Belgian DJ and producer Kenn Colt has built a reputation for pairing festival-ready energy with emotional depth, a style that has earned him more than 55 million streams and regular spots at stages like Tomorrowland, Ultra, and Sunburn Festival. For his latest release on his own Feels Like Home Records, he reunites with Dutch talent Funk D to take on one of dance music’s most iconic melodies—Robert Miles’ Children.
His rework, In My Dreams (Children), keeps the heart of the 1995 trance classic intact while reshaping it into a peak-time tech house anthem. Built on rolling basslines, crisp percussion, and the instantly recognizable lead, the track strikes the balance between nostalgia and contemporary club power. The collaboration came together naturally after a chance reunion in Asia, where the pair quickly found themselves channeling their shared history and creative chemistry into the studio.
Now out on Feels Like Home Records, In My Dreams (Children) is primed for late-night sets and festival stages alike. For this edition of How It Was Made, Kenn Colt breaks down the plugins, techniques, and key production choices that shaped the track, alongside quick-fire tips for producers working in tech house.
Serum
Serum is my go-to wavetable synth for creating crisp leads and textured basslines. It’s incredibly flexible with drag-and-drop modulation, custom wavetable importing, and a lot of filter options. The interface makes sound design fast and intuitive, even when diving into more complex routing. For Tech House, it’s the perfect blend of warmth, grit, and clarity.
For In My Dreams (Children), I started with a saw-based lead preset and reshaped the wavetable to add movement, then added a gritty bassline as a top bassline. I paired this with a famous reece bass to strengthen the low end. To build tension, I automated the filter cutoff during the drop, then opened it fully when the drop hit, moving from short, stabby MIDI notes to longer, legato notes. Sometimes I’ll also add RBass from Waves on top of Serum to give something extra in the low frequencies.
If you’re making dance music in general, Serum is one of those plugins you’ll always feel satisfied with for basslines. You can automate your envelopes and modulate filter cutoff to evolve your sound naturally throughout your track.
FabFilter Pro-Q 4
FabFilter Pro-Q 4 is one of the most powerful EQs available, and I use it on nearly every channel. It’s clean, surgical, and incredibly intuitive. I especially love being able to visually see the frequencies I’m adjusting. It makes balancing a busy mix much easier.
In this track, I used Pro-Q 4 on the Serum bass, adding a gentle boost around 233 Hz to help it come through, and a high cut to remove everything above 1.2 kHz. The real-time analyzer helped me make quick, confident mix decisions. On the leads, I flipped the approach—cutting everything below 260 Hz to give space to the kick, sub, and bass.
If you’re producing Tech House with vocals or layered synths, Pro-Q 4 is essential for creating space between sounds without losing energy. Using dynamic EQ to tame clashing frequencies only when they spike is a game-changer for vocals and leads. Mid/side EQ can also give width to pads or reverbs without interfering with center elements like the kick or vocal.
Soothe2
Soothe2 is like a smart EQ that automatically hunts down and reduces harsh resonances in real time. It works transparently, so it doesn’t ruin the character of the sound. I like it because it targets resonances specifically, rather than making broad cuts, so the sound stays alive and dynamic.
On In My Dreams (Children), I used Soothe2 for de-essing the vocal, adding it after a basic EQ in the chain. I started with the “Vocal De-ess” preset and tweaked the sharpness to tame problem frequencies in the 5–8 kHz range. This smoothed out some harsh edges while keeping the vocal clear and upfront in the mix.
For Tech House producers, Soothe2 is a great tool for vocals, hi-hats, and other percussive sounds that can get sharp in a club system. One trick I’ve learned is to use the delta button to hear what’s being removed, so you don’t overdo it. I’ve also used it subtly on vocal chops or snare rolls with automation, which can really clean things up while keeping the groove intact.
Waves CLA Vocals
Waves CLA Vocals is an all-in-one vocal processor designed to quickly give vocals a polished sound. It’s lightweight, user-friendly, and combines six processors—EQ, compression, reverb, delay, pitch, and chorus—into one. It’s one of my go-to’s for a fast, clean vocal mix.
On this track, I used the “Start Me Up Dry” preset as the base of the vocal chain. It gave the vocal a clean, forward sound to start from. I sometimes automate the “Slap” delay for breakdowns, but for In My Dreams (Children) I kept it dry and focused. This plugin is great for getting vocals to sit right in the mix without needing a complicated chain.
For Tech House producers, CLA Vocals is a great starting point for punchy vocal chops or hooks. Stick with a clean preset like “Start Me Up Dry” and then make small tweaks as needed. Automating the built-in delay or doubling functions can add character while keeping things tight and club-ready.
Quick Fire Tips For Making Tech House
- Tip #1: Build a strong kick and bass groove with percussion. If an 8-bar loop stays engaging after 5 minutes, you’ve got a solid foundation. Pair bassline length with kick style—short, punchy basslines work best with long kicks, while melodic basslines fit better with short kicks.
- Tip #2: Use vocal chops for hooks. Hum the melody you want, then cut it from the vocal, pitch it, and shift timing for variation.
- Tip #3: Add swing to percussion layers. Even small details like reversed claps or shuffled hats can bring groove to the track.
- Tip #4: Automate delay and reverb during transitions. It adds flow between sections and makes drops hit harder.
- Tip #5: Keep your arrangement DJ-friendly. Leave intros and outros clean for mixing and build the track’s energy with intention.
The post How It Was Made: Kenn Colt & Funk D – In My Dreams (Children) appeared first on Magnetic Magazine.