Who are you, what do you do?
My name is Menic, I am 23 year old progressive producer and DJ.
What is the reason you picked the name Menic? Well, I originally picked it because it was the last few letters of my
real name. It kind of has this mysterious feeling to it, but it also is
an awesome sounding stage name.
What sparked DJing for you and did you ever want to do any other type of music? I originally started out listening to old school Benny Benassi and
Louie Devito house tunes in 2006. I was so intrigued by it that I
started going onto a private forum called clubbers.pl and searching for
different electro songs. Eventually, I gained an ear for progressive
house music and started listening to Tiesto's Club Life Podcast every
week. I started studying all the transitions between each song and
loved every minute of it. I noticed the structure of the music and
where to drop certain things before I even set foot into the DJ realm. I
picked up some speakers and a cheap Numark controller and started
mixing up songs from there -- I was pretty natural at DJing progressive
music.
Who are your favorite DJ's/producers? As
of now there are so many talented artists out there, but artists like
Armin Van Buuren, Steve Angello, Axwell, Sebastion Ingrosso, Dada Life,
Tiesto, Alesso, etc, are all in my list of top DJs.
Which DJ would you aspire to be like? In the industry you really have to do something different to break out,
so I am mostly working on my own sound and mixes, but one of my biggest
inspirations is the trio, Swedish House Mafia. Many people think they
are mainstream now, but they've been doing this for years and still put
on one of the craziest performances I have ever seen live.
What is some of the gear that you use? For live performances I use Pioneer CDJ 1000's and 2000's and the
Pioneer DJM 800 mixer. In my studio I'm using Ableton Live and Logic
Pro with Focal speakers and an Apogee sound card.
What goes into the process of creating a song? Each song is different for me, usually when I go through the day I
have blips of ideas that come into my head so I record them and jot them
down into Ableton Live. Otherwise, I'll start usually with my drums,
then build a bassline, melodies, bridges and transitions last.
How do you go about preparing a set, and do you test songs on crowds?
I usually get some of the latest music and incorporate it into my sets,
but I love throwing in classics to spice it up a little bit. Also, a
bunch of edits and mashups that I made are in all of my sets. Obviously
when you're live you have to adjust to the crowd so I tailor my set to
how the crowd is reacting.
What is the best and worst feedback you've ever gotten? The best feedback is when people are dancing and the worst is when
they're not, but you just have to learn to adjust when you are out
there.
What are your realistic goals in music? Well, I have always set huge goals for myself and with hard work
they will come. I am working on perfecting my image as an artist
because that's important. Once I gain an image as a producer I plan on
sending demos to a bunch of contacts I have made in the industry. I
want to take over the scene by storm.
InDisguise just got finished up with doing the first War is Hell show at Dingbatz May 5th. The War is Hell series of shows were designed to unite local musicans and friends. These shows were the creations of DevilGod promotions and Morbidian productions. The three main bands are as followed: InDisguise, Fever Vein, and Bound Alive.
DevilGod is run and owned by Mykill Vittoria who is also the lead singer of Fever Vein, and Morbidian Productions is owned and ran by Jay Prussack and Dave Incognito of InDisguise.
InDisguise's debut CD, Ashes Divide, will be out later this summer.
Fever Vein is getting ready to release their EP, Bound Alive, and they just put out a killer new single, "Relive."
I.D. will also be on the Late Night with Johnny P Show June 28th.
Where did your passion from music come from and how did you know you wanted to be involved with it?
I've loved music for as long as I can remember. I remember wanting to
be involved with it at different steps in life. Playing piano,
switching over to guitar, becoming an engineer. There were certain
bands I saw or studios I visited, and I just knew, no matter what, that
in some shape or form I wanted to be involved.
What do you enjoy doing more, playing and creating music or engineering?
That's
a hard question. There's nothing like the feeling of playing a great
show, and there's nothing like having completed a CD. Both things are
very therapeutic for me. Whenever I play a guitar, I am calm. In the
studio it can get stressful at times, but it's so rewarding.
Have you produced anyone of note, and who would be your dream production job?
I've
been blessed to work with so many great artists. I've worked with
everyone from They Might Be Giants to people on Blue Note, local NJ
bands, and more. I really don't care who the band is, I take every
session seriously, because who knows who's going to blow up next? My
dream producing job would probably be producing someone like Metallica,
The Chili Peppers, Taking Back Sunday or anyone really who looks like
they have a good time in the studio. Makes the process so much easier.
Tell me a little bit about your band life? What were your bands, where'd you tour, how successful were you?
While I've been in a bunch of bands, I've been in two that have really done
some special things. My biggest two were Fakeknife and Emergency Now. Fakeknife was a punk rock band in the style of Fat Wreck type bands. We toured the country twice, played all the biggest places in Jersey,
including the Warped Tour. With that band, we were just 20-something's
travelling the country as best friends and constantly playing shows on
the weekends. That was my favorite part of that band. I still really
consider everyone in that band some of my best friends.
Emergency Now
took this a step further. Me and one other guy from Fakeknife met a
singer/songwriter and we started doing pop rock. Emergency Now had some
great songs, and I loved creating with those guys. We played Maxwell's
in Hoboken, my hometown at the time, and it was tons of fun. Somewhere
down the line, I see myself working with members of both bands on some
project. We shall see!
What do you do now as a profession, and is it hard to balance a music life with that of a professional/husband/father?
I'm
actually doing social media for this company Wine Library. One of my
heroes in the social/entrepreneur field, Gary Vaynerchuk was nice enough
to have me on the team, and I am eternally grateful for that. Everyone
who works there is extremely talented and amazing. I really enjoy
connecting with people every day. I do my best to balance my day job
with my true love, music. I try and combine the two in my own blog. Being a new Dad has it's challenges, but my wife is amazing, and I
couldn't live without her! Every week I still mix, record, and work on
projects. So far, so good!
Is your blog a good outlet to keep your creativity flowing and have any opportunities come from it?
It
helps in such a major way. The main reason I started the blog is
because I hate people in professions who keep secrets. That's the total
opposite of what I'm about. I want people to learn from me. The more
people know, the better music people they will make, etc., and maybe I'll hear that music one day, and directly benefit from it. I'm a huge
tech/social nerd. I'm trying to combine the best of both worlds on
Chasing Sound. The blog has been giving me opportunities here and
there, and I think it's on it's way to becoming something really
special.
Where do you hope to see yourself in the next five years? As a blogger? As a engineer/musician? As a person?
I
hope to see myself with a happy wife, and happy son (and maybe another
kid?...ssshh!) I see myself writing a lot of music at home, working on
tons of projects. I want to keep blogging, not only for Chasing Sound,
but guest blogging and more. Music saved my life, and is in my blood,
so in some shape or form, I'll always be doing something musical. If
time permits, I'd like to mix as much as possible each week.
How do you feel about the state of music today, and do you think it's heading in a good direction or a bad one?
I
think the state of music is great. What I really think is that bands
and labels have to change their strategy, and change it now. They
should have changed a while back seeing where the industry was going. Labels complain that people aren't buying CD's in stores. Direct your
songs to iTunes and Amazon, where people most definitely are buying
songs. Bands have to engage with their fans. They can't just put out a
CD and hope for the fans to come to them. People want to interact with
you, so go for it. Make a FB page, make a Twitter account, and really
interact with people who like your music. The state of music is 'great'
for bands. They have more opportunity than ever before.
Top five bands or or artists?
Another
really difficult question for me. I'm legitimately into pretty much
every genre of music. I'm always trying to find the good in every
style, so it can inform my mixes in interesting ways. Plus, I feel like
if you limit yourself to liking only one style of music, you're really
missing out. I can tell you what bands I'm listening to a lot this
week, and some are my all time favorites. Listening to a lot of
Soundgarden, Taking Back Sunday, Porcupine Tree, The Roots, and
Deadmau5.
Anything else to add?
Thanks
so much for the interview. Anyone who wants to catch up, talk about
music, or more, should hit upChasingSound.COor follow me on Twitter -@BSutichPlus I'm literally all over the web. If there's a new social
app, search my name, and I'm probably on there. Today, rather than
worry about yourself, do something nice for someone else, teach someone,
help somebody out! It's good for your soul.
FAIRDAY SKYLINE
Fairday Skyline live at the Battle of The Boroughs - Staten Island 2012
Vote them into the Ultimate Battle of the Boroughs at thegreenespace.org
or by texting ST6 to 69866 between noon on Monday, May 7th and 11:59 pm on Sunday, May 20th 2012.
HEROES
GRAFFITI 6
I interviewed these British rockers back in 2010, and finally two years I have spliced up the footage. Check it out!
TONY KZ
Download this hot track and spread the love!
BROKEN RECORDS COLLECTIVE
Check out what's going on with the BRC and see videos from Eric D'Alessandro, Vinny Jett, and Process of Fusion
Vin Major is NYC hip-hop producer who raised himself in hip-hop culture and tries to embody the sound of genre with every beat he makes. His production is top notch, and is planning big things in the immediate future.
Who are you, what do you do?
What's up world? My name is Vin Major, I am a producer/beatmaker from New York.
Tell me about Get Major and how did you get started?
Get Major was my initial independent production label that I created years ago while in the process of evolving my music and business opportunities. I have branched off to starting my own production team known as The Tune Doc's represented by 523 studios/records.
How long have you been producing and did you ever explore other things musically?
I have been producing music for roughly eight years with a few long hiatuses here and there. I have never limited my creative opportunities and experimenting with other genres has always been my sole goal. I am currently working on a instrumental album which consists of many different genres from trip hop/ funk/soul/electronica and rock all mixed in one.
What do you feel is the connection between good rapping and good beats?
They go hand for hand, but I feel sometimes you have to know the artist you are working with and arrange music accordingly...where the artist and beatmaker do not fight to out shine each other. Many artists lack substance in certain departments of lyricism where the beatmaker would have to emphasize more characteristics in an individual track and visa versa. Sometimes the beatmaker adds too much, he leaves no room for the artist but I think you should know the people you work with and know their strong points as an artist. I know how to create music with enough space for them to be as creative and comfortable as possible.
What gear do you use and how do you go about creating your beats?
I started on Acid Pro and until this day I still swear by it. My current set up consist of a Macbook Pro, Logic Pro 9, Reason 6, Akai Mpk 25, a MPC 1000, and a bunch of midi controllers, keyboards with a lot of custom sounds and samples on my hard drive.
Who are your favorite producers and rappers?
I change my mind every day, but as far as producers I've always been a Dr. Dre fan. I admire his perfectionist craft, DJ Khalil (Not to be confused with DJ Khaled), Nottz Raw, Hi Tek, Alchemist... too many to name. I'm definitely feeling the new kids, my guy Arrabmuzik, Hit-Boy, Frank Dukes, Jhalil Beats, Cardiak, just to name a few.
Who would you aspire to sound like and have you gotten any comparisons?
I try not sound like anybody, I do not think any two artists or producers sound the same. You can deliberately tell when there is a carbon copy or one producer influences the other, but everything I do is based on feeling and the atmosphere or my mood; so I basically arrange my mood and emotions. It's still me to the core.
What rappers have you worked with, and are any of them famous?
I have worked with a few artists in the past: Big Lou (former Street Sweepers artist), Bodybaggs (Champion Muzik), Grafh (Black Hand), Cash NY, and featured tracks with Kool G Rap, Nino Bless, Joell Ortiz, and Styles P. They've gone uncredited due to legal issues and some paper work, but that's the game...I am focusing on my own project now and the artist I am working with now.
Where do you hope to take your music?
Right now I have a bunch of projects in motion. Me and my partner/engineer Mike Checks of 523 Records have been working hands on and trying new things out in the new studio. Shout out to Mike Checks, he's a very dope engineer and we have this in studio chemistry that I feel is bringing a lot of my creativity back to life. He knows exactly how I want my stuff to sound from a mixing stand point and his ear for music is phenomenal. In the long run I am just trying to create good music and leave something for people to remember me by. It's my art, it's my vent, so regardless how far it goes I just enjoy making music.
What is your take on today's hip-hop?
It's evolved for better and for worse, technology evolves, trends fade, fads have a short life span and we just entered a different age. I just take it for what it is.
Anything else you'd like to add?
Look out for my Tune Doc Saints instrumental LP. There's a few things I want to keep quiet that I can't speak on, but I am very excited about Broken Records Collective, we'll just have to wait and see (laughs). Also my future project with Drow and Damier of the Cypha, I have been working heavy with them and I think they have a bright future in this game.
Shoutouts to: Mike Checks, Hoffy, 523 Records, Bareknuckle Mafia, and SiK Boi.
Affiliation Red is a hip-hop/rock group comprised of DTropp, (rap, bass, beats), and Doug C, (guitar and vocals) who are from Pittsburgh and Oneonta respectively.
A.F. blends the sounds of early nu metal groups with Linkin Park, and the Flobots to create a unique listening experience to the audiences ears.
Their EP, released on May 1st, titled, Ideologies, is available for free download at http://affiliationred.bandcamp.com in the original version and the clean version.
"Stories" opens up with great piano chords that lead into a heavy guitar riff for the chorus. Once the guitar kicks in it remains for most of the song until the drop out and vocal bridge before ending the song again.
The rhymes and lyrics are reminiscent to the Flobots as the emcee, DTropp, keeps a steady even keeled flow throughout the song as he covers pop cultured topics such as the "three little pigs" and "Romeo and Juliet" as the message of growing up beyond the stories heard as a child are forayed into growing up.
The next track, "Welcome to the Industry," features heavier guitars over a synth laden track while discussing the insecurities and the feeling of smallness when entering the music industry.
The second half of the song sees the vocalist standing up to the "Industry" and fighting back by getting it together. This is symbolically heard in the gang vocals part of the chorus that drives home the point of unity and togetherness to overcome obstacles.
"Graduation Day" once again focuses on growing up, but this time by reflecting back on real "stories" and life as things to learn and build on.
It is almost a teen angst song without the angst; the laid back feel of the instrumental and the relaxed vocals make you feel like you're in your teenage skin again as you replay a montage of highlights from high school.
Polishing off the set is the grittiest track, "Sickened," which sounds like a nu metal early 2000s radio banger. DTropp is the most aggressive on this track as he targets the things that make him sick and sends out a warning that he is coming to take them out.
After a brief guitar solo the song hits back into the chorus and closes out the EP with a bang.
The following track is a remix of "Welcome to the Industry" called "DTropp Remix."
It is the same song with different synths, piano, heavier bass, and different filters on the voice. A nice touch and send off for fans who are looking for some more length on their albums.
Overall, Ideologies, is a good first venture into in the music world for Affiliation Red as they look to make an impact in a genre that has risen and fallen over the years.
Curious Volume first released Mumbles And Whispers back in 2009, but have recently revived the classic simply by including an ampersand in its
title.
The band has said that instead of just bringing the album back
for another go around they have improved on its sound and have brought
their audience a better representation of the music they wanted them to
hear. The album contains eight songs which touch upon themes like being
true to yourself and not buying into the lies of others. It is apparent
throughout the album that Curious Volume is displeased with the societal
“norms” of acquiring vast riches and talentless fame, so much that lead
singer, Andrew Paladino, is vocal about just having his girl, his
guitar, and his friends to keep him going. Lyrics are constantly about
life; about the hypocrites within, love lost through the process, and
the beauty it can bring if you just stop long enough to realize it.
Curious Volume is a mix of punk and ska which the band sometimes refers
to as “Skate Punk.” While the album seems to be about specific times in
the bands life, going as far as directly giving a shout out to Staten
Island and a few of its towns, the lyrics hold a certain familiarity
that almost anyone within its shores and beyond can relate to. The
album's opening tune, “About Anything,” is a short, just under three
minute song, about the simplicity of happiness if you stop worrying
about nonsense, shrug off negativity and just smile.
Next on M&W is
“Any Other Night,” which kicks off with a gradual increase in the
percussion and string intensity before switching to an up tempo ska
beat. The lyrics justify the saying that “It's the little things that
count.”
Song number tres, “Vs. World,” slows down the hype from the
last two songs with an organ-like trance accompanying the talk about
never compromising your dreams. About halfway through the song the beat
picks up and you're told that, where you are might be is where you're
meant to be. This song is followed by “Fifteen Minutes,” which the band
says has practically become a different song altogether since its last
recording. Lyrically the song brings up the point that while people
might understand what you're saying at first, sometimes, it's only a
matter of time before they move on with their lives and forgot what you
even taught them. These statements are accompanied by a funky bass and
an uptempo guitar line.
The following two songs are titled
“Thoughts from the Eltingville/Annadale Train Station(s).” Eltingville,
the shortest song on the album, is also one of the slower ones,
describing the want to escape from things like lost love and monotonous
life. Annadale builds up from the last song's slower rhythm to a fast
paced piece about the regrets and pains of a break up.
“Dent”
immediately kicks off with the all too common instance in life in which
we want to go out and live our dreams but sometimes it's our own homes
that hold us back. The chorus combats this “feeling” by exclaiming that
everything has slipped away and that “away” is some place you might have
to go in order to realize your true potential. Mumbles & Whispers
finale, “There Will Come a Day,” is composed of harsh words about the
selfishness of some people (though it seems a bit more specific than
just “some people”). Even with the negative vibe, the song continues the
quick upbeat trends of the previous songs.
If you're a fan of
bands like Streetlight Manifesto, NOFX, or just the local Staten Island
music scene, I would highly recommend giving Mumbles & Whispers a
listen. Download it for free at http://curiousvolume.bandcamp.com/album/mumbles-whispers.
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