WIDEBODY beat pack
This next beat pack is person we have been following on his social media for a long time and incredible proud to have apart of our app. Florida by way of New Jersey. DJ WIDEBODY!
What got you into making music?
My father was a musician he was with the Army band when I was a young child and was an avid record collector, so I was exposed to a lot of different music at a young age ..I remember recording Chuck chill out on Friday night and Red Alert on Saturdays on my tape deck, it was when I believe that rap was on its way to the next tier gaining worldwide recognition and respect as a genre, i always use to wonder how the music was made those breakbeat drums stood out !!!!! so I started to experiment when I got my first double tape deck from the flea market i remember going back to old recordings looking for any open drums I could swipe up we all know this today as pause tape mixing . after I had a Yamaha psr-6 which didn’t really have a lot of sounds I purchased an Ensoniq ASR x from a friend of mine, at that time everything I was trying to do with the tapes and Cds all made sense it was a game changer and I think it made my love for music that much better because now my goal was to try and make my beats sound like my favorite hip hop songs , which also got me into DJing later on down the line.
What DAWs are you working with and why?
I currently am using abelton 10 with the push 2 and MPC software with an MPC live, I also use Studio One 4 for mixing as well as Protools, I use abelton because I believe it’s a Daws Daw it has everything u need to produce mix , master and even DJ and then some , I also like the way it works with my micro korg as well as any other outboard gear , chopping in abelton is the best in my opinion because u can throw entire songs into Simpler and chop the whole song rather than certain parts of the song , I started using the Mpc software because I purchased the MPC live ,this software Is very user friendly as well, although it is different from abelton it gives me a different way to produce in the studio or at the park using Mpc live as a standalone and is slowly becoming a program I use to record studio sessions into rather than Protools , or Studio One
How do you deal with creative block?
I watch a lot of videos which would include the older Scratch Mag Videos, Behind the beats or Scratching the surface, I still am amazed watching Kev Brown make bass lines and chops so effortlessly also a few favorite vids on YouTube like the 1500 or nothing the older Rhythm Rolette vids , Bonnie Mayfield , Dj Battlecat to name a few I know this sounds crazy but every time I have a creative block I go fetch a drum break and chop it up, for some reason it breaks me out of my funk.
How would you describe your style of production?
I would describe it as aggressive beat battle type of music with boom bap and heavy drums, influenced along with samples and or synths using various transitions.
Can you explain the thought process behind this beat pack?
My thoughts were to show my versatility , I mostly do sample based music but I have also done organic music as well , I wanted to show that I can survive in both worlds , because I believe there is a line drawn down the middle when it comes to producers either you’re ! a sample based producer or an organic based producer , most producers I know loves one or the other but can do both, I also wanted to showcase my drums ,I think coming where I came from using a ASR X most of my production days, to having more technology and good influences a video call away has contributed to my drums being the focal point of my music as well as the instrumentation being where it is today.
Who are you listening to?
I don’t really get a chance to listen to music except for when my comrades drop their projects , Im mostly listening to beats I have exported to my phone to see how I can mix better , arrange better and improve what I am trying to create , if I do listen to music it is to check out how the mix sounded and as well as the arrangements which would lead me to all of Dr Dre older stuff which to me was sonically in pocket x 36 , also anything that Alchemist touched, as far as the new cats I like the whole Drake movement , with the production the mix everything about that, and im a big J Cole fan, I think he is what rap should of evolved to, if 20 years ago we could see into the future what hip hop would sound like across the board , J Cole is that!!
Music, any future projects?
Im working on a few things , one of them Im working on a joint project with Mental Da God called “God Body” which is on the way in the fall 2018 Im also working on my second solo release called “Widebody Terminal “ Which is the Sequel from my first project named The Widebody Experience also I’m part of a producer collective Named the Dirty ol Men , we have a project coming out in the near future as well, Im currently doing a podcast with the Comrade Cx the producer named the Master Channel which covers the Hip hop culture from the production side of the house mainly, Im also working with young artist He’s now in the school of Boom bap right now teaching him the History before we can make history I wont use his name right now because I’m trying to get him to drop the (Lil).
Any random proaction tip?
Don’t be afraid to take chances, do what u want to do not what other people want you to do, Give back when u can don’t always take take take. Know your worth, and last but not least NO FREE BEATS!!!