My older cousin Robert introduced me to house music when I was about 12 years old. He stood me on one of his record crates and showed me how to mix two records together. This was in the early 90s and the rave scene was really taking off in the underground. G Style, one of my best friends, had an older sister named Danielle who was a raver. She would bring home mixtapes from DJ Jeno and other interesting cassette tapes. My friend and I would listen to every track and try to figure out how they produced them. I was also drawn to music through groups like The Pharcyde, Morcheeba, Orbital and Boot Camp Clik.
Listening to your music we can tell you love incorporating interesting new sounds and techniques within each track! What inspires you to experiment and evolve?
When I started I depend a lot on the computer and doing things in the box simply because it was so convenient. These days I’m really inspired by playing with hardware synthesizers, drum machines and sequencing things with MIDI and CV cables. It really keeps things interesting and I get a lot more “happy accidents” that lead to new and exciting ideas in the studio.
I have to say traveling and going to hear music in different countries has really been inspirational as well. there’s something really inspiring about seeing how other DJs and producers do their thing in different parts of the world. Brunch in The Park in Barcelona, ADE in Amsterdam just to name a couple.
It seems like you already found your signature sound Do you have any tips for upcoming musicians that can’t seem to find their own sound?
I guess you have to 1st figure out what you like. Find those moments in music that really inspire you whether it’s in the car or you’re at a concert. Think about the song that gave you the chills when you heard it. Then do some thinking about what you wanna share what you wanna put out and try to bring that emotion and that level of joy to what you’re making.
Like anything else there’s going to be a lot of swings and misses. There is going to be some frustration and there is going to be a lot of tracks that you just don’t want to share but be willing and open to push through those boundaries and continue to create. If you spend enough time doing this and putting in the work you will find your sound.
Your track “Waiting For The Sun” is your best track in our opinion! From its artwork to the Incredibly powerful sound we absolutely love it. Could you tell us more about the story behind this track? Also, what is your creative process like?
Thank you!
My process usually starts with the drums. Then the bass line. Those two have to relate to each other very well. They have to go hand-in-hand. The song needs to be able to stand up solely on the drum beat and the baseline. After that I typically gravitate to a synth or some keys or something to give it a little life. Once I have the bass line, the drums and the keys down I find a sample that fits. In this case I found a sample by my dear friend Lokka Vox. She is incredibly talented singer from South Africa and I got a chance to hang out with her while she was here in the United States a few years back. Ever since I met her and we got to work together I just love sampling her voice because it has so much sonic quality.
What are your musical goals for the future?
I really want to put out an album and have been working on one this year. I really want to get to the UK and spin with my label mates over at Krafted. The great DJ and producer Paul Sawyer was one of the first people to believe in my sound and that was a big push to keep coming with these beats. I also want to get back to Ko Phangan with my DJ hero Jourdan Bordes. He’s down with this incredible party called Jungle Experience and I’m dyin’ to get back to the island and play tunes in the jungle.
What do you have planned for the coming months? Any upcoming projects we can get excited about?
Our music crew/artist collective Delta Funk is finally launching our label. We will be seeing some dope remixes and original tunes by some really heavy hitters in the industry. I will be focusing a lot of energy into that project in 2020 and it’s definitely going to be a big move in the right direction for our crew.
