The latest in our ongoing Bedroom Producers' Bedroom series finds us in the creative centre of Chief's home. The Melbourne producer from the Grey Marle Music roster is a master on the make, and we were honoured to see where the magic happens. Chiefs is taking his soulful beats to Hooch Fest this week, but found time to show us around his studio and answer some techincal questions about his music making.
Rae tells me to get that cream erry day (Teds Draw's C.R.E.A.M print).
Grateful to have a dedicated room for writing and creating. View is cool too.
A few mates and I all cashed in to get a basic ass setup when we were teenagers and the M-Audio midi, Novation keyboard and these ratchet Event monitors have survived this long. I need to update. I don't really use the Launchpad Mini or the Akai LPD8 to produce that often but it makes the setup look more legit haha.
You can never have too many USB sticks.
ft. dying plant.
Sometimes I like to sing. New Chiefs singing tracks coming soon bruh.
My best homie Simba is the only dude who knows the hustle. He got my back.When did you begin recording?
I began messing around making hip hop beats in high school with friends but i really got serious about making music 2 years ago and even more seriously when I started the CHIEFS project in late 2013.
How has your music evolved from the first sounds to the latest tracks?
I came up sampling soul music in the early days when dudes like Just Blaze, Dilla, Premier and Kanye were my main influences. I've always been a bit heavy handed with bass sounds and that is something that I've carried through to this day. I guess now I'm experimenting with more sythetic sounds but I still try to maintain an organic realness to it that I learnt through sampling records.
What was your first piece of musical equipment/software?
When I was a kid I used Microsoft Sound Recorder on windows95 to make a beat which sampled a 2Pac song. Then there was a game called Music on PS1 that I remember being obsessed about. I'd just sit there and try to remake beats of songs that I was into at the time. I never really learnt any instruments though. I've just been teaching myself about chords and other music theory stuff.
What is your favourite piece of equipment and why?
UA Twin-Finity Mic Preamp. Its specifically for recording vocals but I also run a lot of diff things through it to give my sounds that warmth. Running drums through that was a good idea.
what is the design scheme you're aiming for? I like minimalism in spaces. I hate clutter. Because its a dedicated studio space, I wanted to keep it focused on music so there really isn't too much in there.
How important is environment to your music, either the immediate environment, or broader social context?
The immediate environment is crucial. I have only the necessities in the studio. Few distractions so I don't have too much junk lying around. But I think its important to find inspiration in URL and IRL. I take in the view of the city from my balcony which helps when I get writers block. I'll also take breaks and go for a ride or catch up with ppl. Just hearing someone's story can give you inspiration.
What is inspiring for you in your bedroom?
The view.
What is inspiring you most in general?
I find inspiration in absolutely everything. I always try to keep an open mind.See Chiefs in the surrounds of Hooch Fest, performing December 6th, tickets available here
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I began messing around making hip hop beats in high school with friends but i really got serious about making music 2 years ago and even more seriously when I started the CHIEFS project in late 2013.
How has your music evolved from the first sounds to the latest tracks?
I came up sampling soul music in the early days when dudes like Just Blaze, Dilla, Premier and Kanye were my main influences. I've always been a bit heavy handed with bass sounds and that is something that I've carried through to this day. I guess now I'm experimenting with more sythetic sounds but I still try to maintain an organic realness to it that I learnt through sampling records.
What was your first piece of musical equipment/software?
When I was a kid I used Microsoft Sound Recorder on windows95 to make a beat which sampled a 2Pac song. Then there was a game called Music on PS1 that I remember being obsessed about. I'd just sit there and try to remake beats of songs that I was into at the time. I never really learnt any instruments though. I've just been teaching myself about chords and other music theory stuff.
What is your favourite piece of equipment and why?
UA Twin-Finity Mic Preamp. Its specifically for recording vocals but I also run a lot of diff things through it to give my sounds that warmth. Running drums through that was a good idea.
what is the design scheme you're aiming for? I like minimalism in spaces. I hate clutter. Because its a dedicated studio space, I wanted to keep it focused on music so there really isn't too much in there.
How important is environment to your music, either the immediate environment, or broader social context?
The immediate environment is crucial. I have only the necessities in the studio. Few distractions so I don't have too much junk lying around. But I think its important to find inspiration in URL and IRL. I take in the view of the city from my balcony which helps when I get writers block. I'll also take breaks and go for a ride or catch up with ppl. Just hearing someone's story can give you inspiration.
What is inspiring for you in your bedroom?
The view.
What is inspiring you most in general?
I find inspiration in absolutely everything. I always try to keep an open mind.See Chiefs in the surrounds of Hooch Fest, performing December 6th, tickets available here