Fade
The Beat Strangler
The most recent winner of the Warzone Beat Battle, INDS fought his way through four rounds of opponents to claim the title. With a few albums already released and his upcoming work with the Mountain Hood crew, he took the time to answer a few questions.
Sup INDS, congratulations on winning the Warzone Beat Battle? How does it feel?
Thanks Fade. It’s a surprise to me that I won Warzone. Cuz my beats aren't always for battles. It’s so smooth with weird dark energy. I am very grateful for these battles. They help me to raise my skill, cuz I can compare my beats and beats of others.
It can be tough to battle through 4 rounds of opponents. What's the toughest part about battles like this?
For me the first round is the toughest part of battle. LOL. I have been taking part in Warzone since February and often I lost in the first round. It’s difficult to describe my tactic. I always upload my best beats in the first and fourth rounds.
You always seem to have solid beats that are well mixed and well thought out. What is your beatmaking process?
Well mixed, are u serious? I don’t think so. Often I start a beat with the main melody that will be the groove. Next, all go by itself. Then I just try to make two spaces: for instruments and drums.
Yes, the mixes are pretty good! What do you have in your studio setup?
It’s just my laptop, guitar and Akai MPK Mini. I don’t have studio monitors. I think that in the beginning they will interfere with a young producer.
Is there one piece of hardware or software that you can't live without?
Oh, I don’t know. Naturally, I can’t live without FL (Studio). LOL. I have so many samples and VST synths. However, always I use different ones for new projects. Probably I can’t live without Kontakt 5 and Nexus 2.
I was checking a bit of your "Got Fucked By Spring" EP. Very smooth. What's that EP all about?
I rarely plan releases. In one moment u have so many beats and u can feel the connection of some beats. In that way I create albums. Cuz of its name, EP is about spring. Spring is different for everyone. For somebody it’s flowers, green grass etc. For me it’s mud and shit out of the snow.
Are there certain artists that inspire you to make the type of beats that you do?
I think they are Bones, ASAP Rocky, Travis Scott and many other from different genres. I listen so many artists and bands. Most of them are not related to Hip Hop.
I would say that some of your beats are a type of experimental Hip Hop. How do you describe it?
I don’t think that I do experimental Hip Hop. I bring nothing new to the genre. Often I try to steal someone else's idea, but it never seems to be original. Everything goes through my weird style. I don’t know how it works.
Are you currently working on any new projects? If so, what?
All my Hip Hop projects always appear unexpectedly. Now I want to go to Soundclick with my fam @FrunTheBoy. We have created our crew Mountain Hood. There are two producers and designers in it. In addition, I am planning to write an album. It is very hard work. I want it to be like Moby and Jamie XX. I hope u understand what sound I mean.
Definitely. What inspires you the most to make beats?
Despair. The existential crisis. I don’t know, seriously. Nothing to me is as interesting as the music. I just can’t live without it. It so happened that for me it sounds in two ways, cuz I want to make money with my music.
If you have the chance to tell your younger self something about music production, what would it be?
If I have the chance to tell my younger self, I would have told myself to do two beats in the day, rather two beats in the week.
Thanks for doing the interview? Any shoutouts you'd like to give?
Thank you for this interview. This is a good experience for me. Shoutouts to FrunTheBoy, XAH ZAMAY, MC Ksenia and all Bishkek. Mom, I am in internet!
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