Hayes Bradley talks glitchy bass, Kontakt Player, and trusting your gut

After years spent composing for fashion campaigns and ambient records, LA-based artist Hayes Bradley is circling back to the club. His new single “Total Call,” out now via StrataSonic, marks a sharp creative shift toward heavier, more physical rhythms. The track’s unruly breakbeats and distorted basslines hit with raw intensity, setting the tone for his fourth LP, Audience, which just dropped. This album leans into emotional contrasts while still aiming squarely at dancefloors.

A longtime advocate of Native Instruments’ tools, Hayes built much of this new material using Kontakt Player, starting with free libraries and warping them beyond recognition. In this interview, he breaks down the workflow behind “Total Call,” the mindset that keeps him productive, and why professional records don’t need expensive software to come to life.

Jump to these sections:

• How Kontakt Player became part of Hayes’ workflow
• Favorite free Kontakt libraries for bass
• Using Kontakt to shape “Total Call”
• How the new track could inspire producers
• Advice for new producers starting with Kontakt

Hayes doesn’t overthink things, but he does know his tools inside and out. Here’s how Kontakt Player (free in the Komplete Start bundle) helped shape the low end chaos of “Total Call” and why he believes more producers should be using free tools to get their ideas down.

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How did Kontakt Player first become part of your production setup?

It was actually one of the first plugins I ever used. I studied music production at Columbia College in Chicago, and my professor at the time, Jeff Derringer, was a resident at Smartbar’s techno night. He used a full live improv setup for his sets. Kontakt and Maschine were his tools of choice to play and program all the sounds he used for his sets.

Learning with Maschine and getting into the workflow, starting with Native Instruments stuff, was really helpful because I could go online and hit forums with other producers using the same programs as me. I could get people to help me work through roadblocks that I otherwise would have had to figure out myself. The Native Instruments community is also truly amazing.

Pro tip from Hayes Bradley: Play it in a club when you think it’s done – you’ll be able to feel it more deeply.

Are there specific Kontakt Player libraries you keep coming back to when starting ideas?

I love Bassynth mainly. It just has really full and crisp-sounding bass patches that I like to throw into other effect plugins after the initial sound. I have been using it religiously for years to produce bass sounds.

The They Live bass sound in the Bassynth plugin is my favorite one to use. It’s the most adaptable over drums and can really warp without distorting. The bass sounds in “Total Call” are all over the place, so it was really easy to achieve the sound I had in my head.

What role did Kontakt Player play in shaping the sound of “Total Call”?

I used it for all the glitchy, crazy basslines towards the second half of the tune. I brought the resonance of the bass sound down significantly so it could blend with all the other elements in the music.

This was one of the first songs I finished when making the album. Making sure everything fit and sat well together was challenging, but the equalizers on the Bassynth in Kontakt literally saved my life when dealing with the mixdown.

The mixdown was one of the hardest I’ve ever done. There were just so many tracks crossing over each other, separating them to bring them back together was very time-consuming. But also very educational.

Pro tip from Hayes Bradley: Lean on friends for advice, but have confidence in your own vision. At the end of the day, you’ve got the final say.

What would you say to producers who are afraid to release their work, particularly if it’s different from what they usually do?

I feel a lot of my musician friends will get really inspired or into a genre that is totally different from the stuff they usually make. At this point, I just don’t think it actually matters. Just make as much stuff as you can. It doesn’t matter what it sounds like as long as you like it. And please, just put it out and worry about whatever else after.

Pro tip from Hayes Bradley: Start by going crazy, then rein it in. I always try to overcomplicate drum patterns in the beginning and then delete the stuff that makes it sound messy when the other parts come in.

If you could give one piece of advice to someone starting with only Kontakt Player and a DAW, what would it be?

I suggest spending a while fiddling with it, even if it’s brand new to you. Find your sound within it. There are limitless options, so just spend as much time trying to find the most unique corner of it you can find.

Also, try and find one company or program that has a vast amount of options outside of the one that you need specifically for that song. Keeping stuff under one roof is helpful with serial numbers, etc.

I just started using a lot of Native Instruments stuff when learning with a Maschine in college. So I’ve always been a big advocate for everything NI. But all in all, just make sure you’re always making something and also releasing that music. It won’t actually exist otherwise.

Pro tip from Hayes Bradley: Always. Record. Everything.

Wrapping it all up

Hayes Bradley offers a reminder that raw ideas can hold their own when handled with care. His approach to “Total Call” centers on instinct, persistence, and a heavy reliance on Kontakt Player, which helped shape the bass-heavy textures and glitchy phrasing that define the track.

There is no need to overcomplicate the process. He proves that access to free tools like Kontakt Player and a consistent work ethic can result in club-focused music that still reflects a personal and fully developed voice.

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