How to Produce House Music: Tips Inspired by Maxim Schunk's Approach
Want to produce house music that connects with listeners? Drawing on the techniques behind Maxim Schunk's 200 million-stream catalogue, here are the essential production principles.
Start With the Emotion, Not the Technique
The most common mistake new producers make is reaching for tools before they have a clear emotional intention. The tracks in Maxim Schunk's catalogue that have accumulated hundreds of millions of streams all share one quality: they make you feel something specific before they demonstrate any technical sophistication.
Before you open your DAW, ask yourself what emotion you want the finished track to create. Euphoria? Longing? Energy? The answer to that question should guide every decision that follows, from the key and tempo to the choice of sounds.
Melody Is Non-Negotiable
In Progressive House, the melodic hook is the heart of the track. It needs to be strong enough to carry the entire arrangement — to work stripped back in the intro and breakdown as much as it works with full production in the drop. Test your hook without any accompaniment. If it still moves you when played on a simple synthesizer with no effects, you have something worth building around.
Maxim Schunk's most successful tracks — Lay All Your Love On Me, OMG, Sing It Back — all pass this test. The melodies are memorable independent of the production.
Structure and Tension
A great EDM track is an exercise in controlled tension and release. Build slowly, hold the energy longer than feels comfortable, and then release. The discomfort of the long build is what makes the drop satisfying. Study Maxim Schunk's track structures and notice how long the anticipation lasts before each drop.
Explore his full catalogue on Spotify and discover the curated playlist. Follow @maximschunk on Instagram for behind-the-scenes production content.