Ice Breaker interview with Darkjoint

05 January 2017

How long have you been producing?

I got into music production as soon as I left Uni but did not do anything professional till 99 – 2000 that’s when I had my first top 40 record which is when I feel I could call myself a Producer.

How did you get into it?

I came from a very musical family and most of my cousins and uncles where already in bands which appealed to me. My dad was a musician so he bought my brother and I a keyboard when we were about 8 or 9. I was very much a music lover as Dad listened to every genre of music which exposed me to a lot. My best friend at 16 was Leo Gilbert who was already a DJ and hanging out with him got me inspired to get involved and since I couldn’t sing a note to save my life, I decided to learn to rap. Back then it was hard to gain access to studios with quality gear as it was so expensive and we couldn’t get any producers to produce our beats so Leo and Bought a keyboard, a drum machine, 2 Technics SL1200 and a Tandys mixer which got us on our to becoming producers.

Where does the name DD come from?

Hahaha… DD stands for Dark Disciple which was my Producer nick name when I was making beats for rappers in the mid – late 90s. My beats where so dark back then and the name kind of stuck.

What producers do you look up to?

The greats like Quincy Jones, Phil Spectre, Brian Eno, Trevor Horn, Jam and Lewis, The Wild Bunch, Dr Dre, Teddy Riley, Tim Mosley, Goldie, Neville Thomas, its a very long list.

What music do you produce and what do you not produce?

I love good music whatever the genre and I am very much into good sonics, innovative production and sound. I have pretty much produced most of the Hip Hop, Electronic, Pop, Urban genres and sub genres. The emphasis with my music tend to focus on Artist Performance, driven by Bass music with a lot of heavy drum programming.

What's the worst story you could tell us about while producing?

Fortunately, I have not encountered a lot of those but the worst thing anyone in my field of work could encounter is being stuck in the same room with someone with zero talent. That’s not fun.

What's the best story you can tell us while making music?

I love the whole song writing process while making music. The foundation has to be a very good song whatever the genre. The fun part is when we are in the studio jamming with my JPM boys and we hit on a very good song idea the whole room goes mad like we are teenagers all over again. Its very rewarding when it all comes together.

What's the goal?

My immediate plans are to release some new music this year, Currently, the song ‘Put Your Money Where Your Mouth is’ by the girl band Office Girls was co-written and co-produced by me. I have some very talented people around me and I cant wait to share the new music we have been working on in the past year. There’s JPM Feat Emanuel TheSinger with ‘Higher’, Emanuel TheSinger also has a new EP, there’s also Adama who has an EP and Kirst. I would like to build JPM Recordings as a platform to develop new artist and talent with something different to say musically.

What does it take to be a great producer?

A great producer is someone who listens and has the ability to motivate yourself and others, you will also need people’s skills, determination and a drive to see the work is completed and delivered as intended. Keep pushing the boundaries and innovate with the intention to create something that someone other you and your immediate circle will feel and appreciate as a good piece of music.