Hey Schuz, How did you get into music?
My parents taught me how to play the piano when I was in elementary school, but I fell out of playing/writing music during highschool and college. Post-school I was finding a lot of down time being bored and wanted to pursue something that would make me feel fulfilled. I chose to take classes at Point Blank and had a close friend who I lived with that got me into the DJ scene and the rest is history.
Who are some of your musical influences?
ill.gates, Spiderhoud, Chmura, IMANU, CloZee, Rusko, Caspa, Atyya, Dalek One, Monty.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?
Two major things that helped me unlock my full potential. Shout out both ill.gates and Seth Drake for the following tips:
– Timer beats for practice and song creation. Quantity leads to quality and you are able to choose which songs are worth finishing. A timer beat is exactly how it sounds. You have a structure for 5-10 minutes that you build and move on to the next. For example, spend 5-10 minutes building out a drum loop. This process is meant to be creative and ALL ideas should be written down. After the timer goes off, finish each section until you’ve worked through a half hour to an hour session. You can start with whatever section you want to do first but the idea is to not say no and get as many ideas down as you can.
– Use a reference track; How are you supposed to know where to mix your kick, sub, instruments, etc? There isn’t a magic volume number for each instrument on every song. Find a song you like that sounds like your track. Buy that, input it into your DAW (I use Ableton) and reference with loudness and metering tools to get as close as you can to the reference track. I was told this early in my career, but it didn’t I didn’t understand and it really didn’t hit home until I was trying to release music and I couldn’t get the tracks loud enough or three dimensional to sound like a professional sounding release.
Where do you draw your inspiration from?
Inspiration for me is really driven by the feeling of not doing music in general (Fear of Missing Out), working out/being outside, and listening to other people’s music. The pure thought of playing my music in front of thousands of people is always a fun thing to look forward to and I know one day I will make that happen. Setting goals can help drive motivation. Biggest call out is DON’T compare yourself to others. If you want to lose motivation, that is a great way to do it. Keep your head up and keep grinding. The good things in life don’t come easy.
What are your thoughts on the current state of the music industry?
This topic hits home as I think it’s challenging for independent music producers to make it “big”. There are a lot of sales funnels and other strategies to earn business and revenue, but the industry overall has these current issues:
-Low Revenue Payout From Streaming Platforms.
-Not Having Enough Money to live financially sound.
-Gigs Getting Cancelled which creates cash flow issues.
-Managing Multiple Social Media Profiles which is time consuming and costly to outsource to other people.
-Expensive Tours that include travel, food/drink, lodging costs, etc.
What’s the story behind your latest single, ”Let it Go”?
“Let it Go” is an emotive and uplifting song that encourages listeners to let go of the past and move forward toward a brighter future. The song’s lyrics are powerful and relatable, touching on themes of resilience, healing, and self-discovery. The melody is catchy and upbeat, with a chorus that will have listeners singing along in no time. The production is polished and modern, with a blend of electronic instruments that creates a dynamic and engaging sound. Whether you’re going through a tough time or simply need a boost of motivation, “Let it Go” is the perfect anthem to help you find your inner strength and embrace the possibilities of the future.
Why should people listen to it?
All music affects people differently. My goal for this song is to give people inspiration to keep pushing through to your better self and letting go of the past as it doesn’t define you as a person or your future self.
How do you know when a work is finished?
This is subjective I imagine for anyone. In my process, I send the track out for feedback, reference against other music, and ensure it stacks up against a song that is already released. Each song that someone creates is a story, so choosing how it starts, flows, and ends will need to be a creative decision. For most of my songs as long as I am able to complete my story I will call it “finished”. This could take 1, 2, 3 years, or more but don’t force a song to become more than it is. If you aren’t happy with it, move on and create 50 + more songs and you will definitely have a better track amongst the quantity.
What are your favorite musical genres, and are there any you dislike?
Electronic Dance Music (Bass, Trap, D&B, House), Lofi, and Hip-Hop are generally the main genres of music that I listen to currently. I appreciate all genres of music, but you won’t find me avidly seeking out the latest country music hits.
Would you like to say anything to emerging artists?
Everyone’s journey to success is different and some achieve this in a year and some take 10-20 years. My advice is don’t give up, keep pushing and strive to be your best self throughout the process.
Check it out and follow Schuz to be updated with the new releases.
