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<font color="#84be46">20+ years</font> as a Boom Bap/Lofi producer making beats, collaborations, and remixes

20+ years as a Boom Bap/Lofi producer making beats, collaborations, and remixes

The thing about making music is that it’s never been about it being a profession. I’ve never wanted to make a living doing beats. This was “mine”. I didn’t want anyone else to have any influence over my creativity when making music, and I always felt the moment you ‘needed’ to make music for the industry, but the day you compromised your vision to make your music more palatable to an audience. That’s the day the music wasn’t truly yours anymore. 

Even though I fell in love with Hip-Hop the moment I first heard ‘Rock Box’ by Run DMC, the beat-making bug didn’t get me until I heard the influx of gangster rap on the West Coast around the late 80’s. That’s when I started experimenting with making pause-mix loops with a dual cassette deck boom box (the process of recording a loop and then pausing the recording to rewind and continuing to record the same loop over and over until it was extended for 2-3 minutes). Later I added other elements on top of the loop using additional tape decks and a turntable.. each time adding more and more complexity to my beats. As the years went on, my musical tastes expanded allowing me to experiment with new genres just as Trip Hop, Neo Soul, and Jazz. These days my style rests somewhere between Lofi and soul music, but I’m always experimenting and playing with my sound.. ever-evolving to take my creative process to places I haven’t been yet. 

Musical Influences

In the realm of hip-hop production, the Boom Bap Era serves as an wellspring of inspiration, shaping the very essence of my craft. From the soulful grooves of J Dilla to the gritty beats of DJ Premier, each luminary leaves an indelible mark on my sonic journey. Their meticulous drum programming, sample selection, and innovative techniques ignite a fervor within me to push creative boundaries relentlessly. Like Pete Rock’s timeless melodies or Apollo Brown’s raw authenticity, I strive to imbue my productions with depth, emotion, and nostalgia. In their legacy, I find not just influences, but a guiding light towards musical transcendence.

Beats + No Verses (Instrumentals)

Since the early 80s, crafting beats has been my soul’s melody, resonating with the rhythm of life. From the gritty streets of urban landscapes to the global stage, my journey as a hip-hop producer has been a symphony of passion and perseverance. Each beat, a brushstroke on the canvas of my existence, tells a story of resilience, innovation, and artistic evolution. Through vinyl crackles and digital waves, I’ve sculpted soundscapes that echo the pulse of generations. With every beat, I breathe life into dreams, inspiring others to find their voice in the cadence of creativity, forever chasing the melody of possibility.

Beats + Verses (Collaborations)

Producing music collaboratively with a group of talented artists is an incredible experience. Working with talented artists like Aarophat, Doyle Robinson, and the Cross Country Collective is akin to world-building: creating something from an idea.. Each artist brings a unique sonic palette, enriching the sound and making each song their own. Through collaboration, I get to touch on different individual boundaries and styles. I am reminded that music is not just about the notes we play, we amplify each other’s voices, weaving a tapestry of sound that reverberates with the power of unity and artistry.

Frequent collaborators

RE:Beats + Verses (Remixes)

One of the best ways to keep yourself sharp on production is by doing remixes of your favorite songs. There’s something about adding your flavor to existing songs and hearing how you would interpret their work.