Latest Interview Posts

Enter The Dojo For oddprophet’s First Ever Q&A [TMN Interview]

Posted by Tyler Trew - November 3, 2017

It’s always an honor to share a debut song from a new act, but having the first chat with them is a whole other thing. Luckily enough, we caught up with one of Never Say Die‘s newest family members, oddprophet, for his first ever interview. The budding bass beatsmith is surrounded by legends in NSD, but he may end up taking the reigns with his extraordinary sounds.

Not only do we have his first interview to share with you, but below you can find his EP, Process, complete with four masterful works. Upon listening you’ll see just why we’re so hyped on this cat. In catching up with him, we cover where he came into the music scene, how Process came about and what the future may look like for this promising star. We’ve said it about so many acts, but we’ll say it again here: Get to know oddprophet before everyone else does.

’oddprophet – Everything’

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’oddprophet – No More’

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’oddprophet – Process’

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’oddprophet & Ecraze – Spread Like’

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TMN: Can you tell us more about your origins as a producer? When did you first start producing and did you have any musical experience before that?

OP: I started messing around on FL Studio for fun around 2011. Before that it was guitar and choir in my high school. Nothing creative until I picked up a DAW and looking back at some of the “songs” I made back then, it always gives me a good laugh on how poor they were. It’s nice to look back at where you’ve come from, but it’s motivated a couple of friends to know that with practice and time you can always be better.

TMN: Tell us a bit more about your hometown, Swansea. How did your environment influence your sound?

OP: Much like the UK, par London, there was no dubstep scene. It was all drum and bass, deep house and grime that would bring in the crowds. Shout out to events like Funktion Tek that inspired me to write jump up for a bit, but that’s not where my real passion lied and I always had a soft spot for heavy dubstep. After moving to Cardiff, I could really focus on developing my sound as my course would go over the basics for the first year. It was that year I found the sound I wanted to continue making from all the free time I had to experiment!

TMN: What was the inspiration behind the ‘Process’ EP? How would you describe the difference in sound from your previous ‘Notorious? EP, which was released on Never Say Die Black Label?

The main idea of the ‘Process’ EP was to make music that stood out and had the perfect mix of sound design, heaviness and dancey flow. Sometimes, with the over-saturation of EDM, it’s easy to come across loads of similar songs that lack character and individuality. Not “being a part of the process” was always a main objective when creating new music. ‘Notorious’ EP had the same notion behind the production of those tunes, but this one I went full out and wasn’t scared to try something more crazy. The positive comments on ‘Process’ have given me courage to take it up a level next release.

TMN: How did the collaboration with Ecraze on “Spread Like” come about?

OP: The collaboration with Ecraze was already settled after “Ammo.” Being a quiet fan of Thom’s music for a year before he noticed me, having him reach out and ask to collaborate was the major step I needed to get my music out there. He was amazing to work with and so it was a no brainier to work on something again. Still in debt to him for welcoming my name into Never Say Die and we’ve been great friends ever since. Our next goal is B2B somewhere in Europe, probably Paris. Spread Like is not the last song we’ll make together for sure. Graphyt is also sure to make an appearance with a tune with us some time.

TMN: Do you have plans to tour anytime soon?

OP: Touring has been the dream for a while now. It’s quite simple to understand why producers want to tour. It’s not work for any of us. To earn money doing what you love is not working and it’s quite scary to understand that a tour is already in the works for oddprophet. Things are happening faster than I thought they would! Traveling is another reason why I’m glad this will be happening sooner rather than later.

TMN: While it’s hard to name just 1 dream collaboration, who is the first person that comes to mind when you think about potential collaborators?

I haven’t told him yet, but SVDDEN DEATH and I would probably make something quite nasty. He uses that same balance of heaviness and flow I mentioned. Songs like “Take Ya Head Off” are almost too good to be real because the balance is so point in my opinion. Honourable mentions include MUST DIE! & Spag Heddy right now. Both have given me major support for my tunes this year and to be a part of any of these artists’ discography would be a true pleasure.

Citation: https://www.megadice.com/en

Caden Jester Premieres New Single “Fade” With Q&A [TMN Interview]

Posted by Tyler Trew - October 15, 2017

Caden Jester
Fade (feat. Butterjack)

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This Sunday evening Caden Jester from California is taking over the dojo. From his home in San Diego he has cooked up some quality tunes, the latest of which you get to hear today for the first time. Not only do we have the premiere of “Fade” with Butterjack, but we got to ask Caden a few questions as well.

“Fade” is a poppy, dembow driven original that shows off Caden’s crisp, accessible style. A lot of dance producers are making a push for popular radio, but not all of them can do it right. Caden’s keen creative sense is something you don’t find in someone so young. Only time will tell just how far he will go. Enjoy the exclusive first listen to “Fade” now and get to know Caden Jester before everyone else does!

TMN: How did you originally get into music?

My dad was a music producer and a rapper growing up, and when I was about 9 or 10 years old he introduced me to Garageband and that spawned my love for making music. He showed me the ropes and got me on the right direction and I took everything he taught me and expanded over that over the years. I definitely wouldn’t be where I am today without my dad.

TMN: Who were some of your favorite acts growing up?

T-Pain, Akon, Pharrell, Kanye West, Justin Timberlake, Ne-Yo, Timbaland… I had a very hip hop based childhood lol.

TMN: Has being from San Diego shaped your music in any way?

I’ve grown up surrounded by Latin culture. I love Latin food, music, countries, etc… It has definitely influenced my music. Not so much my released stuff, but you will definitely be able to hear the latin influences in my upcoming music.

TMN: What do you enjoy more, making originals or remixes?

Ohh definitely originals, 100%. I’m no longer doing any remixes. Nowadays I’m trying to brand myself less of a “producer” or a “dj” and more of an “artist”, if that makes sense… Cause at some point I will be releasing music with my own vocals, unlike anything I’ve previously released, and I feel like that’s the creative direction I should be taking for that to all make sense.

TMN: How has your sound developed over the past couple of years?

When I first started getting a couple hundred thousand plays on Soundcloud I was making a lot of bouncy deep house stuff, which at the time was pretty unique. My main inspiration at that time was Disclosure, but even then I think my sound was a bit different from theirs (although, almost every blog and Youtube channel would call me “the next Disclosure”, which I really didn’t care much for lol). My current released music is basically just a more poppy version of that. My unreleased stuff, however, is very R&B/pop and has a lot of latin and african influences. I’m actually working with both latin and african artists, and I’ve made some of my best music yet with those people.

TMN: If you could collaborate with one vocalist, who would it be?

That’s so hard because there are so many vocalists I absolutely love. One that I came across recently that absolutely blew me away was a guy named Will Heard. He released an acoustic EP which I listen to more than the “original” version because of how amazing he sounds on it.

TMN: What does the rest of the year look like for you?

I’ve produced a couple tracks for Butterjack, the vocalist on Fade, and at least one of those should be released sometime this year. Then after the release of Fade, there is this R&B track I’m featuring on with a guy named Bailey Graham and Christopher Blake called “Penthouse”, which will most likely be releasing sometime shortly after Fade… I also have a very latin-inspired track with a duo called SYON and a vocalist who lives in Kenya named WillX BOY. That track is in Spanish, English, and Swahili. I also have a million other projects going. I’m super excited to show everyone all this music I’ve been working on. I definitely think it will make up for the lack of releases I’ve had this year.

HAMi Shares Top 5 Crazy Celebrity Encounters & New Track [TMN Premiere]

Posted by Tyler Trew - September 28, 2017

HAMi
MOLLY WATER

Soundcloud

We just can’t keep HAMi out of the dojo, which is totally fine, because we love having him here. The professional skater turned producer HAMi already stopped by for a chat once, and now he’s back with some crazy celebrity stories alongside a brand new single. You heard it here first!

“Molly Water” comes out tomorrow in full, but we’ve got you covered in the dojo with an exclusive premiere listen. Furthermore, HAMi has come as to share some wild run-ins that he’ll never forget. Enjoy “Molly Water” and read through HAMi’s top 5 crazy celebrity encounters including ones with Dave Chappelle, Ozzy Osbourne and two individuals who can’t even be named.

Lil Wayne

So around this time Wayne was really getting into skating heavy and was in LA all the time skating with all the homies. I never had the opportunity to do so though. Note that I am a huge supporter of his music so naturally I really wanted to meet him. Long story short I’m at the “Transworld” skateboarding video premiere, everyone’s is there, Wayne chilling. Super chill vibe, and my OG BFF Braydon Szafranski (pro skater) walks up to Wayne daps him up and says “I want you meet my friend Erik Hamamoto” and Wayne’s like” pssshh! HAMAMOTO!! I Fucks with HAMAMOTO!” And from there on he introduced me to his fam like “This is Hamamoto!” That’s one thing I never thought would come from skateboarding, so that taught me to just do what your heart tells you! Everything you’ve ever wanted is waiting for you.

Dave Chappelle

So after a long weekend of throwing our selves down rails and stair sets, Braydon and I would often frequent a spot called “Hyde” that’s right next door to the “Laugh factory”. So one night we leave Hyde around 1am, and as we walk out the door man says to us “Dave Chapelle is next door, and has basically crashed the show and is doing an impromptu set.” So we’re like fuck yeah and run in. We sit and the only 2 chairs available, dead center, and the second we sit down, Dave pauses and looks and Braydon and says “Holly shit! Billy idol just walk in!!” (And for those who don’t know Braydon, look him up. IG: @braydonsza). At the time Braydon looked surprisingly just like a Billy Idol look alike, so everyone just erupted with uncontrollable laughter! So Dave carries on for another 30 minutes, kills it, and everyone gave him a standing ovation! He walks through the crowd and gives everyone a hug and hand shake what ever. I proceed to slip him a medical marijuana tube, he looks at it and says “There’s no way I’m getting this on the plane!” Looks at me, gives me a wink 😉, and puts it in his pocket. Daps me up and disappeared. I was like This dude is so G!”

Big Boi (of Outkast)

So one evening I was talked into going to a “party” with my homie and this female he was just starting to see. She invited us to a GHB kick back, but at that time the only thing I had heard of GHB was on the news, so in my mind I hear “date rape party”. I was very hesitant to go, but my homie was like ” don’t trip! It’s gonna be all girls, trust me!” So out of curiosity I decided to at least check it out. So I get my self ready and we hop in a cab. We arrive to the destination which is located on the sunset strip. We cruise up stairs, walk in and there literally 5 people in total, the one female that invited us, one massive body builder looking guy, three other males, two of which were clearly already feeling the effects of the GHB, and her “best friend” who was this male model looking fella. I take one look and immediately say “I’m gonna grab some cigs from the store” and B-line for the door. So I start walking home, half way there I hear someone yelling “Axl Rose!! Yo Axl! What’s good Axl rose!!” And I approach Black Escalade with the back window cracked like half way and he’s still laughing and yelling “What’s up Axl Rose!” So I’m kinda ticked off at this point, he’s being very condescending so I approach the vehicle and the window comes down and low and behold it’s “BIG BOI” from Outkast! Who at the time was my favorite rapper calling me Axl Rose, my favorite rockstars of all time! I learned that no matter what you have to go for it! You’ll always end up with something amazing happening that had nothing to with why you’re actually there!

Ozzy Osbourne

I was acquaintances with Kelly Osbourne; we became friends through a few mutual friends. I was invited to watch her performance for “Dancing With The Stars”. Her dad was there as well. I remember him chilling cracking jokes and giggling the whole time, except for when Kelly danced. He sat silent and all I saw was a proud father. So after the performance we all chilled in the green room and Ozzy’s hyped for Kelly and we’re all chillin’ and Ozzy looks to me and says “What kind of shades are those?” I proceed to tell him “happy hour” shades and we chatted about them a bit. What I later realized is no matter how much money you have, no matter how famous you are, none of it matters with out friends and family. Also it’s way cooler to be nice to people than to stuck up and a dick.

Thee Who Shall Not Be Named

This one I can’t name names, but it was a pair of very famous siblings one of which at the time was going hard in the paint! Public getting smashed and new papers and tabloids spoke about it so on and so forth. Long story short: We’re chilling downtown NYC and I hear a knock on the door and a delivery guy is at the door with like 100 cans of whip cream. At the time I was baffled. I had no idea what the cans of whip cream were for. Once the delivery guy left the madness ensued. They started popping these cans of whip cream like it was the 4th of July!! Obviously they were doing rich people’s version of a whip it’s. They proceed to take dozens of Polaroid pictures of them huffing whip cream cans with whip cream all over their faces and clothes. I feel like I have never lived after partying with America royalty. But what I did take away was that life is too short to always be serious. Live life and it will work out its self out.

Get To Know FLTHY ANMLZ Before Everyone Else Does [TMN Interview + Mix]

Posted by Tyler Trew - September 18, 2017

FLTHY ANMŁZ
FLTHY Guest Mix

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Bass music is here to stay. The ever-evolving blanket genre has been expanding into new territories for as long as we can remember. There are so many talented new artists coming to the fold, but we’ve got our eyes and ears on FLTHY ANMLZ.

To help you get familiar, we brought these bass-loving boys into the dojo to answer some questions. On top of that, they’ve brought an exclusive mix to the table for everyone to enjoy. With it we get thirty minutes of jaw-dropping bass. Some of that is made up by tracks from FLTHY ANMLZ themselves. Let’s get down to business and see what FLTHY ANMLZ is all about and where they came from.

TMN: What got you each into music? How did you end up together as FLTHY ANMLZ?

FA: We’ve been really good friends since 7th grade and after High School we both really got into DJing and going to Electronic Music Shows. We were so hooked on the scene that we had to take the next step and try our hands at producing our own stuff. We both did our own thing for a little while but as time went on we discovered we had very similar tastes and started producing a lot together. Soon after we started playing together and eventually we just decided that two heads are better than one and why not produce and DJ together.

TMN: How did you come up with your name?

FA: A lot of our very first remixes, flips, etc. had samples from the original Home Alone movie. The part where Kevin uses the old movie to talk to the pizza guy. We sampled the part where it says, “keep the change ya filthy animal!” and used it numerous times in different works. We liked it so much and it fit our style so well we decided to name our project after it.. FLTHY ANMLZ was born.

TMN: If you could sum up your sound in 3 words, what would they be?

FA: Filthy Hybrid Bass

TMN: If you could collaborate with any artists, who would you pick?

There’s so many amazing artists we’d love to work with. But just to name a few: LUMBERJVCK, JPhlepz, BTSM, WOOLYMAMMOTH, Holly, G JONES, and Mr. Carmack.

TMN: Where do you see bass music headed and how do you see yourselves fitting into that progression?

FA: The cool thing about bass music sound is that its always evolving. As far as sub genre’s go, what’s big now is pretty much here to stay for a long time to come. There’s some artists out there that are really doing there own thing as far as sound design goes and we really hope to carve out our own niche in that some day.

TMN: Let’s get more technical on this next one, what’s your go to plug-in and why?

FA: Serum is the go to right now. You can create anything from scratch in there or you can go to town on an existing audio clip, preset, etc. There’s still so much to learn about it too so thats pretty awesome that theres room to improve on our use of it.

TMN: What can we expect from FLTHY ANMLZ for the rest of 2017?

FA: Hopefully we can establish releases with some really solid labels by the end of the year and keep building on the brand we’ve started. That is our major goal right now. You can definitely be expecting more music from us thats for certain. We’re also working on booking some big shows so we can rinse out some of our unreleased arsenal we’ve been sitting on.

Kompany & G-Rex Drop Collab & 10 Production Tips [TMN Interview]

Posted by Tyler Trew - September 15, 2017

Kompany & G-REX
Downfall

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If you’ve got the sauce, there should be no downfall. The only exception to this comes from Kompany and G-Rex whose newest single “Downfall” has been released as a free download. Not only have they delivered a whopping bass beast, but they entered the dojo for a little something extra.

As two of bass music’s most promising up and comers, they’ve put in the time and diligence to get where they are today. Their rise can be attributed to amazing works like “Downfall” but those tracks come from honing in the skills at home or in the studio. That’s why we sat down with them to get five production tips from each of the boys. While you enjoy their boisterous hit, read through their advice and get to work on your next hit!

Kompany:
1. Find your sound. Experiment with your own style of synthesis or resampling techniques and really drive that home so you have something recognizable to your songs.

2. Take time to dial in your drums. Even one small adjustment to your hi-hats/kick and snare can change the energy of your entire track.

3. Find the weakest point in your production and spend a whole entire month or so focusing strictly on that.

4. Be patient with your releases! Build a catalog of impressive music to pitch to your favorite labels. Make it all cohesive if possible.

5. Put in the hours. There are no shortcuts and if you put in every free hour you have into production you will grow at an exceptionally fast rate.

G-Rex:
1. Don’t Sleep on your DAWs native plugin. Having tons and tons of VSTs is awesome but most of the time the presets in your DAWs native plugins can do the same thing. Just become aware of what they all do and how they can be used.

2. Make your own sample pack to use. Making your own sample pack with your go-to samples will speed up your work flow and help you continue to build on your sound.

3. Keep your sample library organized. This will also help when with workflow and speed of production. Proper labeling will help with searching in your Daw when your looking for that perfect sample.

4. Experiment. There really is no rules when it comes to producing. Never box yourself in. The more time you invest experimenting the more you will learn about your production style and will eventually fall into production routines that will end up leading to your “sound.”

5. Have your palette ready going into writing. I have sat down countless times excited to write something new and just haven’t known where to start or end up with just a loop. It is a lot easier to start with a painters perspective. get some samples, presets, and vocal ideas that fit the vibe/idea of what you want to write, throw them in your DAW, and start arranging them into a full song.

Point Blank Offers Home Studio Set Up Tips With Video & Playlist [Dojo Takeover]

Posted by Tyler Trew - September 11, 2017

Point Blank Music School is one of the best places for music producers to get a leg up. They’ve got three schools spanning the globe, as well as online classes/courses that can be taken from the comfort of your own home. Not only that, but they offer some great free videos for all sorts of tricks.

The latest tricks they shared had to do with one of the most important things for a producer: setting up their home studio. Not only has Point Blank entered the dojo to help you with your home studio, but they got their hands on our Dojo Takeover Spotify playlist to give you some great music to set up your studio to. Check the tips, check the songs and make sure to hit up Point Blank for any of your producer needs.

Adam Tell Talks Getting Into Music & New Falsework EP [TMN Interview]

Posted by Tyler Trew - August 28, 2017

I don’t know how Adam Tell gets it all done, but he does. He’s got a day job, but when he’s not 9-to-5-ing he’s working on his passion, music. That most recently has brought his EP called Falsework to fruition, complete with seven tracks total. Not only does Adam tell deliver dynamic productions, but he lends his light-hearted voice to the project as well.

It’s not easy to do everything yourself, but Adam pulls it off just fine. Throughout the project he gives listeners a variety of sounds to immerse themselves in, while nailing each vocal he performs. He’s an all in one package that has a great future ahead of him if he keeps up the great work that he’s already accomplished, especially with Falsework.

Not only has Adam Tell entered the dojo with his EP, but he has answered a few questions we had. In taking some time with us, he shines light on Falsework, as well as his journey into music. Get the inside scoop on this unique musician straight from the source, Adam himself. Enjoy his EP while you read through our interview with him.

’Foreground’

’Opposites Attack!’

’Roll The Tape’

’Headway’

’Falsework’

’Full Recovery’

’Parallel’

TMN: Was music a large part of your childhood?

Oh yes! Some of my earliest memories were sitting on the bench of my parents’ baby grand, or playing with the rhythm machine on our electronic weighted keyboard 88 keys. Over the years, my family accumulated instruments, like a C3 organ, accordion, drum set, and guitars. My brother is the guitar player, and my dad plays piano, so I’d take the drums and the three of us would jam all the time! When we weren’t jamming together, I’d be on our home computer recording music on Garageband. On top of that, I was lucky enough to take piano, saxophone, and voice lessons for long periods of time. I had a really rounded musical childhood that exposed me to different styles of music and different ways to create it. I was a lucky kid!

TMN: Did you have any “a-ha” moment where you realized you loved and wanted to pursue music?

Not really. Some bright moments in high school stand out, but it was mostly just the sheer volume and variety of musical memories that pushed me towards it. I’ve always been doing it, and I genuinely can’t imagine not pursuing it in some fashion for the rest of my life.

TMN: When did you get comfortable putting your music out there and how to did you get past that initial phase?

I’ve been “releasing” music basically since I started producing/songwriting back in 2006, but by releasing, I mean handing out burnt CDs to my friends. I probably finished around 100-150 songs in the seven years before I started working on my first official release/album,, Past the Hypothetical. Back then, it was very casual and unacademic. Lots of transcribing and recording Frank Sinatra arrangements (yes, the whole big band), recording covers of my favorite rock/pop songs, and writing the worst originals I’ll ever write. But looking back, I think the variety of the music I produced helped expand my production sensibilities and the ability to finish full songs, rather than just fragments.

Getting back to your question though – I think what made me comfortable enough to fully distribute my first album was the fact that the songs came from a very honest place. I also thought that they were at least semi-professional sounding. I spent so much time making that first album, and the whole time with the intent of releasing it. While the production (particularly the mixing) is subpar to my production standards today, I’m still proud of the compositions on the album, and I’m so glad I got “past the hypothetical” and released it!

TMN: How do your previous EPs different from this one?

Great question! Now that some time has passed between my Fiction and Purpose EPs, it’s easy for me to distinguish them. In my opinion, Fiction is the most “poppy” of the three. It’s a concept album about a failed relationship, and love is a typical subject for pop.. On top of that, it’s mostly lighter in energy and sound design, and doesn’t really have any jarring moments throughout the whole EP. In comparison, Purpose has the heavier, more complex sound design. Coupled with the introspective lyrics, I think Purpose is more of an electronic dance music fan’s EP. I’d consider Falsework to be more similar to Purpose than it is to Fiction, but it’s much more eclectic than Purpose. I consciously tried to incorporate as many different styles as I could naturally write, so I ended up with a record that has a lot of influences.

TMN: Any cool Adam Tell things going on besides music releases?

Not a whole lot! Mostly just settling into my career as a CPA and trying to not spend all of my income on plugins and equipment! I did just finish my first live show at 515 Alive, and I’m planning on performing more after I get some time to focus on producing again.

TMN: If you could throw a tour together, who would be the dream team featured on it?

This is an easy one. If we’re going full dream team, I’d no doubt choose to support Imogen Heap on tour. That would be the absolute top. But here on planet Earth, I’d be really honored to tour with Fox Stevenson, Chime, and a lot of other musicians that I’ve been meeting lately!

TMN: Are you slowing down or speeding up in terms of content as we head toward 2018?

I’ve just released ten songs in the last two months, so I’m hoping that that keeps my fans happy for a little while! But I’ve got a couple more collaborations in the making that I’m expecting to have out by the end of the year. As for 2018, I’m going to be trying new styles, and the plan is to speed up, for sure. I recently switched to Ableton from Logic, and it’s already changing the way I produce and improving my efficiency. Oh, and I’d love to start writing for media in 2018 if I can get the opportunities.