Q-Tip And Illa J Performing At “One Won’t Do” PT 2 J-Dilla Tribute
January 31, 2011
For the unofficial start of J-Dilla month Q-Tip, T-3 and Illa J will be performing on Thursday February 3, 2011 at DROM. Mick Boogie and DJ Metaphysic on the wheels. $15 in advance/$20 at the door.
DROM, 85 Avenue A (b/w 5th and 6th st.)
Doors at 8pm
Producer CHOPS On Making “The Creep”
January 31, 2011
On Saturday those fools from Lonely Island dropped another viral gem with Nicki Minaj called “The Creep.” The sample-free backdrop for the hilarious stalker hand-book, monster mash was produced by beatsmith CHOPS.
“It was the kind of thing where my manager sent them a gang of stuff and that one just clicked,” says the former member of Mountain Brothers who has laced beats for Bun B, Young Jeezy and Chamillionaire. “It really fits the topic of the song too. We knew that they picked the track but it wasn’t locked down that Nicki Minaj was gonna be on it til Wednesday.”
CHOPS, who uses a program called Nuendo to make his beats, says he’s been doing the TV music hustle for the past five years or so, but is no stranger to diversifying sources of income. Back in the day the Mountain Brothers won a radio contest for Power 99 in Philly where they recorded a Sprite commercial that was played nationally.
“There’s money in other avenues besides records,” he says. “Now that CDS are dying you really have to be creative and find different avenues if you want to make a living. It’s not all just album sales wise.”
His advice to new producers looking to get into TV is not to delete any beats. The beat for “Creep” was not the “newest track in the world” so you never know who will find interest in something you’ve created.
“I definitely feel fortunate. I’ve worked with people that are bigger, but they’ve never picked my joint to be the single. I’ve always had album cuts,” he says of Lonely Island, whose last single with Akon, “I just Had Sex,” has over 45 million views on Youtube. “We’ve talked about possibly more stuff with LI and of course I’d love to get some work in with Nicki Minaj. She’s one of the biggest out and not afraid to be herself and have fun with things.”
Check out the video for “The Creep” below:
Producer Double-O On Pros And Cons Of Sampling [VIDEO]
January 31, 2011
In the next part of Nodfactor.com’s interview with Kidz In The Hall’s Double-O he shares how he got started DJing and producing, then gives us the skinny on why the group strayed away from sampling on The Land Of Make Believe album.
DJing for me starts with the movie Juice and GQ in the bedroom with the fingerless gloves on not really scratching but scratching. Going back to watch that movie is hilarious because you’re like “was hat mixer even on?” [laughs] That whole vibe is just really what put me onto it. There were a couple of older cats that took me under their wing that let me open for them when they did backyard parties etc. It’s funny because during that whole time I was doing blends before they were known as mash-ups. I might throw Jodeci on a house record, mixing instrumentals with acapellas. That’s what happens when you only have one copy of a record, you gotta figure out how to use them in different ways. That was my initial foray into creating something newer than just playing a record.
My freshman year of college I met this kid Jeff that was a rapper from the Bay who wanted to do an album. He’d come over and play instrumentals and stuff. I worked at AT&T that summer doing data entry and I saved up for a DR-550 drum machine and an Optimus keyboard from Radio Shack. We had this extra room in our house and all of sudden it became a studio. I used this thing called a bursar card—don’t do this unless you’re going to pay your student loans back- that you could buy your books with. But they had a computer section and the computer section had Cubase and all this other [software]. So I bought all that for the computer too. But I had no clue what I was doing. I think the way I made my first beat-because I couldn’t make drums back then-I played a melody into the sampler, saved it, and then took a punk rock break that was on the drum machine and slowed it down from like 160bpms to 82bpms and it sounded like a Master P record. So I was like “yeah, this is doep.” For whatever reason I flipped the “Beverly Hills Cop” theme, I think it was the only thing I knew how to play on piano. Made a whole beat out of that. I only made three beats that whole year because the process was way too difficult. Never knew how to use midi, never knew how to use any of that stuff.
Then I saw this thing on line called the Yamaha QY70 all in one production…it was like $400. It had all the instruments in it and the sequencing was easy. Plus it was battery powered so I’d be sitting in class or at lunch banging out beats. Jeff and I were making a bunch of records on that.
Then I got an internship at Sony doing all the fun grunt work setting up Rodney Jerkins midi set-up and all that. That is where I cut my teeth actually learning the equipment. Somebody there was like “If you don’t know how to use an SP or an MPC then you’re not a real producer.” So me being stupid listened to them. So I was back there just learning how to chop stuff on the SP-1200 and the MPC because they had them there. I took a liking to the MPC-60II so when I went back to Philly 8th St. music had one. I had it on lay-a-way forever trying to get it out. I think I got it for like $800. I put down a $100 and returned some DJ equipment and then I borrowed a keyboard from my friend. I guess I really stole it cuz I never paid him for it. I was supposed to—Apologies. That was when I met Naledge and he came into what me and Jeff were doing. Our relationship built from there and became Kidz In The Hall years later.
But now his set-up has gone back to being more software based. Check out our clip of him discussing the pros and cons of sampling.
“Our biggest success (“Drivin Down The Block”) was with original records so going into the third album we said lets do an entire record without them. And I think that’s where we lost people, honestly…”
DJ Kool Herc Hospitalized, In Need Of Financial Help
January 30, 2011
According to Allhiphop.com, Hip-Hop pioneer Kool Herc was hospitalized and released for an unknown medical condition. DJ Premier announced it on his Sirius Satellite show stating that, “Kool Herc is very sick,” DJ Premier said. “For those that know about Hip-Hop, who we call the father of Hip-Hop, Kool Herc, is not doing well.”
Allhiphop.com founder Chuck Creekmur later tweeted that Herc was released from the hospital but was still in need of financial aid. DJ Premier offered the following address for those that wanted to help Herc with his medical bills.
Kool Herc Production
PO Box 20472
Huntington Station, NY 11746
Phoenix Releases “Heart” Instrumental EP [Download]
January 28, 2011
Fresh off the release of Home Team Phoenix of The Soundkillers is back with a project sure to shed light on the producer known for his dark, ominous tones. To many listeners “Heart” would appear to be a straight instrumental ep, there’s no singing or rapping, no spoken word, and there’s certainly no vocoder. What sets it apart from every other instrumental project you’ll hear this year is its free form design. It’s anti genre, artistic & expressive, a no boundary collective from the mind of Phoenix. For more information on Phoenix and what else he has in store this year check our recent Hydrosonics interview with him.
Download Heart
Chase N. Cashe-I Don’t Want Nothing [Download]
January 27, 2011
Here’s the lead track from Chase N. Cashe off his debut project Gumbeaux slated to drop this year. The tape will feature production from Hit-Boy, Rey Reel, DreamTeam Beats, and of course Chase N. Cashe himself. Download I Don’t Want Nothing here.
The DJ Premier Beat Kanye West Rejected
January 27, 2011
DJ Premier Blog released this as one of the beats Ye rejected. Apparently this was made when his project was supposed to be boom bap but even if thats the case couldn’t he have made a more updated sounding boom bap track? This sounds like a beat my man Rain could’ve made on his doctor sample in 99. Ha
DJ Nu-Mark Shows Off His Customized Musical Toys
January 27, 2011
FULL SCREEN
The Sounds of VTech / Nu Mark for VTech 
This is dope. It’s not often that producers give us an inside look, but Dj Nu-Mark showed us some of the vintage and new age toys he uses to for different sounds. Customized by Bruce Forat who is the industry go to guy for electrical customizations, Nu-Mark gets every toy done by him. Hopefully we’ll see a vid of him creating a beat with those toys.
Hydrosonics: Phoenix of The Soundkillers
January 26, 2011
While some may not be familiar with Phoenix you def know about his work if you’re a Curtis Jackson fan. He obtained his first big placement last year producing 50′s “Flight 187” and has jumped off this year with the posse cut “Home Team“. Now Phoenix prepares us for what else he’s got in store this year.
NF: Your first release of the new yr was a big one (Home Team features Wes Fif, Big K.R.I.T. Cyhi Da Prynce and The Dreamer) and it’s the lead track from your upcoming project “Tomorrow Today”. Can you provide more details on the project such as the meaning behind the title, other featured artists, and over all what we should expect with your first released compilation?
Phoenix: Something I always hear is “your music doesn’t sound like anything out.” So many people, both artists and producers seem to be content with just fitting in. My goal is always to stand out. While everyone is trying to copy what worked yesterday I’m trying to bring the music of Tomorrow to Today. So far I have a dope line up of up and coming artists who share that same mentality like Muffy , Ghostwidah, Pbze, Lil Friday plus signed acts like Bad Boy’s Jeremy Greene.
NF: I understand you have an instrumental project set to release this week titled “Heart” but its not the a-typical instrumental ep, how would you describe it?
Phoenix: Heart is a 100% expression. It’s me doing what I want with no filter.
NF: So what made you choose to create an ep that’s more musical expression than anything else?
Phoenix: Before I got started with Tomorrow Today and linked with those artist trying to stand out, I kept running into the same problem. I got tired of hearing “hey can you you make me a beat that sounds like *fill in the blank*”. Even worse was when I was told “man this is amazing but it doesn’t sound like anything out”, I’m like yea that’s the point. I decided to cut the middle man out and let my fans hear my art.
NF: Why not just release an ep of beats artists can rap to, wouldn’t that in theory have more reach or more impact?
Phoenix: Heart is more than just rap beats, if you’re a dope artist who doesn’t want to get on BMF part 12 then this is for you. The music stands on its own though and you can vibe out without that aid. I can’t tell you about theory though . I can only put out dope music I love and hope my fans agree.
NF: You were a solo producer before joining The Soundkillers, talk about the creative differences between being on your own and part of a team.
Phoenix: Our writer Dion Primo was just going in and wrote about 20 amazing songs in a week, no fillers. That got another dope writer/producer Shamtrax on his grind & he made some crazy records for his e.p (love + time= lessons) . Now I was working on a track when I heard those records but had to stop. I deleted everything I was working on and went back in. A good team will always remind you where the bar is and where it should be. Its easy to get comfortable where you are musically as a solo producer. Everybody on the team is pushing the envelope and putting out quality music consistently. When you see its a Soundkillers production you know what it is.
NF: What about business wise, how have things changed for you?
Phoenix: The networking is also a lot easier now, we all bring our relationships & contacts to the table and pool them together. Even if your the creative part of a team you always have to keep your business hat on. With that being said it’s great to have people around you with your best interest at heart , working as hard for the team as they do themselves . If one person on that team wins then our stock rises and we all win.
NF: I understand that “Flight 187″ was released prior to being the i-tunes bonus track, whats the story behind that?
Phoenix: I Almost had a heart attack. A few months prior to the leak I get a call from my manager saying 50 wanted that beat. That was something I worked on specifically for 50 back when he was working on “Curtis” so to get a chance to see my vision come together was amazing. About 4 months after that call I get an email from my manager saying check out ThisIs50. I don’t where the miscommunication happened but I log on and see a Tony YaYo video with the same beat. Not only was it just a mixtape track but the mix wasn’t right which is my number 1 pet peeve as a producer. I was angry the track leaked at first but I’ve dealt with this before and it’s something I’ve learned that you have to accept as part of of the game . I stayed positive because at the end of the day its still a look with a major artist . Luckily 50 still had a dope song he wanted the world to hear. I’m blessed he didn’t just scrap the record.
NF: What was your first reaction when you heard Royce had laid something down to your beat?
Phoenix: Mama I made it! I’ve been a huge Royce fan since Stretch Armstrong and Future Flavas was running Hot97. The gratification you feel from just getting a check for a beat can never compare to having someone that you’re truly a fan of show appreciation for your art.
NF: So we have “Heart” and “Tomorrow Today” scheduled for release, anything else that your a part of slated to come out this yr?
Phoenix: Definitely. Next up is Wes Fif’s “Golden Nights” e.p dropping in March. I’m going show the world its deeper than trap with Fif. We have Dion Primo’s project “H.O.M.E” coming soon. You can look out for the entire Soundkillers behind Jovi Rockwells e.p also this summer. In the meantime just Stay tuned to www.thesoundkillers.com/blog and we’ll keep blessing y’all with dope music.
NF: Any placements that have yet to be released?
Phoenix: I have a lot great things in motion with some big artists but I’ll leave it at that for now. I’ve learned It’s not placement until that checks clears. I’m not waiting for those placements to put out great music anymore though.
For more music from Phoenix and the rest of The Soundkillers you can visit the blog portion of their site here.
Reks “25th Hour” (Prod. By DJ Premier)
January 26, 2011
REKS “25th Hour” Produced by DJ Premier. Video Produced by Statik Selektah
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