Interviews

Ming

Our second interviewee to the Atlanta Electro blog - Hood Famous Music owner and Dim Mak artist, Ming! You remember him from the 90s? Well, he's back and he's got a lot for us! Here's a little background info:

In the 90s, Ming was part of an experimental hip hop group: Ming + FS. Known for breakbeats and crossing musical boundaries, Ming + FS incorporated many different styles into their music. Playing over 1000 shows in the United States and abroad, the group opened for acts like Sting, Moby, and Run DMC. Ming decided to venture further outside musical boundaries, creating film scores and musical credits for TV shows like CSI, Sex in the City, and Weeds. By 2006, he was ready to take a break from Ming + FS and focus on his businesses. Currently, he owns Hood Famous Music and heads up Habitat Music and Afire Music! During his time off, he was exposed to many different artists: Chromeo, The Kills, and The Knife to name a few. After several years off, he's back with fresh beats, new inspiration, and killer dance tracks! A lot of things are in store for Ming!

*Some of this info was taken from Ming's Facebook page*

Check out the interview:

So, tell us a bit about yourself outside the music world. What's everyday life like for you?   

- I’m married with an eight month-old son named Miles.  I get up early (no alarm clock necessary with a baby in the house) and spend mornings playing with Miles.  We live in Harlem and, if the weather is cooperating, I’ll ride my bike to my studio, which is in the Flatiron district of Manhattan.  I’m also really into photographing graffiti when I’m on the road and have a pretty extensive collection of pictures from cities around the world, like Sydney, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, and London as well as from my own back yard in Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan.  Maybe someday I’ll put a book together.

You've been in the music game for awhile now; what do you think has changed since you started producing?  

- Production styles have changed and the cost of production gear has gone down, which in turn has made producing within reach of a lot more people.  But regardless of affordability you still need to be musical and have the talent to write and produce great music.  There are a lot more flash-in-the-pan artists and producers these days, but I don’t really pay attention to that.

Did you ever consider pursuing something else outside of music? 

- I have degree in electrical engineering and I’ve done a bunch of web work and software development.   Architecture has been tempting, but music has always been my first love and I’ve been lucky enough to be able to pursue it full time since 2000.

As a new addition to Dim Mak Records, how does it feel to be part of the Dim Mak family? Big plans for this upcoming year?

- After I basically retired form the DJ world for four years to be able to come back and get signed to a label like Dim Mak is amazing.  I’m not taking any shorts on this round so look our for tons of remixes for other Dim Mak artists like Infected Mushroom (http://s.beatport.com/LcZXYU) an EP this summer with 2Beeps and probably a bunch of solo material later this year.  I’m working towards an album in either spring or fall 2013.  I also have some side projects that I’m working on but we’ll get to those another time ;)

We've listened to a bunch of your tunes for a while now; some of our favorites include "Black Cloud," your remix of Jojo's "Disaster," and "Victim." How do you bridge the gap between the different styles of music you create?

- I produce all kinds of music, from rock to hip-hop to pop and country.  The most important thing to do in production is stay true to the sonic quality of a specific style and spend time listening to make sure your production fits that particular genre.  I get bored doing one type of music so I have to be good at multi-genre productions or music would get stale for me really quickly.

So, you also own your own label: Hood Famous Music. Tell us a little more about how it started up and its' main goals.

- I launched Hood Famous Music (http://hoodfamousmusic.com) the summer of 2011, and have been releasing a track a month since then.  In 2012, Jumpshot came on board to help with A&R and to run the label with me.  We plan on building the roster with quality EDM artists of all genres.  We’ve signed some nice tracks and have received great remixes from producers like Lion Dub, Jahdan Blakkamoore, Flynch, Gridlok, 2Beeps, and of course Jumpshot and myself.

On that note, do you see any breakthrough artists achieving goals that you had when you started out?

- Not yet, but when I started, my goal was to throw good parties and make great mix-tapes to trade with other DJs.  It’s a different scene now and there’s a lot of money involved, but I still have the same goals: make great music and rock the shit out of any show I play.  I’m stoked to see guys like Skrillex, Zedd, and Porter Robinson are bringing the whole game to another level.  Kaskade was my A&R assistant when I was signed to OM Records and now he’s one of the biggest names in EDM and he deserves it.

Who or what was your biggest influence when you began to pursue music full time?

- Ming+FS released our first records in 96’ and I wasn’t able to do music full time until around 2000.  When we were coming up, we did a ton of touring with some amazing DJs like Vinroc, Apollo, the Beat Junkies, Mixmaster Mike, and Cash Money.  These guys showed me that tune selection was – and still is – as important, if not more, then having turntablist skills.   And, that if people are coming to hear your play, you better make sure they have a good time.

Lastly, what's your most powerful piece of advice for upcoming dj's and producers?

- You might not expect this but, Josh Wink gave me advice early in my career and its one of the most important things about being a DJ: “ALWAYS WEAR EAR PLUGS.” Its simple – if you DJ without ear plugs, you will eventually need hearing aids. So spend the money on the custom ones now so that you don’t get tinnitus and ruin your production and DJ career.  I recently did an interview for a music-coaching site that goes into more advice for young producers and DJs.  You can find that here (http://bit.ly/NzgQN1)

Kid Cedek

So, for our first Atlanta Electro interview, we have rising, cross-genre star, Kid Cedek! We're definitely glad we got his attention because he details the life of an artists' world, which may not be sooooo different than yours :) Anyways, this guy is surely a dedicated, class-A individual with a lot of talent and determination. Be on the lookout for him and his upcoming music.

Here's a little background info:

     Merchicedek “KID CEDEK” Reyes born in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, is serving up a dose of music that is an adventure to the ears and mind. Cedek's birth name Merchicedek is a biblical connotation to a Lord of a high priest, he learned from his grandma at a young age. In school, no teachers would attempt to pronounce his name so he was often referred to as Merchi or Cedek (Pronounced "Sed-Eck"). As he began to embrace the art form of djing, the name Kid Cedek stuck with him due to his overall pursuit for all good things in life and non-stop energy. Kid Cedek began his DJ/Producer career in early 2009 in the DMV. Ready for change, Cedek headed to Atlanta, GA where he currently resides. During his time in Atlanta, Kid Cedek has become the brainchild of many tracks and remixes released under ROT10 MUSIK. Along with Mr. Vega, ETC!ETC!, and many more, Cedek and the family at ROT10 Musik are producing unique sounds and continuously breaking the limits of electronic music. Rot10 Musik with the help of Kid Cedek is gaining notoriety and becoming a pioneer in the industry worldwide. He's shared the stage with countless acts such as Le Castle Vania, Steed Lord, and A-Trak and has performed at many of the world's biggest music events such as Vans Warped Tour, SXSW, and Identity Festival.

*Some of this info was taken from Beatport and Kid Cedek's Soundcloud/Facebook Pages.*

Check out the interview:

So, you moved to Atlanta not too long ago; why the sudden change of scenery? How is it different from other music scenes?  - I moved here on a whim...I met a guy while I was traveling as a marketing tour manager and made a stop in ATL. He convinced me that I should pursue djing.. it was a wrap from there... Before producing moombahton and electro, did you have any other projects? - Not really... I kind of popped out of nowhere... I mean I started w/ bmore first when I first started producing late 2009... and from there I went to dubstep as I had an appreciation for its complexity early on... How long have you been producing music for and how do you distinguish yourself as a producer? - I've been producing since about november 2009. My style is just different. I stay outside the box, although i still make my tunes club friendly for djs, I can make any style of EDM, I feel confident in that. When you were growing up, what were some of your major influences? - Breakdancing... and really all forms of dance, thats all I wanted to do before I became a producer...  So, on any given day that you're not listening to electronic dance music, what exactly are you listening to? - Aesop rock, Sage francis, Minus the Bear, Coldplay, P.O.S. , the list goes on man... I like all kinds of stuff  In particular, are there any breakthrough artists (any genre) that you're really loving? - My dudes Sazon Booya, :Dface, ETC!ETC!, always killin it! I'd also say that one of my favorite djs is from my hometown right now (although i wouldn't consider him to be breakthrough)  Outside the music world, how else do you spend your free time?  - Man, I try to figure that one out every single day lol. But netflix has failed me time and time again :) What do you think the future will hold for Kid Cedek? Any major plans? - Man I'm excited, as long as I continue to get fans and continue to get paid to do what i love I'm fucking happy! It's a blessing being able to do what I do full time! I wouldn't exchange the feeling for anything... But I know that my Circus Freaks Tour is coming to a city near you! Excited about the project and it features my darker side. The Circus freaks ep is the first of a series showcasing my skill set.  On a final note, what's your last piece of advice for aspiring producers, DJ's, and label owners? - NEVER GIVE UP. DON'T SLEEP, or YOU WILL GET SLEPT ON. & GET YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA GAME UP!