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Exile
Loving Life In The LA Underground
"Underground means music that is not concerned with the mainstream. That's what my music is" Exile
LA producer Exile is part of the new underground of hip-hop, bringing
the sound of the west coast back into the spotlight. Whether working
with his impressive list of collaborators or creating his own message
on the new album Radio, love (and an MPC) will always be king.
You have worked with some of the biggest names in hip-hop - who is on your wish list of future collaborators?
Common, Jay Electronica, Roots, Talib Kweli, Kanye, Ev, I could keep going on and on.
Your new album Radio has been called a 'concept album' due to the way you have sampled it off radio - how did you come about the idea of producing it this way?
Well I knew I wanted to make an instrumental album, but I wanted it to be different, so I decided to make an album soley sampled from the radio, drums and all. It was a way to make it fun for me, or to make it a challenge. I also wasn't intrested in just making beats, I wanted something to be comunicated in the music as well. With working with Blu he is able to speak his mind over my beats, I wanted to do the same thing but have it still be an instrumental album, I was able to take what humans are thinking and talking about on the radio and use it to comunicate things I belive in, and if not I would chopp it to say things that I think to be true. But I also show the other darker side of humans on this album, I try to show that love and evil exist, but show it in a way where I belive love to be king.
Still on the new album, it is pretty diverse as far as the production goes, have you branched out from the tried and true MPC to create new sounds or is it still your weapon of choice?
MPC is all I use baby... LOL thats it... I'm down to branch out tho. I have made stuff on P Tools and Abilton but my heart is with the MPC.
In many ways traditional radio is part of a dying breed of musical mediums like tapes and CD's - do you think these mediums will survive in the internet age?
I think v tech is gonna take the old radio's spot. Internet radio with thousands of stations around the world.
Your career began over 10 years ago when sampled based hip-hop was in it's golden era - how much do you think new production technology has influenced the genre and it's direction?
Well technology has always been around in music, Hip-hop just chose to do it the way they chose, samples. that art will always be around, but just as technology will. Hip-hop has always had both, either way you choose to freak it is fine with me. I enjoy both ways of making music myself.
Your music and collaborations have always been referred to as 'underground' - what do you think the tag 'underground' really means and where does the line get drawn between underground and popular?
Underground means music that is not concerned with the mainstream. That's what my music is, even tho I do enjoy mainstream placements as well.
Your work with Blu has been compared to that of classic duo's like Pete Rock and C.L Smooth or Premier and Guru - what does the future hold for you collectively?
Bring more artists to the forefront who are not known. Bringing the bar for west coast hip-hop up to hold an example for kids who want to make music.
How did the Red Bull Music Academy gig come about?
They know what's up with good music, always have so its only natural to hit up Blu and Exile... lol
Is this your first time in Australia? Have you had a chance to hear much aussie hip-hop?
Yes I have listened to Aussie hip-hop before, "Highplain Drifters"... Never been out there before but I'm looking foward to it...
Twitter... - Is it just another myspace with 140 characters and nothing to say or do you see value in these new social media tools for artists?
Twitter is cool but its teaching cats to speak in such small ways. I dont see it expanding people intilectually but it's a good networking system
Any final words? Shoutouts?
Cop Exile - Radio, Blame One - Days Chasing Days, look out for Exile and Johaz Dagsavage... Peace!
Exile’s instrumental opus Radio is out now. For a unique opportunity to gain an insight into his creative process get along to the Red Bull Music Academy Info Sessions and live gigs occuring around Australia check out here for more info.
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Common, Jay Electronica, Roots, Talib Kweli, Kanye, Ev, I could keep going on and on.
Your new album Radio has been called a 'concept album' due to the way you have sampled it off radio - how did you come about the idea of producing it this way?
Well I knew I wanted to make an instrumental album, but I wanted it to be different, so I decided to make an album soley sampled from the radio, drums and all. It was a way to make it fun for me, or to make it a challenge. I also wasn't intrested in just making beats, I wanted something to be comunicated in the music as well. With working with Blu he is able to speak his mind over my beats, I wanted to do the same thing but have it still be an instrumental album, I was able to take what humans are thinking and talking about on the radio and use it to comunicate things I belive in, and if not I would chopp it to say things that I think to be true. But I also show the other darker side of humans on this album, I try to show that love and evil exist, but show it in a way where I belive love to be king.
Still on the new album, it is pretty diverse as far as the production goes, have you branched out from the tried and true MPC to create new sounds or is it still your weapon of choice?
MPC is all I use baby... LOL thats it... I'm down to branch out tho. I have made stuff on P Tools and Abilton but my heart is with the MPC.
In many ways traditional radio is part of a dying breed of musical mediums like tapes and CD's - do you think these mediums will survive in the internet age?
I think v tech is gonna take the old radio's spot. Internet radio with thousands of stations around the world.
Your career began over 10 years ago when sampled based hip-hop was in it's golden era - how much do you think new production technology has influenced the genre and it's direction?
Well technology has always been around in music, Hip-hop just chose to do it the way they chose, samples. that art will always be around, but just as technology will. Hip-hop has always had both, either way you choose to freak it is fine with me. I enjoy both ways of making music myself.
Your music and collaborations have always been referred to as 'underground' - what do you think the tag 'underground' really means and where does the line get drawn between underground and popular?
Underground means music that is not concerned with the mainstream. That's what my music is, even tho I do enjoy mainstream placements as well.
Your work with Blu has been compared to that of classic duo's like Pete Rock and C.L Smooth or Premier and Guru - what does the future hold for you collectively?
Bring more artists to the forefront who are not known. Bringing the bar for west coast hip-hop up to hold an example for kids who want to make music.
How did the Red Bull Music Academy gig come about?
They know what's up with good music, always have so its only natural to hit up Blu and Exile... lol
Is this your first time in Australia? Have you had a chance to hear much aussie hip-hop?
Yes I have listened to Aussie hip-hop before, "Highplain Drifters"... Never been out there before but I'm looking foward to it...
Twitter... - Is it just another myspace with 140 characters and nothing to say or do you see value in these new social media tools for artists?
Twitter is cool but its teaching cats to speak in such small ways. I dont see it expanding people intilectually but it's a good networking system
Any final words? Shoutouts?
Cop Exile - Radio, Blame One - Days Chasing Days, look out for Exile and Johaz Dagsavage... Peace!
Exile’s instrumental opus Radio is out now. For a unique opportunity to gain an insight into his creative process get along to the Red Bull Music Academy Info Sessions and live gigs occuring around Australia check out here for more info.
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