Making music that stands out: it’s all about the Essence

Soul over perfection: how to craft music with purpose

The creative idea, aka the Essence, of a track is everything. No amount of mixing tricks or arranging wizardry will save a track with a weak idea.

Without Essence, it’s just sound. With Essence, it’s music.

When I started making music, I was all over the place. Sure, I managed to make some tracks I liked, but the results felt random and inconsistent. One day I’d stumble upon something great, and the next, it was like I’d forgotten how I did it. Things started to change when I shifted my focus to the Essence of the track as I was creating it.

So, what do I mean by "Essence"?

Essence is the intrinsic nature or the indispensable quality of something that gives it character.

In music, it’s that core idea, the thing that draws you in, makes you feel something, and stays with you after the track ends. Once I began tuning into this more consciously, the quality of my tracks became more consistent, and with practice, I became more creatively efficient than ever before.

I get it, this might sound a bit abstract, especially if you’re just starting out. Maybe you’ve felt something like this before but couldn’t quite put your finger on it. It's worth remembering there are stages of understanding when it comes to making music.

At first, it’s about figuring out what all the buttons and tools do. Then it’s about learning how to finish tracks. After that, you start focusing on improving the weak areas, mixdowns, arrangements, sound design...

That was my path too. I spent hours on endless tutorials and courses, learning techniques and tools. They helped me technically, but they didn’t always deliver the results I wanted.

Why? Because I wasn’t paying enough attention to the Essence of what I was making.

The Essence isn’t something you impose on a track, it’s something that emerges from the music itself. It’s what guides your decisions.

Tools and techniques are just there to help you uncover it or bring it to life. Without Essence, those tools can lead you into endless tweaking. With Essence, they become powerful allies in shaping something meaningful.

Think about it:

The Essence is what people remember. It’s what makes you want to turn the volume up or replay a track after it’s done. It’s that unmistakable feeling the music carries, the energy, emotion, or atmosphere that resonates with the listener.

A track with a strong Essence isn’t just sound, it’s a statement. It has purpose, confidence, and intent.

Tracks that have a clear Essence do something well. Maybe they tell a story. Maybe they convey a raw emotion, build tension, or hit you with an unexpected twist. Some tracks bring pure energy to the dancefloor, while others create space for introspection.

Every track will be different, but the key is to tune into what the track wants to say. Find its voice, and build on it in a way that lets the Essence shine through.

This shift in mindset made all the difference for me. I stopped obsessing over perfecting every detail and started focusing on what mattered most—what is this track trying to be, and how can I help it get there? 

That’s when my music started feeling more personal, more purposeful, and more consistent.

So next time you’re working on a track, don’t just mindlessly reach for an EQ or compressor right away.

Ask yourself:

What’s the Essence of this track? 

What’s the feeling or idea at its core?

Once you tune into that, everything else becomes clearer, and the process starts to flow naturally.

Because in the end, it’s not about how many plugins you use or how pristine your mix sounds, it’s about whether your music says something worth listening to.

Big love Eryk Kabay

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