Fade
The Beat Strangler
Administrator
illest o.g.
Hailing from Toronto (T.O., T-Dot), Devan Tha Dogen is holding things down in his area. He hasn't been seen much in the Forums but each time he pops up, he represents with some tight tracks. Sampling and also playing instruments is what this guy's all about, so read on...
So you're in T.O. - are you from there?
Yea, born and raised. My parents were the downtown types, I grew up there.
Aaaaah, yeah I was there for Caribana and I hit up PlayDeRecord, any other good vinyl spots?
First off, lick a shot for Caribana! Yea PlayDeRecord is down there, a few spots along Queen St. like Rotate This and Kops, they all have newer stuff, but there are a few older grimey record spots that sell breaks, funk, soul, jazz etc. And yea T.O's not bad for vinyl hunting....do you mean newer HipHop or digging for breaks and older stuff?
Just any vinyl at all. If I'm not mistaken, there's a strip club right next to PlayDeRecord right?
It's nestled in the Yonge St. lineup of strip clubs. I think it's next to the Zanzibar.
So do you go digging? Or do you just pick up vinyl in general?
Yea I like to go digging, well, I used to. I haven't for a few weeks, but it used to be a routine. I just ended up grabbing all kinds of old crates so I have piles of records sitting in the lab waiting to be sampled. Eventually you have to chill, and just sort through all the shit you've already accumulated.
Yeah it can get to be too much, you have to know when to stop.
It's true especially when you're copping full crates from garage sales and flea markets.
Do you just sample? Or do you play around with synths too?
Yea my background in producing HipHop definitely originated from sampling but I'm from a very musical family. We have some deep roots in the jazz scene up here in Canada so I've always played instruments. I'm actually attending college full-time on a piano major, so my goal is to eventually cut the sampling out of the picture all together.
That sounds dope. Sampling is cool but I like to create stuff all on my own too.
Originality is what HipHop is lacking.
From the beats I've heard from you, they're all real tight - what's your secret?
Secret? Hmm...well like I said I've got a musical background so I try to approach everything like I'm conducting an orchestra. You know a grimey street orchestra. Of course you have to have the same professional approach as a classical conductor but apply the intricacies of HipHop to that. Oh yeah and you've got to remember that HipHop production has to be sequenced extremely tight. If anything is misaligned in the sequence it really stands out and sounds like crap.
"Street Orchestra" is a good way of putting it! What do you use to sequence your tracks?
Well lately I've been learning more hardware based sequencing, but for a long time I was using ACID, and I still do depending on how the beat is composed and what tools I'm using.
Acid? I always hear cats saying they use Cubase or Pro Tools. Is most of your setup software?
Yeah although one of my producer friend uses Acid too, I know most cats use Protools or Cubase. I have wanted to experiment with both but I know Acid really well, so I have just stuck to that. I like Acid and Sound Forge, but I recently invested in a Yamaha Motif8, which has all kinds off crazy applications so I'm trying to get that fully figured out.
I've heard good things about that piece. What other kind of hardware do you have?
Right now outside my computer I'm running a pretty basic setup. I use a 12 channel mixer, the Motif, a pair of Techs, and that's basically it and for my purposes (and my budget) that seems to work well.
A pair of Techs? Do you DJ also?
I have for a few years now, but it's not something I do in clubs or anything, mostly just with friends and other MCs, maybe a house party here and there.
Ya, that's what I do too. So what do you think of the direction Hip-Hop production has gone?
Hmm....well I've been debating this a lot lately. I know that the HipHop purist will argue that the genre is based on a sample and a drum loop but to me that's just a musical cop out. If every young aspiring producer learned to play an instrument and fell in love with that instrument, well HipHop's future wouldn't be as bleak as it is. Not to say that I don't just run a loop and a drum machine every once in a while, but that can't be your whole scheme. To see a lot of younger unmusical kids picking up production is great, but then to see them become untrained, big-name producers creating "music" for a huge mass of people is ridiculous. Because then you're perpetrating your material as music when it's been created by someone who doesn't have the faintest idea of the elements of music.
Yeah true. Every time people ask me what kind of music I make, they snicker when I say "rap" because all they probably hear is garbage.
HipHop can be as artful as any other genre but the people who create it on a mainstream level misrepresent it.
Do you have any projects coming up?
Well I have a solo EP due out for summer that will feature my production and mic skills with some other members of the family. I'm producing part of an upcoming album by my boy Knamelis which should be done in a few months. My crew Northstar has been working on stuff for a few months now and we should have some stuff ready soon, and I'm working with a producer from Vancity by the name of Rip who is holding it down and is releasing tons of shit in the next few months. So yeah...shit is busy. I'm not sure what order all that material will be released but it's coming.
Man you're keeping busy! How do you connect with all these people?
Most of the people I'm working with are T.O heads so I have grown to know them through local shows, events, etc. I've never really been a huge Internet head (although it seems I am lately), but I met a few people online who have turned out to be worthwhile contacts...
Do you find it hard to get good contacts?
It depends. Me personally I haven't really gone searching for people, I've been lucky enough to have lots of people approach me. That's usually the best approach as a producer, just work hardest on your material and if people are feeling it then they will contact you. At that point you can just pick and choose who you want to collab with.
What would you say is the best place to hook up with some contacts?
Local shows, record shops, cyphers....wherever HipHop is being created. Once you've got a CD full of beats, burn 30 of them and hand them out to whatever MCs you're feeling at the cypher, or bigger names you want to catch the attention of. It's just about impressing other people, sometimes you need to really hustle yourself and approach all kinds of heads everywhere just to get your name out and create attention for yourself.
True. Do you copyright all your stuff before handing CD's out?
I personally haven't handed CDs out. I have had people ask for beats before I could compile a CD of them. I know a lot of people render low quality versions and send those out, some people scratch on top of them or loop their name or whatever, but no I don't copyright.
'Cause that's always a big issue with beat makers, wondering about copyrights and all that.
Yea it's serious shit, you don't want some lazy mofo teefing your joints?!?
LOL. Any advice you have for other beat makers out there?
Man I could spit a lecture/rant on advice for hours but if I had to say one thing to other producers it would be not to forget where HipHop came from. I mean we all know about its funk and soul roots, but take a look at even earlier than that. Listen to some classic jazz albums, pick up some John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, Dizzy, Miles albums...whatever. There's a lot to be said about having a broader perspective on the way things are going. Oh and don't forget this whole thing is about enjoying yourself so have fun.
Yes it is! You're supposed to enjoy what you're doing and have fun, THEN make some loot on it. OK so thanks for doing this...
No doubt Fade, my pleasure. Big ups goes out to you and everyone at IllMuzik for all the hard work you're putting in.
Thanks. Any last words?
Maybe just a quick shout out. Actually whatever, respect to everyone out there, ya'll know who you are.
So you're in T.O. - are you from there?
Yea, born and raised. My parents were the downtown types, I grew up there.
Aaaaah, yeah I was there for Caribana and I hit up PlayDeRecord, any other good vinyl spots?
First off, lick a shot for Caribana! Yea PlayDeRecord is down there, a few spots along Queen St. like Rotate This and Kops, they all have newer stuff, but there are a few older grimey record spots that sell breaks, funk, soul, jazz etc. And yea T.O's not bad for vinyl hunting....do you mean newer HipHop or digging for breaks and older stuff?
Just any vinyl at all. If I'm not mistaken, there's a strip club right next to PlayDeRecord right?
It's nestled in the Yonge St. lineup of strip clubs. I think it's next to the Zanzibar.
So do you go digging? Or do you just pick up vinyl in general?
Yea I like to go digging, well, I used to. I haven't for a few weeks, but it used to be a routine. I just ended up grabbing all kinds of old crates so I have piles of records sitting in the lab waiting to be sampled. Eventually you have to chill, and just sort through all the shit you've already accumulated.
Yeah it can get to be too much, you have to know when to stop.
It's true especially when you're copping full crates from garage sales and flea markets.
Do you just sample? Or do you play around with synths too?
Yea my background in producing HipHop definitely originated from sampling but I'm from a very musical family. We have some deep roots in the jazz scene up here in Canada so I've always played instruments. I'm actually attending college full-time on a piano major, so my goal is to eventually cut the sampling out of the picture all together.
That sounds dope. Sampling is cool but I like to create stuff all on my own too.
Originality is what HipHop is lacking.
From the beats I've heard from you, they're all real tight - what's your secret?
Secret? Hmm...well like I said I've got a musical background so I try to approach everything like I'm conducting an orchestra. You know a grimey street orchestra. Of course you have to have the same professional approach as a classical conductor but apply the intricacies of HipHop to that. Oh yeah and you've got to remember that HipHop production has to be sequenced extremely tight. If anything is misaligned in the sequence it really stands out and sounds like crap.
"Street Orchestra" is a good way of putting it! What do you use to sequence your tracks?
Well lately I've been learning more hardware based sequencing, but for a long time I was using ACID, and I still do depending on how the beat is composed and what tools I'm using.
Acid? I always hear cats saying they use Cubase or Pro Tools. Is most of your setup software?
Yeah although one of my producer friend uses Acid too, I know most cats use Protools or Cubase. I have wanted to experiment with both but I know Acid really well, so I have just stuck to that. I like Acid and Sound Forge, but I recently invested in a Yamaha Motif8, which has all kinds off crazy applications so I'm trying to get that fully figured out.
I've heard good things about that piece. What other kind of hardware do you have?
Right now outside my computer I'm running a pretty basic setup. I use a 12 channel mixer, the Motif, a pair of Techs, and that's basically it and for my purposes (and my budget) that seems to work well.
A pair of Techs? Do you DJ also?
I have for a few years now, but it's not something I do in clubs or anything, mostly just with friends and other MCs, maybe a house party here and there.
Ya, that's what I do too. So what do you think of the direction Hip-Hop production has gone?
Hmm....well I've been debating this a lot lately. I know that the HipHop purist will argue that the genre is based on a sample and a drum loop but to me that's just a musical cop out. If every young aspiring producer learned to play an instrument and fell in love with that instrument, well HipHop's future wouldn't be as bleak as it is. Not to say that I don't just run a loop and a drum machine every once in a while, but that can't be your whole scheme. To see a lot of younger unmusical kids picking up production is great, but then to see them become untrained, big-name producers creating "music" for a huge mass of people is ridiculous. Because then you're perpetrating your material as music when it's been created by someone who doesn't have the faintest idea of the elements of music.
Yeah true. Every time people ask me what kind of music I make, they snicker when I say "rap" because all they probably hear is garbage.
HipHop can be as artful as any other genre but the people who create it on a mainstream level misrepresent it.
Do you have any projects coming up?
Well I have a solo EP due out for summer that will feature my production and mic skills with some other members of the family. I'm producing part of an upcoming album by my boy Knamelis which should be done in a few months. My crew Northstar has been working on stuff for a few months now and we should have some stuff ready soon, and I'm working with a producer from Vancity by the name of Rip who is holding it down and is releasing tons of shit in the next few months. So yeah...shit is busy. I'm not sure what order all that material will be released but it's coming.
Man you're keeping busy! How do you connect with all these people?
Most of the people I'm working with are T.O heads so I have grown to know them through local shows, events, etc. I've never really been a huge Internet head (although it seems I am lately), but I met a few people online who have turned out to be worthwhile contacts...
Do you find it hard to get good contacts?
It depends. Me personally I haven't really gone searching for people, I've been lucky enough to have lots of people approach me. That's usually the best approach as a producer, just work hardest on your material and if people are feeling it then they will contact you. At that point you can just pick and choose who you want to collab with.
What would you say is the best place to hook up with some contacts?
Local shows, record shops, cyphers....wherever HipHop is being created. Once you've got a CD full of beats, burn 30 of them and hand them out to whatever MCs you're feeling at the cypher, or bigger names you want to catch the attention of. It's just about impressing other people, sometimes you need to really hustle yourself and approach all kinds of heads everywhere just to get your name out and create attention for yourself.
True. Do you copyright all your stuff before handing CD's out?
I personally haven't handed CDs out. I have had people ask for beats before I could compile a CD of them. I know a lot of people render low quality versions and send those out, some people scratch on top of them or loop their name or whatever, but no I don't copyright.
'Cause that's always a big issue with beat makers, wondering about copyrights and all that.
Yea it's serious shit, you don't want some lazy mofo teefing your joints?!?
LOL. Any advice you have for other beat makers out there?
Man I could spit a lecture/rant on advice for hours but if I had to say one thing to other producers it would be not to forget where HipHop came from. I mean we all know about its funk and soul roots, but take a look at even earlier than that. Listen to some classic jazz albums, pick up some John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, Dizzy, Miles albums...whatever. There's a lot to be said about having a broader perspective on the way things are going. Oh and don't forget this whole thing is about enjoying yourself so have fun.
Yes it is! You're supposed to enjoy what you're doing and have fun, THEN make some loot on it. OK so thanks for doing this...
No doubt Fade, my pleasure. Big ups goes out to you and everyone at IllMuzik for all the hard work you're putting in.
Thanks. Any last words?
Maybe just a quick shout out. Actually whatever, respect to everyone out there, ya'll know who you are.
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