By Philly Stress
Fri Sep 24, 2004 10:27 pm
This Proves How shady the Roc is..... This came out earlier this year. I'm hit yaw with some carzy interviews Pertainin to PRODUCTION so stay tuned!
Hip Hop producer ALCHEMIST is able to transmute raw sound into classic street anthems. Remember Jada Kiss's "We Gonna Make It" Hit record? The production was brought to you by yours truly.
We caught up with ALCHEMIST to talk about the new album, record label and of course the beats. ALCHEMIST has proven that he's got the beat game down to a science.
Do you sample primarily from vinyl? What are some of your other resources?
Anything! Everything comes from vinyl first. Making noise from my mouth and sampling shit from outside. Anything goes!
I've seen Havoc (Mobb Deep) making a beat and the needle came off the record hitting the side of the turntable platter which made a hot noise like "Duh-Duh-Duh-Duh-Duh-Duh-Duh-Duh-Duh". It sounded like a snake rattling. Havoc put that shit in a beat and it sounded crazy.
How often do you shop for records?
I never stop. All day! It's like looking for bitches. I'm always looking for records and records stores.
What do you look for when you shop for records?
Records I've never seen before. I got an ill memory. I'll remember a record by the cover. I scan through records real fast. I have a portable turntable but I don't have the patience to sit their & listen because I'm going to want to hook that beat up right there.
A lot of times you'll get home and it never sounds the same.
Define your role as a producer?
It comes after the beat is delivered. Once the artist picks a beat I feel my role as a producer begins. I analyze everything. Every record has a growing process. It requires treatment to become a hit record.
Do you tailor make your beats for every artists?
After the vocals are done I start treating the song. I never complete a beat by the time it gets to the artist. I put it down enough for the artist to write to.
How much work do you complete in pre-production before mixing?
Everything is done before we mix. I fine tune the songs in the studio.
AL
How did you get into Hip Hop music?
I started DJing before rhyming. I caught that fire when I was young. I was always extra creative in the group. When my group got a little doe from the label I went out and bought my first machine. I got like $10,000 off the top and bought my ASR-10. I've been rolling with that ever since.
How long have you been producing?
I've been producing for 9-10 years now.
Describe your production style?
I would say Precision. I strive to make my shit precise in the quality of the song and the character of the record. I like to put extra shit that's needed and sometimes that means keeping it simple.
What are some of your techniques and methods for drum programming & sound layering?
It varies! I go through different stages when making beats. Sometimes I'll lay drums first and sit with it for a week & say nah! I'm sick of that. I don't stick to one formula.
I layer a lot with keyboards. That's something I've learned from listening to records. Listening to sound tracks gave me ideas of what instruments are playing & what role they play in the composition. I find the number of musicians and instruments that are playing on the record. There's a bunch of instruments that are playing simultaneously to give you that sound. I feel my ears are the best thing that I got.
What are some of your sampling techniques?
I chop the shit out of everything I sample. I break down every little piece and put it back together. It gives you more agility. Chopping gives you more possibilities. You can stumble on new shit all the time. I picked that up from DJ Premiere. A lot of my shit comes from him.
I like chopping samples because it keeps it grittier. Just like the song "We Gonna Make It" by Jada Kiss in the beginning of the song I want people to know that I manipulate the **** out those samples.
The new shit I'm using now is my name in the beginning of all the beats I do. It sounds like I chopped my name up. I programmed the sample of my name to play like "AL-AL-AL-AL-AL-AL-AL-ALCHEMIST, ALCHEMIST. It's my new signature.
What is the process for getting your music placed on records?
I still shop my beats. You get your occasional calls now & then. Don't let anybody come to you. You always got to go to them until you're at a certain level where the whole world knows you. I'm still on the grind. I'm nowhere near where I need to be.
I was coming up with Just Blaze and Kanye West. I bumped into Jay Z and he said I was wasting my beats on some straight up cocky shit. I respect him for that because I know what he was saying.
On the low I was hitting Jay Z with beats for the Blue Print album. At the time Kanye West was coming up. They were feeding him my beats & every non Rocafella producer's beats.
Cat's was pushing Kanye to step his game up before producers like me or whoever would make JAY Z's album. That fire made Kanye rise and become who he is today. That's what you're supposed to do.
I got to be leery on who you leave your beats with. People will study your shit, find what samples you usedand figure out how to make your shit better. You can't knock anybody for doing that because when I hear other peoples beats in the studio & it's hot, I know what I have to **** with.
I can remember Kanye asking me how I make my drums sound the way they do. I'm like you don't need no pointers because he's Kanye West. His music speaks for itself. I love Kanye's shit!
Hip Hop producer ALCHEMIST is able to transmute raw sound into classic street anthems. Remember Jada Kiss's "We Gonna Make It" Hit record? The production was brought to you by yours truly.
We caught up with ALCHEMIST to talk about the new album, record label and of course the beats. ALCHEMIST has proven that he's got the beat game down to a science.
Do you sample primarily from vinyl? What are some of your other resources?
Anything! Everything comes from vinyl first. Making noise from my mouth and sampling shit from outside. Anything goes!
I've seen Havoc (Mobb Deep) making a beat and the needle came off the record hitting the side of the turntable platter which made a hot noise like "Duh-Duh-Duh-Duh-Duh-Duh-Duh-Duh-Duh". It sounded like a snake rattling. Havoc put that shit in a beat and it sounded crazy.
How often do you shop for records?
I never stop. All day! It's like looking for bitches. I'm always looking for records and records stores.
What do you look for when you shop for records?
Records I've never seen before. I got an ill memory. I'll remember a record by the cover. I scan through records real fast. I have a portable turntable but I don't have the patience to sit their & listen because I'm going to want to hook that beat up right there.
A lot of times you'll get home and it never sounds the same.
Define your role as a producer?
It comes after the beat is delivered. Once the artist picks a beat I feel my role as a producer begins. I analyze everything. Every record has a growing process. It requires treatment to become a hit record.
Do you tailor make your beats for every artists?
After the vocals are done I start treating the song. I never complete a beat by the time it gets to the artist. I put it down enough for the artist to write to.
How much work do you complete in pre-production before mixing?
Everything is done before we mix. I fine tune the songs in the studio.
AL
How did you get into Hip Hop music?
I started DJing before rhyming. I caught that fire when I was young. I was always extra creative in the group. When my group got a little doe from the label I went out and bought my first machine. I got like $10,000 off the top and bought my ASR-10. I've been rolling with that ever since.
How long have you been producing?
I've been producing for 9-10 years now.
Describe your production style?
I would say Precision. I strive to make my shit precise in the quality of the song and the character of the record. I like to put extra shit that's needed and sometimes that means keeping it simple.
What are some of your techniques and methods for drum programming & sound layering?
It varies! I go through different stages when making beats. Sometimes I'll lay drums first and sit with it for a week & say nah! I'm sick of that. I don't stick to one formula.
I layer a lot with keyboards. That's something I've learned from listening to records. Listening to sound tracks gave me ideas of what instruments are playing & what role they play in the composition. I find the number of musicians and instruments that are playing on the record. There's a bunch of instruments that are playing simultaneously to give you that sound. I feel my ears are the best thing that I got.
What are some of your sampling techniques?
I chop the shit out of everything I sample. I break down every little piece and put it back together. It gives you more agility. Chopping gives you more possibilities. You can stumble on new shit all the time. I picked that up from DJ Premiere. A lot of my shit comes from him.
I like chopping samples because it keeps it grittier. Just like the song "We Gonna Make It" by Jada Kiss in the beginning of the song I want people to know that I manipulate the **** out those samples.
The new shit I'm using now is my name in the beginning of all the beats I do. It sounds like I chopped my name up. I programmed the sample of my name to play like "AL-AL-AL-AL-AL-AL-AL-ALCHEMIST, ALCHEMIST. It's my new signature.
What is the process for getting your music placed on records?
I still shop my beats. You get your occasional calls now & then. Don't let anybody come to you. You always got to go to them until you're at a certain level where the whole world knows you. I'm still on the grind. I'm nowhere near where I need to be.
I was coming up with Just Blaze and Kanye West. I bumped into Jay Z and he said I was wasting my beats on some straight up cocky shit. I respect him for that because I know what he was saying.
On the low I was hitting Jay Z with beats for the Blue Print album. At the time Kanye West was coming up. They were feeding him my beats & every non Rocafella producer's beats.
Cat's was pushing Kanye to step his game up before producers like me or whoever would make JAY Z's album. That fire made Kanye rise and become who he is today. That's what you're supposed to do.
I got to be leery on who you leave your beats with. People will study your shit, find what samples you usedand figure out how to make your shit better. You can't knock anybody for doing that because when I hear other peoples beats in the studio & it's hot, I know what I have to **** with.
I can remember Kanye asking me how I make my drums sound the way they do. I'm like you don't need no pointers because he's Kanye West. His music speaks for itself. I love Kanye's shit!
I use:
2 Technics TurnTables
Akai MPC 3000LE
Akai s950
Akai VX-90
Akai MFC 42
Ensoniq EPS 16+
Moog Little Phatty (OTW!)
BREAK THE BANX MUSIC, LLC.
2 Technics TurnTables
Akai MPC 3000LE
Akai s950
Akai VX-90
Akai MFC 42
Ensoniq EPS 16+
Moog Little Phatty (OTW!)
BREAK THE BANX MUSIC, LLC.
