Unique R&B Producer / Topliner

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

A: As rx Soul, I wrote and produced an EP called "In and a Way Out of It" in under two weeks, for a vinyl release on Turntable Kitchen. To this day I'm still so proud of it. https://open.spotify.com/album/2W2WjgMW5eKpHrq6mrktKL?si=YAklGIANSnKeCJui6IgqdA

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Getting more music out there :)

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

A: JJ Catalyst is an amazing mixing engineer and an all-around great guy. Two other great mixing engineers are Tyler Spratt and Weskoz.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both! I love love love analog synths and I find them so inspiring, but sometimes find it easy to get lost in them. If I need to get straight to the point, but don't know exactly what I'm looking for, I'll stick to digital. I also love the portability of working on a laptop.

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

A: I promise to bring your vision to life, and I won't stop until you're happy with it. I promise to not sound like everybody else.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: The exploring and creating! I get to be a kid all day.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What inspires you? Who inspires you? Why do you make music? Who's your favorite artist at the moment? Who's your favorite artist of all time? What's a song that I need to know?

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

A: Be honest and direct about what you want! I want to make the best possible song for YOU.

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

A: Laptop, Apollo Twin, Prophet-6, TLM-103, $100 classical guitar and I'm set for life.

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

A: I've been playing music since I was 8 years old. I started producing my own songs in Garageband at age 12, and started gigging at 15. At age 19, I signed with an independent record label in LA, and while it ended up not being a good fit, I'm extremely grateful for the experience I picked up being in the industry for 5+ years. I've been doing it professionally for about 8 years now. Completely independent.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Unique, dreamy, dark. Alternative R&B.

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

A: Frank Ocean, but I'm scared he would be a pain to work with (no offense Frank, you're my favorite artist but I've heard horror stories). I think Jim Legxacy is one of the most talented up-and-coming artists at the moment. A great vocalist and a beast producer who doesn't care too much about rules.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: How about a vague tip and two specific ones? Vague: Less really is more (almost always). Specific: Roll the lows (0-~100 Hz, sometimes more, sometimes less) off of every track in your session except the kick and the bass; Hi-hats don't need to be nearly as loud as you think in order to make themselves known and FELT.

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

A: As a producer: alternative R&B, Soul, Hip-Hop, and Pop. As a vocalist: R&B, Pop, and recently, Blues.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: 2: producing and communication.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I bring an open mind, a passion for sounding different, and a desire to make the best possible song EVERY TIME. What I don't bring is an ego.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I love a blank slate. I typically start with a drum groove (if appropriate) and build from there - chords and a bassline. Once I have a skeleton, I start finding melodies. For me, lyrics and vocals are always the last piece of the puzzle.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: Apollo Twin X, pair of Yamaha HS8 studio monitors w HS8S (sub), Wurlitzer 200A, Prophet-6, Juno-106, Teenage Engineering OP-1, Behringer Model D, Neumann TLM-103, Martin 000-15M acoustic guitar, American Fender Strat, thrift shop classical guitar, 2023 Macbook Pro (M2 Chip), Logic Pro X, countless industry standard plugins.

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

A: Frank Ocean, James Blake, Bon Iver, SZA, Jai Paul, Kendrick Lamar, Phoebe Bridgers, Dijon, BNYX, Vegyn, Jim E-Stack, Jim Legxacy.

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

A: First - creating a production from the ground up. Second is recording vocals or writing toplines.