Your career is an intertwined mix of the coolest hip-hop and jazz that I've seen, going back to when you were really young, right?
Yeah, for sure.
Your dad being a keyboard player, you must have been immersed in music as a kid?
Definitely. I've been around music since I can remember anything. That inspired me to cross these genres and do what I do. I listened to a lot of classical music. I was introduced to [Ludwig van] Beethoven and Maurice Ravel, jazz, funk, and so much music. He was definitely a music enthusiast.
What did your dad think of hip-hop when that started coming around?
He loved it. I played him the first 45 that I bought that was a hip-hop record: The Fat Boys "Stick 'Em." It was all beatboxing on that, and they used effects with the beatboxing. It blew his mind. He was like, "This is innovative. This is the next sound right here." It was funky; the syncopation and the rhymes. It was special. You can hear the forward motion of where hip-hop will go, and it's still evolving.
What sent you toward drums as your primary instrument?
That was just the instrument I gravitated to when I was seeing my dad rehearse with bands. Even seeing the wood chips fly from the stick playing hard, I was just like, "This is it, man." That's what made people dance. I DJ as well. Being the sole controller of people grooving is a special gift. That puts people in a beautiful place. It's therapy for so many. Drums can live by themselves and start a party. That's what I always loved about them.
True. What were your earliest recordings? I know you've mentioned making loops as a young kid. What were you using?
Oh, Casio keyboards, tape players, pause and record, and however I could get it done at the time. I moved to New York in 1995, and '96 is when I bought my first drum machine, the Akai MPC3000. That was special.
Had that been on your list for a while?
It hadn't been. I asked my friend, "What's everyone using? What's the easiest way to make beats where it's flawless and effortless? I need a workflow that is easy, as I deal with the ideas that are coming." He mentioned that. I feel like Native Instruments' [Play Series] is that now. The workflow is seamless. You can get ideas out and have a song done in a small amount of time.
The way you can assign the rhythm loops to keys, or a controller, is like playing an MPC.
Exactly, yeah. You can use a controller, a keyboard, or you can use the Native Instruments' Maschine [controller]. The Maschine is more driven by the MPC world, where it's easy to use. All of their gear is easy to use.
Did Native Instruments approach you to make this?
They approached me. Justin Adams [at Soundwide, NI's parent company] – who's one of my great friends now – reached out to me through DJ Dummy [The Genius], who's also a Native Instruments user. They pitched the idea for me to do this, and I was super open to it. I definitely have always been reluctant to do it previously, because I have such big ideas for what I want and how I would want to use it. Once I told them the things I wanted to implement in it, it was pretty easy for them to do that. It has surpassed what I thought it would be.
It's a long way from Casios and a cassette recorder.
Oh, big time, yeah!
You tracked for this in Studio III at Sunset Sound, right?
The engineer I normally work with, Kyle Hoffman, we'd done a lot of work around L.A. The studio he works at is NRG [Recording Studios]. I was looking for another sound, just trying to enhance and go dirtier, but also with a more present quality. He recommended Sunset Sound. I think the first studio [there] we recorded at was Studio II. I was wanting to dig deeper. The people at Sunset Sound told me about Studio III, this special room where Prince had done so much. I went in there, and as soon as I saw it, [I knew] it was amazing. The way that we could configure the drums was perfect. It was a small booth that had a glass shutter door; but we left it open, and the drums were outward into the room, so we mic'd the room. It gave me exactly what I've been searching for for so many years. That's the sound I'm looking for in that room. There are only a couple of studios; that, and Brooklyn Recording in New York.
I spent a week there once with Elliott Smith, watching him work [Tape Op #9]. I thought that room was a great space that felt comfortable.
Yeah. What's crazy is that small booth to the left of the console is a room where Prince had a king size bed, and he did all those demos lying in bed with a microphone. It's bananas!
I've recorded people singing on the couch before.
Exactly. Yeah, just vibe out. Sometimes that ends up being the keeper.
Hey, if it feels right. I love these samples on your Native Instruments kit.
Since the Native Instruments Play Series came out, I've walked into sessions and not even set up my drums. I just open the computer, messing around. People are like, "Yo, what's that?" I end up doing the whole session with the actual Play Series. It's that special to where you don't really notice a difference.
Back in the day, you'd hand someone a CD-R of beats to check out. Now you're saying, "Here's a whole bunch of me in a package."
Yeah. It's definitely an innovative way to be a part of an inspirational creation. So many producers, including myself, look for inspiration from many places. I feel like this gives infinite opportunities to be creative.
Have you heard any songs yet popping up with sounds and rhythms from this?
So much. There are people hashtagging on Instagram, and there are reviews on YouTube. A lot of the reviewers are making beats, and a lot sounds incredible.
It must feel nice!
Definitely. I'm blessed. I'm very grateful.
How long did you and Kyle spend tracking at Sunset Sound?
I record there frequently. I spent maybe one and a half days. The real process of time was taking everything, manipulating it, and using the mic choices. There are different mic placement options in the stems. It's an intricate program, where you can tune it to your liking. More work went into that. It took me a couple of months to get into that. You can go from a wide room, to crazy psychedelic effects, to a direct hit with a mic like a tight room. The producer can have their own tones, without sounding like someone else.
