Breaking the third wall of music appreciation.

As if it is not obvious now, I listen to and write a lot about music, so much so that I think it is safe to say it is an integral part of my identity, as one of my close friends said, “if you took music away from me, you wouldn’t have much left.”

Being as obsessed with music as I am, the next step is of course to start producing some of my own, a daunting task that I mostly avoided until about a month ago. Last year I picked up djing with my buddy (and future roommate) Fritz Halemert, who is not only a producer for acts like Edward Skeletrix, but also a master at FL studio.

Late last year, I was enjoying a conversation with Fritz in his dorm room, when I started messing around with the small Akai MIDI controller on his desk (don’t ask me what MIDI stands for, I don’t know) Fritz noticed this and promptly opened up his laptop and loaded up FL studio, in an attempt to teach me the ins and outs of producing. I was overwhelmed almost immediately, and after 10ish minutes told him I had class (that was a lie, sorry Fritz)

Fortunately, my little producing adventure didn’t end there. Over the summer, I found myself at home a lot, doom scrolling and playing an unhealthy amount of Borderlands 3. Between that and working at my local cafe, producing started to become more of an attractive hobby, and it didn’t help that every so often I would get a text from Fritz with a new beat he had made. Out of jealousy, and a bit of “fanboying” over Fritz’s talents, I decided to ask him to “borrow” his FL login. From that point on? I was sucked down the endless rabbit hole that is producing.

I say all of this for two reasons, one to give some explanation as to why I haven’t been writing (which is partly because of producing and partly because of something else, big things coming soon :> ), but also to shed light on how much more interesting music has become because of my producing journey.

In an attempt to sound as non pretentious as possible. My music taste exists a lot in the hyperpop, and avante garde rap, with a touch of metal, and grunge rock (thanks dad :)). That being said I think I’m a pretty open book when it comes to music that I like, aside from a few. After “learning” how to make music, I would say my appreciation for how talented musicians who live in the hyperpop and dubstep space has grown exponentially. I’ve found that although their music might sound a bit harsh, or haphazard at times, there is so much intention behind which drum patterns, synths and other small musical details that they choose to use. I think a great example of this perceived haphazardness is an artist like Jpegmafia, specifically his earlier work, like Veteran and Black Ben Carson. On the surface, it might seem like his music is just randomly placed sound effects over a kick drum, but after listening to it more than once, and developing the perspective of a producer, it comes together as much more grandiose than it first appears. On the opposite side of the coin, you have artists like Glaive and Ecco2k who I felt I had already fully appreciated. With songs like Peroxide, and Asheville, it's hard to deny that their work is simply just beautiful music, but once again, after diving into music production, I have become even more fascinated with the insanely creative vision that these artists possess and put into their music

I don't think you need to become the next Skrillex to produce music you love (also because we have enough shitty white producers). I for one am not looking for any crazy hit song, but rather (much like this substack) curious to see if I can take this on, and if a few people listen to my music, than I’d be overjoyed.

TLDR, go make music for you.

- jq