African & Pop Music Producer

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

A: I'm proud of a project (an album) I worked on as a co-arranger with producers I have admired for a while, it was a humbling moment for me. I also took part in the mixing and mastering process.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: 2 live-recording gigs for my clients as the music director, main pianist, and the mixing and mastering engineer. I also have tracks for clients that I produced and I'm now in the mixing and mastering process.

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

A: Not really.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: The choice for this depends on the desired aesthetic leading to a hybrid approach with a blend of both, but with the option of selecting only one, I prefer digital as it is cost-effective, has better efficiency and flexibility, has better precision and control, doesn't consume a lot of space, and has an emulation of analog sounds and parameters that can be tuned to attain an almost similar sound like that of analog equipment.

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

A: I will work very closely with you to ensure I provide the best service as per your preference. I will also ensure that your timelines are strictly observed, and I'm also ready to work with your budget.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: The thing I like most about music production is bringing ideas to life. It's how a full song can be structured from scratch, step by step, until it makes sense. It's such a fulfilment for me to bring an idea to life, whether mine or a client's.

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

A: Customers' most common questions are what the project costs and how long it will take. There's no definite answer for these questions since each project is different from any other based on the client's preferences and other parameters. So basically I engage the client to understand their project and we then agree on the cost for their project and how long it will take based on how engaging it is.

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

A: The biggest misconception about what I do is that it's solely about just making beats. There's a lot more that goes into music production than just making beats.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: 1. The vision for the project in regards to the style and what they are seeking to achieve emotionally. 2. Any musical influences that can guide the production style in that specific project. 3. Any demos or rough ideas they may have. 4. If they have a reference track. 5. How involved they want to be, as some like to be fully involved while others let the producer be. 6. Timeline and budget. 7. Anything they may feel is lacking in their already released music, like better arrangements, better overall sound quality, etc. 8. Their target audience.

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

A: A combination of creativity and technical knowhow is what you should look out for and that, I guarantee, is exactly what I'm ready to offer to you. I'm both a creative that will curate your music with apt creativity, and an engineer that will make your sound unique with the technical parameters required in your project.

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

A: 1. A laptop with a DAW. 2. MIDI Controller. 3. High quality headphones. 4. Acoustic guitar. 5. A portable field recorder for capturing of natural sounds.

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

A: Initially, I was a financial accountant but only practiced for a year. I then switched to full-time musicianship. I have been playing the piano for years since I was 12, so the switch was almost anticipated.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: 'Emotionally immersive and sonically textured' would be a great way to describe my style. I ensure I engage my target audience by not complicating the music and losing my audience, as well as not losing professionalism while creating the music.

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

A: I’d love the opportunity to work with James Blake. He has a blend of electronic production with deep, emotional songwriting, experimenting with textures and sounds in innovative yet accessible ways. Working with him would push boundaries, especially in sound design, and collaborating with an artist who has both a strong technical and emotional grasp on music.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Automation is a 'secret' tool to make your listener engaged while listening to your music. By simply making slight tweaks on parameters like volume, reverb, panning, filters, etc, you can attain dynamic arrangements that add movement and interest to your music.

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

A: I am a versatile producer, having worked on both local and international music, but I mostly work on afrobeats, amapiano, chill music, EDM, gospel, pop, and reggae.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Creativity. I believe I'm skilled and creative at what I do. I don't just have knowledge on how to operate a DAW and plugins, but I am both technical and creative, making me an accomplished producer. I'm also a professional keyboardist, increasing my creative scope as a producer.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: The initial idea that the client had into life. As a producer, I have to ensure I meet the client's needs by bringing to life that very idea they had and didn't know how to actualize it. I also advise on how to make the song feel better based on the genre, target market, and general vibe of the song.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: My typical work process in my music productions is as below: 1. Pre-production; consultation and planning, recording/listening to demos and ideas of the client. 2. Recording; Recording of sound, creation of tracks or full beat and recording of vocals. 3. Production; Arrangement of results from step 2, adding a creative touch like transitions and effects, and sound designing to attain the desired sound. 4. Mixing; Basically creating a 3D balance for all tracks and adding dynamics and effects. 5. Mastering; Attaining consistency in volume, clarity, and cohesion. 6. Post-production and release; Organising the final files for distribution and advising on release strategies.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: My studio setup consists of a 2-channel M-audio interface, 2 KRK monitors, Komplete 88 midi controller, a MacBook laptop that I use for my logic pro software and an HP desktop.

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

A: Mike Bozzi Elliot James Quincy Jones Dr Dre Masterkraft Del B

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

A: Full music production, making beats for any genre of client choice, creating piano and synth tracks, professional mixing and mastering of audio tracks.