<p>Today’s guest is the producer behind some of the biggest songs of the last 15 years — from “Wrecking Ball,” “Timber,” and “Dark Horse” to early records with The Weeknd and Britney Spears.</p><br><p>From teaching himself production on cracked software and vinyl turntables… to going on a run of genre-defining hits.</p><br><p>And the writer is… Cirkut!</p><br><p>In this episode, he opens up about his early grind, the moment Britney cut his beat, his first sessions in LA, working alongside Max Martin and Dr. Luke, and the mindset that helped him go from unknown kid with an MPC to one of the most important producers in modern pop.</p><br><p>A special thank you to our sponsors...</p><br><p>Our lead sponsor, NMPA aka the National Music Publisher's Association.</p><p>Your support means the world to us!</p><br><p>And @splice -- the best sample library on the market, period.</p><br><p>00:00 — Intro: Who is Cirkut?</p><p>00:04:37 — Early music influences: hip-hop, DJ culture</p><p>00:05:49 — Discovering DJ gear &amp; beat manipulation</p><p>00:07:55 — First exposure to FruityLoops &amp; early production</p><p>00:10:24 — DJ’ing pep rallies with vinyl</p><p>00:12:36 — Applying early skills later for Lady Gaga</p><p>00:14:14 — Skipping audio classes to make beats</p><p>00:16:46 — Early Drake encounter in Toronto</p><p>00:18:40 — How the name “Cirkut” was born</p><p>00:21:35 — How a CD of his beats got to Britney Spears</p><p>00:22:10 — First big cut: Britney’s “Papi”</p><p>00:23:01 — Discovering electronic music &amp; the blog era</p><p>00:23:49 — Learning from Masterkraft (the MySpace era)</p><p>00:33:00 — Working with The Weeknd on “High For This”</p><p>00:33:57 — Recognizing Abel’s early greatness</p><p>00:35:06 — Moving to LA &amp; hustling through the rat race</p><p>00:38:49 — What finally got him out of the rat race</p><p>00:39:33 — The call from Dr. Luke</p><p>00:41:11 — The Flo Rida / Levels / Good Feeling near-miss</p><p>00:42:37 — Losing a big cut overnight</p><p>00:43:19 — When the hits start stacking: “Where Have You Been,” “Wrecking Ball,” “Timber”</p><p>00:44:48 — The thing he brought that cut through the noise</p><p>00:47:18 — What it’s like creating with Max Martin</p><p>00:49:36 — Winning Producer of the Year (Junos)</p><p>00:50:17 — When Cirkut realized he belonged at the top</p><p>00:52:04 — Why his ego is different</p><p>00:53:15 — His quiet superpower in the room</p><p>00:55:45 — Ad: NMPA +<a href="https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCb8xLPa5RP8TnCsU7E5ASKQ" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">&nbsp;⁨@splice⁩&nbsp;</a> </p><p>00:57:00 — The importance of speed</p><p>00:59:00 — Secret sauce... Knowing his sounds and blind listening</p><p>01:02:00 — Keeping production organic </p><p>01:03:57 — The Weeknd</p><p>01:12:10 — Ross' funny Pitbull / Cirkut story</p><p>01:13:03 — Cirkut's secret to success</p><p>01:14:00 — 'Unholy' Sam Smith</p><p>01:18:54 — Jung Kook, 'Seven' with Jon Bellion / Theron Thomas</p><p>01:21:00 — Charli XCX</p><p>01:22:00 — 'APT' and Bruno's 'Stank'</p><p>01:30:56 — Lady Gaga + Watt</p><p>01:42:30 — Production advice. Figure out what you're great at</p><br><p>Hosted by Ross Golan</p><p>Produced by Joe London and Jad Saad</p><p>Watercolor by Michael White</p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>