Blog

galen tipton – Prolific and Playful

galen tipton is prolific. Unrestrained by genre, or style, the Ohio-born producer has released dozens of EPs, singles and LPs in the last decade under her given name, and monkers dj galen and recovery girl. Over that time, she’s built up quite a fanbase, with notable support from Anthony Fantano, Iggy Pop and David Byrne. Even if you don’t know her name, you’ve probably heard her music. Her 2022 track snow elves went viral on TikTok and YouTube. It’s been used in 130,000 TikTok videos, and ha

In Conversation with Polymath Producer and DJ Ariel Zetina

Chicago-based producer, DJ and dramatic writer Ariel Zetina is a force to be reckoned with. In her music, she manipulates percussion, vocal repetition, and theatrics, taking inspiration from everything from techno to musical theatre to the worldwide queer club scene. Speaking of the worldwide club scene, Zetina holds a residency at the legendary Smartbar in Chicago, and Carly Zeng’s party Dissident in Berlin, and has opened for huge names like Beyoncé, James Blake and Caroline Polachek. He

Bianca Oblivion on the 808 and 909's Influence on the Queer Ballroom Scene

An LA native whose dance music career has now taken her across the globe, Bianca Oblivion is one of the hottest up-and-coming DJs on the global scene right now. She’s made a name for herself by fusing a diverse range of genres into her high-octane sets. Catch a Bianca Oblivion anywhere around the world, and you’re just as likely to hear hip-hop and R\&B as you are dubstep and grime. Oblivion’s mantra is “anything goes as long as it bangs”. Outside of the booth, Oblivion’s been releasin

ABSOLUTE. on the Legacy of the 909 in Queer Dance Music

ABSOLUTE. is a defining queer force in dance music. His sound moves from raw, percussive house into surging progressive euphoria: sweaty, hypnotic, built to carry a room. Now a fixture of the global dance circuit, his remix of Bronski Beat's Smalltown Boy has become a peak-time must-play for DJs around the world. For ABSOLUTE., it’s just one of many releases on iconic labels like Permanent Vacation, UTTU, Shall Not Fade, Hot Haus, and Maximum Airtime ABSOLUTE. is also known for his collabo

DUCKY Dives into his Signature Sound, and how Transitioning Changed it

For CK Neiman – AKA DUCKY – life is an opportunity to create. The San Francisco-born and now Rotterdam-based polymath has led a life of artistic self-expression ever since he first started DJing clubs at the age of 13. Thanks to his infectious taste in EDM-flavoured rave music behind the decks and, due to his age, fake IDs, Neiman began to hone his craft throughout the 2010s, building the DUCKY alias as a producer and DJ, with fans gravitating towards his high-energy sets, unrestricted by gen

Samantha Togni on the Legacy of Dance Music’s Queer Roots

Header Photo By Joseph Delaney To simply call Samantha Togni a DJ and producer would be doing her a disservice. As well as being an internationally renowned artist who has played super-clubs the world over, and released a string of hard-hitting tracks over the past decade, the london-based musician is also the founder of Boudica, a platform championing women, trans and non-binary artists in electronic music. With Boudica, Togni runs workshops, a conference, and an international club series

Inside our first India event: Plugin Boutique at Bootcamp Goa

In March 2026, Plugin Boutique made its first appearance in India. We partnered with Bootcamp Goa to host a masterclass at their annual residential music camp in Morjim, North Goa. Now in its fifth year, Bootcamp Goa brings together DJs, producers, live performers and visual artists for 14 days of focused music education. The masterclass was led by Krishnamurthy Ramesh, an Ableton Certified Trainer, as part of the camp's Advanced Music Production Week. It was built around Excite Audio's Bl

Staying Human in a Digital Studio: ATB’s Approach

For more than three decades, ATB has been a defining voice in electronic music. From the early success of “9 PM (Till I Come)” to his new collaboration with Shaun Farrugia on “Believe in Love,” he has kept one goal in focus: to connect emotion and energy in equal measure. His music still carries the same DNA that made his early work resonate, but the technology and collaborators around him continue to evolve.     Speaking from his studio, ATB reflects on what it means to stay curren

Chris Avantgarde Masterclass ahead of Hyperreal Release – Plugin Boutique x IO Event

The LA event bonanza continues; this time in the form of a masterclass with none other than Chris Avantgarde. This rising star has been making waves for some time now, with more and more accolades accumulating on his belt. The next of which is set to be his debut album, Hyperreal (expected to be released in June). Chris took the stage at this masterclass, shedding light on his creative process and sharing his innermost production secrets to success. This event took place following a successfu

From Dry to Alive: Giving Drums a Studio Room Feel

Drums in particular are one of the hardest instruments to make feel convincingly “real”. Straight out of the box, loops can sound clean and punchy, but they often lack the space and depth that comes from a live recording. Achieving that realism can be the make or break between a loop that works and a tightly mixed record. We’ve teamed up with Like It Or Not for a video about placing drums into a believable environment using the UAD Sound City Studios Plugin! This video explores the relationsh

The Best Music Software Deals This Week [Live List]

As the music production landscape evolves week by week, so does the opportunity to save on powerful creative tools. New plugin releases, flash sales on VSTs and limited-time deals on music software can appear from any angle, making it harder than ever to keep track of what’s worth your attention. Whether you're looking for the latest bundles on offer, or even deals on exciting virtual instruments, it's as important as ever to stay up to date on what we have to offer. That’s where our live g

DW and Roland get “Inside The Modern Mix” for Band Month

This year at Plugin Boutique, we’ve been busier than ever, hosting real-world events to celebrate various niches within the music industry. Recent times have seen us celebrate Women’s Month, and discuss Keeping Creative with artists and plugin developers alike. Aside from celebration, these events serve as a testament of successful growth of the ever-changing and expanding range of diverse music sectors across the globe. Panels of specialists, as well as dedicated enthusiasts meet up in the

Your Essential Guide to: AI Mastering and Online Mastering

Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels In this article, we'll inform you on all things AI-mastering, gloss over the best solutions on the market, explore the most popular online AI mastering services/plugins, and give you an honest overview on how to incorporate all of this into your workflow to make your life easier—and save you lots of time (and money) on mastering. So, without further ado, here we have it: a no-nonsense, full guide to AI mastering and online mastering, with no stone left u

Celebrating Women's Month: Creativity, Collaboration and Community with We Make Noise

In March, Plugin Boutique and We Make Noise proudly teamed up for Women’s Month, gathering female and non-binary voices to celebrate their presence in the music industry. The event centred around the making of We Make Noise's collaborative album—a project compiling works of women and non-binary producers, songwriters, and engineers. At the event, there was an exclusive demo breakdown and an in-depth panel discussion. Through which, attendees exemplified their unique creative processes, learne

Going Beyond Stock Plugins – with Like It Or Not

Once producers venture forth beyond their DAW’s native plugin selection, that’s where creative avenues open up, and they start to really develop a sense of their own original sound. Plugin Boutique have teamed up with Like It Or Not, with a video diving into those exact creative avenues that start to pop up once musicians make that initial step outside the ‘stock-plugin’ phase and start experimenting with third-party alternatives. With a sharp, idea-driven approach to music production, Like I