Fade
The Beat Strangler
Administrator
illest o.g.
After winning the January 21st Beat This! Competition, we had a chance to interview Holmzini and find out what he's all about. Read on...
What's poppin, how you doin'?
I'm as good as can be. I finally graduated from college and I'm just relaxing now and plotting my next career move. In the meantime making beats and tryin to network with companies, emcees, and fellow producers. Basically just tryin to build and get the music thing poppin off.
Tell us a bit about Holmzini, the producer?
My official producer name is Ash Holmz. For short everyone just calls me Holmz. I guess I wouldn't give any classification to my style. I make all styles of beats, whatever I am feeling at the time. I just try to make well thought out beats that are distinctive. I'm currently working on my crew 129's album, doing some work for a new label out in Chicago, and working on my solo album which, like it or not, is gonna be bananas!
Where are you from?
I was born in North Syracuse, New York. Growing up I've lived in Savannah, GA, and Detroit, MI, now I'm back in Syracuse where it's cold as hell!
What's the music scene like there?
It's okay. People are into Hip-Hop but mostly commercial stuff. There is not much of an underground scene where I'm from. Music-wise there's loads of talented rappers in the city, but there is no direction. Everybody chooses to try to do their own thing on their own block rather than coming together and making good music for the people.
Do you produce other forms of music besides Hip-Hop? If not, do you plan to?
Yes I do. One of my boys I grew up with is in a rock band called Candid Daydream. They bring me in for some of their tracks when they want an urban feel to it. I've programmed some drums and played some instruments for them. I also make electronica beats with my man J Beezy. Me and J are tryin to get into doing movies and commercials cuz when we get together we make some stuff that's really out there.....hehe.
What sort of recording setup do you have?
I don't have much. I'm all software. I have a Mac G4 computer. I use an old Yamaha PSR keyboard for control, Reason, Recycle, Cubase, Bias Peak, and a lot of kits and plugs. When I get some money I plan to invest in some hardware, but it's not what you have it's how you use it!! My next purchase will be a Firewire 410 recording interface I think.
How long have you been producing?
About 2 years I would say. My brother hooked me up with a bootleg Fruity Loops and I was using that. I didn't even know how to use it so I just made beats with the presets! After a while people started to like my stuff so I got serious and haven't looked back since. I've been MC'ing for about 7 years.
Have you MC'd over any of your own beats?
Of course, doesn't everybody? Me and my crew used to go down to my boy's basement and drop rhymes and freestyles for hours every day. We recorded it on my boy's computer with a crappy mic in a loud room. We have some of the sickest verses on that crappy computer. I'm tryin to save up money so I can buy a good mic and pre-amp set like the Firewire 410 so I can stop blowin my money at the studio.
What do you look for when you sample?
I just listen. I'm just lookin for something that grabs my ear. I'm always tryin to visualize the music at different speeds and pitches too. I don't think there is any formula to it. It just comes naturally and it clicks in my head.
How much vinyl do you have?
Luckily I was blessed with parents that love music and they have thousands of Soul, Funk, and Jazz records. I don't even need to dig because I haven't even gone through a quarter of their collection yet. I just go borrow about twenty or thirty pieces at a time. They have some really rare stuff too. My turntable is busted for the moment so I've been using CD's too. Whatever works as long as the final product is quality.
Mainstream, Underground, or neither, where would you like to be, and why?
Well to be honest I would love to see my beats make it to the mainstream. But that does not mean that I will change my style or compromise my creativity. If I get to the mainstream, it's gonna be doing me and not following trends.
Where are you trying to take Hip Hop?, and Why does it need to go there?
I'm just tryin to make quality music. When I listen to the ol' skool Soul and Funk records, and even Hip-Hop in the 91-96 era, it's so creative and passionate. What you hear on the radio today sounds like a bunch of bloops and beeps... it just sounds like random noises... and the lyrics..... OMG let's not even get started. I'm just tryin to make music that you can actually sit down in your crib with nothing to do, put the CD in, listen to the entire album, and be entertained. That's what's missing in today's music. Everybody is just tryin to make the next hot single, not the next classic album.
What's the first thing you do when you start a new beat?
G et a dope melody. My style is to always start with the main melody and build around it. A lot of producers start with drums. But I like to build everything around the melody. The melody is my canvas that I paint on.
What do you think of today's mainstream producers?
I feel all of them. Timbo is a genius, Just Blaze and Kanye OMG, Dre (or whoever makes his beats) is just amazing, Hi-Tek, DJ Quik, Alchemist, Mannie Fresh, Lil Jon (his beats not his rhymes), Premier, there is too many to name and give props to. I can't hate on them at all because that's where I want to be.
How did you put your winning beat together?
Well the song I got the beat from is just a great song I love anyways. So I just listened to it and tried to use every part I could. I just sped it up a little so it was at a Hip-Hop tempo and put the pieces together. I wish the full version of the beat came through though, it cut out at 57 seconds.
Any shoutouts you'd like to give?
Shoutouts to Fade for starting this great site and keeping it running smooth with no nonsense. Shoutouts to all my good people in NY, NJ, GA, IL, and MI. Most importantly shoutout to all my good ILLMUZIK heads from across the globe!!! KEEP THE BEATS BANGIN!! WE'RE THE FUTURE!!!
What's poppin, how you doin'?
I'm as good as can be. I finally graduated from college and I'm just relaxing now and plotting my next career move. In the meantime making beats and tryin to network with companies, emcees, and fellow producers. Basically just tryin to build and get the music thing poppin off.
Tell us a bit about Holmzini, the producer?
My official producer name is Ash Holmz. For short everyone just calls me Holmz. I guess I wouldn't give any classification to my style. I make all styles of beats, whatever I am feeling at the time. I just try to make well thought out beats that are distinctive. I'm currently working on my crew 129's album, doing some work for a new label out in Chicago, and working on my solo album which, like it or not, is gonna be bananas!
Where are you from?
I was born in North Syracuse, New York. Growing up I've lived in Savannah, GA, and Detroit, MI, now I'm back in Syracuse where it's cold as hell!
What's the music scene like there?
It's okay. People are into Hip-Hop but mostly commercial stuff. There is not much of an underground scene where I'm from. Music-wise there's loads of talented rappers in the city, but there is no direction. Everybody chooses to try to do their own thing on their own block rather than coming together and making good music for the people.
Do you produce other forms of music besides Hip-Hop? If not, do you plan to?
Yes I do. One of my boys I grew up with is in a rock band called Candid Daydream. They bring me in for some of their tracks when they want an urban feel to it. I've programmed some drums and played some instruments for them. I also make electronica beats with my man J Beezy. Me and J are tryin to get into doing movies and commercials cuz when we get together we make some stuff that's really out there.....hehe.
What sort of recording setup do you have?
I don't have much. I'm all software. I have a Mac G4 computer. I use an old Yamaha PSR keyboard for control, Reason, Recycle, Cubase, Bias Peak, and a lot of kits and plugs. When I get some money I plan to invest in some hardware, but it's not what you have it's how you use it!! My next purchase will be a Firewire 410 recording interface I think.
How long have you been producing?
About 2 years I would say. My brother hooked me up with a bootleg Fruity Loops and I was using that. I didn't even know how to use it so I just made beats with the presets! After a while people started to like my stuff so I got serious and haven't looked back since. I've been MC'ing for about 7 years.
Have you MC'd over any of your own beats?
Of course, doesn't everybody? Me and my crew used to go down to my boy's basement and drop rhymes and freestyles for hours every day. We recorded it on my boy's computer with a crappy mic in a loud room. We have some of the sickest verses on that crappy computer. I'm tryin to save up money so I can buy a good mic and pre-amp set like the Firewire 410 so I can stop blowin my money at the studio.
What do you look for when you sample?
I just listen. I'm just lookin for something that grabs my ear. I'm always tryin to visualize the music at different speeds and pitches too. I don't think there is any formula to it. It just comes naturally and it clicks in my head.
How much vinyl do you have?
Luckily I was blessed with parents that love music and they have thousands of Soul, Funk, and Jazz records. I don't even need to dig because I haven't even gone through a quarter of their collection yet. I just go borrow about twenty or thirty pieces at a time. They have some really rare stuff too. My turntable is busted for the moment so I've been using CD's too. Whatever works as long as the final product is quality.
Mainstream, Underground, or neither, where would you like to be, and why?
Well to be honest I would love to see my beats make it to the mainstream. But that does not mean that I will change my style or compromise my creativity. If I get to the mainstream, it's gonna be doing me and not following trends.
Where are you trying to take Hip Hop?, and Why does it need to go there?
I'm just tryin to make quality music. When I listen to the ol' skool Soul and Funk records, and even Hip-Hop in the 91-96 era, it's so creative and passionate. What you hear on the radio today sounds like a bunch of bloops and beeps... it just sounds like random noises... and the lyrics..... OMG let's not even get started. I'm just tryin to make music that you can actually sit down in your crib with nothing to do, put the CD in, listen to the entire album, and be entertained. That's what's missing in today's music. Everybody is just tryin to make the next hot single, not the next classic album.
What's the first thing you do when you start a new beat?
G et a dope melody. My style is to always start with the main melody and build around it. A lot of producers start with drums. But I like to build everything around the melody. The melody is my canvas that I paint on.
What do you think of today's mainstream producers?
I feel all of them. Timbo is a genius, Just Blaze and Kanye OMG, Dre (or whoever makes his beats) is just amazing, Hi-Tek, DJ Quik, Alchemist, Mannie Fresh, Lil Jon (his beats not his rhymes), Premier, there is too many to name and give props to. I can't hate on them at all because that's where I want to be.
How did you put your winning beat together?
Well the song I got the beat from is just a great song I love anyways. So I just listened to it and tried to use every part I could. I just sped it up a little so it was at a Hip-Hop tempo and put the pieces together. I wish the full version of the beat came through though, it cut out at 57 seconds.
Any shoutouts you'd like to give?
Shoutouts to Fade for starting this great site and keeping it running smooth with no nonsense. Shoutouts to all my good people in NY, NJ, GA, IL, and MI. Most importantly shoutout to all my good ILLMUZIK heads from across the globe!!! KEEP THE BEATS BANGIN!! WE'RE THE FUTURE!!!