duction tools but I just take a lot of inspiration from Radiohead , Kanye , and Travis [ Scott ] and his whole production side of things .
London Cyr : Yeah , for sure . That ’ s where I get the most inspiration from because all other genres have different elements that are unused in each other , as well as some similar ones that usually sound great when you blend them . I try to do that a lot in my production .
Prezident Jeff : That ’ s actually interesting that those two gentlemen do that . It ’ s almost like peering over your backyard fence , right ? But I ’ ll listen to a record like “ Nights Like This ” by Kehlani and Ty Dolla $ ign , right ? That record obviously leans more on the dark R & B end of things , but there ’ s so many pop sensibilities in that record , that every time I listen to a record like that , or something like that by , say , Dua Lipa or JoJo or anyone like that , the sound design element is there that is prevalent in hip-hop and all the crazy ideas , especially from the production end , but it ’ s the pop sensibilities that make those records go . I always ask myself , like , “ Dang , how do you guys know when enough is enough ?”
You ’ re saying like , “ How do you guys know when not to go too far in certain areas ?” It ’ s one of those things where it ’ s really innate , unspoken , and really hard to teach . It ’ s just one of those things that you either just need to do the sheer work , doing something over and over again , or you just get it and you just have the ear for that stuff .
Taabu : In my opinion , great music is great music , regardless of style or genre . I listen to a ton of EDM , dubstep , and reggae day to day ; Skrillex is one of my favourite producers . The textures , sound design , and drum production in EDM is so inspiring to me . If I ’ m looking for groove , depth , and lyricism , I ’ ll look to Bob Marley or Pressure . If I ’ m looking for a massive , powerful , organic production , I ’ ll turn to country artist Eric Church . If I ’ m looking for simple , catchy , and musical , I ’ ll look to Bobby Darin or Frank Sinatra . I love the scales and instrumentation of Middle Eastern music ; I ’ ll turn to Indian pop artist Diljit Dosanjh or Soltan to explore those realms . If I need to hear massive guitars and cannons for drums , I ’ ll turn to Emmure or Bring Me the Horizon . I pull from reggae , EDM , metal , pop , country , folk , hip-hop , and R & B tracks and funnel all those diverse genres into something with my favourite elements from each . Genre blending is a huge part of my production style .
PS : Do you feel you have your own identifiable sound ? If so , how would you describe it and what production tools and / or inspiration are at the root of it ?
David Strickland : I think so but I don ’ t know . I don ’ t try to sound a certain way and then I don ’ t try to sound the same way all the time . So , it ’ s hard to say if I have a sound . Other people could answer that better .
I think it would be cool if I did have a sound . You know , like Bobby Digital when he did all that Shabba Ranks stuff . Or , you know , that certain OVO sound or Erick Sermon and the Def Squad stuff . I don ’ t know , man ! I would be so humbled if I did but I don ’ t put myself up there like that .
FrancisGotHeat : A lot of people tell me I have a sound , which I guess is a good thing . It ’ s hard for me to put myself in that box , because I actually do like to jump around and do different genres . Like , I ’ ve done a couple rock records , some pop records , and all of that . So , I don ’ t have one sound that I put in every beat or everything . But I have a general vibe . I like very atmospheric sounds , big pads , and things like that . You know , very melodic but very simple at the same time , I like sounds like that and a lot of my beats are like that . So , I feel like I have a general vibe and feeling more so than actual sound .
London Cyr : People tell me a lot that they can always hear when it ’ s me and it “ sounds like me .” I would describe my sound as psychedelic and hard . There aren ’ t really any pro-
Prezident Jeff : I have a certain bounce that I bring to the table . Especially in the work that I do with Roy [ Woods ] on the R & B side . They ’ re a bit genre-bending , a lot of the records that we did . It ’ s not just straight-cut traditional R & B . So , I can say that we did some really genre-bending , left-field kind of stuff .
This is why it ’ s hard to get into the studio with artists , because with my approach , I ’ m not just sitting there at the piano playing keys and then we ’ re just writing a song together . From a sound design standpoint , I ’ m very heavy on textures and emotion . I draw a lot from myself emotionally and a lot of that DNA is found in my music . A lot of it is dark . I think over the last four or five years , I can definitely say I left my mark in that way . I think people want to hear myself .
Taabu : I definitely have an identifiable sound if I ’ m staying true to my creative instincts . I ’ d describe my sound as extremely rhythmic , energetic , danceable , emotional , extreme , and rule-breaking . Ableton Live is a tool I couldn ’ t create without . That DAW is a staple in my sonic identity before we even talk plug-ins . One of my biggest sources of inspiration is intense anxiety . I can ’ t seem to relax or sit still . My productions are undeniably representative of the polarity , intensity , emotion , and power that anxiety has . Combine this with a generous sprinkle of Skrillex , Bob Marley , Jack Soul , blink-182 , and Daft Punk at the root , and you ’ ve got the Taabu sound .
PS : Is there a particular sound you created for a specific song that stands out to you , maybe because it marked a turning point in your creative and technical development ?
David Strickland : I ’ ve done a lot that I forgot that I did . I wish I captured those moments . I wish we had social media back then in the ‘ 90s so that I could have captured some of the things that I ’ ve forgotten . Because I was going harder when I was younger and I was doing more sessions in my twenties , you know ? So , that ’ s a tough one . There ’ s so many songs and it ’ s hard to say .
But , I mean , off the top of my head , when I did “ Turtle Island ” [ off of the 2020 collaborative album Spirit of Hip-Hop ,] and I blended that . I wanted to try a style like that before – which was like powwow , step , dancehall , and hip-hop – and I didn ’ t have the right opportunity . But when Jordan came with that chorus , it kind of forced me to try it . So , when I tried that vibe , it was like a combination between myself and a friend of mine who ’ s a producer
36 PROFESSIONAL SOUND