[ad_1]
Lyndon Jay is a London-based producer and songwriter and a member of the band FARR; architect eric is a Brooklyn-based artist who performs as a member of flatbush zombie and solo. Lyndon produced Eric’s first solo album, I’ve never been here before – Published today on Architect Recording Company – To celebrate, collaborators/friends caught up over a Zoom call.
— Annie Fell, Editor-in-Chief, Talkhouse Music
Lyndon Jay: What’s wrong, brother?
architect eric: You know the vibe. I spoke to you about 30 minutes ago. [Laughs.]
linden: So, we have 40 minutes to discuss something with each other. I did my research and put together some suggestions. I did my homework. I think the first thing we should talk about is how we first met and how we started working together.
Eric: So day one was: Me and my bestie are always sending each other music. He’s probably one of the only people that if they send me something, I’ll actually click on it and listen – [usually] I would lie and say “fire” so they would stop sending me.
linden: [Laughs.]
Eric: “Oh, this is gross, man. This shit is so hot,” but I wasn’t listening. But he sent me a song called “Someway Somehow,” but that was the version you guys performed on the street, so I didn’t even know the MP3 version. I was never on Spotify, nothing, I just kept playing that video. It was so exciting because I was like, Wow, he’s playing an instrument.Lake I’m interested in things like that, it’s just raw emotion. I’m like, Wow this is rare. [Eventually,] I listened to the MP3 version and I thought, do you know?I prefer this version to the MP3 version.
linden: There are about a thousand voices on it.
Eric: Yo, yeah. What I like is the rawness of the other thing. That’s really what started. I’m like, I wonder if the guys in this band made all these beats. So when I saw the end credits and it said your name, I was like, Oh, crap, so Lyndon is the producer and Romeo is the singer. That’s drugs.it’s like a real band. I messaged you privately, right?
linden:I think you posted this song on your story and I hit you back like, “Yo, my God! Flatbush Zombie!” [Laughs.] You say, “I was hanging out with zombies in Paris,” and I say, “Sick, we should connect and do something.” And you say, “Oh, I can actually come to London tomorrow…”
Eric: That day is your birthday.
linden: Yes, that day is my birthday. We just connected and you came to the studio. We hung for a day and then COVID happened. So we didn’t meet again until LA, but that’s when we were working on our first project, face to the future.
Eric: It’s funny because we’ve met — and I do think about this sometimes because you and I are such good friends — you can collaborate with anyone, like, “Yo, they got dope music.” , but without the friendship… I don’t think we would have been able to do what we did without meeting again. face to the future It’s awesome, but I think it also comes from knowing each other in real life.Even the time I came out [to London,] I thought it would be a different project.
linden: really.
Eric:Also, when I saw the way you work, I thought, Oh, I don’t have to worry about that. Because I also produced, I thought, “Damn, if you take this as seriously as I do, or more seriously than I do, you can produce anything. You can do whatever you want.” [Laughs.] You will choose the best lens. You don’t just settle or try to change things or get crazy lazy. You’re going to push me and say, “Yo, are you sure you want to do this?” or, “Do you want to take another shot?” or, “Hey, try this, and if it doesn’t work, don’t use it.” Normally I would want to be a part of it all, but I would say that working on this project was the first time I completely let go.
linden: sick. Looking ahead to the album: How many unused songs did you produce for this album that you were even considering?
Eric: More than 30 or 40 songs. Too much. I remember when Roman came to my house and he was like, “Damn, this is actually going to be harder than I thought.” Because I couldn’t make the decision on my own initially because I had a lot of these thoughts of, “Oh, I’m going to use this Let’s do the deluxe edition,” or whatever. The more I do that, I keep making more music, and then even when we’re done, you’re gonna send me some shit. When “Shook Up” came, I thought I was done.
linden: It’s the end, yes. “I Am” is like four songs stuck together.
Eric: Yes, indeed.
linden: So you saved four tracks by doing this.
Eric: Yes. It was going to be a long album with four more songs on it. I have a question for you: You play multiple instruments, but if you could maintain the ability to play just one instrument, which instrument would you choose?
linden: Is this the only game I can play forever?
Eric: Um.
linden: Oh, that’s terrible. I mean, drums were my first love. To me, drums are more than just music – it gave my life meaning when I was a teenager. Everyone would go out and play football during their lunch break, and I found my sense of being human through my drumming. So to be honest, I don’t think I could survive without it. But having said that, I probably play the least of all instruments at the moment.
Eric: [Laughs.]
linden: I did that in college, I played drums in Berkeley, and that was my whole life.but [playing] Playing drums by yourself sucks. It’s like playing the worst instrument by yourself because you can’t play the songs. So as a producer I sometimes play the drums live but often program them. But you can’t make music without keys, guitar and bass. Sometimes playing drums alone can get boring. So I guess I’d probably say keys. It’s the most dynamic, versatile instrument because I can get a guitar sound on the keys and pull it down, or I can play an 808, or I can play a piano.
Eric: Then I have another question. This one is based on that question. I feel like I can do a lot of different things with my voice, but when I hear a voice like Donny Hathaway’s – I know my body can’t do that. It’s frustrating, but also inspiring.If you were a singer, whose voice would you use? [want to have]? Any singer, any singer. Maybe a female singer.
linden: Lydia [Kitto]. She’s so nice. She was involved in the project, as well as the entire FARR EP, which will be released soon. We did a lot of things together. But it’s funny you say that because I used to sing in school. I used to be pretty confident as a singer, but since I became a producer and worked with crazy talented singers, I’ve been singing less and less over the years. I always thought, What the hell? Why am I so insecure about singing? So I was like, Damn, I’m going to take singing lessons.. So that’s what I did. I went about a month ago – I’ve been on tour since then, so I haven’t been able to go back – but it was awesome. It was pretty profound because, it made me realize that my voice is more than just singing and having confidence in your singing voice – being a singer can actually help you express yourself as a person. Because your voice is what you use to communicate. So after class, I feel like my voice has become so warmer, I feel more confident in my voice, even just the way I speak and communicate, my voice is stronger. So I think I would also take singing lessons for non-musical reasons, just to boost my confidence. Because, yes, that’s good for music, but everyone has a voice – musical or not, your voice is still your personality. A tangent, but…
Eric: No, that’s the answer. I wish you could give me some crazy stuff like this.
linden: Yes. Because even in sessions, when I’m writing with a singer, I always sing some little melodic idea. When it comes out, I hit the notes and it doesn’t sound the way I want it to sound. I can write melodies, but connecting the dots between ideas and sounds and actually expressing them the way you hear them in your head takes work and dedication. Of course, there are skills and stuff, but I think a lot of it comes down to self-belief and confidence. Because some of the best singers are never told or think about their voices, they just sing. This is not just a musical. Your voice is largely your personality.
Eric: I always thought it was interesting that people could sing without an accent. They’re from London, but you can’t hear the accent after they sing.
linden: I think it’s all in “a”.
Eric: Yeah yeah. [Laughs.]
linden: Oddly enough, an American accent sounds like a singing voice to the average person. It’s like Adele sings American songs but when she talks she’s the most fucking British you’ve ever heard in your life. But you don’t listen to her and think, Oh, she sounds American., because that’s just pop music. This is just an American voice.
Eric: Where is Amy? [Winehouse]?
linden: Amy definitely sings with a British accent.She said: “Yes blow air you ah-n teach me. ” [Laughs.] When you hear a British artist singing with an American accent, you don’t think, Oh, that’s weird, it sounds very American.. But when it’s British, you really notice it.
Eric: growing up, I remember listening to Tinie Tempah and Skepta, and people would say, “Man, why are you playing these people with these weird voices?” I said, “Man, have you heard of The Beatles?”
linden: They sing with an American accent!
Eric: Yes.
linden:Honestly, this is probably one of the reasons why British rappers never broke through. I mean, there are a few people who start doing it, but for the most part – they’re just like, “What’s this accent?” [Laughs.] Well, I have a question for you: What was the hardest part about making this album?
Eric: It’s over. [Laughs.]
linden: I feel like you’ve been at the finish line for six months.
Eric: Do you know what that is? I think I’m happy with my album, but I try to convince myself that I can do better. It’s not that I’m not happy with what I have, but I wouldn’t be making Leukemia if I didn’t do that… I think when you guys get here, that’s really, Damn it.I talk a lot about relationships and shit and it really inspires me [something]. You know, I’ve made a lot of albums, but this was my first solo one, so it was hard for me to take criticism from anyone outside of the album. I don’t want to play it for anyone who’s not good at it. For a while, I just thought, “Why does your idea matter? You’re not helping make it happen.” I wanted to at least like it, and then I could take any criticism, positive or negative.
linden: I remember one time you would say, “I can’t play it to anyone. I don’t want any opinions.”
Eric:Yeah, if you don’t do this, I really don’t want to hear anything.
linden: Yes, you can ask five people for their opinions, but everyone else can shut up.
Eric: Get lost, yeah. I remember even with a design like this, people would be like, “Are you going to use black and white?” and I’m like, “Yeah. They don’t make Cadillacs in lime green, man. They’re not going to make them in fucking bubblegum pink.” Make an Escalade.” I wanted something a little more adult. I’m not 20 years old anymore.
Before this ends, I want to say for the record that you have been as talented as you have been since I’ve known you, and you’ve been a great friend and a good person. Anyone reading this: this is a one-of-a-kind producer. They won’t make people like him.
linden: Thank you so much. When you called me the other week, you said, “I’ve been thinking, you might be my favorite producer!” and I was like, What? [Laughs.]
Eric: What a piece of shit.
linden: But yeah, we’re going to keep moving forward, making more stuff, changing the style, doing more projects. Who knows what will happen, but it will be a good thing.
[ad_2]
Source link