Ten minutes with David E. Beats

Music producer/artist David E beats is what you’d call a triple threat in the music industry. He’s a musician, producer, and songwriter looking to crave his way into the Nouveau scene. Beats is credited with producing; mixing and mastering; writing and rapping on all the songs. Beats graciously spent a few minutes to speak his mind:

Where did your interest in music begin?
It began at a very early age. I was introduced to music by my parents and I grew up enjoying rock and soul. I later got into hip hop at 15.

What is it like as a young artist trying to establish yourself in both the music and production scenes?
It is hard but I enjoy the challenge! I love learning new things and building new relationships because the joy of things coming to fruition is the best feeling for me.

Have you faced any obstacles on your way to where you are?
I face obstacles everyday. Chasing your dream requires a lot of sacrifice and dedication and discipline. So I rarely get discouraged.

You’re called a hip-hop artist, but you blend genres in your music. What, if any, category do you consider yourself be a part of?
I call it “Nouveau”. It essentially consists of all these newer talented artists like Drake and Kid Cudi whom are able to do more than just rap, but create stories and do something truly musical.

What ideals/messages do you hope to portray through your songs?
I just want people to know that they can achieve anything. If I can do it, anyone can!

You’ve been producing pretty rapidly, releasing 2 mix tapes this year, thus far. Is that a trend you want to try to keep up?

I am releasing a full length album shortly called “EXIT” which will be pushed for the time period of a normal album cycle. I do plan to release content quite rapidly however. This is the digital age, and unless you are constantly in peoples minds with your music they will forget you.

What music, other than your own, do you enjoy?
I listen to literally anything. From Fefe Dobson to Lil Wayne and Soulja Boy, I bump it all.

What other artists inspire and motivate you?
As artists we all kinda go through the same trouble and tribulations so I respect any artist who can make this game work in their favor, and those are the ones I look up to!

What was it like having the chance to tour in your Open Mic-Showcase so soon after releasing your first mix tape?
It was a great experience! It gave me the time to perfect my live show and smooth out my stage presence.

Is your music entirely your own effort, or do you work collaboratively with other musicians/artists?
I usually do everything on my own, then I take it to a larger studio to get the songs mixed down.

What is the songwriting process like for David E Beats?
It all starts with the first bar, once I hear the beat, I think of the best way to start the song. From there it just evolves.

What would you say to any young artists out there trying to make it big?
Constant work and diligence. Just when you think all is lost, the seed you planted blossoms.

What is the one song that never fails to make you happy?
TI – What’s Up, Whats Happenin’

A Summer in Song

With a season drawing to a close, the crisp bite of autumn on the air, I find myself looking to seize the last few moments of summer. In my opinion, the best way to do that is through the songs that have gotten you through the past few months. For me, this summer has been mellow though far from mundane, and believe the soundtrack reflects it.

The season started early this year, with the release of “Her Diamonds”, off Rob Thomas’ new album, Cradlesong. A bittersweet musing with touches of anguish and sanguinity, and backed by simple electronic rhythm, the song brings to life the meditative nuances of what is mostly a carefree season.

Balancing Thomas’ melancholy tone is Michael Franti and Spearhead, with “Say Hey (I Love You).” Admittedly, this is a bit of a cheat for this summer’s soundtrack, but I figure that the 2008 release began charting these past few months, so it still applies. Franti’s mix of reggae beats and smooth rock come together in this billboard dynamo, immediately filling the mind with scenes of simple romance and walks on warmer beaches. Simply, this song is a uniquely and distinctly happy song.

Not to be ignored or outdone, the Black Eyed Peas came up with not just a song, but a record of summery goodness. However, featured song “I Gotta Feeling” off the band’s newest album, The E.N.D. (The Energy Never Dies), sums up the spirit of the season’s energy. The wildly creative synth-hop and energetic lyrics capture a night anyone would be dream of.

Book-ending this summer’s score is “Bonfire” from Third Eye Blind. The soft acoustic sounds in this song of change and all that comes with it serves to compliment the changing of the guard as fall approaches. It holds all the hope of the stars and the defeat of the passing of time.

Mellow, yes; but far from boring. This summer in song has had a full range of sound and emotion, representing a soundtrack greater than the sum of its parts. If autumn is holding anything half this good, maybe the shorter days can’t come too soon.

A King Dies and A Follower Mourns

The King of Pop was much more than a king to me. My mother likes to tell the story of me being less than a year old as she strolled me through the mall and how i would kick my feet to the beat of whatever song was coming from the closest retailer, so I think I’ve always been in love with music, but my first hero was one Michael Jackson. I can remember Halloween of 1984, when I was just two years old, I was at my grandmother’s house and the television was on and someone had put on MTV, I suppose it must’ve been, because I sat glued to the television, mesmerized at the Thriller video. I was two years old and I can remember the scene as though it were yesterday. Many of my very earliest memories in life include some reference to MJ. He was to me what Superman or Batman or Spiderman or any other number of heroes represent to young boys and girls. I would watch him, barely recognizing the fact that he must be human. I knew nothing of dancing, of athletics, of human feats, and I knew nothing of illusions or magic, but I somehow divined that what this man could do on a dancefloor was something that other humans couldn’t. I would watch him, swearing to myself that, one day, I would be just like him. I, a very, very young 3/4 caucasian, 1/4 asian boy with no knowledge of music or dancing or business or much of anything, knew that no matter what happened in life, I would be just like this god of a man that I would gawk at with every opportunity. I spent what must have amounted to days reviewing every dance move, learning as much as I could. When the Bad album came out, my mother (who owned it) must not have had the liner notes for more than a few days. I may not have understood more than 20% of the content, but I’m sure I memorized the entire booklet, down to the copyright information. I still remember most of the photos that were in it very well, as I would try and mimic his expressions and positions as best I could, quite often. I could moonwalk by the time I was three or four. My family would often congregate in the kitchen and play Earth, Wind, and Fire albums and the like, and I would always do my best impression of Michael Jackson. I’m sure it was awful, but every time, I would, without thinking, end up grabbing my crotch and my father would immediately yell at me to never do it again, but I just couldn’t help myself. It didn’t matter how much trouble I got in, if Michael Jackson was doing it, so was I. I’m a little surprised, looking back, that I never managed to construct or ask for a sequined white glove or a red leather jacket and that I never wore my black dress shoes with my white socks.

Over time, I grew to learn that other people were not quite so obssessed with Michael Jackson as I was. I remember in elementary school having to defend his honor as many of the other white kids would say that he was gay and other such things. I didn’t care how far he went in going from looking like a black man to a white woman, as far as I was concerned, Michael Jackson was the coolest human being to have ever walked the planet. When Dangerous came out, I was similarly obssessed. I quickly memorized every song and would sing them all, constantly. When there were accusations of child molestation, I defended. I still defend. I still don’t believe he did it. The more I’ve learned about his difficult childhood, the more I’ve sympathized with MJ. And as I’ve grown, I see that, regardless of status, wealth, fame, power, and the like, people are people, and we’re all basically the same and face many of the same struggles. I think he has been greatly misunderstood and badly exploited by various people and groups of people.

I am now a musician, myself, and while I may not owe a lot to Jackson, stylistically, he very much kept me interested in music, and without that, I might not be the musician I am today. I wouldn’t describe his music or career as one that changed the landscape of music, but it certainly was influential on plenty of people. When my childhood wasn’t what I needed it to be and my parents and others failed to be the type of guardians and guides I needed, there were times when music and the career of this man were very helpful to me. I grew to love the music of Stevie Wonder in high school and college. Then, it was Mos Def and Herbie Hancock and various others. Now, I listen for anything that sounds like nothing I’ve ever heard before, but I can still sing you every word of “Rock With You” or “The Way You Make Me Feel”. The Backstreet Boys or even Usher or Ginuwine were never musicians that I was very much interested in and any interest in any song of theirs would’ve come with some amount of shame, but even though Michael Jackson was merely the king of pop, I’m going to be looking for any posthumous work, and just like every album before that no one expected to be worthy of any note, I’ll surely memorize the entire thing and defend it for as long as I can. Michael Jackson was my first hero and most influential on me and, for the poor judgement he may have often shown, for the lack of mind-altering music he may have made, for having shown a nack for acting in a manner that caused so many to think him quite a freak, he will be sorely missed and I’m sad that we won’t be getting more of his otherwordly talent on display. R.I.P. King of Pop.

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