Fade
The Beat Strangler
Administrator
illest o.g.
2Good has been involved with IllMuzik since 2006, yet he has made quite an impact in our community. With knowledgeable posts and comments, as well as being active in the forums, eventually brought him to the Moderator status. After entering numerous times in the Beat This! Competition, he finally snatched a win in April, and now takes the time to tell us a bit more about "2Good".
Sup 2Good, what's new?
Sup Fade. I'm cool, and I'm happy to get my first little B! I've been trying for ages, the determination finally paid off.
So who is 2Good?
2GooD Productions is a one man production show, myself dj2good. (Named David Dicker by the parents unfortunately), a name I don't think I will ever live down, I'm going to be changing it to my mothers maiden name Coull pronounced cool, which is so much more "street". I'm a DJ turned producer of HipHop/R&B/Drum N Bass beats in Edmonton, North London.
You picked up a tight win in the Beat This! Competition, how does it feel?
I was surprised to get the win after reading the feedback in the Beat This! thread. After winning I have had to get all the door frames widened at the top just to fit my over expanded head through. It was a hot competition, that just makes my victory more sweet for me. After trying for so long to get a win in the Beat This! I am very happy and feel I have finally achieved one of my goals.
How did you put that beat together?
I put it together last year, I found a classic sample that my biggest influence Diamond D used after seeing David Axelrod's name in Diamond's top friends list on MySpace. The track I sampled was called "The Mental Traveler" and me not being very original with naming my tracks just called mine pretty much the same thing. On my website (www.dj2good.co.uk) I did call it the same thing. That track has great stereo separation so it was easier to get the individual parts from the sample that I was feeling. And then it was just a matter of putting the parts back together in a DITC-like way. The track was my attempt to pay homage to my heroes.
Who are some of your musical influences?
I have so many influences from HipHop to Drum N Bass to movie soundtracks. Diamond D and DITC as mentioned above are my biggest influences, along with John Williams (James Bond Theme). Other influences are artists like DJ Premier, Cypress Hill, Brand Nubian, Alkaholics, Madlib, Dilla, Ultramagnetic MC's, Lords Of The Underground, Timbaland, Beatnuts, Beatminerz, EPMD, James Brown, The Blackbyrds, Earth WInd & Fire, The Beatles, DJ Chuck Chillout, The En4cers (DJ's Biznizz, Pogo and Cutmaster Swift), DJ QBert, Grand Wizard Theodore, Cool Herc. I really could go on and on and on here. But my main HipHop influences are very much from the so called "golden age" of HipHop (circa.1991-1995). Not to mention some of the producers here at IllMuzik, who provide most of my influence these days.
When did you first start banging out beats?
I first started banging out the beats around 11-12 years ago. I got my first sampling mixer, it could just sample one thing at a time, so I would get a loop going, then record to tape, then get another sample and play the tape while recording onto another tape with the added sample, and on and on till I had something going on. The beats came out sounding terrible, then I got music2000 on the Playstation, after doing some tracks, that I considered then to be pretty damn good (although they weren't), I became determined to get a PC and start using some proper software.
Why did you get into producing?
From a young age, singing Rod Stewart's "Do You Think I'm Sexy?" on my Fisher Price cassette recorder with a mic, and playing (destroying) old records, I have always seemed to have had an affinity with music. When I was a teenager I had a misspent moment smoking some double zero hashish, I went home and could hear music playing in my head, it was the best music I had ever heard, and it was in my head. It was this single moment that I realized I could probably make music. At this time I was also heavily into recording the HipHop shows on London radio, Tim Westwood / DJ Biznizz and DJ 279 / Cutmaster Swift. I was religious about it, I even got to the point that I knew where the talking was going to kick in before it did at which point I'd cut out all the talking. I always had the unreleased tracks this way and my tapes were always popular. My friend and ex breaker Flex (Jedi Crew) was the one that got me into the whole HipHop thing, I just couldn't get enough of it. I got my decks and started DJ'ing, and it all went from there.
I know you're also a DJ, what do you do with DJing?
I was always practicing my DJing before I had my 3 children, but I had to sacrifice my DJing due to space restrictions and time restrictions and a partner that didn't like me doing anything that didn't put her first. I recently got myself Serato Live and have picked up the DJing a little, just scratching. Doing cuts for some of the others here at IllMuzik. But I don't think that DJ is the path for me, simply because I can't keep up with the expense of buying records, and because I get so much more satisfaction from the production. Maybe when I'm making music full time I will be able to spare more time to practice the DJing, I would like to keep that avenue open.
Have you ever competed in DJ battles?
No. I'm not at a standard to compete, I'm restricted to one working turntable right now so practicing the beat juggling isn't an option at the minute. And beat juggling is essential in any DJ battle.
What do you think of all the complex scratching and beat juggling?
It's an art form in itself, and once given the time I will get the hang of it myself. Artists are often saying you ain't a DJ if you cant scratch, I have to agree. I'm still working on a couple of scratches that I'm having a real hard time getting the hang of, the Crab and Flares, but I will keep at it, hopefully one day it will sink in. I used to love listening to artists like Chuck Chillout, Cutmaster Swift & Pogo cutting the hell out of a mix, it was very inspiring.
What do you have in your production setup?
My PC (Athlon XP 2000+, 1 Gig Ram, Audiophile 192, 400gb Harddisk, running windows XP) is the workhorse, I have an old Casio keyboard, which I use simply as a MIDI controller, and a pair of reasonable studio monitors. 1 Working turntable and Serato Live and an old Gemini mixer. Software I use: Reason 4, Soundforge, Pro Tools, Acid Pro, Recycle, Waves plugins.
What's your most cherished piece of equipment and why?
That would be the PC, it's the centerpiece of my equipment, and so much more than just a music production tool. It's a gateway to the world.
What's the hardest part of putting together a track?
Probably the scratches, especially since getting the Audiophile 192 soundcard, as recording what's playing isn't an option like it was on the Soundblaster card. I have to do a complicated run through pro tools to scratch to my productions. Through a long time dedicated to picking up the production techniques I'm pretty comfortable with the processes involved, its just that cutting can be awkward sometimes, especially when I can't dig up an appropriate sample to cut up, it can be very time consuming.
Do you have a formula for making beats?
I feel I have a pretty formulaic way of making my music now, whether it's composing or sampling the techniques can be slightly different for each but on the whole I think I almost have my "sound".
Have you released any albums?
Not yet, I'm in the early stages of developing something with Myth. I would like to develop an album with the MC's here at IllMuzik, there is some great talent around here including MC's.
What MC's have you worked with?
I have worked a few UK MC's: Ruptured, Miss Kezzo, Dirrty Ice, Tonio, Acuity, as well as members here: Smash Bros, Benny Buku, Stresswon, Stepchild, Myth, Sanova, and Viceverse.
What's the best and worst thing about making music?
Best thing is that I will never get bored of it, when I get a few days off work I can spend hour upon hour making tracks, I love it. Worst thing is that there isn't enough hours in the day to make music. Things like the day job just get in the way.
Do you have any advice for other producers?
To the newbie producer, I would say that if you are doing it for the love of the music then keep at it, the quality of the music will always get better, ignore the haters as at first there will be many. If you love the music then you will get plenty of enjoyment out of doing it and learning new methods all the time. Eventually the haters will start to like what you are doing, and when others start to like the music that you have created, it's heartwarming in a way, to know that you have given enjoyment to others. To the newbie trying to get rich, I would say you will never have the perseverance and dedication required to make it in the music game, it's the love of it that carries you through the bad times. Go to college, get a good education and be a banker or an oil man or even a doctor. If any producer is doing it for the love then it doesn't matter if he/she blows up and becomes famous or not, he/she gets the enjoyment from making good music and making people nod their heads or get down on the dance floor. If they get real good and make some money out of it, then that's a bonus.
Any shoutouts you'd like to give?
I'd like to shout out yourself for creating such a great site, it's the best quality HipHop community I have found online and to thank you also for making me a moderator. IllMuzik has been instrumental in my learning curve. I feel like one of your offspring, LOL. I'd like to shout out to Stresswon for such a dope album (Mic Wars) and for letting me get involved, to Relic for being the first to make me feel welcome here and for the dope voice tags. I'd like to shout out to Cleverwon and Benny Buku for being the first to request scratches, and also to Ash Holmz for being the first to actually pay me for my scratches. I'd like to shout out to God (The IllMuzik Member, not the big man upstairs) for his great posts and wisdom. And I'd like to thank Smash Bros, Sam Ock, Elementree, Svenghali, Big D, Beatz101, Da Illfellaz, Spanish Harlem and Wings Of An Angel along with everyone else at IllMuzik for the great inspiration and education I have received here. And also to my mate Flex for getting me into this thing called HipHop in the first place. Peace.
Sup 2Good, what's new?
Sup Fade. I'm cool, and I'm happy to get my first little B! I've been trying for ages, the determination finally paid off.
So who is 2Good?
2GooD Productions is a one man production show, myself dj2good. (Named David Dicker by the parents unfortunately), a name I don't think I will ever live down, I'm going to be changing it to my mothers maiden name Coull pronounced cool, which is so much more "street". I'm a DJ turned producer of HipHop/R&B/Drum N Bass beats in Edmonton, North London.
You picked up a tight win in the Beat This! Competition, how does it feel?
I was surprised to get the win after reading the feedback in the Beat This! thread. After winning I have had to get all the door frames widened at the top just to fit my over expanded head through. It was a hot competition, that just makes my victory more sweet for me. After trying for so long to get a win in the Beat This! I am very happy and feel I have finally achieved one of my goals.
How did you put that beat together?
I put it together last year, I found a classic sample that my biggest influence Diamond D used after seeing David Axelrod's name in Diamond's top friends list on MySpace. The track I sampled was called "The Mental Traveler" and me not being very original with naming my tracks just called mine pretty much the same thing. On my website (www.dj2good.co.uk) I did call it the same thing. That track has great stereo separation so it was easier to get the individual parts from the sample that I was feeling. And then it was just a matter of putting the parts back together in a DITC-like way. The track was my attempt to pay homage to my heroes.
Who are some of your musical influences?
I have so many influences from HipHop to Drum N Bass to movie soundtracks. Diamond D and DITC as mentioned above are my biggest influences, along with John Williams (James Bond Theme). Other influences are artists like DJ Premier, Cypress Hill, Brand Nubian, Alkaholics, Madlib, Dilla, Ultramagnetic MC's, Lords Of The Underground, Timbaland, Beatnuts, Beatminerz, EPMD, James Brown, The Blackbyrds, Earth WInd & Fire, The Beatles, DJ Chuck Chillout, The En4cers (DJ's Biznizz, Pogo and Cutmaster Swift), DJ QBert, Grand Wizard Theodore, Cool Herc. I really could go on and on and on here. But my main HipHop influences are very much from the so called "golden age" of HipHop (circa.1991-1995). Not to mention some of the producers here at IllMuzik, who provide most of my influence these days.
When did you first start banging out beats?
I first started banging out the beats around 11-12 years ago. I got my first sampling mixer, it could just sample one thing at a time, so I would get a loop going, then record to tape, then get another sample and play the tape while recording onto another tape with the added sample, and on and on till I had something going on. The beats came out sounding terrible, then I got music2000 on the Playstation, after doing some tracks, that I considered then to be pretty damn good (although they weren't), I became determined to get a PC and start using some proper software.
Why did you get into producing?
From a young age, singing Rod Stewart's "Do You Think I'm Sexy?" on my Fisher Price cassette recorder with a mic, and playing (destroying) old records, I have always seemed to have had an affinity with music. When I was a teenager I had a misspent moment smoking some double zero hashish, I went home and could hear music playing in my head, it was the best music I had ever heard, and it was in my head. It was this single moment that I realized I could probably make music. At this time I was also heavily into recording the HipHop shows on London radio, Tim Westwood / DJ Biznizz and DJ 279 / Cutmaster Swift. I was religious about it, I even got to the point that I knew where the talking was going to kick in before it did at which point I'd cut out all the talking. I always had the unreleased tracks this way and my tapes were always popular. My friend and ex breaker Flex (Jedi Crew) was the one that got me into the whole HipHop thing, I just couldn't get enough of it. I got my decks and started DJ'ing, and it all went from there.
I know you're also a DJ, what do you do with DJing?
I was always practicing my DJing before I had my 3 children, but I had to sacrifice my DJing due to space restrictions and time restrictions and a partner that didn't like me doing anything that didn't put her first. I recently got myself Serato Live and have picked up the DJing a little, just scratching. Doing cuts for some of the others here at IllMuzik. But I don't think that DJ is the path for me, simply because I can't keep up with the expense of buying records, and because I get so much more satisfaction from the production. Maybe when I'm making music full time I will be able to spare more time to practice the DJing, I would like to keep that avenue open.
Have you ever competed in DJ battles?
No. I'm not at a standard to compete, I'm restricted to one working turntable right now so practicing the beat juggling isn't an option at the minute. And beat juggling is essential in any DJ battle.
What do you think of all the complex scratching and beat juggling?
It's an art form in itself, and once given the time I will get the hang of it myself. Artists are often saying you ain't a DJ if you cant scratch, I have to agree. I'm still working on a couple of scratches that I'm having a real hard time getting the hang of, the Crab and Flares, but I will keep at it, hopefully one day it will sink in. I used to love listening to artists like Chuck Chillout, Cutmaster Swift & Pogo cutting the hell out of a mix, it was very inspiring.
What do you have in your production setup?
My PC (Athlon XP 2000+, 1 Gig Ram, Audiophile 192, 400gb Harddisk, running windows XP) is the workhorse, I have an old Casio keyboard, which I use simply as a MIDI controller, and a pair of reasonable studio monitors. 1 Working turntable and Serato Live and an old Gemini mixer. Software I use: Reason 4, Soundforge, Pro Tools, Acid Pro, Recycle, Waves plugins.
What's your most cherished piece of equipment and why?
That would be the PC, it's the centerpiece of my equipment, and so much more than just a music production tool. It's a gateway to the world.
What's the hardest part of putting together a track?
Probably the scratches, especially since getting the Audiophile 192 soundcard, as recording what's playing isn't an option like it was on the Soundblaster card. I have to do a complicated run through pro tools to scratch to my productions. Through a long time dedicated to picking up the production techniques I'm pretty comfortable with the processes involved, its just that cutting can be awkward sometimes, especially when I can't dig up an appropriate sample to cut up, it can be very time consuming.
Do you have a formula for making beats?
I feel I have a pretty formulaic way of making my music now, whether it's composing or sampling the techniques can be slightly different for each but on the whole I think I almost have my "sound".
Have you released any albums?
Not yet, I'm in the early stages of developing something with Myth. I would like to develop an album with the MC's here at IllMuzik, there is some great talent around here including MC's.
What MC's have you worked with?
I have worked a few UK MC's: Ruptured, Miss Kezzo, Dirrty Ice, Tonio, Acuity, as well as members here: Smash Bros, Benny Buku, Stresswon, Stepchild, Myth, Sanova, and Viceverse.
What's the best and worst thing about making music?
Best thing is that I will never get bored of it, when I get a few days off work I can spend hour upon hour making tracks, I love it. Worst thing is that there isn't enough hours in the day to make music. Things like the day job just get in the way.
Do you have any advice for other producers?
To the newbie producer, I would say that if you are doing it for the love of the music then keep at it, the quality of the music will always get better, ignore the haters as at first there will be many. If you love the music then you will get plenty of enjoyment out of doing it and learning new methods all the time. Eventually the haters will start to like what you are doing, and when others start to like the music that you have created, it's heartwarming in a way, to know that you have given enjoyment to others. To the newbie trying to get rich, I would say you will never have the perseverance and dedication required to make it in the music game, it's the love of it that carries you through the bad times. Go to college, get a good education and be a banker or an oil man or even a doctor. If any producer is doing it for the love then it doesn't matter if he/she blows up and becomes famous or not, he/she gets the enjoyment from making good music and making people nod their heads or get down on the dance floor. If they get real good and make some money out of it, then that's a bonus.
Any shoutouts you'd like to give?
I'd like to shout out yourself for creating such a great site, it's the best quality HipHop community I have found online and to thank you also for making me a moderator. IllMuzik has been instrumental in my learning curve. I feel like one of your offspring, LOL. I'd like to shout out to Stresswon for such a dope album (Mic Wars) and for letting me get involved, to Relic for being the first to make me feel welcome here and for the dope voice tags. I'd like to shout out to Cleverwon and Benny Buku for being the first to request scratches, and also to Ash Holmz for being the first to actually pay me for my scratches. I'd like to shout out to God (The IllMuzik Member, not the big man upstairs) for his great posts and wisdom. And I'd like to thank Smash Bros, Sam Ock, Elementree, Svenghali, Big D, Beatz101, Da Illfellaz, Spanish Harlem and Wings Of An Angel along with everyone else at IllMuzik for the great inspiration and education I have received here. And also to my mate Flex for getting me into this thing called HipHop in the first place. Peace.