DO YOU TEND TO LIKE BEATS YOU BUILT YOURSELF
AS OPPOSED TO SAMPLED BEATS?
I like making a beat from scratch on
occasion, I don't always like them when their finished but when I do and then
other people are feeling it it's good. But I prefer sample based beats. I tend
to make beats from samples I have taken from soundtracks or scores of films I
might see late at night, sometimes other places I hear music playing. I hunt
the track down and usually know what I want to chop before I even have it.
WHO ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVE PRODUCERS?
Madlib is one of my favourite producers,
there is not a lot he has made that I don't like. I also really respect the
RZA. I would say the RZA is one of my favourite producers of all time. He has
created some of the most classic hip hop albums along with a philosophy that
helped to change things in the industry for the artist. Other producers I like
are flying lotus, Hudson Mohawke, DJ Premier, Hunchback Esquire, Dr Quandary,
Mark Aubert, 4-LOM and Ras G
HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN YOUR FINISHED WITH THE
BEAT?
I never do. I just get to a point where I
feel the sounds are complete-ish and stop. Every now and then I will go back
and add stuff later.
HAVE
YOU EVER MADE WHAT YOU FELT LIKE WAS A NIICE BEAT AND SOMEONE GOT ON IT AND DID
IT NO JUSTICE?
No I never felt like that really. I know
everyone I have ever worked with put 100% in. Even if I didn't feel what they
did.
DO YOU PREFER TO KEEP YOUR BEATS AS INSTRUMENTALS
OR DO YOU LIKE TO MAKE BEATS FOR OTHER ARTISTS?
I try to do both and keep them separate. But
most of the time the beats I think will be too weird for the MC's end up being
their favourite beats!?
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT NEWER EQUIPMENT VS THE
OLDER EQUIPMENT?
I make my beats using a lot of software on a
PC. I have used an MPC2000 in the past but found I preferred working with the
software for speed. But I have seen a lot of old drum machines used live and
that always looks and sounds a lot better then some dude starring at a laptop.
HOW DID YOU GET INTO PRODUCING/ ENGINEERING?
When I was young my Dad used to play me a lot
of records, he was a soul DJ when he was younger. That got me into record
collecting and then DJing, making beats was a natural progression from that.
WHO/WHAT INFLUENCES YOUR STYLE?
A lot of things but mainly my mood. It really
depends on what mood I'm in, I have been told in the past by a listener that
they can always guess what mood I was in when I made a certain beat. Apart from
that I would say other music, I hear different things all the time and I will
try to reverse engineer in my head what the producer must have done to create
certain sounds or effects.
WHO ARE SOME OF THE ARTISTS YOU HAVE WORKED
WITH SO FAR?
I have worked with a few different rappers
from all parts of the world. I have created beats or remixes for the likes of
NYOIL, Animal Nation and 101 from Biomecca in the past. At the moment I make a
lot of beats and work with an MC called IZ-REAL from ATL, we have worked
together on at least a dozen different projects now and we are currently
working on new stuff at the moment which is sounding dope. Another rapper I
have worked with for around 5 years now is Ethiks from TX. He has just released
a new album called "A Day Without Computers" which features a couple
of tracks of mine.
WHAT IS SOMETHING YOU WANT PEOPLE THAT AREN'T
FANS OF YOUR MUSIC TO KNOW ABOUT YOU?
The early bird gets the worm but the second
mouse gets the cheese!?
WHO TAUGHT YOU ONE OF THE MOST VALUABLE
LESSONS IN LIFE?
My old boxing coach. Determination.
IF YOU COULD CHANGE 1 THING ABOUT YOUR LIFE
WOULD YOU? WHAT WOULD IT BE? AND WHY?
I would change nothing I enjoy the ride too
much.
WHAT ARE YOUR TOP 5 MOVIES?
Ohhh that's too difficult. Some of my
favourites are, Ichi the Killer, L'Haine, Sexy Beast, Goodfellas, Casino, Pulp
Fiction, Jackie Brown, dog day afternoon, platoon, the shinning, the vikings,
the outlaw josey wales.....
IF
YOU COULD PICK 3 ARTISTS PAST OR PRESENT TO WORK WITH WHO WOULD YOU PICK?
Notorious B.I.G, Beth Gibbons and Raekwon.
WHAT ARE 3 THINGS YOU CANT LIVE WITHOUT?
I would have to say music obviously, then
food and then green........tea.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR STYLE COOL
LAID BACK, INYOUR FACE, CONSCIOUS?
I would say I can be pretty cool and laid
back most of the time and when it comes to certain things in life I am learning
to be more and more like that. But I do have a short fuse and have been known
to lose it on occasion.
WHEN DID YOU REALIZE YOU LOVED MUSIC MORE
THAN THE AVERAGE PERSON?
When I was around 9-10 years old I realised
that I listened to and knew of a lot more music then most of the kids my age
and most of the ones in the year above me. When most kids were still listening
to kids stuff I was listening to the prodigy and rave mix tapes. I always felt
most people around me didn't appreciate music in the same way I did and could
never understand why they didn't love music like me?
HOW DOES THE BEAT COME TO YOU? I KNOW SOME
PRODUCERS SAMPLE BUT LIKE YOUR OWN ORIGINAL BEAT HOW DOES IT COME TO YOU?
It usually comes as an urgent need or energy
to create. That is how most of my most popular beats were made, I usually find
a loop or a sound which sparks an idea and it all starts from there.
