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PS : 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 tailor-made 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 : 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 .
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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 phonerecorded 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 that piece , sometimes there are no changes to be made to tailor it , and sometimes there are 100 . It all depends , but that ’ s part of the fun !
PS : It ’ s interesting that in separate conversations recently , two old-school rockoriented producers , Daniel Lanois and Gavin Brown , both brought up the fact that they like listening to rap and R & B specifically because it ’ s so different from what they do , and so they find it interesting and inspiring . That got me wondering if you purposely listen to other stuff outside of rap and R & B for the same reason ?
David Strickland : Oh , totally . I ’ m always trying to try new stuff and I see what they ’ re saying . I actually know Gavin , but I haven ’ t seen him in forever . I met Gavin when he was producing Alexisonfire or something over at EMI and I was engineering over there at night . We were doing Ghetto Concept records all night , smoking the place out [ laughs ]. But those guys , there is a typical formula in those genres , right ? So , I see what they ’ re saying . Sometimes we tend to be unorthodox . Like for myself , lately I ’ ve been reversing stuff . Because I can ’ t sample , so I ’ ve been recording sounds and then reversing them and playing them . So , taking the sound , flipping it backwards , and playing that sound that I created because now it ’ s a new sound .
So , I ’ m trying new stuff because I ’ m not a classic musician , per se . I ’ m not a guitar player or a piano player . I call myself a hack because I can play everything because of MIDI .
FrancisGotHeat : Oh , most definitely ! You know already that rap is heavily sample-based , so a lot of inspiration comes from other genres and other songs .
I grew up listening to a lot of jazz . So , I still go back and listen to a lot of the jazz classics , like Charlie Parker or whoever . I listen to a lot of them still . Aside from that , honestly , when I ’ m by myself in the car or whatever , I hardly listen to rap music . It ’ s always like 1980s synth classics – just instrumental film scores – or Latin music like Gypsy Kings and all of that .
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David Strickland
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FrancisGotHeat
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London Cyr
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Prezident Jeff
Taabu
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PHOTO : ERNIE PANICCIOLI |