Loïc Louraco AKA ThIs Is ShIt’s Songwriting Survival Kit

ThIs Is ShIt’s survival kit

The electro producer combines tools from both the analog and digital worlds in order to shape his unique hybrid sound

Paris electro outfit ThIs Is ShIt recently returned with new single Y.Two, their first single since their acclaimed 2021 debut album ///. Though missing some of the rockier sounds that made the album such an intriguing blend of genres, the new song still brings together a unique sound mosaic, bursting with the colours of techno, French touch and synth-pop. With many of the rock/metal flourishes added when they scale up for large live shows, the tracks are then reconfigured again when producer and songwriter Loïc Louraco performs his dance sets.

Here, Louraco talks us through the kit that’s needed to create such a uniquely morphing sound…

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1. MY LAPTOP

Nowadays it’s surely the most important and creative companion for most musical genres. For myself, I do everything with it, also using it both at the studio and on stage, so I can’t do anything for the music I compose without it.

I have on it my pedalboard for the guitar, all my analog, synthesizers, my beloved bundle effects, and every tool to push my personal creativity boundaries.

Concerning the composition process, it also has a prime position. Not just entering the first steps like production, creative mix or regular mix, because of course I can develop some ideas with these steps, but mostly because I can compose and experiment with any instrument on it (drums, bass, guitar and a lot of others).

ThIs Is ShIt. Photo: Lola Demarquez

2. MY FENDER TELECASTER THINLINE

My regular and main instrument. It has has always accompanied my composer/musician career. The touch is pretty hard on it, but I like it that way, it pushes me to play more aggressively on it.

Concerning the composition process, I have no rules:

• Sometimes I jam endlessly on new tracks while recording, and then I listen to choose the best parts for me.
• Sometimes I write and test notes on my DAW through a guitar VSTi, to write something precise. And then when I’m happy with it, I record the part with my guitar.
• And sometimes I just know what record exactly.

3. MIDI KEYS

I use different sizes of MIDI controllers, but the most compact that I could bring everywhere is my [Akai] LPK25. I also use the laptop keyboard for simple notes editing.

4. MY SOUNDSYSTEM

For the studio I am used to and love the KRK or the HS series to work with, but for travelling I take my Ultrasone PRO 900 headphones, that are flat monitoring headphones and have a bit more space than other headphones.

5. MY SOFTWARE

As an “in-the-box” creator, I use a lot of different tools on Ableton Live, but I love to dig inside sounds from particular gear: all the incredible Arturia analog synthesizers and racks, VCV Rack 2 for the modular experience, Soundtoys’ effects for the sound design creativity madness, and a lot of historical digital VSTs, like Native Instruments or Reason Studio.

Y.Two is out now. For all the latest music and info about ThIs Is ShIt, check out facebook.com/ThisIsShitmusic

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