Bonafide Magazine @ MSN: Sir Froderick interview

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Sir Froderick interview Posted: 14 Oct 2013 03:30 PM PDT Sir Froderick came on to our radar via the excellent Bonafide Beats Letherette mix and things snowballed from there. Operating out of the Pasadena area of LA, not only is Sir Froderick responsible for putting out unique sample-based productions that tip a hat to both MPC culture and the future of sound recording, he also has a rare talent for cut-and-paste design – witness the lush, cartoon influenced, screen-printed artwork for SUBTL WHOADI, the first vinyl LP release from Froderick on the (iN)Sect Records imprint. Sir Frod agreed to grace us with an interview and put together a mix for the Bonafide Beats series – stay tuned for this exciting instalment that will be dropping very shortly. In the words of Busta Rhymes: I make sure everything remains RAW So to start, tell us about your musical background, do you know much theory? On both sides of my family, there are musicians. My father and brother were DJs, my cousin Aisha plays bass, my uncle Basil plays violin for the Colorado Symphony, and there's three other cousins that dabble in the entertainment industry. As for me having theory in music: no, but heavy influence from my surroundings. My grandfather always envisioned me being a musician of some sort when growing up. One time he gave me a Chopin record, hinting “This should be you.” Was there a concept behind Consolidate? The concept behind Consolidate started with the art. I had an idea to make a collage and break it into even parts in hopes to have someone consolidate the art pieces as a whole if they all went to different homes. Then I looked up what the word meant and ended up taking the meaning personal. I felt I needed to consolidate everything in my life because I wanted to make myself stronger by combining my skills as an artist and producer into a more effective force – in hopes of bringing people together. I know you’ve done a few collaborations already, but is there anyone in particular you’re hoping to work with next? I’m still tripping off the collaborations I have done already and as of lately. I’m truly grateful for the opportunities to work with my peers – and if there was anyone that I would love to get back to work with, it's my ace up my sleeve: Lisa Preston (LOVEMUSCLE). Could you take us through a bit of your work-flow? In the words of Busta Rhymes: I make sure everything remains RAW. Field Recordings or Turntable to MPC to Tape/Analog Recorder to Laptop. Have you found releasing stuff to cassette worthwhile so far? Are you likely to do more limited runs in future? I think it is real dope that cassettes are selling again….nostalgic feelings I guess – and I have no problem providing that limited need. The concept behind Consolidate started with the art. I had an idea to make a collage and break it into even parts in hopes to have someone consolidate the art pieces as a whole if they all went to different homes. Then I looked up what the word meant and ended up taking the meaning personal. You mentioned field recordings – how much of your music is recorded by you or musicians you know, and how much would you say is sample-based? Your track “fkk that intro ft gossamer” sounds like it has a cut off something on it. The song 'fkk that intro' on Consolidate, with my good friend Gossamer; was recorded using the computer mic with some onion skins for shakers, a carrot being snapped for a snare, one record which was in French, and a cowbell. So I try to put some kind of field recording in most of my sound arrangements. As for sampling clearance: real hip hop is all about finding the perfect loop. I really want to ask something about how you do your interrupted grooves, a lot of your tracks seem like a few shorter tracks all running together: how do you work out the exact detachment of your grooves? To be honest with you about the interrupted grooves I feel like Im just keeping the listener tuned in…so when it switches up it just me getting bored or me having ADD. When I do label releases is when I really take time on sound arrangements. You’ve got quite a lot of material out already, (especially for an emerging artist) – do you have targets you set yourself for how much to work, or is it more organic and on-the-fly? It's whenever inspiration or an idea hits me, and I can't help but to bring it into existence. Words: Anoosheh Dastbaz

Review: Pusha T – My Name Is My Name Posted: 14 Oct 2013 12:24 PM PDT Mainstream rap's most heralded records over the past year have all been definitive in sound and personal in lyrical content; good kid M.A.A.D city, Yeezus, Nothing Was The Same. With a title like My Name Is My Name and the backing of the biggest name in the game, Pusha T's solo debut album was supposed to be next. On King Push, the album opener, Pusha T's ascension to the throne sounds well underway. No more guest spots on Pixie Lott tracks, this is the beginning of joining the royal ranks of rappers who can choose exactly what they want to do, when and who with. Pusha pronounces: "This is my time, this is my hour. This is my pain, this is my name, this is my power." This is Pusha T delivering the tracks of the year. It's Pusha hitting all the right notes for his debut; a proclamation of its greatness, but also a hint at some kind of biography. The Kanye West-produced beat rolls with a marching rhythm befitting of the procession. In the chorus, Pusha T sets his stall out and draws a line between himself and the rest of the mainstream; "I rap nigga 'bout trap niggas, I don't sing hooks." It's such a promising start, yet what follows deviates wildly from the script. Nosetalgia, Numbers On The Boards, Suicide and S.N.I.T.C.H are all tracks that can stand up to the promise of King Push, yet beyond that, My Name Is My Name feels badly lacking. With that title you'd expect a clear-cut sound the whole way through; instead what you get is a mish-mash of sounds and ideas Yes, Pusha may not sing hooks like those popular soft rappers, but having both The-Dream and Chris Brown guest on your record is the next best thing. 40 Acres is built around a Disney chorus sung by The-Dream and a beat that sounds as if it was stolen straight from 40's iTunes. It's not a bad standalone track by any means, but it sounds out of place here. Throughout the record, Pusha experiments with different sounds (including a Kwes sample on Who I Am) before dropping them and moving onto the next. 40 Acres is followed by the bombastic 808-led No Regrets featuring Young Jeezy. As soon as Jeezy's finished barking at you it's on to Let Me Love You, a lackadaisical pop track featuring Kelly Rowland. Through it all, Pusha raps about his days pushing coke, something he unarguably pulls off with bucket loads of style and panache. As such, My Name Is My Name showcases Pusha T as one of the most technically gifted rappers out there. But did any hip-hop fan needs to know that? They'll already be well acquainted with his rapping prowess on Lord Willin' or Hell Hath No Fury with Malice as Clipse. Looking past all the hype that's surrounded Push since his move to the edge of the mainstream through Kanye's G.O.O.D Music, one can't help but feel that MNIMN is something of a missed opportunity. It was supposed to establish Pusha T as a bona fide star and bring him to a mass audience, and whilst this may still happen, the album itself needed to hone an immediately identifiable sound. In its attempts to do so it journeys down a multitude of disparate avenues with only mixed results. Words: Joe Hall