Interviews
Kash Dinero Interview 2016
Kash Dinero is a driven, passionate and charismatic artist with a unique approach to his blend of Hip Hop. I got the chance to have an interview with him, and I learned a lot of things from this artist. His music is all about connecting with listeners through high-energy releases, uplifting melodies, and a thought-provoking lyrical flow…
1 – What attracts you to Hip Hop and Rap?
The ego, the beats, the way I can express myself through a microphone, and grab the attention of those who can relate to my music. Hip Hop has always played a big role in my life for as long as I can remember. Growing up all my dad had us listening to was rap. From No Limit, to Cash Money, to E-40, and Slick Rick. I was a huge fan of The Brat back in my childhood days, so that should let you know how long I’ve been attracted to the Hip Hop culture.
2 – I’m curious about your choice of name… What’s the idea behind Kash Dinero?
MONEY! I love me some Cash Money! … Not to toot my own horn, but when I lay my vocals down on instrumentals I sound like money, if you see me out in public I’m looking like money. I felt it was only right to go by a name that stands for money in 2 different terms.
3 – Do you like to do collaborations?
I’m not very big on collaborations. I don’t want people to see me as one of those artist who always has features, or the ones who can’t get it done on their own. I want my fans to see, and know my work ethic is strong.
4 – Do you have any rivals?
No, none that I know of. I may be a rival of someone from my city, and if I am I never knew. It’s a lot of hate going on these days so you never know.
5 – Where do you think Hip Hop is going?
I can’t call it, Hip Hop culture is forever, and always will be changing. I look at it as if it’s headed in a great direction for up and coming artist like myself.
6 – Who was your inspiration?
My oldest cousin Kijuan. He was already writing, and recording his own music in his momma’s attic when I was like nine years old. By the time I turned twelve he finally let me come to watch him record a session, and helped me write my first rap. He gave me the name “Lil Don”, and I just ran with it. From there out I started doing my own thing, which led me to this point now.
7 – What are you working on these days?
Right now, I’m working on a follow up to my first official mixtape “Applying Pressure”. I’m in the studio working everyday so it’ll be out sometime this summer.
8 – Describe in 5 words your music style.
Melodic, Flashy, Extravagant, Jazz, and Trap all in one.
9 – Have you won any awards?
Not at the moment, but I plan on it. I am working very hard to accomplish that.
10 – Will you ever retire from the music world?
As of right now I don’t see myself retiring anytime soon. I still have ALOT of work, and goals ahead of me before the thought of retirement ever surfaces in my thoughts.
catinca is an electronic musician and producer whose uniqueness makes her songs extra special. After experimenting with Electro-Pop/Darkwave sounds, her debut album ‘Planet Maniac’ came to light. For more information, please read this exclusive interview.
1 — What’s the main theme of your new album ‘Planet Maniac’?
To find a way to live on this maniac planet and to seek the truth in yourself and in everything.
2 — Why did you decide to call this album ‘Planet Maniac’? Were there other ideas?
For a long time it had another name, which I’m gonna use now for the second album. As the debut single is called “Maniac,” it just came naturally.
3 — Did you spend a lot of time writing all these songs? Tell us more about the creative process.
It’s totally different from song to song. Sometimes I just have a slight idea… write a few lines and then it lies there for a long time until it gets attention again. Most of the time the lyrics just flow out at once. That can happen in 10 minutes or several hours.
4 — What drum machines and synths were used on this project?
For the entire album, I just used software synths (Analog lab 4, Analog lab V and Surge) with the Arturia Keylab 61. I’m not nerdy enough, to spend a lot of money on analog synths. I also used the Ableton Push for the drums.
5 — Which of these new songs has the best lyrics? Why?
This is of course a matter of taste and maybe also a fact of what you are going through right now and what resonates the most. But the lyrics of “Stay” are going very deep for me and “Black Angel” because that is what happened to me the last 2 years.
6 — If you were able to change something in this material, would you do it?
The truth is… I’m never 100% happy but if you keep and keep changing stuff… in the end, it’s not better.
7 — Are you satisfied with the response so far?
Can you ever be satisfied? Even when you have millions of streams or whatever you come to the point where you’re not satisfied. I do it in the first place for myself. Secondly, I like the thought to left something creative on this planet when I leave, and third, I’m happy when there are a handful of people I can touch with my music.
8 — Is it important to you to be musically diverse? How would you describe your style?
Absolutely! I don’t want to be put in a certain genre. I don’t even wanna know what my style is because I wanna be as free as possible. Maybe there will be some kind of a red line through my work but be prepared that every album will be totally different.
9 — What do you love the most about the end results?
That I did this freakin’ album all by myself! But I have to give a shoutout to the collaboration I did with Yellow Majesty from Sweden on the song “Forever.” He is just a crazy good musician and did a fabulous job!
And also a big shoutout to Tino Tranquilo who did a super freakin’ good remix of my song “Stay.”
10 – As an artist, is there something different you would love to approach in the future?
Everything! 🚀
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This is the first time COY Swede ventures into RnB by joining forces with J.O.Y. In an instant, you will be blown away as the quality of his new single “Never Ever” feels like charting song material. Read our exclusive interview with both artists!
1 — How did you end up working together?
COY Swede: Me and J.O.Y also did “Closer” through Soundbetter platform together. And RnB being one of J.O.Y’s genres I knew we could make another magic track together.
It’s very rare I work with the same singer again. But we speak the same language musically and we connected, even more, this time.
J.O.Y: Me and COY Swede first met up online on Soundbetter (the leading platform where singers and producers meet to finish each other work). He wrote me to be his singer for his track “Closer.” From there on we became friends and collab more frequently together!
2 — How would you define RnB music?
COY Swede: It depends on how far you go back in time, 50, 70, or 90, and our time. Genre changes very fast in our time and gets a bit blurred or, some genres evolve into something new.
But for me, RnB is still pure Soul and Blues and also can be a flavour of Chill Pop and influences rhythms from Hip-Hop. That’s my personal thinking.
J.O.Y: RnB was my first love in music! I remember listening to greatness such as Joe, Brian Mcknight, and Craig David and was impressed by the runs, variation of tone, and vocal skills these guys have! This made me do a lot of cover songs of the RnB genre and me ending up having my singing style from them.
3 — Collaborative songs are trendy these days, do you see it as a marketing strategy or is it something else?
COY Swede: For me, it evolves me as a producer. Gives me more experience. I work only with the best singers that share my passion among the independent areas.
Over the years I also have learned how to know what I’m looking for around a genre and theme for the song. What vibe do I want to create.
Marketing strategies change all the time and we Indie artists work really hard with the tools we have.
The most important thing for me is to keep going and deliver the music to my listeners. Show interest in other artists, be helpful if I can, and also learn more about how to get my music out there.
J.O.Y: Doing collabs is one of the best ways to showcase your music and learn from it. You learn to see different kinds of colors of music. You are also forced to go out of your comfort zone which allows you to grow.
4 — What new things did you learn while recording “Never Ever”?
COY Swede: Well, it’s actually the first time I produce an RnB track 😊 I would be very happy if the listeners can connect to it. The bells in the intro are actually recorded by an instrument and then I added some effects using “Thermal from Output.”
Every track I make gives me something new. I’m very happy with the variated bridges in this track to be a little technical. And my challenge was, how to make a short song feel longer than it actually is. We also wanted this song to have a good hook and a chorus to sing along to.
J.O.Y made awesome work with his skills as a singer and writer.
J.O.Y: As a songwriter, you always get to learn a new perspective after each song. Especially here I evolved my songwriting by having the hook be a statement and the verses describing my story. I will definitely write more songs like this, where the hook is simple yet catchy and the verses a bit more complex.
5 — Who is the main songwriter of this new track? What inspired you to write the lyrics?
COY Swede: We worked from a theme I sent J.O.Y. And for the chorus, I recorded a sample of my voice. Then J.O.Y did his magic. Just a note, only the VOCAL is mixed together from 15 stems to give you a perspective. 😉
It’s also a love song for people that found new love and how to carry it forward. But as a songwriter/producer you are open to how a listener feels about it. You can, “Never Ever” know. 😊
J.O.Y: COY Swede presented me with the theme of the song, and explained it to me pretty well. From that on I felt inspired and tapped into some of my experiences to replicate this feeling.
6 — Who would you dedicate this song?
COY Swede: Anyone! It’s about love, new love, or even some things you have clear out before you move on! That can sometimes be very hard!
The unique bells in the song maybe is a slight try to call on that upcoming Christmas vibe. Mariah Carey, are free to make a cover if she wants. 😉
J.O.Y: To all the listeners that go through a tough time right now. It’s that season again when tracks like these are needed.
7 — How would you imagine the music video?
COY Swede: No plan at this moment. Maybe a lyrics video on my YouTube channel.
8 — Are you planning to drop remixes for this release?
COY Swede: No plans at this moment.
9 — How do you spend your free time when not making music?
COY Swede: Family first, I love to travel around the world, health, training, and love cooking if I have time. I also read everything that has something to do with space research and am also engaged in earth’s environment and climate.
J.O.Y: Coy Swede nailed it. Family first. Sometimes music can feel like a job where all you think of is music. It’s good to have breaks to enjoy with your loved ones. Also, it’s very good for your creativity and finding new inspiration to write music.
10 — Lastly, what are your future plans?
COY Swede: Next year maybe I will try to do some more DJ appearances. I did one this year 2022 in Stockholm. Maybe together with my music bro Alan Walker or, even Tiesto would be really cool!
It would be cool to finally meet them both in real life, and talk about music experiences and future experimental stuff. You “Never Ever,” know! 😊
One thing is for sure I will keep doing this, and create more music. I would also like to try to make a score for movies or TV in the future, would be cool, if one of my released songs were featured.
J.O.Y: Be more active as a songwriter and have a lot more placements with bigger companies or TV/Film. I want to watch a show and hear my music in the background – that’s something I can imagine would be super cool and surreal.
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If you’re into hypnotizing Ambient Techno tracks, then Blind Mutation should be on your radar. Her latest experimental music video “Shadows” was awarded and this exclusive interview explains it all!
1 — If I’m not mistaken, electronic music is your passion. How does this interest has come about?
I actually think my dad’s taste in music really influenced me a lot. He used to put on a lot of quality electronic music for me when I was a child, from classic Depeche Mode to more underground experimental electronic How to Dress Well. So, my interest in electronic music started growing from a very young age. When I became a teenager, my mental health started to get worse, and I started to relate, and thereafter, listen to darker and gloomier electronic music like dark ambient, triphop, or hard warehouse techno. That’s basically how my music taste was formed, and why I love electronic music.
2 — When exactly did you become Blind Mutation?
In theory, I think I became Blind Mutation pretty much as soon as I started producing and composing music which was 2 years ago. I began writing tracks with an emphasis on cinematic melancholic sounds that translated my deep intense emotions, and I still continue to do it exploring more and more ways to express my feelings through music. But, officially, let’s say, I became Blind Mutation when I released my first DJ Mix called “WAVE/PHONK MIX” on SoundCloud almost a year ago.
3 — Musically speaking, who is your biggest influence or inspiration?
I love to answer that question 🙂 I would say that my influences/inspirations have been changing throughout the years. When I was 14-16 my favorite band was Coldplay. I loved their not-that-well-known tracks which were more on the electronic/ambient side, like my all-time favorite “Midnight”. As for now, I very rarely listen to Coldplay. Now I am more into experimental dark emotional stuff like Techno, Dark Ambient, IDM, and Trip-Hop. Some of my inspirations/influences at the moment are Aphex Twin, Arca, Trentemoller, Clams Casino, Hans Zimmer, I Hate Models, and Crystal Castles.
4 — Congratulations on winning Best Experimental Video at the Indie Online Film Festival. Did you ever expect this result?
I was hoping for it 🙂 But I don’t really like expecting something to happen, especially when it comes to receiving awards. Because if you think you would win the prize, and then you don’t, you would probably get upset. But if you don’t really think about it and just let it happen, you get more excited if you win, and don’t really care if you don’t get an award 🙂
5 — Tell us more about how your collaboration with All Around came about.
We met a little more than 4 years ago in college in LA. He was a directing major, and I was an acting major. We’ve been very good friends since that time, and we’ve done small projects together here and there in college and just for fun. Then, when I switched from acting to music and started releasing my DJ Mixes, he began doing all the visuals for them. So, when I was ready to release my debut track “Shadows”, I knew that All Around would be my director, cinematographer, and editor. We have a similar vision when it comes to art (music/video/films, etc.), and so it’s very comfortable and fun for us to work together.
6 — Would you interpret this clip as a short horror film or is it something else?
Shortly, I would say, yes, it could be interpreted as a short psychological horror film. To elaborate: it’s interesting that when we showed the music video to our close surroundings, a good amount of people said that “Shadows” looked more like a short horror film rather than a music video. “Shadows” indeed has a much slower pace than a usual music video. In terms of cinematography, it’s also shot more like a film rather than a music video. But I think I would still call “Shadows” an experimental music video rather than a short horror film, because, in my opinion, it still has a dynamic of a music video, and our initial idea was to create a music video not a short horror film.
7 — What tools, instruments, or software were part of the production process of “Shadows”?
Well, the track itself was produced, mixed and mastered in Ableton. As for “Shadows” music video production, My friend All Around who I collaborated with, has an amazing RED Komodo camera, the music video was shot on it. Also, my face, chest, neck and my arms had to be bandaged in the shot all the time. We needed special bandages, the ones that stick to the skin and to each other. We had 3-4 shooting days, and not all of the bandages could be reused. So, I had to buy lots of them. Was driving from one CVS to another buying the entire available supply of those specific bandages 🙂
We also had a chance to work with an amazing super professional makeup artist, Darya Kholodnykh, who did the make-up for the “demon’s” hand that appears in the music video. She managed to find a creative way to make the hand look realistic and creepy although we had a very small budget.
8 — What can we expect from Blind Mutation next? Are you keen on exploring science fiction themes?
I love science fiction, and I would like to explore themes connected to it in the future. But as for now, I think I’m more focused on expressing my inner feelings and emotions through my music, and treating producing/composing/creating DJ mixes more as a therapy for myself. I’d love to dive deeper into the psychological aspects of our lives and have an influence on people’s emotions and their unconscious through my music. That’s what my next release will hopefully do! It’s a dark ambient track called “I come with the rain”, and it’s coming out in the beginning of January! I’m also working on a new dark warehouse techno DJ mix which will also come out around the same time.
9 — What do you think you’d be doing if you weren’t an artist?
I’ve always loved to think about this. I am very interested in psychology, so I would definitely study it in college, and then probably become a psychotherapist (do not mistake with psychologist or psychiatrist), I would do scientific research and come up with new more effective therapies.
I would also love to direct and shoot (be DOP and operate camera) my own film(s) in the future! It’s a big dream! Plus I got my first degree from a film college, so I am familiar with that stuff. By the way, I’m also super interested in graphic and game design! Would love to try doing that in the future too!
And just to top off the list with more geek stuff: if I had another life, I would become an astrophysicist to study and explore space.
10 — Lastly, do you have any specific goals for 2023?
The most important and clear goal is to get the artist visa in order to be able to stay and work in the U.S. Speaking of my artist goals, I would love to get my first DJ gig in 2023! I would also love to explore new music genres in my productions (like trip-hop or hard dark techno)! Finally, I have so many things I still have to explore and discover in terms of production, mixing sound design, etc. So, another very important goal is to just continue learning!