With a placement on Yeat’s latest album ADL alongside NBA YoungBoy and Grimes, Prodbyflames is entering a new level of visibility, keeping music as only one part of his broader story.
The Moscow-born creative has quietly built a world that stretches far beyond samples and beats: incredible visuals, innovative and creative sound design, plugin development through Atrumlab, creative agency work with hive, and a personal brand that feels more like a creative studio than a single individual.
At a time where a myriad of producers are competing for placements using the same sounds and strategies, Flames has carved out his own lane by treating creativity as a full ecosystem. One where music, visuals, branding, technology, and lifestyle all move together.
In this conversation with WAVS, he talks about the making of “Face The Flame,” his obsession with simplicity in music, the importance of content creation, building businesses outside of production, and why he never wants to be defined by a single role.
“Mission.drums“ by flames
Q: For people discovering you for the first time, who’s Prodbyflames? Where are you from, how long have you been making music, and what originally pulled you into production?
prodbyflames: My name is Artem Murashov. I’m originally from Moscow, but right now I travel a lot, so honestly I’d rather say I’m from Planet Earth lol. I’ve been interested in music since childhood. My older brother used to put me on to a lot of MTV-era music like Blink-182, Sum 41, Good Charlotte, and a lot of other 2000s music, definitely, prodbyflames wouldn’t exist without my older brother’s geeked-out music taste that originally sparked my passion for music. I was inspired by the soundtracks from Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater games, Kurt Cobain and that’s what got me into playing guitar, covering songs, and just experimenting with music as a kid. But at that time, it wasn’t really serious..
I also wasn’t really into hip-hop at first. Then one of my friends in school showed me A$AP Rocky and Tyler, The Creator, and I remember thinking, “yo, this sounds completely different from Tupac Shakur and old-school hip-hop.” That’s when I really started diving deep into hip-hop and trap music.
Around 2020–2021, I started taking production seriously. I spent way more time making beats, uploading youtube type beats consistently, and really grinding every day. And around 2024, I started posting content seriously for the first time and really began building my personal brand.
Q: You just landed a placement on Yeat’s new album ADL with “Face The Flame”, a track that also features NBA Youngboy and Grimes. That’s a pretty stacked lineup on a high-profi le project. Can you share the story behind the sample and how that track came together? When did you make it, how did it fi nd its way to Yeat, and when did you actually fi nd out it was on the album?
prodbyflames: To be honest, I wasn’t really grinding super hard for this one — it just came from the universe. I wasn’t even a huge fan of Yeat before. I knew about him, of course, but I really started listening to him after Dangerous Summer because of the production, and I genuinely enjoyed that album.
I connected with Sapjer and started sending ideas for ADL. It was a really cool experience, but nothing from that ended up coming out. Then one day, Jarel DM’d me with some samples, and I was like, “yo, this guy only has 500 followers but already got an old Yeat placement.” I was thinking, okay, let’s make something happen.
I started sending samples to him, and the idea for “Face the Flame” was one of them. Jarel finished the idea and eventually sent it to the album. When management reached out to me, I was like, “yo tf, is this real?” It was nighttime for me in Bali, and I woke up early and literally screamed while my girl was sleeping. I was super excited and honestly couldn’t believe it, especially because I had been listening to Yeat a lot during autumn and winter. Me and my girl were bumping Dangerous Summer all autumn.
The universe gave me this chance, and I’m really grateful to be on this album alongside some of the most creative producers in the scene.
Co-produced by Flames
Q: Let’s get into the sauce. What does your processing chain look like? What are some go-to instrument and eff ect VSTs you keep coming back to, and is there a technique or workflow habit you’d recommend that could instantly level up another producer’s sound?
prodbyflames: I believe it’s super important to keep music simple and leave space for another person to bring something into the song. Even as an artist, you need to create space for the listener to sit with you in that mood, those emotions, that atmosphere. I’ve always felt like that’s one of the most important parts of making music.
Usually, I start with really simple synth ideas. Right now, I use Analog Lab or Diva, sometimes the Moog One. After that, I throw Warmtone on it, record it into the playlist, and then start chopping, flipping, and layering everything.
For sampling, I mainly use Serato Sample. I think you can find a few cool guides about sampling on my Instagram. I’ve spent a lot of time studying old breakdowns from J Dilla, Ye sample breakdowns, No I.D., The Alchemist, Just Blaze and Pharrell Williams, trying to learn those sampling techniques and apply them to my own projects.
My go-to VST plugins right now:
— Diva by u-he
— Nudistort
— Fermenter
— Soundtoys bundle
— Serato Sample
To be honest, I love limitations. Right now there are so many tools, services, AI systems, samples, and plugins everywhere, but at the end of the day, the most important thing is still creating something awesome from the same resources everyone else has access to.
That’s why lately I’ve been turning more toward samplers and focusing on making music that I personally enjoy because of the ideas behind it — not just because of the VSTs or technical tricks.
Q: Something that really sets you apart is the way you promote your work. The aesthetics, the promo videos, the whole way you build hype around a release, it all feels very intentional. How impactful has the visual side been for you, and how much of your time actually goes into it compared to the sample making? Do you have any advice for producers who feel like they’re making great music but can’t seem to get anyone to hear it?
prodbyflames: I think being a content creator is a huge part of who I am. I really enjoy inspiring people around me. At some point, I realized that in music, a lot of things are outside of your control — you never know which song is going to drop, how many beats you’ll sell, or what’s going to happen next. That’s why I shifted from only sending beats to small artists and started building my personal brand instead. I wanted to control the final product myself, create things that I genuinely love, and share them with the community. And honestly, I really love doing it.
At this point, content creation probably takes even more time than making music itself. But the reality is, if you don’t make content, nobody will even know your music exists. I remember the days when I was grinding hard, making 10 beats a day, sending them out to artists, and still not selling anything.
That’s why I feel like I’ve found the right balance now between content, business, and music. I still genuinely enjoy making beats every day, while also growing my brand, making money, and building awareness around what I do.
For younger producers, I’d definitely recommend learning adjacent creative skills alongside music to help find your audience and create additional income streams. The producer journey is very long, and it’s honestly tough to go through it broke and burned out. Skills like VFX, AI, 3D, graphic design, and content creation can help you build connections, make money, and open opportunities while you’re still building your career as a producer.
from left to right: “operation.ghosts“; “underb.“; “dod.“
Q: Your catalog spans both sample packs and drumkits, which serve pretty different purposes for producers. What’s the thinking behind doing both? Do you approach them differently when you sit down to make them, and is one of these formats currently more important to your career than the other?
prodbyflames: I started selling drum kits because making beats has always been my main thing. Over time, I got deeper into drum machines, nerdy kits, vintage gear, old games, and all that type of stuff. I got tired of hearing the same trap drums everywhere and wanted to bring cool, unique drums back into the spotlight. That was the first real inspiration behind making my own drum kits. Right now, though, I’ve been putting more time into creating melodies and learning new things. I never like staying in one lane for too long — I like challenging myself and reaching new heights creatively. Plus, I believe that if you want to land more songs with artists, it’s usually easier to do that with samples than with drums alone. I’m still continuing to work on both sides while staying true to my creative vision. You’ll probably never hear me talk about spending three hours making one sample with a hundred VSTs and complicated stuff. I’m still focused on creating simple, catchy ideas that feel good and connect with people.
Q: You’re as multi-faceted as it gets, so naturally, you’re building a couple of other things at once aside from just making music. Could you tell us more about your other ventures: namely atrum lab and hive vision?
prodbyflames: I’m always surprised when people tell me I’m multi-faceted, but to be honest, it’s just super organic for me. I’ve always thought that I’m not ONLY a producer. I’m heavily inspired by Ye, and that’s definitely one of my biggest inspirations. I love the idea that one day I could become an Apple creative director or smth like that.
Right now, I’m involved in many projects, but if we’re talking about Atrumlab, we’re already prepared to drop our first VST plugin, and we’re continuing to expand our collection of plugins soon. This is definitely the next generation of plugins — in terms of visuals, technology, and creative vision for effects. Follow us and stay tuned.
About hive — I’ve been building it for the past few months behind the scenes. Our team has been creating a lot of community-focused content, as well as content and creative work for brands. We specialize in content creation, 3D, ad creatives, and much more.
I truly believe content is a huge part of the producer community right now and one of the most important things in social media culture. We’re seeing a lot of content creators earning more than actors, athletes, and others, and that’s definitely something I want to be involved in for the next few years.
WARMTONE, the brand new VST by Atrumlab
Q: What’s next for prodbyflames? What does the rest of this year look like, and how do you see the next three to fi ve years shaping up? Are you planning on staying mostly in the things you’re currently building, or there’s even more crazy ideas you haven’t yet gotten a chance to explore?
prodbyflames: To be honest, I’ll definitely keep releasing packs, kits, content, and continue working with more artists. But at the same time, it’s really important for me to actually live life too. I’m not 18–20 anymore where my whole routine is only about chasing placements every single day.
I travel a lot, play tennis, do yoga, mental training, and I’m always trying to learn new skills and experience new things. This year I started scuba diving, and I absolutely love it. I’m going to keep expanding my businesses while also maintaining balance between life, family, sports, and creativity.
Music production is definitely a long-term career, and I think it’s important to keep your life beautiful and actually enjoy every single day of it.
I think sports are a huge part of who I am. I used to ski professionally in school for almost 10 years, and I still carry that athlete mindset and discipline into everything I do today. I’ll always keep challenging myself from different angles and pushing myself into new spaces.
And if we’re talking about crazy ideas I haven’t explored yet — I always loved when Ye said that people only judge you based on what you did in the past. I love the idea of surprising people with completely new chapters in my future. Honestly, I could see myself becoming a movie producer or even a screenwriter one day. I’ve even thought about studying it in Hollywood in my 30s.
So I just hope people never put themselves — or others — into a box based on limited expectations. I truly believe anyone can become anything they want.
loadout by flames
sample the prodbyflames catalog here.
