BlackGummy: “People get caught up in rules about mixing, loudness or arrangement but creativity doesn’t follow a formula”Releasing a debut full-length concept album Ra(z/is)e this month via deadmau5’s label mau5trap, Blackgummy is the alter ego of Los Angeles-based producer Iman Marouf. Following his own headline tour and standout performances at festivals such as EDC Las Vegas, EDC Mexico, EDC Guangdong, Lollapalooza, and Shambhala — among many others — BlackGummy strives to push the boundaries of electronic music.

READ MORE: MXGPU: “Saying you can only achieve great-sounding recordings with $10,000 worth of gear is just gatekeeping”

We catch up with him to discuss adapting studio tracks for the live arena, his passion for synths, thinking about sound on fundamentally new levels and what he learned from his mentor, Steve Duda. He also tells us why stepping up his studio monitor game led him to new creative directions.
Image: Press
Hi Iman! Ra(z/is)e is your debut full-length album following on from the acclaimed EPs Singularity, Impactor and Monolith. What’s it about?
Ra(z/is)e is about destruction becoming rebirth — the dual meaning of ‘raze’ and ‘raise’. The album exists in a world that has collapsed and is now rebuilding itself not just physically but spiritually and technologically. My earlier EPs — Singularity, Impactor, and Monolith — each explored isolated stages of transformation. This album unites all those phases into a single narrative; a journey from darkness to light, from destruction to rebirth.
Potatoes & Meat serves as the first doorway into that world — a strangely human moment within the wasteland. It’s raw, imperfect and built around a distinctive groove in the first drop that evolves into a second drop with a unique driving force. It felt like the right way to introduce the world of Ra(z/is)e, especially since it had become one of the most requested tracks from my live sets. It made sense to let fans have it first.

The album features tracks that span many genres, including experimental, electro house, techno and trance. How challenging is it to switch up genres so frequently?
I like exploring different genres because each one offers a unique emotional colour. On Ra(z/is)e, the range wasn’t a deliberate decision to show variety — it happened naturally as the concept evolved. Each track represents a different point in the cycle of destruction and rebirth, and each moment calls for its own sonic language. Sometimes that meant dark techno, other times it leaned into something melodic or something that didn’t fit anywhere at all.
The diversity of styles came naturally as I tried to capture contrasting states: chaos versus clarity, decay versus renewal. The challenge wasn’t switching genres but making all of them feel like they belonged to the same universe.
Image: Press
Tell us a bit about your studio workflow and how your setup helps inspire you to create.
Every track usually starts from a different place. Sometimes it begins with a synth idea, a sound design experiment, a melody hook or a drum or bass element. Other times it starts as something more functional like a DJ tool I want for my sets, and then grows into a full piece. There’s something special about opening a new blank project file and seeing where the inspiration takes me. I don’t really have a fixed process; I just follow whatever idea feels most exciting in that moment and build around it.
My setup plays a big part in keeping that inspiration flowing. Having both analogue and digital gear lets me move between precise control and total unpredictability. I might start with an analogue synth then run it through an effects pedal or resample it in Ableton using plugins like Turnado, Infiltrator, Portal or Thermal. Each piece of gear pushes me in a slightly different creative direction, and that mix keeps things feeling fresh every time I sit down to create.
Image: Press
You’ve performed at festivals including EDC Las Vegas, Shambhala and Lollapalooza. How do you translate your studio setup into a live arena?
My live sets are an extension of the studio but built for a completely different kind of energy. I use CDJ-3000s and a DJM-V10 with an RMX1000, which gives me the flexibility to blend and layer tracks and experiment in real time.
Before certain shows I’ll often make special edits or reworks of songs, or create loops I can use during the mix to build uniquely layered moments. It all depends on the energy of the track that came before and where I want to take the set next. Sometimes I’ll test alternate versions of album tracks or combine elements from different songs to create something that only exists in that moment.
The goal isn’t to perfectly recreate the studio versions but to reimagine them for the environment I’m in. Every crowd and every space has its own energy and I like to reflect that as much as possible.

Under the mentorship of producer Steve Duda, you contributed to the development of the legendary synthesizer Serum. What did the experience teach you about designing sounds for your own productions?
Having Steve Duda as my mentor while he was developing Serum gave me an inside look at the mechanics and details that make the synth as special, unique, and forward-thinking as it is. From his ability to achieve higher bit depths in the wavetable than other VST synths available at the time to the way he approached sound at its most fundamental level, it definitely changed how I listened in general.
Instead of just focusing on how something sounds, I started paying attention to why it sounds that way — what makes a waveform feel alive or warm, how modulation affects emotion and how small imperfections can make something more human. His thought process and overall perspective were incredibly enlightening for me.
That experience gave me a deeper appreciation for sound design. I stopped relying on presets and started treating every sound as something that should have its own identity and purpose. A lot of the synths and textures on Ra(z/is)e came from that mindset — shaping raw waveforms, experimenting with movement, and building sounds that feel like they belong to that world.
Image: Press
Were there any synths or plugins that were crucial to the making of Ra(z/is)e?
Yes, as far as analogue synths the MFB Dominion, the Roland JP-8000 and Moog Sub 37 were used quite a bit in addition to plugins like Driver, Trash, Turnado, Thermal and of course Serum.
What’s been the biggest investment in your studio setup?
Purchasing the HEDD Type 20 MK2 speakers was a pretty significant moment for me. I had produced my first three EPs on Yamaha HS8s with the HS8S subwoofer, and often relied on Audeze LCD-X headphones for reference. Adding the HEDDs was my first time owning a pair of three-way speakers, and they gave me a new level of clarity and detail that’s helped me improve the way I hear and balance my mixes.
Image: Press
Do you have a dream piece of gear?
I really love the Moog One and have always wanted to add it to my studio setup. In terms of synths, that one’s definitely high on the list for me. Another dream upgrade would be a pair of Kii Three System DSP-controlled active monitors, or their higher model, the Kii Three BXT. They’re some of the best studio speakers I’ve ever heard, and I’d recommend them to anyone working with a budget around $15K to $35K for monitors. I’ve compared them to other high-end models that cost twice as much, and they still outperform almost all of them. The clarity and precision are incredible.
What’s a music production myth you think needs debunking?
I think one of the biggest myths in music production is that there’s a “right” way to do things. People get caught up in rules about mixing, loudness or arrangement but in reality, creativity doesn’t follow a formula. Some of the most interesting sounds or moments I’ve made came from breaking those so-called rules or doing something that technically shouldn’t work.
It’s easy to get stuck thinking you need to follow the same steps as everyone else, but experimentation is what makes music personal. If it feels good and sounds right to you, that’s what matters most.

Who gave you the biggest lesson or best advice in your career?
I’ve learned a lot of valuable lessons from many people throughout my journey in music, but one of the most impactful influences has been Steve Duda. Working with him early on and seeing how he approaches sound design and problem-solving shaped how I think about making music. His explanations and breakdowns of the tools I was using also gave me a deeper level of understanding from a technical perspective, especially since I was coming from a place where I was mostly doing everything by ear.
Two concepts that really stuck with me from our conversations were the idea of creating “moments” within a track and the concept of “levels of complexity.” Creating moments is about building small shifts or contrasts that keep the listener engaged — a break, a change in rhythm or a subtle variation that gives a sense of relief or a new perspective within the flow of the track. It’s those details that make a song feel alive and constantly moving forward.
The idea of “levels of complexity” relates to how rhythm and structure operate across different time scales. You might have micro-rhythmic details happening at 1/32 or 1/16 notes, while larger patterns evolve over 8, 16, or 32 bars. Thinking this way helped me understand how different layers interact — how short and long-term patterns can weave together to create groove, movement, and progression throughout a track.
The post BlackGummy: “People get caught up in rules about mixing, loudness or arrangement but creativity doesn’t follow a formula” appeared first on MusicTech.