Castlederg musician overcomes hearing loss to release new album

Acclaimed Castlederg-born musician and producer Deci Gallen has recently released a new album ‘The Dance Hall’ under the name of LMINL.

Known for his work with previous project The Jane Bradfords and composing music for TV shows like ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ and ‘Hollyoaks’, Deci faced a new challenge during the recording process – a severe hearing impairment caused by an intracochlear schwannoma in his right ear, leaving him almost completely deaf.

Despite this, Deci finished the album with the help of modern technology, using EQ mapping to adjust frequencies based on his hearing loss.

The album is deeply personal, featuring samples from his childhood home in Castlederg and an abandoned piano from a local dance hall that inspired the album’s themes of youth and nostalgia.

He said, “I had already experienced hearing impairment in my left ear before 2022.

“But I visited and ENT consultant and they discovered a small tumour in my right ear called an intracochlear schwannoma, which then caused my go completely deaf in my right ear.”

With very little hearing left, Deci said that he found it very difficult to finish the album, but thanks to modern music technology, he figured out a way in which he could work around it.

“Using hearing tests, I mapped my hearing loss in an EQ in Logic Pro,” he explained.

“This allowed me to boost the frequencies missing in my left ear to get a more balanced sound.

“I started running my projects in mono, as I have no stereo sound perception and my studio is now tailored to my hearing loss – which I imagine is an aural night to a person with normal ears.”

Deci was surprised to learn that his hearing loss was not connected to many years of performing live music or working as a producer and DJ.

“Even though the music wasn’t to blame, I was advised to stop performing live, however, this freed me up to work exclusively in the studio which is important to me.

“Music is such a safe place for me. Due to the hearing loss, I can struggle sometimes in social situations, but when I’m in the studio, I feel content.”

Having finished the new album in late 2023, it was released last Friday.

Deci explained how his native roots in Castlederg inspired the sound of the album.

“The whole process started during lockdown,” he explained.

“I grew up in an old parochial house just outside Castlederg and there was an old parish dance hall next door.

“With the album exploring such themes as youth and growing up, I wanted to do something to honour those memories of that old dance hall.

“There was an old, battered piano that lay abandoned in the hall that I used to always play around with as a kid, so for the album I decided to sample the sound of it, as well as various other sounds from things linking back to my childhood.

“I also sampled an old music box that was given to my mum on her wedding day that not only provided sounds, but became the album cover.”

Deci said that this was his first time making music about this period in his life.

“Being apart from my family during lockdown was tough and I found myself longing for those memories of where I grew up,” he said.

The album includes guest vocals from Ché Aimee Dorval and Andrew Wilson.

“Andrew is my ears these days and helps a lot with mixing in the studio,” Deci said.

“Having people like that who can advise and help out to that extent isn’t something that I take for granted.”

Even though performing live is no longer an option for the Tyrone musician, he still has a special event planned to celebrate the release of the album.

“On November 7, I will be celebrating the album’s release in the Oh Yeah Centre, Belfast as part of their new listening event, ‘Bonded’.

“It will be hosted by Stephen McCauley from the BBC and will include a listening party, plus a conversation and Q&A session with myself in a relaxing atmosphere.

“For someone in my position, having experienced hearing loss, an event like this is huge for me and I’m really looking forward to it.”

l ‘The Dance Hall’ by LMINL in available now on all major streaming services and via www.bandcamp.com.