Fade
The Beat Strangler
Administrator
illest o.g.
SkidFlow, Skidmatic, I think at one point for some reason I thought it was two different people! Is it? With his non-stop hustle and imaginary music label, Skidflow gives us an insight on his music.
Sup Skidflow, tell us about that name!
Skidflow is a name that I just came up with in 2005/06 because... I tried to come up with something that would make me sound "tough"... It just kinda "rolls off the tongue".
What's the difference between Skidflow and Skidmatic?
The difference between Skidflow & Skidmatik is that Skidflow spits lyrics when he gets the chance... Skidmatik, makes beats most of the time.
So you're from Sanford, NC, what's it like there?
Yeah I'm from Sanford, NC... It's a small city "smack dab" in the center of the state of NC. Sanford has put out talent such as the legendary Black Sheep.... you know, Dres & Mista Lawnge. My homie Zebo aka "Da World Famous" is an ILLMUZIK member... he is from Sanford as well. Growing up there was fun until most of my homies started getting locked up for chasing that drug paper.
How did you get started making beats?
I got started making beats in 2003 when I got my first copy of FL4. I currently use Reason 4 to make beats now.
Why did you switch?
The reason I switched to Reason because my FL4 crashed on my desktop. If it wasn't for that I probably would still be using FL now. I feel pretty comfy with Reason now even though I feel that I could sample better in FL4 because FL4 had a feature that would automatically fit the sample to the tempo which made it easy to sync my chops whereas in Reason it's a little harder to sync my samples because I don't have Recycle.
Who are some of your musical influences?
My main musical influence is my dad really because when I was a young lad we would sit and play albums together. Other influences are Curtis Mayfield, Quincy Jones, Mandr'e, Art of Noise, Twilight 22, Grandmaster Flash, Afrika Bambatta, Scott la Rock, Premo, Pete, Dilla, and 9th just to name a few.
Who's this "Trav Williams" I see listed on a lot of your tracks?
Trav Williams is an emcee that I met via internet from Ft. Lauderdale, FL. He is a dope emcee and a hard working attorney. Super cool cat though. I am featured on three of his projects: "The Trickle Down Lp", "The Trickle Down LP (Bootlegs & B sides), and his latest project, "ILLTravis".
ILLTravis?!!? Anything to do with IllMuzik?
The only relation I can see between "ILLTravis"and "ILLmuzik" is that I hear dope music from both spots. Trav titled this particular project "ILLTravis" is because he got a lot of producers from Kevin Nottingham's site and redid Nas's classic album "ILLmatic" just to "pay homage" to one of the greater lyricist that's been in the game.
You seem to be really hustling and trying to get your music heard, how's your business skills?
To tell you the truth Fade, I need to brush up on the business side of things as far as promoting myself. I need to build a professional looking website and all that but right now I got "a lot on my plate" financially right now so I still take "baby steps" to get where I need to go.
Is Free Slave Records your own label?
Free Slave records is a label that I own in my head... It's a state of mind for me. Everything I do starts as a thought though so one day hopefully I can get the ball rolling on this also.
You're one of the regulars on IllMuzik - what keeps you coming back?
What keeps me coming back to ILLMUZIK is the people... it's cool, talented, and knowledgeable people that belong to this site. Plus there is the fact that ever since I joined ILL back in '06, my production skills have improved immensely.
Tell us about your production setup.
My production setup consist of a laptop with Reason 4, M-audio trigger pads, E-mu x board 25, Audacity and Cool Edit 2 to chop samples and what not. I'm not working with too much but I feel that I can get the job done if I use my head. Plus I need to get more knowledgeable with the stuff that I already have before I go out and invest in more stuff.
Do you find any big differences between Audacity and Cool Edit?
The one thing that sticks out to me about the differences between Cool Edit and Audacity is that with Cool Edit it seems that you have more control and more options to choose from as far as presets. With Audacity everything seems "cut and dry" and you don't have as many presets to choose from that you can tweak to your liking. But at the end of the day I can get good mixes and sound quality out of both programs. I guess Audacity is a little simpler to use.
If you had one piece of gear that you could keep, what would it be, and why?
One piece of gear that I will always keep is my E-mu MIDI controller. Making beats without it is just not gonna happen. If I do ever get rid of it, it is because I'm gonna upgrade to something better.
Describe your sound.
It's hard for me to even label what my sound is because I find myself going in different directions with music at times. But I would be a coward if I said that I didn't like embracing experimental stuff.
What kind of advice would you give other producers reading this?
My advice to other producers out there... keep doing you and perfecting your craft, and don't ever quit because you're just gonna come back to it... so quitting doesn't make any sense. If you make beats hopefully you doing this for the love first and money second.
Any shoutouts you'd like to give?
Fa show! I'd like to give a shout to my seeds Israel, Isaiah, Sad'e, and Yenssi (daddy see you) I'd like to shout out the Solid Union, Mic SAVVY, Pauly Snubnoze, Trav Williams, LDB, iNA, Raleigh NC, and last but not least... the WHOLE ILLFAM (especially Fade for inventing this spot).
Sup Skidflow, tell us about that name!
Skidflow is a name that I just came up with in 2005/06 because... I tried to come up with something that would make me sound "tough"... It just kinda "rolls off the tongue".
What's the difference between Skidflow and Skidmatic?
The difference between Skidflow & Skidmatik is that Skidflow spits lyrics when he gets the chance... Skidmatik, makes beats most of the time.
So you're from Sanford, NC, what's it like there?
Yeah I'm from Sanford, NC... It's a small city "smack dab" in the center of the state of NC. Sanford has put out talent such as the legendary Black Sheep.... you know, Dres & Mista Lawnge. My homie Zebo aka "Da World Famous" is an ILLMUZIK member... he is from Sanford as well. Growing up there was fun until most of my homies started getting locked up for chasing that drug paper.
How did you get started making beats?
I got started making beats in 2003 when I got my first copy of FL4. I currently use Reason 4 to make beats now.
Why did you switch?
The reason I switched to Reason because my FL4 crashed on my desktop. If it wasn't for that I probably would still be using FL now. I feel pretty comfy with Reason now even though I feel that I could sample better in FL4 because FL4 had a feature that would automatically fit the sample to the tempo which made it easy to sync my chops whereas in Reason it's a little harder to sync my samples because I don't have Recycle.
Who are some of your musical influences?
My main musical influence is my dad really because when I was a young lad we would sit and play albums together. Other influences are Curtis Mayfield, Quincy Jones, Mandr'e, Art of Noise, Twilight 22, Grandmaster Flash, Afrika Bambatta, Scott la Rock, Premo, Pete, Dilla, and 9th just to name a few.
Who's this "Trav Williams" I see listed on a lot of your tracks?
Trav Williams is an emcee that I met via internet from Ft. Lauderdale, FL. He is a dope emcee and a hard working attorney. Super cool cat though. I am featured on three of his projects: "The Trickle Down Lp", "The Trickle Down LP (Bootlegs & B sides), and his latest project, "ILLTravis".
ILLTravis?!!? Anything to do with IllMuzik?
The only relation I can see between "ILLTravis"and "ILLmuzik" is that I hear dope music from both spots. Trav titled this particular project "ILLTravis" is because he got a lot of producers from Kevin Nottingham's site and redid Nas's classic album "ILLmatic" just to "pay homage" to one of the greater lyricist that's been in the game.
You seem to be really hustling and trying to get your music heard, how's your business skills?
To tell you the truth Fade, I need to brush up on the business side of things as far as promoting myself. I need to build a professional looking website and all that but right now I got "a lot on my plate" financially right now so I still take "baby steps" to get where I need to go.
Is Free Slave Records your own label?
Free Slave records is a label that I own in my head... It's a state of mind for me. Everything I do starts as a thought though so one day hopefully I can get the ball rolling on this also.
You're one of the regulars on IllMuzik - what keeps you coming back?
What keeps me coming back to ILLMUZIK is the people... it's cool, talented, and knowledgeable people that belong to this site. Plus there is the fact that ever since I joined ILL back in '06, my production skills have improved immensely.
Tell us about your production setup.
My production setup consist of a laptop with Reason 4, M-audio trigger pads, E-mu x board 25, Audacity and Cool Edit 2 to chop samples and what not. I'm not working with too much but I feel that I can get the job done if I use my head. Plus I need to get more knowledgeable with the stuff that I already have before I go out and invest in more stuff.
Do you find any big differences between Audacity and Cool Edit?
The one thing that sticks out to me about the differences between Cool Edit and Audacity is that with Cool Edit it seems that you have more control and more options to choose from as far as presets. With Audacity everything seems "cut and dry" and you don't have as many presets to choose from that you can tweak to your liking. But at the end of the day I can get good mixes and sound quality out of both programs. I guess Audacity is a little simpler to use.
If you had one piece of gear that you could keep, what would it be, and why?
One piece of gear that I will always keep is my E-mu MIDI controller. Making beats without it is just not gonna happen. If I do ever get rid of it, it is because I'm gonna upgrade to something better.
Describe your sound.
It's hard for me to even label what my sound is because I find myself going in different directions with music at times. But I would be a coward if I said that I didn't like embracing experimental stuff.
What kind of advice would you give other producers reading this?
My advice to other producers out there... keep doing you and perfecting your craft, and don't ever quit because you're just gonna come back to it... so quitting doesn't make any sense. If you make beats hopefully you doing this for the love first and money second.
Any shoutouts you'd like to give?
Fa show! I'd like to give a shout to my seeds Israel, Isaiah, Sad'e, and Yenssi (daddy see you) I'd like to shout out the Solid Union, Mic SAVVY, Pauly Snubnoze, Trav Williams, LDB, iNA, Raleigh NC, and last but not least... the WHOLE ILLFAM (especially Fade for inventing this spot).
