I Produce, Mix, & Master

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I am working on a new EP called "Ghosts of NY" under the alias "The Khamisi Project".

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: I'm a fan of the warmth of analog, but cannot afford analog gear, so I'm pretty much all digital at this point. Besides, technology has advanced to the point where a person who knows what they're doing can achieve outboard effects digitally.

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

A: "anybody can do it" okay, so go do it, then.

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

A: Know what you want to accomplish - the less you know about what you want, the more it will end up costing you, so nail down that scope! In addition, in my experience, dissatisfaction is usually tied directly to the client not having clarity of vision.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: My style is deep house, soul, down-tempo, and acid-jazz oriented. My compositions tend to be more complex than average (I believe in layers and song development).

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

A: I would love to work with Flying Lotus. He is unbelievable!

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: First tip: Learn your DAW. Knowing your software will serve you far better in the least amount of time than anything else. You can always learn everything else as you go along. Look at this way - do you trust the mechanic who read all the books...or the one under the car? Exactly.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My strongest skill is my adaptability - I'm not locked into one thing or another. Music is too big for self-limitation.

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

A: I am inspired by Louie Vega, Flying Lotus, George Benson, DJ Spinna, Malcolm Cecil, Kenny Dope, Atjazz, Al Schmitt, Coflo, Demuir, Steely Dan, The Roots, Francois K., Danny Krivit, Roger Nichols, Bill Schnee, Elliot Scheiner, Tom Lord-Alge - listen, we'll be here all day

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

A: The most common work I do would be mixing for different mediums. Mixing for the club is a bit different than mixing for Spotify or Apple music

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

A: In 2015, I - along with friends and colleagues Kev Kruz and Shane Tu Kora - released a song called "Love, Peace, & Harmony". It was a Deep House track that paid homage to a bar where I had a residency for a couple of years (it is now closed). I was particularly proud of the mixing and mastering I'd done with the track and the highlight of the release was actor Malik Yoba singing along to it at the bar (there's footage of it on my page). I played all keys, produced, arranged, and mastered the track!

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

A: If I can't deliver, I will not take the job. If I take the job, I will deliver.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I love to communicate ideas and invoke emotion responses. Music is one of the mediums I use to do this.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What is your website? What is your budget? Can I hear some samples of what you make? Can I hear some samples of how you want your finished music to sound?

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

A: So boom - I was a househead (a real battlecat, too), then I was a DJ, while doing that I realized I wanted to produce music, so I started trying in 2001 (my first DAW was Acid Pro 3), so I've been producing roughly for 21 years.

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

A: I usually work on House, Downtempo, Acid Jazz, and New Soul

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I bring the gift of communication to a song - I'll explain. I am also a graphic designer and the same rules of communication apply to design as well as music. I specialize in taking your vision of how YOU want to communicate and using my cumulative experience to communicate that vision effectively. Basically, whatever you're trying to "say" to your audience, I'll help you figure out how to "say" it.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I run (2) custom built (by me) PCs running Pro Tools + Plugins on one, Cubase + Plugins on the other along with an M-Audio ProFire 610 (it's old, but it's a workhorse), a Steinberg UR44-C, a Novation Impulse 61, and a pair of Yamaha HS8 studio monitors.