Music Is Everywhere
Last night, I was doomscrolling on Instagram Reels, trying to distract myself from my schoolwork as usual. I came across a video of a “Pro” Ping-Pong player testing out the pads on different paddles and how they reacted with the ping-pong ball. He would serve the ball in various ways, and the ball would spin or curve in crazy ways. But what caught my attention wasn't the Pro players skill or the price of the paddles, but the sound of the ball bouncing on the table. It sounded like a kick loop. Immediately in my producer brain, I knew I needed to sample and loop that sound as a drum beat.
Music is found in the most unexpected places. As a hip-hop producer, sometimes creating music can be a very cheap feeling and almost unfulfilling. To combat this and have my own style, I’ve started searching for music in everything I experience. I am currently taking a “Italian Film Comedy Class” where we watch movies relating to, well, Italian Comedy. Many of the soundtracks to these films are old and warped. This makes them perfect. There have been many times I have refocused my attention on a film because I heard a beautiful string section or vocal rhythm that gets me excited to recycle it into a beat when I get home. Recently, I have been taking many trips to the local Goodwill, not to search for clothes or a new coffee pot, but for grandpa's old vinyls. The cashier looked at me like I was deranged when I walked up with eight vinyls that looked as though they had been through the trenches. I took these vinyls home and ripped them into my computer, searching for that next sample.
Buying vinyls for the samples is not a new idea, but actually outdated. Everything nowadays is digital, meaning I could probably find the same album on YouTube, clean and remastered. That's the cheap and easy way. Old vinyl has a certain feeling. Dustiness paired with, unfortunately, a strong mildew smell. The end result of what I create is great, but the process is what really fulfills me. In a world of AI music and industry perfection, using sounds that are unique, ugly, and weird is what sets someone apart.
Originality is my main focus when it comes to music. Every kick, every loop, every mistake is something I know about, and I purposefully leave it in there. JDilla was a very prominent producer during his time, and his style was to keep things loose. Not every chop, slice, or key needs to be mathematical; it just needs to sound good. I have been producing music for about five years now. Most of what I create sits in my own little vault, never to be heard again. I only work with artists when I know I can provide them with something that is me. When you hear a song I produced, you know it's a Saint Jesse beat, and that's what people are looking for: Originality. I’ve never done things the orthodox way because I learned how to produce by pressing buttons. And I'm broke, hence goodwill. These obstacles allowed me to create something out of the ordinary because I had to find workarounds in every way I could.
Finding music in your everyday life is what enhances your ability to listen. My most recent project, Carolina Reaper, Vol. 2, is my basis for that reasoning. I am by no means a great rapper (or producer, really), but I love creating music that nobody has heard or thought of. When people listen to what I have created, I don't care whether they love it or hate it. But they can never tell me they have heard it before. I dig deep into films, recordings, and records just to be unique. I had a friend recently text me out of the blue because he found the original sample for a song I had made four years ago, which led to us reconnecting. I think more people need to listen, because there is value in recognizing that the world revolves around everyone, not just yourself.
Bless
-Saint Jesse