By Phillystres
Wed Oct 06, 2004 8:51 pm
Other Interview from Geology the guy that produced "Brooklyn" Hip Hop for Mos Def Check it out!! Talk about his Production techinque and his Relationship with Tupac!
Geology - Brooklyn's Finest
by: Chris "Rictor" Craft
BEFORE YOU READ ON... PEEP SOME OF GEO'S WORK
Geology and Unspoken Heard: Elevator Music
Geology and Mos Def (Unreleased): Brooklyn
Damn the politics, let's get down to the music. This man has blessed our ears with soulful compositions that can't be contested. You might know him from his work on Mos Def's album ("Brooklyn"), but Geology definitely has a history and more in store for the future...
ANO: What is the story behind the name Geology?
GEO: There's actually a lot of ways to explain... See, we all come from the Earth and I'ma Earth sign a Capricorn and I try to cover the whole Earth when dealing with things.. It's highly spiritual... I really try to bring from the Earth to inspire my sound musically and my art. This world has many levels and I like to cover them... Sometimes my music is really watery.. sometimes it's airy, and sometimes it's spacey.. I like to cover the whole universe. I also try to stay down to Earth and not be on some ego shit.. that's another way to breakdown the meaning behind the name Geology... Lastly, my name is Gerard so I also incorporated the whole "G" thing into it.
ANO: What element defines the "Geology" sound?
GEO: (Laughter)... It's hard to say because the Geology sound is always evolving. What people are hearing now is the certain things i'm doing with filters and effects and stuff... I don't want to give away my secrets, but I **** with the track in a certain way that gives it this milky type feeling. I can't really explain it, it's something that you have to really listen to. The Geology sound is funky, sometimes gritty, sometimes airy, and I can even come with some pretty melodic shit.. but I always try to hit you with the nice cripsy drums... Definitely the drums... It really depends on my mood and my mindstate at the time.. that heavily relates to my creative process and what comes out in my music...
ANO: How do you incorporate sampling into your production technique?
GEO: Different ways... Sometimes if I sample stuff from records, I'll just chop it up like crazy... I'll reply my own melodies and my own basslines... I always search for nice drum sounds, snares, bass sounds... Or like to include the old analog machines... You see I got here the Moog, the Opus 3, the Fender Rhodes... I like that real old analog feeling... And you see that these old boards aren't MIDI compatible... so you see I might play something on my analog board and sample it onto the ASR and even mess with it some more on there... There so many layers or levels to it... Even with drums, you may here one snare.. but it may be 3 snares layered together... I sample in different ways, sometimes I sample myself or pieces from other people... or whatever... Whatever is called for...
ANO: You kind of touched on the next question. This is an issue I heard discussed among other producers; do you think it's wrong to sample drums from other producers? Not, drum sequences, but say you heard this banging snare on a Gangstarr record...
GEO: That's a touchy situation, because I've seen other producers do it... You know what I'm sayin?... I think it's better to get your own drums... Get your own shit... But you know, I know of situations where other people have done it... If you do something like that... I would hope that you would do something to alter the sound... I mean.. I'm not mad about it... But, I think it's better when you do your own research and bust your ass to find your stuff...
ANO: What or who got you into making beats?
GEO: Wow, well you know what it is?... I grew up around music and my father was an ill collector of records... I grew up peepin' the 8-tracks and the vinyl covers... I used to just sit down and look at the vinyl jackets because I really liked the artwork... So, that was a big part.. growing up around parents that were really into music... Then when I went to elementary school.. probably like 3rd grade, I started to play the coronet... That lead me into the trumpet.. then to the trombone. That was more of studying music and learning to read notes.. At the same time I was also interested in the drums, but I knew my parents weren't having it. Around 12, I lost the passion for the horn and I then really wanted to DJ. I would scratch on any turntable.. hell I would mess around with Fisher Price turntables... And then in high school, I went to a school for the arts and through that experience, it allowed me to meet ill people... I connected with people that were really into this music thing also... I mean.. no one sat down with me and taught me how to do this; I had to teach myself. To make a long story short.. I met this kid who I had seen before at another school. I had seen him at this festival at my younger brother's school and he was out there rhyming with this t-shirt on that said "MC New York" on it... This is before this kid went to my school... Well he eventually transfered to my school and everyone was talking about this new kid at our school from New York named Tupac... We were like at first, who does this kid think he is?... And after a lot of crazy things had happened.. us being almost adversaries... Me, him, and a couple others had formed a group, and that was my first real hip-hop experience... We would at my parent's house and that's when I first started making beats.. making my own shit... So me, Darren, and Tupac constantly were contributing as far as writing and me making beats... We even wrote for Jada Pinkett.. she went to my school also and she wanted to rhyme too... It's crazy... The first time that Tupac actually heard himself recorded was at my mom's house; and he was so excited cus it was his first time recording and rhyming over one of my beats... And I can't find the tape... It kills me cus all the copies are like no where... but we have other stuff on tape... All of this lead to other things like moving here to Brooklyn and pursuing my music and art...
ANO: What other genres of music deeply influence your production style?
GEO: I think all music... I mean, it's obvious that I like jazz; but I also like some rock shit, drum&bass, and blues... I really like all kinds of music... If it's good and I can feel it.. I can appreciate it and let it inspire me... I don't ever want to be boxed in... Whenever people think they got me figured out.. I'll just flip the script on them...
ANO: Brooklyn is like a melting pot of talent. How has this environment affected you musically?
GEO: In a very positive way man... I feel like from being in Brooklyn, I've met a lot of different people... It's the whole energy... It's a very cultural place where it's like family but it's also real... There's definitely a lot talented people out here that I've been fortunate to meet... People like Mos Def, Kweli, Shawn J. Period, DJ Spinna... There's just a lot people I've had a chance to build with just through living in Brooklyn... It has definitely helped my artform... I love Brooklyn...
ANO: Do you plan on working with any artists outside the New York area?
GEO: Oh yeah, I've done that... I'm always open to that... I just did a song with this kid from the west coast named Kombo... I've recorded with Zeb Luv and Jah Skills from the Fivefootahz... I've worked with J. Sands from Pittsburg... Even other forms of music... I want to do stuff with Stereolab and other groups from overseas that don't even do hip-hop... I feel like I can create other forms of music and still do funky shit... I'm open... If I can feel the vibe, I can get with it... If I can't feel the vibe, I can't get with it...
ANO: Who are some of your favorite producers in the West, Midwest, and South?
GEO: I like J. Rawls and Hi-Tek from the Midwest... West coast, umm... Obviously, I like Dre.. Evidence of Dilated.. This kid Khalil that works with Kombo... But yeah, you know.. different cats... Can't forget Jay Dee... Jay Dee definitely... So many people I can name...
ANO: You ever plan on forming a group with an emcee... Like a Gangstarr type thing?
GEO: Yo, I've definitely thought about it... As far being a producer, it works in your favor being in a group because you can establish yourself in a particular way... It's helped Premo.. It's helped Pete Rock.. It helped Jay Dee... You know... It's helped a lot of producers... I'd like to do it... There's a lot of people that I've thought about doing that with... But when the right situation comes about, I may do it... I want to perform and do the music... It's good to work with all these different people, do production for them, and get your music out in different ways... But I think it's better to have a mainstay... You never know.. I might drop some lyrics myself and suprise some people...
ANO: How does it feel when working with Vinia Mojica?
GEO: Basically, I just feel very fortunate to work with her... She's a very beautiful person and it's about time that her project gets worked on... People have been waiting and asking and it's just time...
ANO: Which artist tends to bring the most out of you.. production wise?
GEO: I don't know. It's hard to say... I think it might be the other way around... I think my music affects people to have to come on it a certain kind of way... You just can say anything over my shit... It forces or challenges the emcee or vocalists in a certain way... I've seen it happen with Pharoah Monche and several other people... I create from a deeper source within myself...
ANO: Do you have any memorable studio experiences?
GEO: Man, let me see... yeah.. Me and Mos Def did this track a few years ago called "Great Day" at my man O.T.'s studio... It took so damn long to mix that song because there were so many vocal parts... And he had the analog Mackie board, not the digital one... So he had all the levels set and straight, finally... We left out to go get something to eat and when we came back.. O.T. had this look on his face like, "You won't believe just happed"... Khalyl from the Bush Babees had came in and he hadn't realized that we had just mixed a song... So you know basically, he goes into the studio.. getting ready to work on his own shit and he just goes to board and levels everything down flat... And I swear when O.T. told us that, I wanted to kill Khalyl... I wanted to cry... We stayed up all night getting that right... You have to laugh about it now... But thank God for the digital mixing board... Another time... I was tracking some stuff in the studio... Then Diamond D. came in and he was trying to reserve an MPC to drop his shit.. but they didn't have an MPC at the studio to use... So I just told him to go ahead and use my joint 'cus I thought he was only going to lay down one joint... He ended up laying down like four or five joints.. but it's all good.. he's a cool brotha'...
ANO: What are some of the future projects you got lined up?
GEO: Vinia Mojica definitely... I gave Blackstar two tracks for their album, so hopefully that'll get on the album... Hopefully Pharoahe Monch... I got some of my own projects where folks come in an spit over my beats.. Some of it is straight instrumental... DJ Spinna and the Jigmastas.. I did some stuff with them that should be coming out soon... Lonecatalysts stuff.. J. Sands stuff.. Unspoken Heard.. J-Live.. De La... Maybe some more stuff with Mos for his MCA solo album... Just different people...
Geology - Brooklyn's Finest
by: Chris "Rictor" Craft
BEFORE YOU READ ON... PEEP SOME OF GEO'S WORK
Geology and Unspoken Heard: Elevator Music
Geology and Mos Def (Unreleased): Brooklyn
Damn the politics, let's get down to the music. This man has blessed our ears with soulful compositions that can't be contested. You might know him from his work on Mos Def's album ("Brooklyn"), but Geology definitely has a history and more in store for the future...
ANO: What is the story behind the name Geology?
GEO: There's actually a lot of ways to explain... See, we all come from the Earth and I'ma Earth sign a Capricorn and I try to cover the whole Earth when dealing with things.. It's highly spiritual... I really try to bring from the Earth to inspire my sound musically and my art. This world has many levels and I like to cover them... Sometimes my music is really watery.. sometimes it's airy, and sometimes it's spacey.. I like to cover the whole universe. I also try to stay down to Earth and not be on some ego shit.. that's another way to breakdown the meaning behind the name Geology... Lastly, my name is Gerard so I also incorporated the whole "G" thing into it.
ANO: What element defines the "Geology" sound?
GEO: (Laughter)... It's hard to say because the Geology sound is always evolving. What people are hearing now is the certain things i'm doing with filters and effects and stuff... I don't want to give away my secrets, but I **** with the track in a certain way that gives it this milky type feeling. I can't really explain it, it's something that you have to really listen to. The Geology sound is funky, sometimes gritty, sometimes airy, and I can even come with some pretty melodic shit.. but I always try to hit you with the nice cripsy drums... Definitely the drums... It really depends on my mood and my mindstate at the time.. that heavily relates to my creative process and what comes out in my music...
ANO: How do you incorporate sampling into your production technique?
GEO: Different ways... Sometimes if I sample stuff from records, I'll just chop it up like crazy... I'll reply my own melodies and my own basslines... I always search for nice drum sounds, snares, bass sounds... Or like to include the old analog machines... You see I got here the Moog, the Opus 3, the Fender Rhodes... I like that real old analog feeling... And you see that these old boards aren't MIDI compatible... so you see I might play something on my analog board and sample it onto the ASR and even mess with it some more on there... There so many layers or levels to it... Even with drums, you may here one snare.. but it may be 3 snares layered together... I sample in different ways, sometimes I sample myself or pieces from other people... or whatever... Whatever is called for...
ANO: You kind of touched on the next question. This is an issue I heard discussed among other producers; do you think it's wrong to sample drums from other producers? Not, drum sequences, but say you heard this banging snare on a Gangstarr record...
GEO: That's a touchy situation, because I've seen other producers do it... You know what I'm sayin?... I think it's better to get your own drums... Get your own shit... But you know, I know of situations where other people have done it... If you do something like that... I would hope that you would do something to alter the sound... I mean.. I'm not mad about it... But, I think it's better when you do your own research and bust your ass to find your stuff...
ANO: What or who got you into making beats?
GEO: Wow, well you know what it is?... I grew up around music and my father was an ill collector of records... I grew up peepin' the 8-tracks and the vinyl covers... I used to just sit down and look at the vinyl jackets because I really liked the artwork... So, that was a big part.. growing up around parents that were really into music... Then when I went to elementary school.. probably like 3rd grade, I started to play the coronet... That lead me into the trumpet.. then to the trombone. That was more of studying music and learning to read notes.. At the same time I was also interested in the drums, but I knew my parents weren't having it. Around 12, I lost the passion for the horn and I then really wanted to DJ. I would scratch on any turntable.. hell I would mess around with Fisher Price turntables... And then in high school, I went to a school for the arts and through that experience, it allowed me to meet ill people... I connected with people that were really into this music thing also... I mean.. no one sat down with me and taught me how to do this; I had to teach myself. To make a long story short.. I met this kid who I had seen before at another school. I had seen him at this festival at my younger brother's school and he was out there rhyming with this t-shirt on that said "MC New York" on it... This is before this kid went to my school... Well he eventually transfered to my school and everyone was talking about this new kid at our school from New York named Tupac... We were like at first, who does this kid think he is?... And after a lot of crazy things had happened.. us being almost adversaries... Me, him, and a couple others had formed a group, and that was my first real hip-hop experience... We would at my parent's house and that's when I first started making beats.. making my own shit... So me, Darren, and Tupac constantly were contributing as far as writing and me making beats... We even wrote for Jada Pinkett.. she went to my school also and she wanted to rhyme too... It's crazy... The first time that Tupac actually heard himself recorded was at my mom's house; and he was so excited cus it was his first time recording and rhyming over one of my beats... And I can't find the tape... It kills me cus all the copies are like no where... but we have other stuff on tape... All of this lead to other things like moving here to Brooklyn and pursuing my music and art...
ANO: What other genres of music deeply influence your production style?
GEO: I think all music... I mean, it's obvious that I like jazz; but I also like some rock shit, drum&bass, and blues... I really like all kinds of music... If it's good and I can feel it.. I can appreciate it and let it inspire me... I don't ever want to be boxed in... Whenever people think they got me figured out.. I'll just flip the script on them...
ANO: Brooklyn is like a melting pot of talent. How has this environment affected you musically?
GEO: In a very positive way man... I feel like from being in Brooklyn, I've met a lot of different people... It's the whole energy... It's a very cultural place where it's like family but it's also real... There's definitely a lot talented people out here that I've been fortunate to meet... People like Mos Def, Kweli, Shawn J. Period, DJ Spinna... There's just a lot people I've had a chance to build with just through living in Brooklyn... It has definitely helped my artform... I love Brooklyn...
ANO: Do you plan on working with any artists outside the New York area?
GEO: Oh yeah, I've done that... I'm always open to that... I just did a song with this kid from the west coast named Kombo... I've recorded with Zeb Luv and Jah Skills from the Fivefootahz... I've worked with J. Sands from Pittsburg... Even other forms of music... I want to do stuff with Stereolab and other groups from overseas that don't even do hip-hop... I feel like I can create other forms of music and still do funky shit... I'm open... If I can feel the vibe, I can get with it... If I can't feel the vibe, I can't get with it...
ANO: Who are some of your favorite producers in the West, Midwest, and South?
GEO: I like J. Rawls and Hi-Tek from the Midwest... West coast, umm... Obviously, I like Dre.. Evidence of Dilated.. This kid Khalil that works with Kombo... But yeah, you know.. different cats... Can't forget Jay Dee... Jay Dee definitely... So many people I can name...
ANO: You ever plan on forming a group with an emcee... Like a Gangstarr type thing?
GEO: Yo, I've definitely thought about it... As far being a producer, it works in your favor being in a group because you can establish yourself in a particular way... It's helped Premo.. It's helped Pete Rock.. It helped Jay Dee... You know... It's helped a lot of producers... I'd like to do it... There's a lot of people that I've thought about doing that with... But when the right situation comes about, I may do it... I want to perform and do the music... It's good to work with all these different people, do production for them, and get your music out in different ways... But I think it's better to have a mainstay... You never know.. I might drop some lyrics myself and suprise some people...
ANO: How does it feel when working with Vinia Mojica?
GEO: Basically, I just feel very fortunate to work with her... She's a very beautiful person and it's about time that her project gets worked on... People have been waiting and asking and it's just time...
ANO: Which artist tends to bring the most out of you.. production wise?
GEO: I don't know. It's hard to say... I think it might be the other way around... I think my music affects people to have to come on it a certain kind of way... You just can say anything over my shit... It forces or challenges the emcee or vocalists in a certain way... I've seen it happen with Pharoah Monche and several other people... I create from a deeper source within myself...
ANO: Do you have any memorable studio experiences?
GEO: Man, let me see... yeah.. Me and Mos Def did this track a few years ago called "Great Day" at my man O.T.'s studio... It took so damn long to mix that song because there were so many vocal parts... And he had the analog Mackie board, not the digital one... So he had all the levels set and straight, finally... We left out to go get something to eat and when we came back.. O.T. had this look on his face like, "You won't believe just happed"... Khalyl from the Bush Babees had came in and he hadn't realized that we had just mixed a song... So you know basically, he goes into the studio.. getting ready to work on his own shit and he just goes to board and levels everything down flat... And I swear when O.T. told us that, I wanted to kill Khalyl... I wanted to cry... We stayed up all night getting that right... You have to laugh about it now... But thank God for the digital mixing board... Another time... I was tracking some stuff in the studio... Then Diamond D. came in and he was trying to reserve an MPC to drop his shit.. but they didn't have an MPC at the studio to use... So I just told him to go ahead and use my joint 'cus I thought he was only going to lay down one joint... He ended up laying down like four or five joints.. but it's all good.. he's a cool brotha'...
ANO: What are some of the future projects you got lined up?
GEO: Vinia Mojica definitely... I gave Blackstar two tracks for their album, so hopefully that'll get on the album... Hopefully Pharoahe Monch... I got some of my own projects where folks come in an spit over my beats.. Some of it is straight instrumental... DJ Spinna and the Jigmastas.. I did some stuff with them that should be coming out soon... Lonecatalysts stuff.. J. Sands stuff.. Unspoken Heard.. J-Live.. De La... Maybe some more stuff with Mos for his MCA solo album... Just different people...