ILLENIUM Shows How One Acapella Shaped ‘Feels Like You’

Electronic producer ILLENIUM has broken down the production behind Feels Like You, his collaboration with vocalist Ellie Dwyer from the album Odyssey. In the walkthrough, he explains how the entire arrangement revolves around Dwyer’s acapella, with every sound designed to support the vocal rather than compete with it.

Building the track around the vocal

ILLENIUM begins by playing the acapella on its own, describing it as a “beautiful” and “special” performance that immediately defined the direction of the track. Instead of filling the arrangement with heavy instrumentation, he focused on keeping the production restrained so the vocal remains the emotional center of the record.

Omnisphere layers shape the intro

The opening chords rely heavily on Omnisphere, which provides the main pluck heard in the intro. The patch handles the chord progression while additional Omnisphere layers fill out the harmonic background.

These elements create a warm, atmospheric foundation without drawing attention away from the vocal that follows.

A minimal chorus arrangement

When the chorus arrives, the production remains intentionally sparse. Instead of adding large stacks of synths, ILLENIUM keeps the instrumentation minimal to give the vocal space.

The main elements include a high-lead string sound alongside a simple stuttered pad created in Serum. The pad plays a tight 16th-note rhythm, adding movement without crowding the mix.

Familiar vocal chops in the drop

For the drop, ILLENIUM pulls a melodic idea directly from the chorus vocal and turns it into a vocal chop. This creates a sense of familiarity for the listener while allowing the drop to evolve with new variations and switch-ups.

Letting the vocal lead the production

Throughout the breakdown, ILLENIUM emphasizes that the track works because the production never tries to overpower the vocal. Instead, every layer—from the Omnisphere chords to the Serum pad—exists to frame Ellie Dwyer’s performance.

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