We might be going out on a limb here, but it feels like 2011 was the first time hip-hop producers started being considered “artists” in their own right. That is, not just as producers, but as actual musicians. For decades hip-hop instrumentalists have played behind the scenes roles in the creation of rap songs, resulting in the rapper gaining all the praise. This past year though, producers have stepped out from behind their laptops and into the limelight. Artists like Clams Casino, Lex Luger, and Araabmuzik have changed the way people view rap music in general, sticking to a specific style and building off it relentlessly. Producers have always been essential parts in the creation of good hip-hop songs, it’s just that they never really attained the gratitude they deserved until this past year. There’s now a lane open for hip-hop producers to strive out and become their own entities, as well as gain recognition/fame for their beats without the need of an MC.
With that said, one of our absolute favorite hip-hop producers to pop up in 2011 was without a doubt Friendzone. This Bay Area duo consisting of James Laurence and Dylan Reznick made major waves early last year with the release of their Perfect Skies EP, a collaboration project with fellow Oakland-ites, rap group Main Attrakionz. On the EP, James and Dylan lace together ambient piano melodies with blissed-out synhts and air harp plucks, creating the perfect canvas for Squadda and Modre’s light-footed flows to flourish in. Friendzone’s instrumental work is instantly captivating, each song built off a visceral, raw emotion that is felt rather than heard.
Since then, Friendzone has continued to impress, releasing a grip load of one-off production pieces on their Soundcloud pageas well as curating a beat tape entitled Kuchibiru Network 2 that garnered nods from bigwigs such as The Fader, Mishka Bloglin, and Nah Right. Recently, we got in touch with the duo and talked to them about everything from their musical upbringing, to they’re thoughts on the Bay Area music scene, to what they make of hip-hop’s newfound love for producers. The dudes were also kind enough to put together a little mixtape for us featuring songs that have had an influence on the creation of Friendzone over the years. Check out the mix and interview right after the jump.
Hit the jump to check out LFTF’s exclusive interview and mixtape with Friendzone:
Gracie is a dog walker from Philadelphia. He’s a jokester, picking fun with those he loves. He’s modest, afraid to brag in the most appropriate of situations. He’s pensive, diving deep in thought when valued opinions are desired.
His music is a bleeding version of R&B. A general feeling of uneasiness creeps under a more saturated layer of comfort carried by smooth and warm vibes. It’s haunting at times, but brilliantly satisfying.
Listening is not intended to merely pass time, rather his music demands attention. Colorful subtleties are rampant and the sonics are mystifying. At its worst, his music is captivating. At its best, his music is otherworldly.
Hit the jump for LFTF’s exclusive interview with Gracie:
Producers who can fuse attributes of rap and R&B into the sounds of progressive electronic music will always have a soft spot in the hearts of LFTF, and right now, there’s no one doing it better than Sinjin Hawke. Releasing a considerable amount of–mostly free–material through the waves of his Soundcloud over the past year, the Montreal producer has found a nice little niche for himself: turning traditionally non-club jams into dancefloor killers.
In preparation for his debut imminent dropping on Pelican Fly this November, Sinjin recently released this amazing eight-track compilation for the blog Truants of signature bootlegs he’s created over the past year. The collection of tunes shows off the producer’s versatility as well as his skill, morphing together a collage of music and sounds into eclectic club anthems. Along with the bootlegs, we spoke with the man himself about the compilation and his inspirations behind it.
Tell us a little about your roots. Did you grow up listening to hip-hop and r&b songs like the ones you’ve remixed?
Unfortunately, Khaled, Flocka and The-Dream weren’t really around at the time but I remember having a few Brandy cassettes when I was growing up. From the age of 10 onwards I was listening to a lot of R&B and rap…a lot of Nas, Wu-Tang and MOP. I also got into some more hip-hop stuff like Gangstarr, Little Brother and some stuff coming from Def Jux and Stones Throw. I guess you could say that I was all over the map with my ‘urban’ tastes, but I was always way more focused on the instrumental and rhythmic aspects of the music then the lyrics or meanings behind the songs.
Hit the jump to check out the rest of our interview with Sinjin Hawke
The night after we scored an interview with Teen Daze at the club/lounge Bardot in Miami’s Art District, the UK’s Star Slinger decided to show face for a rocking set. The crowd showed up by the hundreds to pack themselves into Bardot’s cozy space and was in for a wild night.
Inevitably, Star Slinger’s set turned into a giant dance party. Darren encouraged everyone to get close and surround his DJ booth, which at first the crowd seemed a little apprehensive about… but it didn’t stop them from doing it no more than two songs in.
Jonathan and Darren spoke about David Beckham, Gold Panda, and French artists.
Hit the jump for LFTF’s exclusive interview with Star Slinger:
Thursday night, Jonathan had an opportunity to spend some time with Vancouver’s Teen Daze in Miami, Florida before his show at Bardot. Bardot was a wonderful space for his type of swirly, dreamy, and dancy tunes. The bar/lounge has a very warm feel to it. There are huge couches on either side of the stage and ornate rugs padding the floor. The lighting is dim and warmly colored with reds, blues, and non-blaring greens. The walls are lined with wood cabinets that house various bottles of liquor and a few books and cups. And there’s also a pool table. All these little details contribute to the ambience of the venue. It felt very homely and connected you to the artist even though he may have been in his own world.
Teen Daze’s set consisted of a lot of new material, which he will briefly explain in the interview below. It made for an interesting evening as Jonathan had little to no idea as to what he was actually playing. At the same time, however, it made the evening very special. Teen Daze was in his element, feeding off the energy of the tightly packed crowd. There wasn’t time to necessarily stop and listen because no one knew exactly what to listen for. As a result, his set was thoroughly enjoyable. It gave an opportunity to those who didn’t know his music to watch and listen to him play, and for those who did know his music to watch him work and hear new material.
Before the show, however, Jonathan sat down with him to talk about his records, the United States’ political woes, and the Stanley Cup.
Hit the jump for LFTF’s exclusive interview with Teen Daze:
Now we could go into an over the top explanation of what Oddlogic–the Brooklyn-based multi-instrumentalist and producer–sounds like, but we think his Facebook “About” section says it all: “I make music out of strange noises.” Oddlogic is the creative monster behind Alexander Gohorel, a 19-year-old beat wizard who over the past year has taken the online beat scene by storm. Known for his eclectic remixes and unique mixing style, Oddlogic builds low end heavy beats into chopped & screwed, rhythmically unstable patterns that ebb and surge along with an underlying pulse. As the brainchild behind his own label Outlier Recordings, Oddlogic has already earned himself a great deal of respect at such a young age, releasing five separate albums through Outlier this past month alone. Recently, we asked Oddlogic if he would lend his beat wizardry to making an official LFTF mix. He agreed, and the result we got was 35 minutes of ENTIRELY original material. Stream/download it now below, and hit the jump to check out our exclusive interview with the man.
We’ve posted quite a bunch of Com Truise. He welcomingly came out of nowhere with a bizarre sound focused on laser-like synths, forceful drums, and warm composition. The more we heard from sci-fi nerd Seth Haley, the more we approved. He has a very unique style that, when broken down into its essential parts, any struggling or self-respecting musician could learn a thing or two about the art of crafting an excellent track. Haley is what we like to call an electronic composer. Electronic obviously because everything he uses is sample-based and his set-up is a bunch of pads and synths. Composer, on the other side, is used to describe his style. Similar to the way great classical composers of their time wrote music for separate parts that when combined would create orchestral sounds unrivaled by any style of music, Com Truise takes a myriad of self-designed tones and bleeps and artfully places them together to create an orchestra of sorts. A modern-day orchestra, if you will, void of strings, brass, and woodwinds, but rich in melody, rhythm, and eclectic tones.
Jonathan had an opportunity to sit down with Com Truise just before his Fort Lauderdale show on July 12th. He had one day to prepare for this interview, so please forgive the crude camera work and difficult sound. The thumbnail for the videos is courtesy of Seth Haley, done exclusively for LFTF.
