Producer, songwriter and multi‑instrumentalist Dimitri Tikovoï joins Kevin Paul to discuss his creative approach to recording and production, delving into his work with bands like Placebo and sharing how he engineers sessions to maximise inspiration, creativity and workflow.
Show Notes
Chapters
00:00 - Introduction
00:32 - Pre-Production And Creative Limitations
03:28 - Working With New Artists
06:32 - Working With Flood
09:59 - Becoming A Better Mix Engineer
12:08 - Finding Your Own Methods
15:32 - Communication And Experimentation
Dimitri Tikovoï - Biog
Dimitri Tikovoï is a Paris-born, classically trained, Grammy-nominated producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist whose versatile work has shaped some of modern music’s most celebrated albums. After training at the Conservatory of Classical Music in Paris and touring as a drummer, he moved to London, producing Placebo’s platinum-selling album Meds and launching his acclaimed electronic-rock project Trash Palace. Over the years, Dimitri has worked across genres, collaborating with artists including Charli XCX, Blondie, Ghost, Becky Hill, Purple Disco Machine, and TWICE, while also composing for film and TV soundtracks.
His sensitive yet visionary approach recently proved pivotal for The Libertines’ All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade, their first UK #1 album, with the band praising his ability to guide their sound while preserving their raw energy and spirit. Known for drawing out the best in the artists he works with while crafting sonically adventurous and emotionally resonant productions, Dimitri continues to help shape era-defining records, earning respect across the industry for his creativity, integrity, and instinctive musicality.
https://www.instagram.com/dimitri_tikovoi
Interviewer: Kevin Paul - Biog
Kevin Paul started his career as a DJ but quickly found his passion was sound engineering. His first audio job was at Soho Studios in 1991, moving to Konk Studios six months later, where he worked alongside successful producers and engineers such as Bob Clearmountain, Adam Mosley, Pascal Gabriel and Gil Norton, as well as bands such as The Kinks, Galliano, Terrorvision, UFO and Elastica.
After working on archiving the Depeche Mode back catalogue in 1994, he was offered an engineering role at Mute Records’ in-house studio, which eventually lead to a position as Head Engineer, which gave him access to the entire Mute Records roster. Highlights include mixing Goldfrapp’s 'Felt Mountain', David Bowie’s 'Hours' and Nick Cave’s 'No More Shall We Part'. He also worked in 5:1, mixing Moby’s 'Hotel', Goldfrapp’s 'Black Cherry' and more for DVD.
In 2004 Kevin went freelance and re-mixed the entire Depeche Mode and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds back catalogues for SACD/DVD. Since 2008, Kevin Paul has been in charge of mixing and remixing performances at the iTunes Festivals in the UK and Germany. He has mixed over 100 artists to date, including Adele, Ed Sheeran, Alicia Keys, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, The XX, Calvin Harris, Foo Fighters, Jack White, Linkin Park, Florence & The Machine, Deadmau5, David Guetta, Jessie J., Norah Jones, Oasis, Mumford & Sons, N.E.R.D., Lykke Li, James Blunt, KT Tunstall, Hot Chip, Paul Weller and many more.
He continues to record, engineer, produce and mix many projects in music and film, runs the mixing and surround mixing modules for the Masters Degree course at UK’s Westminster University, and divides his time between London and Berlin. Recent works include the international-selling new album by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds and mixing the latest album of Denmark’s 'Dúné' with the first single premiering at the Danish Music Awards, plus the latest iTunes Music Festival.
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