How a producer who started his musical journey in Luton turned his passion into a career

Dan Short, whose studio Melon Wave is based in Milton Keynes, initially combined producing music with a full-time job, but now does it for a living.

He has worked with artists including Nick Edwards, known as the ‘Singing Dad’, who reached the semi-finals of Britain’s Got Talent in 2022.

Dan said: “We’d first crossed paths when I was around 17, but later reconnected and started writing together. I went on to produce nearly all of his releases, including his album.

“What makes Nick’s story special is that he’d effectively given up on music before unexpectedly finding himself in the spotlight on national television. Being part of that journey has been a real privilege.”

He also works with mum-of-five Jill Taylor from Leighton Buzzard, whose debut single Medicine topped Spotify’s new artist list earlier this year.

Music has been a part of Dan’s life since his childhood. He recalls: “My favourite memories of music are of my dad playing somewhat obscure records, especially Tubular Bells, on Sunday mornings. It would be just loud enough that I could hear it from upstairs. We had an eclectic record collection at home, so I grew up listening to all sorts of music.

“I’ve always been fascinated by rhythm and the way songs can make you feel.”

Although Dan had been making music for years, he did not plan to pursue it as a career until he posted a song he had written entitled Margherita.

“A local band loved the production and asked me to produce their first track,” he said.

“I turned them down a few times before finally saying yes. Seeing how much they loved the finished result made me realise this was something I wanted to pursue.

“Every song starts as an idea and ends as something that didn’t exist before. I also think people come to a studio for more than just a finished song and understanding that they’re investing in the experience of creating something meaningful, and being part of that process is incredibly rewarding.

“I treat every session as something special and try to capture photos and videos of everything we create - it also serves as a bit of a badge that says this is ‘human-made’ in a world of AI.”

Dan grew up in Luton and played in venues across the town including The Luton Student Union, The Hat Factory, The George II and The Castle.

He studied Music Production at Luton Sixth Form College, and said this was the moment when he realised ‘music could become a career.’

Dan acknowledges his musical journey began in Luton, but he has now based himself in Milton Keynes because of its ‘thriving artist community.’

He is planning to launch a new creative hub in Newport Pagnell alongside friends Pixel Affiliate and Audio Playground.

“The space will bring together rehearsal rooms, music production and photography under one roof,” Dan said. “The goal is for it to become a place where local creatives can connect, collaborate and create great work together.”

Dan has worked with various artists based in Luton including country musician Olivia Lynn, producing and playing all the instruments on her tracks Open, 6 Months and You're No Good.

“Every project is different, which is what keeps it exciting,” Dan said.

“What’s wonderful is that having recorded on some of these artists' tracks I get to gig live with them from time to time and hear the tracks in multiple perspectives.”

Dan has also just finished producing a 30-track immersive audio book for a book called The Garden of Eden, which is now available on the Audible platform.

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