Drummer/Producer

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?

A: I worked on a song called Energy a few years ago and it got placed on ESPN's First Take. I was the producer of the project and I worked on it while in the middle of the tour. It was my first placement and it meant a lot to me to see my work moving. It made me feel great !

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I currently have an exclusive licensing deal with a company and I send in a catalog of music every month or so. I'm currently in the middle of an experimental project with a good coworker and friend of mine who is a hip hop artist.

Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?

A: Yes! Dan Konopka ! He is a super great guy! Super talented, professional, friendly and knows how to get the job done.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Analog has always been better. You can't replace the warmth of sounding like you are right there when the record is made. Analog is an experience where digital is just listening sometimes.

Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?

A: I promise to try my best to make sure whatever I work on for them sounds like what they had in their head or better. I promise to ensure that they are comfortable. I promise to ensure satisfaction.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I love being able to see people be satisfied with what they are creating or what they are listening to. Music is a language and an energy source that connects people. Being apart of that and seeing peoples reactions is my favorite.

Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

A: People ask me often why I hold back. Like I said previously, it's a time and place for everything. Every time I play or produce shouldn't be about me showing off my skills. It's about making the the music come to life and for people to feel it and be moved.

Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?

A: The biggest misconception is often that it can happen easily and at no cost. I played for a church that wanted me to recreate songs and arrange shows every week out of the kindness of my heart. Though I was willing and it was extremely fun, I ended up telling them that they were taking advantage of me and that I didn't have time to do it and not be able to get paid for it. It took major time out of my week and I still needed to eat!

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What is your inspiration behind the music? What feeling/emotions are you trying to get across? What genre are you going for? How creatively free do you want me to be on your project?

Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

A: I would recommend just having a vocabulary to be able to say exactly what is wanted. Being descriptive and having examples is really important and can help make the creating process go by extremely faster.

Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?

A: I hope that a drum set counts as 1 piece of gear Lol. I would have to bring my laptop and midi controller for sure. I'd go laptop, interface, midi controller, bass, and drum set. Hopefully that counts !

Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?

A: My career path was to be full-time music. Before, I was working random jobs trying to figure out how to make a living. Then I was put on my first tour in Azerbaijan. Since, I've been full-time music for about 7 consecutive years now.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Musically my style is adaptable. Typically, I can play/produce with a strong pocket and when its time to open upor I'm told to do so, I can do it in a heartbeat.

Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?

A: I would love to with Robert Glasper. He is a jazz musician that expands on the meaning of music. I love when people stretch the grounds of genres. As musicians, its our job to create new ! As creatives we bring new trends, new sounds, and new energy to the table. I think that he understands that and pushes to make sure that he isn't hitting a ceiling musically.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: One production tip would be that simplicity and tastefulness goes a super long way and is extremely effective to listeners !

Q: What type of music do you usually work on?

A: I usually work in the genres of Rock, Hip Hop, Pop, and Electronic.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My strongest skill would be playing/recording drums. Then would come producing, beatmaking, arranging, and mixing.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I'd like to say with any record I bring "feel" to records. I have a strong pocket and I know the music. Once I understand what the goal is with the music I can deliver that feeling of whatever is needed whether its hip hop, pop, rock, etc.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Typically I ask what the vibe is for a song. I try to get some type of reference to what the artist wants the record to sound like. After I do my best to work with those details and hash it out. If it's an in person session, it's more complicated because people get specific about sounds and the way things are played. That can be both positive and negative at times. I try to get the work done ASAP for customer satisfaction/

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I have an in home studio setup. I have a Macbook Pro. I'm running Logic Pro X and Ableton Live for my DAWs. I have a Presonus Studio Live mixer (16 channels). Out of the mixer I'm running my drums (TAMA), (Alesis) drum pad, drum triggers, (Fender Squire 4 string Jazz) bass, and vocal mic. I have an Akai MPK 261 Midi Controller and Akai MPD 218. I use Audix mics for my drum mics. I have 2 JBLs as my mains. The rest is all digital plugins.

Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?

A: I love Robert Glasper, Flying Lotus, Wondagurl, Thundercat, Hiatus Kaiyote, Anderson Paak. , Citizen Cope, Lucky Daye All these artists and more are very tasteful.

Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.

A: I typically arrange shows, record live drums, sell beats for records, produce for licensing, produce records, record and mix in house.