Empowered songwriting with LUMI Keys: Spotlight on Love Pulse
The collective's inaugural Songwriters Camp in Las Vegas brought together a BIPOC-focused team of artists and producers to collaborate on music for TV, film, and sync.
Love Pulse stands out as a female-founded, Black-owned music production house that provides a platform for creating music and community. With a mission to elevate projects to the next level, the collective recently hosted their inaugural Songwriters Camp in Las Vegas, bringing together a team of artists and producers to collaborate and create music for TV, film, and sync.
“The inspiration behind the songwriting camp initially was to bring together our team for the first time. A lot of us are spread out all over the country and we've been collaborating together on music for years through Zooms and emails but never once had been in the studio together in person,” says LovePulse founder Breana Marin. "Our team is made up of majority BIPOC artists and we thought this would be a great way to celebrate Black Music Month and Juneteenth."
Today, we hear from Love Pulse producers Breana, TRISHES, and Don Michael Jr. — exploring their journey, inspirations, and production tips with a little help from LUMI Keys Studio Edition.
Breana Marin: Forging her own path
Breana Marin, a producer, singer and songwriter from Las Vegas, shares her unique journey in the music industry. Breaking away from the traditional route, Breana built a dedicated following on platforms like Beatstars and Soundbetter.
As the founder of Love Pulse Music, her focus has shifted towards crafting custom music for TV and film, leading to the airing of their music on popular TV shows like 'Ghost,' 'Force,' 'Raising Kanan' (Power Universe), 'The Chi,' 'Twenties,' 'BMF,' 'Star,' and 'Empire' on Fox.
Breana's love for music began with Disney's magical world, musicals, and her parent's old-school jams. Enthralled by strong melodies and catchy lyrics, she turned her passion into a profession when she moved to LA and met inspiring songwriters who were getting paid to do what they loved.
Reflecting on her growth as a musician, Breana recalls her first song, "Earthquake," where she did her best with limited knowledge of songwriting and production:
“The first piece of hardware I purchased was a bundle from Guitar Center, it had a Mbox, a mic, and Protools. I used basic computer monitors and headphones from Target. The music sounded pretty bad, but I learned a lot and got to experiment with my sound for the first time in the comfort of my bedroom.”
Over the years, she has learned to record and mix her own vocals, delve into production at Musicians Institute school in LA, she says: "I took the time to learn how to record and mix my own vocals and picked up production at school. I had the opportunity to spend time with some talented musicians and learned how to vocal produce and to create with more intention."
“My first experience using LUMI Keys was at the Love Pulse writing camp — I’ve always admired ROLI from afar, but this was the first time I really got to dive and see what it can do. My eyes lit up when we figured out that we could link all of the LUMI Keys and make a super keyboard. I love the aesthetics of the ROLI gear and love how that they keep pushing boundaries with product releases.”
The LUMI Keys Studio Edition, with its unique expressive 4D Touch capabilities, has brought a new level of organic and dynamic sound to her music. Breana's favorite feature, Smart Chords, helps simplify the process of creating the foundation for her projects, allowing her to focus on experimentation and creativity.
TRISHES: Creating emotive, experimental pop
Trish Hosein, known as TRISHES, is a multi-disciplinary artist hailing from Trinidad and Southern California. She currently creates experimental pop music in Los Angeles. “I can't remember a time before I was singing and performing for my family,” she says. “I'm not sure what drew me to it, but I've always been really vocally expressive, and my voice as a kid was very sing-songy.”
The first track TRISHES completed, during her college years, showcased her as a piano-driven singer-songwriter in the style of Regina Spektor and Fiona Apple. Now, her music evolved to incorporate beat-driven and electronic sounds, giving her creations a unique edge.
“My loop station was the first thing that really changed the way I approached music making - I spend a lot of time with my thoughts, and often my thought processes are really repetitive, which can be detrimental. I found using a loop station felt like writing something down on a list - it gave my mind a way of processing thoughts and then being able to distance myself from them and observe them.”
TRISHES recalls seeing ROLI at NAMM nearly a decade ago and being astonished by the Seaboard, as it was unlike anything she had played before. Incorporating LUMI Keys into her productions, TRISHES finds that it bridges the gap between electronic and organic, allowing her to stay true to her songwriter roots while exploring fresh and interesting sonic spaces. LUMI's per-key pitchbend and polyphonic aftertouch opens up a world of expressive possibilities, adding authenticity to her sound.
“The LUMI Keys lighting up just adds to that sort of fun and nurturing space, and I always feel a little giddy, like a kid at a Christmas tree lighting every time I turn it on."
Don Michael Jr.: From underground rapper to songwriter
Don Michael Jr. is a talented rapper, producer, and songwriter from Camden, NJ, who began making music at the young age of 11. Over the years, he has transformed from an underground lyrical rapper to an all-around songwriter and artist, working for the likes of Terror Squad, Rick Ross, Busta Rhymes, Meek Mill, and Wiz Khalifa among many more. Now, with his latest album "The Wolves Smell Joy", Don is focused on making personal music for himself – and helping others create beats they love on platforms like Beatstars.
Don Michael Jr.'s favorite feature on the LUMI Keys Studio Edition is the chord generator in ROLI Studio, which allows him to quickly experiment with progressions and enhance his creative flow. "The expressiveness you can get once you set up the software is amazing. The way you can play chords is different than anything else I’ve used."
When producing with LUMI Keys, he finds that the illuminated keys create a particular mood in his dark studio, making the overall experience more inspirational.
Don Michael Jr’s top 3 production tips —
Explore your software. We get new gear and a lot of the time we go through presets and instantly start making music, but what’s going to keep products like your LUMI Keys around is [finding your own techniques] with the software it comes with.
Everything is usable. You might see modes or hear sounds that you would initially skip, but remember those sounds are getting used in some genre, some movie, some hit record. Don’t limit yourself to what you know.
Keep it simple. Just because your gear gives you the ability to do so much doesn’t mean you have to use it in every song. Make the best music you can.
Breana Marin, TRISHES, and Don Michael Jr. have had musical journeys that reflect a dedication to growth, experimentation, and authenticity. As artists using their unique experiences and new technology continue to push the boundaries of production, collectives like Love Pulse Music become a space where songwriters and producers can connect, collaborate, and create impactful and successful music.
