How 'Halo' Emerged from Pure Studio Magic
Today is the day: I'm super excited to share the live version of a brand new song I made together with my friend schneid - it's called "Halo". The session was recorded in schneid's studio here in Cologne, and we also shot a performance video while we were at it:
The Setup We Used
For this collaboration, we kept things focused on our favorite hardware:
🎛 Miles – Elektron Digitakt for drums & percussion, Ableton Push 3 Standalone for background arp + evolving textures
🎹 schneid – Nord Stage 2 for the piano line, OB-6 for the lead synth, tweaked live as the track unfolds
A Different Approach This Time
With "Halo" we tried a very different approach compared to how we both usually write music: we just let the tape run and recorded a lot of very long takes of different instruments - drums from the Digitakt, piano riffs, synthesizer patterns from the OB-6, arps from the Ableton Push, software synths, weird soundscapes from the Hologram Microcosm, you name it.
After we had enough material, we started to arrange the song from all these elements we had captured. It was a very fun process that ended in a result we both didn't expect, but really liked.
There's something magical about letting ideas flow without overthinking the structure first. When you're not bound by traditional songwriting patterns, you often discover combinations and progressions that wouldn't have emerged otherwise. The spontaneity in our long takes created moments where the hardware almost seemed to be communicating with itself - especially when schneid was tweaking the OB-6 live while I was building textures on the Push.
The Cologne Studio Vibe
schneid's studio in Cologne has this perfect atmosphere for creative collaborations. It's intimate enough that you can really focus, but spacious enough to set up multiple instruments without feeling cramped. The natural light coming through the windows during our afternoon session definitely influenced the overall mood of "Halo" - there's something warm and organic about it despite being fully electronic.
Stream “Halo”
If you like the song, you can listen to the studio version of "Halo" here - thanks in advance as it helps us with the release: https://listen.music-hub.com/nuBtop
I'm really looking forward to hearing your thoughts on this one. It feels quite different from my usual solo work, but in the best possible way. Sometimes collaborations push you into territories you wouldn't explore on your own, and that's exactly what happened here.
Stay creative,
Miles
