The Rec Show Podcast
David “Gldnmnd” Hicks is a Beatmaker and Hip Hop culture participant/supporter based in the United States. On The Rec Show Podcast, Gldnmnd interviews Beatmakers/Music Producers/Composers from around the world, hearing stories of beat culture, musical journeys (past and present), musical exposures and music technology. Topics include music genesis, inspirations, music superheroes, Digital Audio Workstations vs. Analog gear, Discographies, Local Beat Scene/community views and more while listening to each guest’s instrumental music compositions. Tap In!
The Rec Show Podcast
Burn The Topiary
“Be a homie & let us know what you think”
The narrative sways to the pulse of adaptability in the music world, touching on the renaissance that the COVID-19 lockdowns spurred within us. The conversation shifts like a melody, from the tactile strings of traditional instruments to the synthesized heartbeat of hip-hop and electronic beats, chronicling the birthing of four distinct albums in rapid succession. Tales of personal growth during the pandemic underscore the essence of maintaining a rhythm of creation amidst life's cacophony. We share the wisdom found in the Love Supreme collective's companionship and the boundless opportunities the global beat scene offers, highlighting the transformative power of crafting music on mobile devices and the excitement of upcoming events and album releases.
Concluding our melodic conversation, our guest and I reflect on the importance of nurturing curiosity and embracing continuous learning in the craft of beat making. We highlight the joy of connecting with like-minded souls who inspire us to push the boundaries of our creativity. We nod toward the anticipated A Love Supreme California compilation album, a beacon of new talent ready to resonate through the airwaves. This episode is a tribute to the creative spirit that propels us forward, a call to fellow Beatmakers and music lovers alike to celebrate the soundtracks of our lives. Join us, and let the beats guide your journey to the core of your artistic essence.
Intro Music: "Common - The Light (Jewel Flip)" from Jewel Flips Vol.3 by Brown Jewel (Listen Here)
Featured Music: From Burn The Topiary's Bandcamp Discography
Connect on Social Media: @Burnthetopiary
Website: Burnthetopiary.Bandcamp.com
Follow A Love Supreme California on Instagram and Youtube
Support Burn The Topiary's Album "Common Ground" Fundraising Efforts for which directly supports Shelters supporting battered women and children Here
Listen to Episode 098 - A Love Supreme CA (Special Edition) Here
Edited, Mixed and Mastered by Gldnmnd
Podcast Website Link: The Rec Show Podcast
Subscribe to Our YouTube Channel: Press Here
What is that sound, you ask?
Speaker 2:Welcome to the Rec Show podcast, a show dedicated to beat makers around the world. Kick back, relax with the host, Golden Mind. Welcome to the Rec Show podcast, a show dedicated to beat makers around the world.
Speaker 3:Welcome to the Rec Show podcast, a show dedicated to beat makers around the world. Welcome to the Rec Show podcast, a show dedicated to beat makers around the world. Welcome to the Rec Show podcast, a show dedicated to beat makers around the world. Welcome to the Rec Show podcast, a show dedicated to beat makers around the world. Welcome to the Rec Show podcast, a show dedicated to beat makers around the world. Welcome to the Rec Show podcast, a show dedicated to beat makers around the world. Welcome to the Rec Show podcast, a show dedicated to beat makers around the world.
Speaker 1:Welcome to the Rec Show podcast, a show dedicated to beat makers around the world. Welcome to the Rec Show podcast, a show dedicated to beat makers around the world. Welcome to the Rec Show podcast, a show dedicated to beat makers around the world. Welcome to the Rec Show podcast, a show dedicated to beat makers around the world. Welcome to the.
Speaker 4:Rec Show podcast, a show dedicated to beat makers around the world.
Speaker 1:Welcome to the Rec Show podcast, a show dedicated to beat makers around the world. Welcome to the Rec Show podcast, a show dedicated to beat makers around the world. Welcome to the Rec Show podcast, a show dedicated to beat makers around the world. Welcome to the Rec Show podcast, a show dedicated to beat makers around the world.
Speaker 4:Welcome to the Rec Show podcast, a show dedicated to beat makers around the world. Welcome to the Rec Show podcast, a show dedicated to beat makers around the world.
Speaker 1:Welcome to the Rec Show podcast, a show dedicated to beat makers around the world. Welcome to the Rec Show podcast, a show dedicated to beat makers around the world.
Speaker 4:Welcome to the Rec Show podcast a show dedicated to beat makers around the world. Welcome to the Rec Show podcast, a show dedicated to beat makers around the world. Welcome to the Rec Show podcast, a show dedicated to beat makers around the world, where, you know, burning that structure that somebody makes for you off of your personality is critical for you to finding your own self. You know, and that's kind of what I've always envisioned, that name as a representative of what I like to do musically is like kind of, you know, not conforming to the things that people really like and stuff like that. Like just really allowing my emotions to drive the music and what I'm creating, and even if it's weird and kind of wonky and like a little off-color type thing, like I just put it out there. You know what I mean, just because it's just coming from a really raw place and it's very therapeutic to me. You know what I mean To think of it that way.
Speaker 1:Yeah, man, yo, I like the meaning of your name, man, like it's so. Man, I think, as creatives, that's what we're trying to do, man, we're not trying to, you know, fit into the norms, the social norms and all of that type of stuff. Like you know, it's not even like a man it's hard for me to explain like a rebellion of the norms. It's just trying to be your best self and not trying to be like anybody else. You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 4:Exactly man and like that's the way it's. I see it for a lot of people, like a lot of my you know peers that do this, is that they're showcasing a lot of their personality, a lot of their, the sounds that they enjoy, and it's pretty cool that we get all to share those different colors and music with each other, because you it's almost like you learn more about the person in a sense you know what I mean, like you understand them a little bit more clear.
Speaker 1:Yo man, definitely man. That's yo, that's super dope Like. Did you come up with that name or did somebody give you that moniker?
Speaker 4:No, no, no. I came up with it sometime like in like the ending of 99, where I was. I was starting to make beats and I was really trying to like learn how to do music production. And once I had like a handful of beats where I'm like, all right, I'm just going to put this out there, and you know whether someone listens to it or not. It's going to be out there, you know, and, and I had to put an aim to it, so that that's kind of what came about.
Speaker 1:I got you, I got you there, so you've been creating music since 1999?.
Speaker 4:Well, I would say like like beat, beat oriented music. Yeah, because I mean I've been playing music pretty much my whole life. For the most part I'm a guitar player and that's kind of what I grew up on. And then during high school, or actually elementary, junior, high and high school years, I was playing trumpet in band and stuff like that. So like music's always been around me. But beat making was the whole new world, you know, and it really intrigued me once I, once I caught that fever to make your old music, you know. So yeah, since like 99, I would say, is when the beat making started.
Speaker 1:Got you Yo man Like okay, so see, now we see in. Like you've been around music, like was there anybody else in your, in your family, that kind of like influenced your musical you know upbringings and said, hey, yo play this, play this. Or you know play the guitar, play the trumpet, or anything like that.
Speaker 4:Yeah, so like a lot of family on my dad's side, which I'm very fortunate because, like it's kind of crazy because my dad really wasn't around too much when I was a kid. But the one thing that I'm very grateful that he left me was the musical influence. Like he was always, you know, bumping salsa and metting in the car and he was a big metalhead type of dude. So he liked playing a lot of that music, a lot of hip hop, a lot of different, you know, varieties of music that that really kind of molded me into liking the things that I like now. So, and then his family, I mean there's a lot of musicians, you know, a lot of guitar players for sure, and singers they, you know, they love singing. I remember, you know, being a kid and everybody getting together and singing songs. Those are things that just, I think really, you know, clings on to me as I was going through my own discovery of music.
Speaker 1:On memories, on memories. Yeah man Like, yeah, like you got those, you know your pops is playing. You know all these different types of music that influence you. Do you remember like um, do you remember like the, like the bands or or some of the? You know the musical acts that stick out to your brain, that kind of influence you to this day.
Speaker 4:Yeah, for sure. I mean you know again, you know growing up listening to so many different things and appreciating it all, I mean there's there's been like countless, countless influences and and they've taken part in what I like to do. So, like hip hop wise, like gangsta, like gangsta is like my top artists that I can put on any single day and listen. And we got Erica Bob do do Bjork be maker wise. Like D B O C. Man like D B O C is like like you know, he's up there man, like he really takes a big influence on me and I can sit there and watch his lives for like hours and not even blink one seat at a time.
Speaker 1:Man, man, yo shout out to the, to the. You know, gangsta man. I think it was DJ Premier's 50.
Speaker 4:No, he might be ordered yesterday. Yeah yesterday.
Speaker 1:Yeah yesterday, right, yeah, yeah, yeah. So you know, um DJ Premier man, if you listen to this show, man, happy birthday man. Thank you for everything you've done to. You know, support the hip hop culture and music and general, because he's not just in hip hop like. He made music for all these different genres, man. So, oh yeah, amazing, you know. And gangsta. So um D you know. Shout out to the slap master general man D B O C. Yo doing some amazing things, man, you know, actually professor D B O C.
Speaker 1:Now you know, all in the UC Berkeley and you know, amazing things, man.
Speaker 4:So he's a. He's a university deep maker.
Speaker 1:Yeah so, yeah, man, but yo man, yeah. So your pops, you know, giving you that influence, and the music influence, like, what would you say is your favorite instrument to play and why?
Speaker 4:Uh, well, I'm, I'm, I'm a guitar player, man Like that. That that's the first instrument that I I geared towards and, uh, and, after so many years of of spending time on it, like learning scales, and you know writing music on the guitar, playing in so many different bands throughout. You know my, my musical journey. Um, it's just the one that I can find I can express myself in like a very different way. You know, um, and it's all. It's all like constructing, like making music. You know putting parts together, you know how they work together and, um, to me it's like a puzzle, you know, and, and it got to the point where, like now, obsessively sitting there for hours just to try to figure out something that's in my head and see how I can make it work and translate onto the guitar.
Speaker 1:You know, right, man Cause when I listen, when I listen to your music, man, you know all the all the way from your, you know your very first album, um, that you put out and hold on, man, let me make sure I got the name right. Uh, oh uh, tree Beats, volume One, right that you put out on Bandcamp, right right.
Speaker 1:All the way from listening to that all the way until the most recent project that you put out, I lost my umbrella and the Soho, which is a super dope name, but we're going to talk about that. Um, you know, I'm listening to like all of these, like the horns and the guitars, and, uh, you know what you do with the drums and uh, you know everything like that, like when you know you being, um, I would say, a veteran in beat making man, it's just, you know you've been doing it for so long. When was when did you think it was time to like create your own music? And, you know, have other people you know, either you know, listen to it, like it or don't like it, type of thing.
Speaker 4:Right, man. So I mean, and you know what, it's funny because, like I'm going to correct myself here I said 99, I meant 2019. I don't know why I'm thinking 99.
Speaker 2:Like that's way back then I was still playing guitar back then.
Speaker 4:That's my apologies, but no, 2019. It's like right, like it was in the beginning of like the, the, the COVID era stuff going on, and uh, you know, obviously I mean I was playing music throughout that whole time, but once everything kind of started locking down, it really allowed me to discover other ways of getting like a creative outlet out, you know. So, so beat making came about because I've always been a hip hop fan, you know, and electronic music just always captivated me in a whole different way from what, like guitar music did. And, and at some point I was like you know what, like I want to, I want to try this, like I want to, you know, get my creative on and, um, I ended up buying an SP 404 S X and spent like a whole year trying to learn that thing, and even still now I'm still trying to learn like a lot of stuff that you can do on that powerful machine. I mean, I downloaded a recording program and really like dove into trying to figure out like what's mixing, you know, like what's EQing and what's compression and all that fun stuff that comes with this.
Speaker 4:But yeah, like around, I think, 2020, I'm going back to 2000 and like 2020. I think is when I did that Tree Beats Volume 1 album, band camp and and it's funny because, like, if you'll listen to like Tree Beats 1, 2 and 3, which I have up there, like you know that that was me exploring with the whole, you know, using MIDI and programming drums and a lot of it's like you know, quantized music, just because I was trying to discover what can be done with these programs. But then in like the later albums you'll hear kind of like a different feel to the music because I was unquantizing everything and started discovering like, hey, you know what I can actually play this out and I can add, you know weird little sounds around my drums and mix them all together and create something a whole, like a whole different vibe to it.
Speaker 1:You know, yeah, man, because you in 2020, man, you put out four albums. Yeah four albums were for music.
Speaker 4:Yeah probably all probably all made within like a like a three to four month timeframe. To wow, yeah, yeah, man upset, I'm telling you, man, like, once it kicked, it was an obsession. Like I was just like I freaking love this, like I can't stop, you know, and still tell you to stay Like it's. It's one of those things where it's like every day I'm going to sit down and spend an hour or two hours, whatever life allows me, to make some music, you know. So, yeah, it was. It was a pretty short span, with all those albums coming out and you know, one after the other, I was just like, all right, here's this, this group of songs, here's this other group of songs, and so forth.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because I definitely hear the shift from you know the first, the first four albums that you put out, which were Tree Bees, volume one, two and three, and then you put out the album sample, the samples Right, and then I hear the shift all the way through, starting with like Indignation. And you know common, you know common ground. I lost my umbrella so like yeah, like hold on, but I want to skip questions because I want to talk about a few of these albums for sure, man.
Speaker 1:So, but I do have to ask Hold on, let me make sure I do have to ask about, like your learning music, man. You're learning your equipment during the time where you know, like even right now, like everybody's back to work, everybody's hustling, everybody's grinding. But I think that you know the pandemic, yes, tragic things were happening, that out of our control, but that was a time where I think a lot of people just stopped everything and was like yo, I'm going to take this time to do what I want to do, learn what I want to learn. You know what I mean.
Speaker 1:And then, when we come, out of it you know like what, like how did you stay on that regimen during that crazy time? Just you know, just learn your SP4 for Essex and you know whatever the doll that you were using, and just learn and crank out beat after beat, after beat, after beat.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I don't know, I'm trying to look back on it. It was such a chaotic time for on my end as I'm sure for many, many, many other people, you know and very unfortunate event that occurred, but in another way, like I feel like it allowed people the time and the space to kind of really discover what they wanted to do away from the standards of working and hanging, rent and like everything that we have to do to kind of stay afloat, you know. So really like it was just a constant inspiration of the people that I would meet online and hearing their music that really motivated me to keep going and keep learning.
Speaker 4:And you know, staying humble with their craft in the sense that, like you know, never, never approaching it with an attitude of like, oh you know, I'm going to be the best type thing, like no, I'm like, I'm like a student to this stuff and there's like an infinite amount of stuff to learn on, regardless of whatever machine or devices you use to make music, like, there's always something new to learn and to me that that's the intriguing part of it. It's like, all right, what can I learn and how can I? How can I twist this process up a little bit? You know, and that, that curiosity, that I think is what gave me the drive to, like, keep going.
Speaker 4:You know, and at some point, you know, because of the stressful time that we were all living in and you know, a lot of people lost work and stuff like that, like you know, we felt that in my home, but I needed to kind of keep that level head for my family and honestly, with 100% truth, beat making, I think, is what's been providing me that, that that balance, you know, emotionally and mentally, because it allows me that time to just sit there and and make something. And I love creating, I love, I love doing that kind of stuff, and when I do it it's almost like a refresher to my soul type thing. It sounds cheesy, but that's that's what it is, you know right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I definitely understand, man, Like you know, crazy, crazy times. But that was, that was, that was and still is sanity for me, just like you know a lot of other people. When things get crazy like you, can just sit down and express your emotions in a non-destructive way. You know. I mean like, yeah, we chop it up, samples, we destroy it, samples, but but we're, you know, creating something else that's like can speak to our you know our emotional state, Like, yeah, I like the way you just gave them crazy gems right there. You know, go ahead, man.
Speaker 4:Because, that's certainly but, that's well.
Speaker 4:Yeah, that's what it is. You know, like it and I think it's taking such like, taking an approach like that would be making for myself and I'm speaking for myself and, I'm sure, other people, but like it, you know, taking that approach has allowed me to not overthink the music so much. You know, I think, like when I was, when I was starting out, I was just like, ok, like this has to be perfect, and then you'd spend an hour trying to find the perfect spot for that one hit and, like you know, this mix isn't good enough. And then you trash it and keep going and going and it was really never good enough.
Speaker 4:In that sense, and like you know, once, once I kind of got away from that mentality of like not worrying about it so much and just making what comes out. For that moment that I'm making something like, I found like a whole different happiness to the whole process because of it. You know, just just really music that's, that's driven by the emotion that I'm feeling at the moment. You know, and sometimes I'll like I'll be making something and then by the end of whatever I'm making as far as the beat or a loop or whatever the case I listen to it, I'm like wow, like I didn't realize I just made that right, like I was so into the process and this is what came out. This is what it is. Yes.
Speaker 1:Right, Right, man, you know, like I got to, I got to ask you this man Like there's so many different things that you could have done. You know, during the global pandemic and stuff like that, or even right now, there's so many things that you can create, but you chose music specifically. You know what I mean and I think, well, you know, I can't even say, I think that I think I can't even say, I think I keep saying that. Um, I guess the question is you know you could have drawn something, you could have built something with your hands. You know and you know you could have done any other thing, but music is what you gravitated to. Was that is that? Is that like something spiritual for you?
Speaker 4:Oh, definitely, and it always like it always kind of has been, Because I mean growing up.
Speaker 4:Growing up, you know we didn't have the most favorable, you know, life situations growing up.
Speaker 4:And I grew up with my mom, who was pretty much a single parent for most of our childhood, and then my younger sister, who I, you know, primarily would take care of a lot when my mom was working like two, three jobs just to stay afloat, and and music has always been there, Like you know, I had old punchy guitars that you know always sat around our house and and I just recalled me, you know, really diving into learning and really just keeping my head there.
Speaker 4:And you know, like many of us experience a lot of bad influences and stuff out in the world. At school I think music kind of kept me away from all that stuff, you know, because I like being a decent human being, Mr Golden Mind, you know I like to have my fun, but I also I also like to, you know, do good in the world the best that I can, and I think music really pushes me to do that a lot. That I love it, man, like obsessively love it, you know, and I think it's a healthy obsession Like, because it's something that I'm just constantly thinking about, constantly appreciating and being grateful for.
Speaker 1:Man yo shout out to. You know all the single moms. You know I had the same situation as you man, so you know I'm the oldest of five.
Speaker 4:So oh nice.
Speaker 1:You know moms was, you know, out there hustling man. So I definitely. And music, you know, music from the same way, same thing, like I would just come home from school, you know, make sure my brothers and sister were good and boom, I'll put on, like Mike Jackson or you know, a Prince album you know need like, yeah, take me away, and there's. And you know we, I'm growing up and I'm not sure if you know you're growing up in the same time for it, but I'm growing up in the 80s, middle of a crack epidemic, gangs, all that type of stuff, you know. And right, man, I think music definitely was one of the things, that same, because I could have chose another obsession and that could have been a destruction of me, you know.
Speaker 4:So yeah, no, yeah, and I mean, I think, and I think that's why, like you know, we you know as music makers, like we appreciate other forms of art, other forms of creation too, because it's all relative, you know, like to me, making beats, making music, is like painting with sound, you know, and there's so many different colors and brushes, metaphorically speaking, right, that you can use in music to create a whole different picture than what the other person's doing and and when you, when you see it that way, it's like man, like it's an infinite possibility of creation that you can just, you can just make for yourself, you know, for other people to enjoy, and vice versa, you know you enjoy everybody else's paintings, sound, what's sonically right, right.
Speaker 1:Yo, you just. You just gave him another bar man. You said yeah, painting with sound. Yo, that's yeah, that's message yeah, yeah, yeah, that's it man. Yo yeah, man.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know, because I do enjoy other people's paintings, man Like you know, a lot of people are creating different things and you know we just so happen to be blessed to be able to see and tap into all of these people. Do the, do the the blessings of technology? You know the good parts of technology. You know we're able to see and listen to and watch other people's creations, and that's that's so amazing man, it's dope man.
Speaker 4:Yeah, it's amazing. And then like how it keeps evolving into the times we're in now to where everybody can have accessibility to do this kind of stuff, that you start realizing, like man, there's a lot of people that you know, maybe back like 15, 20 years ago, didn't have access to the stuff, but they had gold. You know what I mean. Like they had gold building up in their souls and like once they were able to express it. It's like man, you hear so much dope music out there that it's like it never stops and it's really great. You know, as a music fan, like we all love it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, man. So yo, man, I gotta, I gotta ask you, you know, as far as you know, as we're talking about music creation and stuff like that, I gotta ask you about your process to creating music, like when you sit down in front of your you know your SPS and I see you be rocking out on Koala too, so shout out to Koala gang yo.
Speaker 3:Shout out.
Speaker 1:Koala, yes, love it. Oh, you know like what is it? What happens when you sit down and you want to create something like what goes through your mind? No, how do you even start creating your music?
Speaker 4:Yeah, I think you just start Like whatever, whatever, whatever's going to come up that moment, because like, all right, so check this out. I primarily I like making beats on the ESP and then Koala, because it's just so easily accessible, like I don't have to turn on my laptop and I have a pretty crappy laptop so it takes forever to turn on.
Speaker 2:And you know what I mean Like.
Speaker 4:so I just I kind of got accustomed to just making beats, away from using like a recording program and whatnot. You know I really messed with the I don't know if you've heard of a drum brute impact from Artoria and they I think they usually, like a lot of people use it for like more like upbeat. You know upbeat tempo type of music. But I mean I really I love the analog sound that it contains. So like there's a lot of beats on some of the later albums I have on on band camp that you'll hear.
Speaker 4:You know that the distinct sound of a drum brute impact, you know it's like it's very, very analog, monosounding. I love that that type of feel in music. But really I mean, yeah, just getting back to the process, it's like whatever I'm feeling for the moment, if I'm at work and I get like 30 minutes, I'm on Koala, I mean like that that I'm making music there and I'm trying to get my outlet on, and then if I get home I'll turn on that ESP on the couch, you know, and just get comfy and watch something while I'm trying to make something. And you know, just really try to make the process like like easy for myself so that I'm not like sitting there getting a chance to overthink things is is really what the process is for me.
Speaker 1:Yeah, overthinking is over. Yeah, the killer of inspiration.
Speaker 4:Bruh, like I'm, like I'm like a chronic overthinker, especially with music. Like, especially with music, right. So, like the last, I think, like the last year, maybe the last couple of years, I've really been trying to like better myself with that Like to, not because I noticed the piece that it brings to me when I'm not sitting there, like, oh, is this good? Or like, oh, I don't know, I don't know about this one. Like, no, like, just, it's made, it is what it is, we're going to put it out there.
Speaker 1:Right, right, man Listen up. So yo everybody don't sleep on, like when you just out and about and inspiration hits. You don't sleep on the mobile apps that these app stores have.
Speaker 2:Like.
Speaker 1:Wala is. You know, if you want, you know everything. A lot is going to cost you, maybe eight dollars, eight dollars or something like that, but you can do so much in that app, beemaker three, you know, whatever other you know mobile apps that there are that you can have access to while you wait in to a laundry or what. The doctor's office, whatever you know, you won't be dropping your head in the doctor's office, but Right.
Speaker 4:Yeah, while they're checking your colon or something.
Speaker 1:Listen, I've had to wait an hour. In the dark I made a beat in the doctor's office, so yeah, that's it. That's it, man. You know, like, wherever inspiration hits you, like I'm, I'm literally sample people walking in through the hospital, you know because everybody's talking and you know things like that. But yo man Koala, man Koala, and you know your, your, your SP, like Right, what. What are the things that you know keeps you creating on those two, two devices?
Speaker 4:I think, like so for Koala, I love the accessibility of having it in my pocket, like I mean so, like you know. Coming back to one of the albums I have on on Band Cap, which is the latest one that I dropped, you know, I lost my umbrella and so ho was entirely made on Koala and it was made in three days, my wife yeah, my wife and I took a trip to New York. It was our first time in New York and prior to the trip, I remember seeing a post from one of my love supreme brothers, black God 9. And he, he went out and did a show out somewhere out out of state, but I recall him posting up a beat that he was making while he was traveling and commenting on how that, you know, you know the trip itself was inspirational to him to make that kind of stuff. So it really, it really stuck to me right, like once I saw that I was like, wow, like you know, going on this trip, it's going to be our first time there I'm going to get a lot of first impressions. I've never been to New York.
Speaker 4:You know, I really want to capture the vibe and you know, like from before the time I got on the plane, like I was already set like, all right, I'm going to make an album in the three days that we're going to be out here and it's all going to be on Koala, and we're going to capture sound from, you know, the subways and the subways and you know the shops and the stores and everywhere we were going to, and then, like you know, a lot of the samples that were used on that album. It's crazy because, like, we would be at like one of their malls out there, you know, just kind of being tourists, and a song would play out on the store speakers and I'm like, well, what is that song? So, you know, there I go looking for it on the internet and I would save it and then when I would have like 15 minutes or whatever to myself, I would sit there and try to make something really quick and just kind of move on to the next one. You know. So it was such a refreshing way of creating music because it was just like you're using your environment as an inspiration in a whole new place that you know you've never been to before, that it doesn't, it doesn't allow you, you know, the time to like, you know, over mess with things Like it's like no, bam, bam, bam boom. This is what it is. Let's move on to the next thing.
Speaker 4:And by the time we were done with our trip, you know, I got back and I think, like on the right on the airplane right home, I just spent time trying to mix it a little bit and then, you know, as soon as I got home, I'm like all right, here goes on to Dan Camp, and that's what it is now.
Speaker 1:You know man yeah actually you know, since we, since we talk about it, man, this album is, this is a definitely like you. Just, it was like a journey album, it's the best way I can put it. Like, yeah, it's definitely a journey, like you hear and you can. Like, you can sense, like you were traveling and you were listening to all these different things happening. Luckily you had koala in your pocket and you did something with it. Man, like yo, like I, like a lot of the tracks off of I lost my umbrella and so on, like from you know, departed, and the way you sequence this joint to it's crazy. You know you started with departed and then terminally jaded, crash, crash landing. That didn't happen, but good, subway service, slanted streets, like yo you really took. And that's New York, you know sewer rat party. Oh yeah, see, all right. So like, just just to speak on, that one right Like sewer rat party.
Speaker 4:Like. So we stayed. We stayed with my wife's cousin who lived in Brooklyn, where she lives in Brooklyn and Brittany shout out to her, I love her very much, you know. We stayed in her apartment and she she's a part of your man, like she loves to. She's a bar closers, what she calls herself. Right. Like we'll go to the bars at 12 midnight and we're there until it closes at four or five o'clock in the morning by like 4 30, me and my wife. Like we got kids, man, we got kids. We're like John right. Like just like no, this is too much. Like I can do this in my 20s but not in our 40s, you know Right.
Speaker 4:And but no, like we were. So we took a break from the little club that we were at and we sat outside and we were just kind of enjoying the night. It started raining and all of a sudden you just see like a whole family of rats just like walking by us and we were like, oh my God, you know my wife's freaking out, I'm laughing my ass off because I was finally able to see a New York rat, you know.
Speaker 4:And and yeah, that, like so, like that. That moment I captured it on Koala just the environment and you know people having fun and drinking and stuff like that at 430 in the morning and you know the rats walking by us and put it, you know in that, that specific track, which is really cool because it just like listening to it and just get all these nostalgic moments, yeah, right.
Speaker 1:Yo what? And another dope track. I lost my umbrella. That title track, like that's another dope one. But then I like what you did at the end as well. You know security check and that that's a doom, a doom remix man. What you did with that was amazing, like you know how did you, how did you come with that, like, what was, what was the process when you were coming up with that last track?
Speaker 4:Man, I again like, because everything was so like spur in the moment type thing. I mean, I don't even know, like, I think you know, like it's just to me like when it comes to like, because obviously I like, I like sample chopping man, like it's, it's, it's great, like. Don't get me wrong, I love making my own melodies and stuff like that too, which I've messed around with a lot in like the older albums. But like sample chopping, like it allows me to manipulate it so much and and and. Some of my favorite stuff to sample is either like Brazilian jazz, like really obscure stuff, you know, or just jazz in general.
Speaker 4:Like you know, there's so many different types of tones and melodies and jazz that you know, once, once I start kind of like messing around with with, with the sounds that I'm collecting, you know, I just try to find a certain loop or a certain chop that works together and and I think, yeah, that track specifically like once, once I made it, I was like you know what, I need to knock a pillow on this thing. We're going to make it a bonus track and and and we can't go wrong with, you know, all caps, mfdoom, like you know, kind of like you know, like you know he's, he's one of my favorites, so he had to be on the album with me. Yeah, oh man, that was a.
Speaker 1:That was a great closer joint that you put on there and that's just. This whole album was super amazing, man. Let's for the internet. Man, if y'all didn't know, man, I lost my umbrella and so it was available on Bandcamp. I'm going to link, burn the topiaries entire Bandcamp discography inside of the show credit, show notes. Okay, so just scroll down a little bit. You can see the links to. You know, it's going to be how this social is going to have his discography. It's going to have the. You know whoever the intro track is, and I think I got an idea on that one. But yo, man, yo I'm going to clap it up for you. Man, like yo, you're on that album, man.
Speaker 1:And then another one of another one of my my favorite joints. That's in your discography is common ground. It's it's short man, but it's like it's so good man Like common ground. That came out in July 6th of 2023, you know, a day after my wife's birthday. So so shout out to my wife yo what's up.
Speaker 4:Yeah, man, Shout out to your wife man.
Speaker 1:Absolutely so, yo, but common ground, like. How did you? What was the process of making common ground?
Speaker 4:Yeah for sure. So common ground was just like a collection of beats that I had in my SP. So pretty much all those tracks were made on an SP. But, like my, my goal, I think like three of the tracks share the same sample source. And I think during that time that's like one of the exercises that I kind of fell into man, just like you know, just to keep myself interested.
Speaker 4:For me, like for making music, is that, like you know, one of the common practices I like to try to do is, like you get one sample source, you know, whether it be 20 seconds of a song or whatever, wherever it comes from, and let's see how many beats you can make out of that that sound different, you know? Um, yeah, because, like you know, for a while, when I got into sampling and chopping and stuff, like I noticed that like I would work on one sample source and then I would make the one beat but there was so much other stuff that I could have done with it and like I never really took advantage of that, you know. So, like you know, at some point I was just like you know what, like let's, let's try this sample again, but let's try it with the faster drums, slower drums, let's, let's, let's pitch it, you know, down, or let's go up. This time let's, let's go in reverse and, and you know, add a flanger. A flanger to it. You know it gives you so many different, you know options at that point where you're just like, wow, like I just so like three, three beats of that common ground release. We're using the same sample source.
Speaker 4:And then that that release was pretty cool because, like, I released it as a way for people to donate to a help center that's out here in Ontario. So all the, all the the payments that came in for that release went to the house of Ruth, which is one of my favorite. You know charities to donate to and they take care of, you know, women that have gone through domestic violence. They take care of their children. You know they have like food banks and stuff that we've helped out there before with. So, yeah, like everything that came into that album until this day, like, if anybody decides to, you know, purchase that off a band camp. You know, know that you're you're supporting this cause at the house of Ruth in Ontario, california.
Speaker 1:Wow Okay, you see yo the stories behind these albums, man. Wow Okay, yeah, oh my gosh.
Speaker 4:And I think, like you know, that that was the inspiration behind it all. Man, like I trust, like growing up is I'm sure all of us went through our own stuff Like you know it really it really made me realize that like, hey, look you're, you're alive and you're either gonna you're either gonna do good for the people around you or you're gonna do bad. Right, and like, and and and to me, like me and my family, like we're really big on on doing that kind of stuff because it's it's needed in this world. Man, like you know, as many people as we can get to help each other out, it's just gonna make things a lot better for all of us in general.
Speaker 4:And you know, with, with the common ground, release like a lot of those tracks that I would make, like I kind of had that in mind. So you'll have tracks like the unemployment line, you know where. You know a lot of people when they lose their job. You know they're in a, they're in a position where they they kind of feel desperation, which is really sad that we have to live in that kind of world, you know Right, but yeah, yeah, that's, that's the source of the inspiration. My friend, like and and and. It's cool to look back at that album and think of all those things when, when you know, you speak of it.
Speaker 1:Yo, man, yo, that's so inspiring, man. I got to grab this album soon as I get off the off the chat with you. Man, I'm gonna go ahead and grab that man, Because that's you know, that's something close to my heart as well, man, you know, just just doing for others, Right that I think people, I think people kind of like miss, misunderstand when we say you know, help your fellow man, it don't always mean, hey, give a few thousand dollars, or you know or you know, break your, break your back doing it, or anything like that.
Speaker 1:It can be the simplest thing, as you know create something and then, whatever you like, like you did with this album. You know you created the music. You know you put it out there. People supported Boom.
Speaker 4:You take that, take those funds and donate it to something greater than what you could have even thought Like right, yeah, man, I mean yeah, and it's so, and it's, it's, it's done for the sake of doing and not for the sake of receiving something in return. You know, and like I think that's why I appreciate my love Supreme Brothers. Man, Like the, you know, every time like so the there's been two events that we've been able to throw at the Love Supreme Warehouse where we would announce, you know, donations welcomed. You know, so, like there's been two events where man like I'm so appreciative of everybody that attended those events, you know that brought like canned food. We did a toy drive for last year's Christmas and we donated it to the same location there in Ontario, at the House of Ruth.
Speaker 4:We've donated a lot of cans that came from the Love Supreme events to a food bank out in El Monte, california, that does like wonderful work for their community, and I mean those people like they work really, really hard in trying to keep people fed, you know. So I'm appreciative that. You know we have a space and events that were a lot. You're able to do that kind of stuff because it just makes everything so much more meaningful, you know.
Speaker 1:Right man, yo, I'm speaking of speaking of a Love Supreme, california. Like you, do something amazing. You and your wife, you know, open jaws, open jaws, doors, man, to allow that squad to come through every month and put on showcases. Who does that? You know, like you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 4:Hey man, I'm wondering who doesn't do that, you know?
Speaker 4:what I mean Like, come on, man, like you got to get free concerts at the place that you work at. You know it's like. And so much amazing talent, man, like, yeah, I'm shout out to my wife. My wife is such a lovely person, she's, you know, the love of my life and she knows where I come from with the music stuff. You know, like she sees how passionate I am about it and she loves music just as much, you know, but just in her own way type of thing, like, you know, being a fan of it and whatnot.
Speaker 4:But, yeah, man, like you know, getting to know so many, so many dope creatives, on Instagram primarily, you know, and as I was releasing my own music, like this opportunity came up and and I was like, hey, look, I have a space, let's do this, you know. But you know, you know, I'm sure you know, you've come across people that you know kind of, you know, talk the talk, don't walk the block, type thing. So, you know, thankfully, I met a group of guys that walked the walk, you know, and they're giving it 100% every single event that we've been throwing, to the point where, like a year and a half later now, like we're still doing it, you know, and we haven't missed the beat, so I'm grateful for that man.
Speaker 1:Yeah, man, like I told you, man, you know I thank you and your wife, man, I know the squad, I appreciate y'all. Man, like, you know we need and you know, people that have spaces like open it up, man, just, you know, ain't got to be anything outrageous or crazy, just allow a space for the creation and the sharing of their creations. And you watch what happens, man, oh yeah, like oh man, it's insane.
Speaker 4:Like you know, my wife and I will look back at certain events and we're like holy crap, like I can't believe that we just have this type of caliber show here, yep, when you know just so many dope people you know hanging out, having fun, being kind to each other, motivating each other, like it's almost like church in a way. You know what I mean, like exactly.
Speaker 1:Like church is supposed to be.
Speaker 4:yeah, yeah exactly what church is supposed to be. You know, like it's all, it's all loved, it's all brotherly, sisterly love and in support. You know, and it and it to me, like growing up in music environments, I was always appreciative of the spots that I had to go to. You know, for things of that nature, that once I got into the position where like hey, you know I can provide this, like hell, yeah, I'm going to do this. You know, like there's no question in my mind, no hesitation, like this is what I love to do in my life.
Speaker 1:Man for the internet man. Oh no, I got to remind y'all we talking. You know we've been talking. I'm talking to a Bernadette, bernadette, topiary man. So you know I love Supreme member. He's a amazing beatmaker. You know instrumentalist as well in his own right. But when we talking about love Supreme California man, let me just go. This is a live music venue in Ontario, california. It's a DIY residency collectiveness. Yeah, here's the members man. This is the, this is the. When I say the Avengers of beat making, this is who I'm talking about. I'm talking about Bernatopia. I'm talking about your boy packs. Talking about black guy nine. Jet lag trap. Splashiest splash is, you know, his. His art is crazy anyway. But yo T dot, I saw what's up to him.
Speaker 1:T like the enlightenment picks.
Speaker 4:Thank you, zelente man like yo, this squad, ah man, this squad is crazy man the best group of guys, man, like, oh man, I I tell, I tell T to that all the time, like brother, like I'm, I'm blessed to have you guys in my life, and, and, and I mean every single word of it, because those I mean, like person-wise human being, wise, amazing human beings, you know, away from the music stuff, like they're just really really down to earth, compassionate people, passionate people of the art that they, that they put their time into and and, and I couldn't have asked for any any better. And you know, those group of guys, I love them very much, man, I'm very thankful to have them in my life.
Speaker 1:Yeah, man, such good dudes man like yo, anytime, anytime I get the opportunity to support Any of any of those gentlemen, and then, yeah, you know, and, and the group, I'm not gonna lose the group Collectively. Man, I'm always down for that. So, um, I think, and you know, and at the time of this recording, two hours later you're gonna be doing a show. Can you talk about that a little bit?
Speaker 4:Absolutely. Hey, check this out, look like after this, I already have my car pack, I'm gonna head out to the Riverside and we're throwing a love supreme event. It's event 16, or 17 some around those numbers residents. We got jet latch, jet latch, lag traps Excuse me, jet lag trap. And then we got theotis soul as a guest resident, and then for the loved ones, which is, you know, the people that are have been booked for the lineup, we got echoic, godspeed, defty, divine science, who's doing an album release show for tonight, um, the lodge day. And then Assad ill and we're. We're actually kind of changing things up a little bit this time around, like we normally do it at the warehouse, where we usually do it at, but we're gonna be throwing it at a spot out in Riverside, california Called elements record shop. So it's gonna be a fun night.
Speaker 4:Wow busy, fun night. That's how we. That's how we do man.
Speaker 1:Wow, yo, so I, you know, I, for those that are outside of the, you know that California state Um just paying to. You know, go ahead and follow. I love supreme ca on instagram, um, and on X as well. Man, just go ahead follow them. Follow them on bandcamp as well, because I know they put some good things together. Man, there's um some music on their bandcamp as well, and then you can order a t-shirt Um as well there, and then you know the deal, deal the soul. I think he just put out, yeah, did he just put out? Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I think he put it out with thank you. It's a album produced by low tech, aka thank you, aka rascal wallah. Yeah, yeah, they put out a cut together. It's amazing. Please go support that. It's it's, you're not gonna regret it. It's a really, it's a really great vibe.
Speaker 1:It's a great vibe, yo. The. The cover art for this is insane. And then the name of the album Is called the sun's out. So I'm gonna link that in the description of the show as well, so y'all can tap it to that. And then I also saw the um, the other gentleman's album that, uh, that y'all are celebrating to that I can't remember his name, uh.
Speaker 4:Uh, divine, divine science.
Speaker 1:Yeah, divine science, yeah. So Yo man, y'all been on a run. Yo, this is so crazy man Like yo. It's so amazing and inspiring to see y'all's, y'all work ethic and what y'all been doing, and I'm just seeing it all online. So in person I'll probably have to have a camper van, you know, just to, just to keep up with y'all.
Speaker 4:I'm waiting when we have a Golden mine on one of our loved ones guest spots over here, right, but you got. You got to come down here and rock with us.
Speaker 1:Listen. Um, I am going to be actually in LA May. I think it's like this third week in May. So I'm not, I'm, I'm gonna try, I'm gonna chop it up with y'all. See what I can see what I can do, man Um yes.
Speaker 2:Make it happen.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so it's all family business. But you know, after we take care of family business, like I'm gonna try, I'm gonna definitely try to link up with y'all, so um please do man. Where, where's where am I gonna be at? It's close to LA. Um, it might be an hour out from LA, but I can drive this. It's no worries, man.
Speaker 4:So yeah, it'd be an honor man, it'd be so so so dope.
Speaker 1:Definitely, man. You know, I, I told um, I told t dot. Uh well, I think it was last year. I was like yo, 2020, four is the year I'm about to link up with y'all. Man, I gotta experience this Myself, man, with my own. What the kids say in IRL.
Speaker 4:In abbreviated real life.
Speaker 1:That's so crazy, so crazy, man. But yo man, um, let me ask you this what Now we're gonna have some new people tapping in man, some some at all different levels of music creation um. And they're probably gonna be, you know, just trying to figure things out, what would you recommend To the new mutants man? That that they, either, you know, watch, they either listen to or they read, to kind of help them along in their music creation Journey?
Speaker 4:Yeah, man, I mean there's that's the beauty about the world we live in now, with, with, you know, the internet, you know so many, so many different events that are, you know, available to us now is, like you know for one, get out, get out there and meet people, meet people that are just as passionate about what you like to do, you know, with their craft and and and uh, and learn from them, you know, like that. I think that was again one of the things that motivated me the most. I mean Hanging out with killers like tdott, ainzoff and your boy packs and black god 9 and salente. Like those are guys that are just, like you know, just monsters On on the beat, making craft and, and it's just a constant motivator to me to be like all right, how did they do that? Like what's going on there, you know, and then me going home With that, that mind and that feeling and really trying to hash it out in the way that I do things, not necessarily Certainly copying them, but like learning right, like learning off of it, incorporating it into what you like to do.
Speaker 4:So definitely, get out there, you know, get inspired, you know, and never stop learning. Like that. That's one of the things like I've been playing guitar since, like I, was about three, four. I'm still opening up my skills book and discovering something new. And you know, after so many years of doing this, and you know, and it keeps you humble To the point where you know you, you grow a hunger for, for knowledge. You know in music and and learning, so it's the same thing the beat making. There's so many different things to learn, so many different people you can learn off of. Don't be afraid to do that, yep.
Speaker 1:All right, man, stay curious. Ladies and gentlemen, like, stay curious, man. Um, no matter what anybody says, just keep creating man. Just keep, just keep creating man. It's gonna be people that don't like it. It's gonna be people that love it. Man, you're not gonna please everybody Right, every joint ain't gonna be a banger.
Speaker 2:It ain't gotta be.
Speaker 4:Exactly. That's the beauty of it is you can make another joint after.
Speaker 1:If it's not, you know right, like you know, it's just make it something that you like, you know, like yeah, um, who's saying that man? I think, uh, I think, um, was it knife wonder? I think knife wonder had a something on ig where he was talking about you know, people talking about kids sampling from the 2000s and you know the whole oh.
Speaker 2:I think I saw that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, the whole sampling thing, man. I think that's it, man. Well, we listen. If you have streaming, you have the ability to sample. Go crazy, man, especially if you pay for it. Go crazy, exactly. You got millions of songs literally in your pocket. You better go crazy, yeah.
Speaker 4:Yeah, man, absolutely. And you know it's like. It's like, it's like one of those things where don't don't you know? I know I had to learn not to get caught up with what you know. Sometimes you experience other people's expectations of what you're doing and it's like no, like that's not what it's about, you know. Like you know, there's no expectations, like music is an open platform for anybody, and just like one of the books that I've been reading lately that I think it's from Rick Rubin, called the Creative Act he talks a lot about that to where it's like, really, you know, you just have to do it.
Speaker 4:Like there shouldn't be like the necessary, like game plan per se. I mean, obviously you set your goals and whatnot, but when it comes to actually creating, like you just do it. You know, and you're going to find that, like, as long as you're keeping consistent and doing it, you're going to learn, you're going to, you're going to, you're going to perform better, you're going to do better, and that's what it's about, you know, spending that time, putting in those, those 10,000 hours.
Speaker 1:Right, yeah, yo. Oh, actually I actually got to read that book, man, because a lot of people have been recommending that book.
Speaker 4:It's great man.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I've been, I've been reading, I've been reading money books lately, but oh, there you go.
Speaker 4:Hey, those are good too.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I've been reading. Thank you, I've been. What's the book I'm reading right now? Think, oh, uh, napoleon Hill. I can't even remember it. Right now my bird is foggy, um, ok, but anyway, yeah, let's talk about, regardless of what it's called.
Speaker 4:I hope it works and it gets you a lot of money that exact, exactly, man.
Speaker 1:So I got to ask you, and you know, last couple of questions so we can wrap, because I know you've got things to do.
Speaker 4:Yeah for sure.
Speaker 1:We, how can? If there was? Well, let's, let's talk about you real quick. How can do you have any projects on the way, you know any, any type of things for 2024? That's that's going to be coming out?
Speaker 4:Yeah, absolutely, man. So, like we got, we're finishing it. Well, we actually just finished a compilation album. It's a love Supreme compilation album that's going to be dropping, I think, next week, on the 30th. It's going to be a beat from every single one of us, which I'm super excited about because, man, my guys, they don't let down now Like they. They have some fires, fire bangers on there, so that that'll be coming out and that's going to be a lot of fun, because please, look forward to that and support it if you can and are willing to. And then I've been really trying to finalize, you know, a group of tracks that I want to put out on my personal band camp, titled to be determined. Like you know, I still kind of have to tighten up all those loose ends, but you know it's going to be, again, you know, a little different from what I've probably done before, but I'm pretty excited about it, you know. So you know, once, once that's ready to go, it'll be posted up all over the place.
Speaker 1:Yo, yo yo, I'm trying to tell you you know better. Tap into Bernatopia. He's been camp. Hey, hey, listen, man, I don't know if y'all know this. Let me. Let me whisper to the, to the internet real quick, but listen, you can follow people's band camp profile. Ok, get the app. Go ahead, create an app or whatever, and then follow them and then you'll be able to get the notifications when they're announcing their new albums and announcing new projects and things like that, like you can be in your newsfeed.
Speaker 1:That's how I know about all these albums that all these meetings be putting out. Man, that's the thing it's the best man Like you.
Speaker 4:sometimes you get messages unexpectedly. Oh, another O Ricky tape. Like I'm down for this one. You know what I mean. Right, shout out to O Ricky too, oh yeah, man. I love that guy. He's awesome.
Speaker 1:Yeah, man, Like yo. Yo follow them on the band camp. I love Supreme Bernatopia. Follow them on band camp, Follow them on the socials. Actually, how can people, where can people find you on the socials? How can people tap into you?
Speaker 4:Yeah, for sure. We, I have a. You can find me on Instagram. That's. That's where I interact, I think, the most, for the most part under burn the top three, and then I have the band camp going on with pretty much all of the releases that I've done up to date, and then I think I may have a couple of drops on like through the Spotify and you know all the digital platforms, and then you can also find me on YouTube under BTT or burn the top three, and I upload, like just you know, little looseies and stuff like that that I'll be inclined to upload on there. So please feel welcome. Oh, I didn't know that.
Speaker 1:Okay, I'm going to tap it. I'm going to tap it to your YouTube man. Yes, sir, I've just been. I've just been posting some, some beats on there too, man, just to get the crazy juices flowing. That's it on.
Speaker 2:YouTube man.
Speaker 1:And so, ok, follow, you follow is five, follow. Burn the topiary on his socials. Follow him on band camp. Follow a love supreme. Follow him on YouTube as well. If there's, if there's one thing, one jewel that you can give the Internet's man, what would that be?
Speaker 4:Hmm, a jewel?
Speaker 4:Yeah, I don't want to throw no coals out there, just just just some jewels, just so All right, so here, I guess I guess this like you know whether whether it's on topic with the beat discussion or not, like in general right, like as a human being, you know things get tough and that's, that's a part of life, but the key to to overcoming that is just to keep going. You know, don't let anything stop you from what you're passionate about. Don't let anybody stop you from doing what you love to do and and and be kind to each other. You know, and thankfully, like you know, there's so many avenues that people can, you know, go to and be a part of, and it's just a matter of taking the time to look from and you're going to find a lot of like minded people that are going to be very supportive and kind. And man, like I can't tell you how, how blessed I am, I can't tell you how, how blessed we are out here with the communities that we're we're, you know, a part of and support. And, if I may, you know I want to give a shout out to burgers.
Speaker 4:And beats Duck World 808. Organic beat sessions. This is my, this is my beat in San Diego. Beats just because beat cinema beat Mecca, analog. Los Angeles party. Ladies love loops. Keep going. Yeah, man, flip a beat club and playing Jane records. Man, like those are, those are our family man. Like those, those people have been very supportive of what we do at a love supreme and vice versa, like we, you know, collectively all try to support every single one of those causes, and then even out of state man there's so many more to name out of state, you know in Texas, in New York. So you know, please like, support it, be a part of it. Love life, have fun, have fun.
Speaker 2:We're getting ready to close the main cabin door. Prior to doing so, we do need all customers in their seat with their seatboats fast. The faster we can achieve that is, the faster we can get off the gate and get on our way to New York. Once again, at this time we need all customers in their seat with their seatboats.
