Fade
The Beat Strangler
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illest o.g.
Known around here for his production and lyrical skills, Mercury Waters came through and won the July Beat This! Competition, in the remix theme. Read on...
Hey Merc, what up? Congratulations on winning the Beat This!
What's up Wings! Thanks man. I didn't see it coming at all!
Please tell us about yourself.
My name is Chris Richardson. I was born and grew up in and around Washington, D.C., but I live in Baltimore, MD now. I'm 25 years old, and have been married to my beautiful wife Jackie for almost 2 years now. We have two boys Xavier and Miles. I'm actually a chef by trade but I'm blessed to be a "house-husband" at this point and time.
For those who don't know, Mercury Waters is both a great producer and an incredible emcee. Merc, which one do you enjoy the most (be honest)?
Really, it just depends on my disposition for the day. I like them both equally, but I tend to go thru moods. It may be a week or two where I focus mainly on making beats and the next couple of weeks I'm into writing songs more.
What's your setup like? Do you prefer hardware over software?
I definitely prefer hardware. It's just what's more comfortable to me. I learned how to make music on hardware pieces and I've grown too attached to that style of production to really feel comfortable with anything else. My current setup I use has the Ensoniq Asr-X Pro as the main piece for beat creation. I track everything into a Korg D1600 digital recorder/mixer and add vocals through an Oktava MK-319 large diaphragm condenser microphone.
How long have you been involved with music, and who/what got you into it in the first place?
I've been making music in some capacity for over 13 years now. I would say my start really was spearheaded by my father who was a drummer and played in bands and also was an audiophile and record collector. He exposed me to the beautiful world of music. And also my older brother started getting into Hip Hop production and he taught me a lot in the beginning.
Tell us about your past and forthcoming projects!
Well... There's a lot, so I'll give you the short list. My first project was entitled, "Father Time's Illegitimate Son". It was an EP that I created basically to learn how to use all the equipment I had. It was dedicated to my oldest son Xavier. Next came "Brushstrokes In Black Ink". This was my first full length LP and it displayed the full range of what I was capable of as an artist. It was the first project that I really showed to the world. It was coupled with a B-Side and remix album called, "My Final Tale Of Grand Fiction". Which brings us to the current projects. There's haloDim which is a collaborative group between Wings Of An Angel and I. It's more of an experimental album which pushes the limits of what Hip Hop can be. There's also "Blind Dreams" which is totally produced by Las Vegas based producer Freakwncy. This album is more accessible by the masses. Also there is "A Cup Of Waters For John Henry" which is produced entirely by the John Henry Committee which consists of K hill and D.O.X. And finally (but not the last. lol) is "
estiny:Orestination:" which is a more mellow effort including production from myself, Obsidian Blue, Dnutz, TM22, Holmzini, and Lyve.How many records (Vinyl + CDs) do you have in your collection?
Actually, my collection is rather meager. Maybe about 50 records and 300 CDs. I'm sort of a new age digger. I grab samples from any and all means. Music from the library, movies, online sources, anywhere I can find music. It's too restrictive for me to stick to conventional forms of media to sample from.
What sort of records do you listen to? What do you prefer?
I listen to plenty of different things! Pretty much any creative Hip Hop: Aesop Rock, Juggaknots, Qwel, Common, The Roots. Also, I like Soul, Neo-Soul, Jazz, Bebop and some Rock.
Would you ever agree to go commercial and ditch the underground scene?
Well, commercial is just what's popular at the time, so if what I happen to be doing naturally is popular then I have no problem with commercial success. But I would never change what I do to conform and make money. And I don't worry about staying underground; I just make music I like. Wherever it fits in, is cool with me.
Tell us more about your recording process.
It's nothing special I guess. I have my whole setup at home so whenever I get the feeling to do something I can do it. I usually just try to write everything before hand. I hate having to come up with main ideas while recording. You can always add little touches here and there, but I like the main core of what's to be done, to be completed.
Do you sample a lot? What are your thoughts on the whole keyboards versus sampling issue?
Yeah. I'm a heavy sampler. About 90% of my music encompasses sampling in some form. I think it's essential for me because I can feed off the sound and atmosphere of the original recordings. As far as the keys vs. samples debate: I say, just use what you're comfortable with and make good music. I use aspects of both in my music, so I can't say one is better than the other.
As many of you know, Mercury Waters and I work together. Our project is called: haloDim. Merc, can you tell us more about haloDim?
It's basically a lot of fun. Just a picture painted by Wings' production and I come in and add my colors to it. It's an artistic view of another direction Hip Hop could be taken. Definitely for the open-minded listener.
Merc, I also know that your brother is a great producer in his own right. Give us some details!
Yeah, my brother Damyon goes by the name Chopy Chop-E Productions. Definitely a force to be reckoned with. He taught me a lot of what I know. We're planning to do an instrumental album together and a regular LP under the name My Brothers Keep, so look out for that!
What do you think of Hip-Hop's current status?
I think Hip Hop is in one of its greatest eras now. Hip Hop is being taken to all extremes and being pushed to its limits. I think the thing that gets overlooked is that there is a lot of good music out there; it's just not in the public eye as much as the negative stuff. The only complaint I have is how lopsided what's presented to the world on a large scale is. There needs to be more of a variety presented to mass markets.
Any final thoughts?
www.mercurywaters.com, www.rockthespot.com, and go buy my music. Support good music and let the world know we ARE here!!!