Building dialogue in electronic music with Kontakt, Monark, and David Mayer

David Mayer’s latest single “News Flash” marks both a creative and emotional milestone. Released through SONARA, the label he co-founded, the track captures a moment of transition between seasons and ideas. Written during the months when SONARA was moving from vision to reality, “News Flash” reflects that sense of movement through melody, tone, and cultural interplay.

The record opens around a distinctive Eastern-leaning lead that defines its atmosphere. Mayer built the entire track around that sound, which originated as a manipulated sample within Kontakt. The tone carries the warmth and grit of a real performance, while its phrasing lends an air of tension and release that anchors the arrangement.

Mayer’s production choices reflect his background as both a seasoned DJ and a meticulous sound designer. He approaches every track as a dialogue between texture and rhythm, shaping expressive leads through hybrid setups of Kontakt and Monark.

“News Flash” is a clear example of how those tools translate instinct into feeling while maintaining the physical impact required for club spaces. So let’s talk about it with the artist himself.

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When you first opened the session for News Flash, how early did the main lead emerge in the writing process, and what sparked the idea for an Eastern-leaning tone?

I appreciate that you identified the lead as a driving element!

This sound alone was how the entire tune started. First, I had the sound, then I built a tune around it.

Actually, this sound is based on a sample that I played in Kontakt. The inspiration came from an obscure clip I found on Instagram where musicians were jamming live, which is where the reverb and grit come from.

Pro tip from David Mayer: I ALWAYS bounce one MP3 per numbered DAW session, so I know exactly what I worked on without having to open the DAW (those MP3s have the same name as their originating session).

Subsequently, some projects might have 50 saved versions, but they’re just metadata, all numbered “01_A” and so forth, using the alphabet for minor changes and numbers for bigger changes. Every time something significant has been changed, I continue to the next number with “02_A”, then “02_B”… then, with everything in the Cloud, accessible from anywhere on any device… so convenient.

Because of this, I’ve been able to revisit projects from 10 years back and finish them with fresh confidence, no files missing, since everything is still running within the same structure.

What drew you to Kontakt as the foundation for the lead, and which libraries or patches gave you the tonal character you wanted?

Kontakt always provides a quick dive into a wide variety of high-quality, richly textured sounds.

I love the samples, and many of the sounds in the Kontakt Factory Libraries have that same feel. Skipping through my vast selection of libraries is everything to me! Among my favorite sound collections are drum libraries like Abbey Road Modern Drummer (specifically for adding cymbals that sound like studio recordings).

I can’t skip mentioning West Africa or Cuba either – they’re great for playfully jamming percussion fills.

When layering Monark with Kontakt, what role did Monark play in strengthening or refining the line?

I’ve been using Monark for a very long time. In this case, it’s responsible for parts of the bass. I just love the grit that Monark provides, and I appreciate how easy it is to handle.

Pro tip from David Mayer: When building loops, building arrangements, and making space in a mix, I’m constantly looking for opportunities to apply the principle of “call” and response.” Basically, one beat calls, the next hit responds, and so on. This can be used to two different sounds or two parts of a melody responding to each other, or to sections in an arrangement being brought into a dialogue. The loud parts are answered by the silent parts, and vice versa. I think looking at it like this has had a profound effect on my creative process.

News Flash moves between subtle tension and uplift. How did you reflect those shifts through melodic intervals or phrasing techniques?

I’m so glad you pointed that out.

This question touches on two core principles I like to apply to my music: contrast and dialogue. I try to find contrast – typically uplifting beats opposed by moody synth lines. I also use the concept of dialogue (“call and response”), meaning that the call of a moody bassline might be answered with an uplifting arpeggio.

I didn’t invent this principle, but since the day I stumbled across it, it has always helped me find a solid arrangement structure and conceptualize ideas.

Pro tip from David Mayer: Collaborating with like-minded people is great, but working with people who are better trained or more experienced than I am has become the most incredible honor for me. Collaboration can also be a form of mentorship. Have respect, but always be brave. That’s the closest thing to a shortcut.

For producers trying to create leads that feel expressive and cohesive, what workflow habits inside Kontakt and Monark have helped you the most?

Merging several different-sounding presets on top of each other to form a unique sound is definitely a habit I can’t resist, for better or worse. I use Kontakt to be quick when jamming and browsing for inspiration. I like to skip through the unsorted, random presets, not using the search filters, embracing the surprises. Casually looking for a complementary lead but finding a great bass layer instead – that’s the kind of library I’m interested in.

With Monark, on the other hand, I know precisely the specific sounds I’m looking for. There are a few presets that I’ve repeatedly used in many variations. If you listen back to my “Lust” remix for Tigerskin & Keene, those gloomy keys are all presets from Monark – after that, I always went back to it.

Pro tip from David Mayer: Work directly into a cloud or find another way to automatically save and sync everything you do to another safe drive at all times. Fixing broken systems, switching between laptops, or crossing oceans while still having everything at hand is so freeing. I lost my shit too often over issues that never returned after I started using a cloud to store everything.

Looking ahead, how do you see this hybrid approach to melodic design influencing your next releases on SONARA?

Creating harmonies and layers to build something emotive is what I enjoy most. I’m exploring that urge while still keeping club functionality in focus.

What you often hear me doing is testing the limits of how much symphony could fit in a classic club track – embracing the particular, breathing, lively sound I’ve always been drawn to while simultaneously surrendering to my passion for classic club music elements.

Somewhere along the way, I consciously chose to embrace my authentic taste fully.

To “successfully” alter the obvious traits that define me to the core is something I still have to learn to do. Merging several differently sounding presets on top of each other to create a new, unique sound is the most blissful part of my experience when I’m making something. And, that’s the part of my experience I want to share with you through SONARA.

Pro tip from David Mayer: Keep your demo close. If it sparked something, it might contain something you don’t want to lose in the process. I always keep the first version I fell in love with at the top of my arrangement so I can look back at it whenever I start to feel lost. Trying to improve the sound might kill the vibe, and you want to find the key to that feeling you had in the first place. A technically perfect track is easy to forget. A track with a distinct fingerprint isn’t.

Wrapping it all up

“News Flash” captures the optimism and creative freedom that defined the early days of SONARA. By blending Kontakt’s expressive realism with Monark’s analog bite, David Mayer created a track that feels organic yet focused, emotional yet functional. The balance between spontaneity and precision mirrors his evolving philosophy as both artist and label head.

Every element in “News Flash” serves a purpose, reflecting Mayer’s long-term dedication to musical storytelling. The track’s melodic structure, rhythmic detail, and tonal depth point toward where SONARA is headed: an imprint built on taste, texture, and human connection through sound.

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