J57

J57 is an Emcee/Producer. Born & raised on Long Island, NY, later moved to Brooklyn. Worked at Fatbeats NY from 2004 to 2010. A part of the supergroup called the Brown Bag AllStars. He has produced a large number of music with many artsist such as Homeboy Sandman, YC the Cyinc, Blame One, Jefferson Price, Skyzoo, Von Pea and more. He also once managed the careers of Soul Khan & Sene.

How long have you been producing, what equipment did you start off with and what are you using today?
I've been producing since 2003.  I started using Frutiy Loops for the first 3 or 4 months - then moved on to Propellorhead Reason, and I've been hooked since.  I use Reason, 32 key controller keyboard, Akai MPD 32, turntable to sample vinyl, Pro Tools for live instrumentation.

I know you met your fellow Brown Bag AllStars members while working at Fatbeats, what was it like when it closed and how easy is it for you guys to stay in contact?
Yes, sir, Fatbeats is where it all started.  I can't lie, it was really sad when the store closed and we all still talk about it all the time.  Beyond the music, everyone in Brown Bag are really good friends, so we all speak daily to eachother, whether it's email, text, call, or meeting up to record or practice for shows - we all keep in touch daily.  It's not like it used to be when we had Fatbeats, ofcourse.  We used to hang out there after the store closed ALL the time and drink, so we miss that aspect a lot.

Who inspired you to start producing and what drives you today?
Producer-wise, I was inspired by the two cats that taught me how to make beats; my homies Hi-Q & EQ. As far as influences at that time (2003) it was really being a fan of DJ Premier, The RZA, The Alchemist, DJ Muggs, Madlib, Just Blaze, RJD2.  I  would listen to their beat tapes and instrumentals over and over and over while I was learning how to make beats - just trying to learn from the greats. What drives me today is trying my hardest to make the best music possible and to be successful at it.

Who are some of the artists you have worked with outside of the Brown Bag crew and what artist would you like to work with in the future?
I like collaborating with different artists, just to name a few; Homeboy Sandman, Sene, Rasheed Chappell, Blame One, Jefferson Price, Skyzoo, YC the Cynic, ScienZe, Nitty Scott MC, Eibol, Virtue, Tenacity, Maffew Ragazino, Akie Bermiss, Sabac from Non Phixion, Rapper Big Pooh from Little Brother, the list really goes on and on. I already know there will be a ton of people mad at me for forgetting to mention them, so I'm gonna stop naming people now haha. I keep an updated discography of my tracks on my site (all free downloads) http://www.j57music.com I'm really eclectic, so my list of future/dream collaborations is going to be a little all over the place;  Kanye West, Eminem, Jay-Z, Radiohead, Bjork, Portishead, Vampire Weekend, Dangermouse.

You released the album Digital Society in 2010 what has the response been like for it, and for your new release The Analog Tape how has the response been so far?
The response from both projects was luckily really overwhelming and positive.  Digital Society was more electronic sounding, so it was really dope to break into that world and see my name on charts next to the likes of Bjork(One of my favorite artists of all time), DeadMou5e, Daft Punk, Robyn. The Analog Tape was some really 1990's sounding, dirty, dusty type production, which went over really well with hip hop heads.  So, overall, I like the idea of being in both worlds; electronic and hip hop. I don't like to limit myself and I like a good challenge, so please don't expect me to only make hip hop production in the future.  Hip hop is my favorite genre and I love it, but I'm a producer, not a beat maker. I want to do it all.

What have been some of your favourite Brown bag projects you have worked on and can you tell us anything about the album?
The Brown Tape (the first Brown Bag mixtape) was recorded in 2007 and 2008, so THAT was fun as hell because those were the first songs we ever recorded together, so we were trying to find our sound still.  We spent literally all of 2009 (January to December) recording a track a week together and leaking them for free downlaod weekly from May to November 2009 (Brown Bag Season), so that was a lot of fun too.  People were starting to know who we were and the feedback was really, really positive, so we locked ourselves in the lab and worked and worked and worked.

The debut Brown Bag AllStars album is a few years in the making. We started cutting vocals for it in January 2009 and have been working slowly but steadily on it since. We've made a ton of revisions over time - re-recording vocals, adding instrumentation to the production, adding new hooks and bridges, etc.  I think we have something great on our hands and I'm almost positive it's going to come out Summer or Fall 2012....finally.

Apart from being an Emcee and Producer you also manage Soul Khan & Sene, what else do you have going and how do you keep up with it all?
I recently stepped back from managing Soul Khan and Sene, just to focus on being their producer.  They were both REALLY into that idea, because we work well together.  Managing them was great, they were both really easy to work with and fun to travel with on the road but there came a point where I was going 6 months without writing a verse and in that 6 month timeframe I only had about 30 new beats created. I normally make approx 20 to 30 a month, so I knew something had to change in order to get more creative and have more time to be creative.  They're both in great hands now with their current management. Shouts to Byron and Kate!

I've noticed you have been working with DJ Premier a bit how did that come about?
I'm going start off by saying, DJ Premier is the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time). This man has more classics than anyone and is STILL in the studio every single night working hard. It's an honor to even know the dude, let alone be friends with him and learn from him. I learn a LOT from him all the time. It's a blessing.

I met him while working at Fatbeats - he used to come in weekly and buy a lot of stuff and support everyone he was a fan of and always wanted recomendations on the new stuff.  It was always hi and bye though because I didn't know him like that, so I wasn't going to annoy him. I was always quiet and respectful.  We really became friends through him covering for DJ Eclipse on Rap Is Outta Control, while Eclipse was out on the road with ILL Bill and La Coka Nostra.  Shouts to Eclipse and Premier, they really show a lot of support to up and coming indie artists while there a lot of DJ's on their level that only mess with whatever a tastemaker is forcefeeding them to like.  These two play whatever they want and because they like it.

How do you go about picking a sample and how do you know your on to something?
There's two ways I go about it: 1. If I hear a song in a movie, tv show, commercial, I already know how I'm going to flip the sample, I then just need to get my hands on the song - thanks to the Shazaam app for informing me on who the artist is, when that happens. and 2. I just listen to records that I have laying around the studio until I hear something that really catches my ear.

I can usually tell when I'm on to something when the beat starts making itself in my head while I'm still listening to the record.  This happens immediately - I hear a part of the record and my mind pictures how it should be flipped, what type of drums, what tempo, what type of bass line, the whole 9.  I don't always end up going with the way I hear it in my head, especially now that I use the Akie MPD32 (been using it since Sept 09) sometimes I end up flipping the sample in an entirely different way once I start messing around with it on the 16 pads.

What can we expect from J57 and the Brown Bag AllStars in the near future?
A TON of new/good music.  I'll run off a list and hopefully I don't forget anything:
Brown Bag AllStars debut LP - no title yet - Should be dropping Summer/Fall 2012
Brown Bag AllStars - 4 song digital EP in Jan/Feb - no title yet
J57 "2057 EP" Dropping in December
Soul Khan "Persuance EP" (Prod by Audible Doctor) dropping Dec. 6
Koncept ''awaken LP'' Dropping Dec 13 on Soul Spazm Records
Audible Doctor ''Trust Me, I'm a Doctor'' LP dropping Mid-2012
Blame One & J57 LP dropping Summer 2012
DeeJay Element's EP dropping Spring 2012
E Holla's Mixtape dropping Spring 2012
Soul Khan's 2nd LP Produced almost entirely by me - Fall 2012
DJ Brace & J57 (Instrumental) LP Winter 2012

In the meantime I'm working with a lot of people right now on side projects - too many to name but once theyre close to being finished, I'll be sure to mention those projects in future interviews. 

Any shout out?
I'd like to shout out my fiance Michele, Mom and Dad, my sister Jenna, my Aunts, Uncles and cousins and the backbones of both sides of my family; Grandma Di Benedetto and Grandma & Grandpa Caifa. I literally would not be anywhere with out any of these people mentioned.

And thank YOU for this great interview.

Music links:

www.j57music.com
www.twitter.com/_J57
www.J57music.com
BrownBagAllStars.blogspot.com

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