Reggae , surf pop , rock , electronic music , and R & B were genres I had listened to before age 10 . After becoming obsessed with sounds , I produced and recorded relentlessly . If not daily , six out of seven days of the week for years I would work at it . That really helped me develop creatively ; doing it over and over and over again . From a technical standpoint , the Music Industry Arts program at Fanshawe College helped me understand audio so much better . But it wasn ’ t until I had mixed and / or produced 200- plus tracks , paired with extensive research , where I really started to understand what worked and didn ’ t work , technically .
CM : COVID protocols aside and thinking about “ normal ” times , how do you typically begin your work with an artist on a track ?
David Strickland : Sometimes I have a batch of beats and the artist will go through them and pick one out and we ’ ll go from there . But I do like to start from scratch . Ideally , be in the same room together and kind of get a vibe and make something fresh . And at the same time , that also makes them feel special . You know , batches are okay to go through , but there ’ s something about having a tailormade beat , you know what I ’ m saying ? So , I prefer we do that .
FrancisGotHeat : I love being in studio with an artist more than anything . More than email and definitely more than
Zoom and stuff . Usually , my theory – I know not everyone thinks like this – but when I make beats at home , I consider that practice for when I get into the studio so that I know what I ’ m doing . Whenever I ’ m with an artist , I always like to start from scratch . Always try to make a fresh idea with them and see where that goes . Usually they ’ ll try to record a hook or verse and then if it fits a vibe , we ’ ll keep building off that . But if not , we ’ ll just keep trying new ideas . I only start playing beats if they request me to play beats to get a vibe in the beginning , or if whatever I ’ m creating from scratch is not hitting , then I ’ ll be like , “ Okay , you know what , I also have these other ideas you might like .”
London Cyr : I usually like to go to the studio and create there , or start an idea at home before I go to the studio . During COVID , I was making beats with some of my friends on Zoom and it was cool , but I definitely prefer catching a vibe with the person I ’ m working with in real life .
Prezident Jeff : I prefer to work remotely . For example , a lot of people know me from my work with Roy Woods . A lot of those records were stuff where I made the beat at home and then we all meet up in the studio , either as the song is being done , or afterwards . So , that ’ s kind of the routine and the workflow that I really gravitate towards , because it works so well for me .
Working in-studio with our artists , I think it ’ s been a real hit or miss and I think that ’ s because I have to be really , really comfortable with that person to be able to throw stuff at the wall and see if it sticks and , if it doesn ’ t , not care that I might sound crazy . But Roy is one of those guys where I feel totally comfortable doing that . But even with him , it was just so much easier making all this stuff at home where I am my most creative and most free . And then it just helps the workflow go a lot quicker , too , because I can send a batch of like 10 or 15 beats , and then the next week have eight or nine records sent back to me .
Taabu : There are typically three ways workflow will manifest when working with or for an artist . The first way ; an artist will send me a phone-recorded acapella . I ’ ll then tap out the rough tempo , find the key , and start to produce around it . Then , there ’ s the , “ Let ’ s get in a room together and see what we can come up with .” This usually works well with artists that I consistently produce for ; I ’ m taking the lead , but they guide me to stay in line with their creative vision . Finally , I ’ ll sometimes produce something and send it out to one or more artists I think would be a good fit . Depending on the scenario , whether it ’ s a collaboration or I ’ m looking to place
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