Hi Reader,

Straight Signal has two versions now. I didn't plan it that way.

The first one has a 2-step feel. Syncopated, a little restless, the groove doing more work than the melody. Vocals dry and close. It wants to move but it doesn't announce it. The second version is house. Wider. Warmer. Same topline sitting differently over the kick. I started it thinking it would be a remix. It became its own thing.

I'm finishing both. The 2-step version keeps asking me to leave space where I want to fill it. That's a fight I've had with every track I've made that ended up being good. The house remix is closer. A few details left.

Mexico City outside sounds like Mexico City. Loud. Specific. Full of things I didn't plan for. Rocket is under my desk. She has no notes.

WHAT'S OUT THIS MONTH

Four new videos this month. All of them are about performing live in Ableton: the actual setup, the routing, the decisions I've made after years of trial and error.

→ My Ableton Live Set at Art Week Mexico City + Thoughts on AI

→ How to Have Stage Presence as a Singer (Watch This Before Your Next Show)

→ How I Design My Live Set in Ableton (Sends & Returns, FX, Push Workflow)

→ Ableton Live Vocal Setup for Performance | FX Rack, Looper, Vocoder & Push

And if you're building a live set and want a place to start — I put together a free performance template. It's the structure I actually use.

→ Free: Ableton Live Performance Template

ASK ALARKE

A question from clients this month:

The roadmap isn't the problem. What it's built on might be.

A 6-month plan assumes you know what you're building toward. Not the polished version you say out loud at parties. The one that's actually true. What kind of artist do you want to be? What kind of life does the music have to fit inside? Most people skip those questions because they're uncomfortable and don't produce anything you can put in a calendar.

The music industry looks completely different than it did fifteen years ago. Sync licensing, direct-to-fan, digital products, coaching, live performance as a primary income source, brand partnerships — paths that didn't exist now do. That's real. It also means you can build a very organized plan in entirely the wrong direction.

So before the roadmap: which of those models actually fits who you are? Not the one that looks good in someone else's career. The one you'd still be doing when it gets hard. That requires a different kind of work. Sit with it. Be honest about what you actually want versus the story you've been telling yourself about what an artist is supposed to want.

The plan comes after the clarity. Clarity isn't a planning problem.

Have a question? Reply to this email — I read all of them.

WORK WITH ME

If the roadmap question landed and you're not sure what you're actually building toward — that's what a Breakthrough Session is for. One hour. We look at what's in the way and get you pointed somewhere real.

→ Book a Breakthrough Session

If you're further along and want to build the full thing over time:

→ 1:1 Coaching — True Voice & Signature Sound

Creating alongside you,