James Royo
DJ Mustard Talks All Things Production
Pensado’s Place is one of the best YouTube channels for music producers and engineers. Since 2011, the show has featured icons like Young Guru (Jay Z), Noah “40” Shebib (Drake), Mixed By Ali (Kendrick Lamar), Mike Dean (Kanye West), Showtek, and many others.
Adding to Pensado’s impressive guest list is none other than DJ Mustard, a super producer who requires no introduction. The Los Angeles native recently sat down for a 50-minute discussion about all things production and was joined by his engineer James Royo, who also mixed Major Lazer and DJ Snake’s “Lean On.”
Watch the full interview below.
Here’s a breakdown of the topics:
Intro – 0:00
Tuning drum samples – 8:30
How Mustard begins a new song – 13:10
How Mustard’s background as a DJ has helped him as a producer – 16:25
Mustard’s musical influences – 20:25
Mustard’s current production setup – 21:40
How Mustard decides who he records with – 25:50
Mustard’s role in co-producing Big Sean’s “I Don’t F#ck with You” – 28:45
How Fergie’s “L.A. Love (La La)” came about – 32:35
Mustard’s preferred songwriters – 34:00
What Mustard looks for in new artists – 36:05
How the ratchet movement came about – 38:20
Mustard’s advice to new artists – 40:55
How Royo met Mustard – 45:50
How Royo and Mustard work together – 48:10
Royo’s role in mixing Major Lazer and DJ Snake’s “Lean On” – 49:40
How Royo makes 808 drums sound great – 55:00
Related: Meet Young Guru: Jay Z’s Sound Engineer and Tour DJ
Popular
-
April 24, 2025
All Pro DJ Controllers RANKED!
With more high-end DJ controllers than ever before aimed at professional users, deciding which one suits you best can be tricky. Luckily, Mojaxx has had th...
-
April 24, 2025
R.O.A.D. Podcast – LORD FINESSE: Digging In The Crates With B.I.G, Dr. Dre & Big L
On this week’s episode of the @RoadPodcast, the crew sits down with the legendary @LordFinesseDITC to discuss his career, production, and the evolution of...
-
April 3, 2025
🍦R.O.A.D. Podcast – Flavor Of The Month (April 2025)
Flavor of the Month is your cheat code for new DJ edits, remixes and bootlegs handpicked by the ROAD Podcast. Every month, the crew shouts out their favori...
-
July 6, 2022
Afrobeats and Dance added as Main Genres on DJcity
At DJcity, we are always working to make sure that the way our record pool functions reflects the needs of our users. Therefore in our latest update, we sw...
-
February 15, 2022
New DJcity Pricing Plans Now Available
*** October 2024 Update: We now offer a new annual plan with even more savings! Click here to learn more. Here at DJcity, customer satisfaction is...
-
May 23, 2023
The Best Remixes for Wedding DJs 2023
*** UPDATE: check out our updated 2024 and 2025 playlists! Wedding season has arrived! DJcity’s Remix Director Sir Marcus has put together a list of...
-
April 10, 2025
Level Up DJ Conference – Sign Up Today!
Level Up is a DJ conference that takes a “360 degree approach” to programming. The organizers believe that for DJs to reach their full potential as artist...
-
April 10, 2025
Wired DJ Headphones are DEAD… AIAIAI TMA-2 DJ Wireless Review
AIAIAI have dabbled in the wire-free space before, with their Studio Wireless headphones, but those had some limitations which made them unsuitable for DJi...
-
April 25, 2025
Download 🆕 Tracks From Ayra Starr, Wizkid, Megan Thee Stallion, Bad Bunny, T.I., + More
Notable tracks that were added to DJcity this week. View them all here. Download the tracks below. (* indicates DJcity Exclusive) Ayra Starr & Wizkid...
-
April 18, 2025
🎶 New Music: JID, OneRepublic, Morgan Wallen, Post Malone, MarkCutz, Kidd Spin + More!
Notable tracks that were added to DJcity this week. View them all here. Download the tracks below. (* indicates DJcity Exclusive) JID – WRK OneRepublic –...