sound designs.

T.H.E – How do you approach selecting tracks for a DJ set, and what do you think sets your DJ sets apart?

Craig Oram – My USB is organised into playlists by genre, BPM and the overall energy I feel the tracks bring. There isn’t a huge amount of preparation, once I’m on the decks and I’ve got the first track away, I feel that I am exactly where I need to be and it’s then just responding to the crowds movement and reactions.

I feel here in the UK a lot of the tracks I’d play in my sets will likely not have been heard by most and it feels good to see people enjoying the tracks which are far from the mainstream Techno and House.

T.H.E – What has been a standout moment or experience in your music career so far?

Craig Oram – My best mate Mitch and I were lucky enough to get our decks and soundboks’ into Beathearder festival campsite and hosted a campsite rave on the Sunday after all the music stopped. There was hundreds of people partying till 4 in the morning. The response from the people there was unreal. It’s when I really felt the work I’m putting in pays off and that I can actually do this.

As a result, Beathearder asked us to play at one of their stages the following year and birthed the name of our duo ‘Campsite Kings’, which you can find on social media if you like…

T.H.E – Can you tell us about any upcoming projects or releases you’re excited about?

Craig Oram – I’m constantly working on new tracks, and have a couple close to finishing. For me, now it’s really that transition of mindset from home Producer into treating this as my profession. And that is what is exciting me the most.

T.H.E – How do you see the future of Electronic music evolving, and where do you see yourself fitting into that landscape?

Craig Oram – From what I see in the mainstream EDM culture is that it is getting faster and harder, and music genres are morphing into truly unknown or undefinable realms. I am all for Dance music to be hard-hitting as long as it maintains a funky groove.
I am happy with the way things are moving in the Melodic Techno/Indie Dance world and I feel I can put my own personal Craigy twang on this area, and would be massively honoured to be able to work with some of the artists of the like.

T.H.E – Is there a message or feeling you hope listeners take away from your music?

Craig Oram – Firstly, Tunes and Laughter is all we’re after.

I’d like my listeners to feel uplifted and that they had experienced something new.

And to not always look at the most popular artists. Most of the DJs that have surprised me the most, may only have a few hundred followers or monthly listeners. I feel there is a whole word of riduculously good tunes out there if your just willing to look for yourself.

We finish this interview by thanking Craig for his time sharing a sneak peek into his background and career so far, as he keeps working on powerful music to be released in the coming months, this young Producer will surely keep his name high on the list of DJs and Producers to follow, so be sure to follow him on social media to remain updated on his latest releases and projects.