Fade
The Beat Strangler
Administrator
illest o.g.
Growing up in Mannheim, Germany, Silver Soprano started out rough around the edges, but now he's growing musically both on the mic and behind the boards. He recently dropped his EP and followed that up with a Warzone beat battle win, yet he still has much more to showcase with his music. I got him to take a break and answer a few questions so everyone could find out more about Silver Soprano.
Sup, Silver Soprano, what's new?
Sup! Everything's cool. I'm happy, so much is going on. EP Release, Warzone Champ, tonight will be the release of another video clip from my man cost, featuring smoe83 and me, called "Bounce Bounce", and of course I'm getting prepared for Beat This!
You're from Germany, how's the Hip Hop scene?
The German Hip Hop scene is real big actually. Our old school time began in the early 90's, late 80's. We have international graffiti superstars as Loomit, Cantwo, Daim and so on, German b-boy crews like Flying Steps or Southside Rockers are well known around the world, beat producers like Rato, the CEO of Anno Domini Beats - he's now chillin in L.A. - is from Germany. My good friend Cyril from calibratedaudio.com is mixing and mastering the sound of U.S. rappers like Army of the Pharaohs for years already. The only problem with German Rap is the language, but there were already pretty dope overseas features with Mobb Deep, the Game, Redman and many more...
You just put together an EP. Do you find it hard to get recognition because your tracks are in German?
To be honest, I'm just repping my boys and my hood, and try to make the music that I want to hear, and see. And I don't want to see bullshit! So I try to make my sound and the clips as "high end" as possible, and it seems like people like it. If there is a chance to expand nationwide or international?? Who knows? I'm just trying to go step by step, and look what happens....
Your beats sound like what I would call "straight up Hip Hop". How would you describe your sound?
That's all I ever wanted to hear! "Straight Hip Hop"! Exactly, thanks! That's what I would describe my sound, too!
What do you have in your studio setup?
A motherfucking old ass laptop, is the heart of my "studio" at the moment, I use FL Studio 11 Producers Edition, and terrabytes of Plugins. I have a KORG Kontrol49 as my "main" MIDI Control, but I don't like the drumpad on it, so I use the AKAI MPD16 for the Drums. Then I have a crappy "reloop" RP-1010 turntable, and a reloop "black effex titan" battlemixer. I know, the turntable and the mixer suck, but I'm no DJ, I just need it to dig samples. A Mackie XD 2 "Spike" interface and a second laptop with FX-Teleport to control the FX on the main PC. Looks super professional but it's just to save CPU.... I need a Macbook Pro real quick.
Do you mostly sample or use synth sounds?
I like samples, but I also like to combine them with synths.
I always prefer to sample piano because it's just dope. What's your favorite instrument?
The human voice! Sometimes I drop so many filters on a sample that you can't even realize that it's a voice, but it still got that feeling.
You recently won the 2nd Warzone Beat Battle. How did you put together the winning beat?
I always make a plan! I really put it together on paper! Really, I'm sitting there drawing patterns for like an hour, and then I put it together in maybe one or two hours. The effort of this way is, I still like the beat when it's finished. Then I chill, go out with the dog or whatever, come back home and do the mix.
Battles are tough. What's the hardest part of going 4 rounds?
The hardest part is the selection.... which beat first, which beat last?
I forgot to ask you earlier - why the name Silver Soprano?
They gave me the name silverbackgorilla in jail, because I'm big and well trained. But Silverback Gorilla ain't smooth enough so I called myself Silver because of Silverback and Silverhaze and shit like that. And Soprano came from that "Sopranos" TV series..... I love it!! I watched every episode a thousend times and one day a friend called me Silver Soprano, and it sounded so dope!! Yeah, that's why I'm called Silver Soprano.
Besides your EP, what's next for you and your music?
Video shootings, a few gigs in the area, Beat This! and an album with smoe83 in autumn.
If you had one piece of advice for other producers, what would it be?
Don't HEAR too much Hip Hop when you want to MAKE good Hip Hop.... Stay open minded. The best samples were found where nobody would ever have looked for it.
Thanks for doing the interview. Any shoutouts you'd like to give?
A$AP Rocky for President!!!
More Information
