Fade
The Beat Strangler
Administrator
illest o.g.
Thanks for getting up with IllMuzik. Introduce yourself and tell me about the state of Hip-Hop in London.
I'm A.C. Layne aka TE1 Productions. I was born and raised in NW London. I'm a very big fan of music and sound and spend most of my time either teaching young children to make it or producing and engineering.
A man of few words. LOL OK! Well, let's keep it simple and sweet. What's your choice of software when creating beats?
I use Propellorhead's Reason to make beats.
Do you use live instruments?
I seldom use live instruments, but I'd love the chance when I can afford it.
Where do you draw your inspiration?
Mostly from daily encounters or vibes that I get from those around me. I also try to stay inspired by the fact I have somewhat of a gift that allows me to express certain things in a different form when I can't find words to articulate it.
Explain your style of music.
I'm frequently told my style of music is laid-back or soulful. It's funny because I'm actually still trying to figure out myself what my actual style is to be honest. If I had to explain, then I'd say it's a mixture of various different elements of musical genres I heard growing up. I couple that with where I draw my inspiration from, and the music makes itself.
What made you decide to produce music?
I gained interest in music from listening to the tapes and CD's my uncles would play or give to me, purely because I loved almost everything I heard. Interest then transformed into an inspiration when I was sitting in my school music class and watching my teacher compose a beat from scratch. I didn't always care for the genres I heard, but to know that it could be done was enough for me to want to learn do it as well. It made me realize why I'd listen more to melodies and beats more than the words of a song. So the curiosity of how to make music happen right in front of me was something I refused to ignore because it excited me and brought out a great passion in me.
Is there a hidden DJ inside of you?
I wouldn't say so much hidden, I just haven't taken the skills I know about DJ'ing as far as I maybe should and try to do more with it.
What's poppin right now on your side of the world in Hip-Hop?
I couldn't honestly tell you on a general perspective, just mine. Right now it seems as though Hip-Hop has taken on several perceptions by the public over here, so it would depend on who you asked. In my eyes the real Hip Hop acts to look out for over here would be; Ty, Mystro, Iron Braydz, Kyza, Incisive and Khryme & Brown (Hip Hop duo) that's just off the top of my head. They're doing real big and influential things in my eyes and are frequently worth listening to. Then you also got your DJ's and producers like Shortee Blitz, D'Lux, Harry Love, Richy Pitch and myself.
Break down the formula of "Because".
Because was actually made by accident. I was messing around with a sample that I was about to give up on and then heard a piece in there that I decided to chop up in Reason. I used a multitude of other samples and instruments to layer and added a bassline. Then I began to work on the drums using the Redrum machine. My mood when I made this track was quite reflective I'd say. I just ended up listening to it on repeat for about half an hour (as well doing your standard producer tweaks along the way). Right now I'm waiting for some artists to finish writing to the song before I record and I may look to throw it on a project of mine in 2011. With who is a surprise ;-).
Do you focus on the Hip-Hop side of production or do you dabble in or have an interest in scores for TV, movies, video games and such?
I do actually dabble in a few other genres of music, namely House and Soul music. I like to stay flexible in that regard because, like I said, I grew up listening and loving a lot of music. I've always been interested in scoring for films movies and games, because I do like the challenge of doing things outside of your comfort zone and letting a visual stimuli give you a fixed idea of how to compose your piece.
