Can you share a bit about your journey growing up in Pacific Palisades? How did the environment and LA’s creative community influence your music?
Growing up in Pacific Palisades was for sure a blessing for me to pursue a music career. I got to see successful people pretty consistently when I would be out either with friends or family which inspired me to have a dream to become a music producer. As far as being musically influenced I would say YG, Kendrick Lamar and Dr. Dre were some early influences. I really got into fusion jazz my senior year of highschool mostly this french violinist Jean-Luc Ponty who heavily influenced my sound into what it is today.
When did you first realize music production was something you wanted to pursue seriously? Was there a key moment that solidified it?
When my older brother used to live at home he would be producing on Logic Pro before I even knew what it was which led me to find GarageBand. I started writing some songs and recording them there. I remember one of my first songs was for an extra credit project for an elementary class on Greek gods, remixing “Forget You” by CeeLo Green into “Forget Zeus”. I think it is still on YouTube.
Your feature on Patrick CC’s debut album was a major milestone. How did it feel to see your style resonate with such a wide audience?
That was for sure a big motivator to keep going. I used to submit my music to Patrick’s livestreams and he ended up liking them and hit me up to be on his debut album. He definitely exposed my music to a bigger audience, super grateful for him.
Your music blends ambient, dark elements with complex progressions. How do you think this approach sets you apart from other producers?
Most of my melodies have either a dark pad or some sort of synthesizer. But I like to keep experimenting with either live instruments or things I hear throughout my day. I’ve been using my phone to record things I hear and implement them into my beats. I like having dark leads and mixing them with moody chords.
Collaborating with artists like GoVanni! and Ondine must have been exciting. What do you take away from working with such different styles?
My biggest takeaway is not being afraid of trying new sounds or being put into a box. I have a lot of love for EDM music because that was the genre I started pursuing when I was 13 and took influence from its synth leads and pads for sure.
Since 2020, you’ve been carving a niche in the rap/EDM fusion scene. What drew you to explore this crossover genre?
I really enjoyed Skrillex in the 2010 era especially when he dropped “Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites” I remember watching music videos on MTV of “First Of The Year” and being equally freaked out by the video and intrigued by what I was listening to. When I started making more rap influenced music I still love to incorporate some EDM elements.
Can you tell us more about your upcoming song with GoVanni!? What was the creative process behind it?
Yea I got 2 unreleased songs with him that should be dropping soon. The first one is definitely influenced by EDM the lead synth chords are SAW waves that I automated to sound kind of like Flume. I got connected with Vanni by a homie I met in my music industry class last year Texaco. Y’all should definitely check out his discography. I sent him the sample and he did the drums.
With rap/EDM fusion gaining more recognition in 2024, what role do you see yourself playing in this movement?
I want to keep experimenting with this new type of genre and have more rappers try to get on these types of beats.
Your production is known for its originality and detailed layers. How do you balance technical precision with creative freedom?
When I am creating I usually don’t have any direction I want to go in. I start with either chords or a melody and the beat kind of ends up making itself, if you know what I mean. I think one of the most important parts of producing is to know when you’re doing too much, or not enough.
What’s the first thing you do when starting a new track? Do you have a particular routine or ritual?
It depends but I usually start with a pad then add a counter melody and go from there. Sometimes I start with a voice memo of me singing a melody and copy it over to an instrument. I tend to start all my beats outside of the studio, usually in my room and then go into the studio and listen to the finished beat.
BNYX and Yeat are some big names you aspire to work with. How do you prepare for opportunities to collaborate with artists of that caliber?
BNYX and Yeat are for sure inspirations and hope to work with them. I prepare by making music consistently and trying out new VST’s and ways of making beats that I think are cool.
