Fade
The Beat Strangler
Administrator
illest o.g.
It was a while ago when we had the first Reggae theme in the Beat This! Competition, in which Ozmosis competed, but this time around, guess what? He won it, even though he said that he doesn't normally do Reggae beats. Either he's lying, or he's got the skillz when it comes to Dub.
Being from the old school part of IllMuzik, Ozmosis has been around since 2004, yet he still finds time to not only make beats, but also to battle newbies. Let's see what else is up with the reigning champ...
Congratulations Ozmosis on your recent Beat This! Competition win. How did you put together that Reggae beat?
The beat was made in Maschine months ago and was about 85% completed. I'm notorious for not finishing beats, for whatever reason I never get back to them. By the time I saw the theme for this month it was only two days left before submission. So I swapped out most of the Maschine sounds for Motif sounds, exported to Logic and did my best adding effects to Dub it up.
Is Reggae a genre that you're familiar with?
Not at all, I've only been listening to Reggae for a few years now. I guess I have you to thank for that, from when I participated in the first Reggae themed "Beat This" a while ago. Before then I had never made anything close to a Reggae track, and I was pretty pleased with what I came up with at that time.
No problem, I aim to please! What would you say was the hardest part of making a beat in another genre?
The hardest part is being patient. You have to research and listen to songs of that genre before you can go into making it. Learn the elements (sounds & instruments) and try to get familiar with the layout and how it's sequenced. We all have done it with Hip Hop but don't realize it. Growing up we listen to Hip Hop for years before we decide "Hey I want to make beats now". The first beat may not have been a banger but you already have those years of knowledge and feel for the genre.
What do you currently have in your studio?
I use the Motif Rack and Maschine during the beat making process, and Logic for mixing and mastering. I have Live Intro but haven't really dug too deep into it. I'll post a picture of my current setup in the forums.
Is there a piece of gear or software from years ago that you miss using?
Oh yeah, my MPC1000. That was the first piece of equipment I bought in 04 when I started making beats. I had graduated from college, was researching equipment online and reading SCRATCH magazine to get an idea of what I wanted. I sold it about 3-4 years ago when I was deciding to go to a more computer based setup.
What do you think of all the options beatmakers have today when it comes to the variety of software and hardware?
I think it's great, they all pretty much do the same thing. It's more about personal preference of what you like or used to working with. The different price ranges makes it accessible for people to get started and learn the basis. Today as long as you have a computer, a DAW like FL Studio or Ableton Live Intro is perfect to start out with. When I was in high school I didn't have the money to buy hardware, and society was about 2-3 years away from computers being the norm in peoples' house.
I noticed on your SoundCloud page that you're listed as "Sound Tight Productions". What is that about?
You know when you first start making beats, you're also dreaming about getting signed and major placements. So I thought of a name, got a logo and that's where it ended LOL... You have to have the hustle of the business side, which I don't have (You see I only have two followers). I got married around the same time, the kids started coming and STP became an afterthought.
You do a lot of remixes by using your own beat with a famous acapella. I've always been a big fan of that. Do you think that will give you more of a chance of being recognized by the mainstream artists?
I love doing remixes, especially when they come out right. The Prhyme remix I wasn't feeling what I put together, but the LOX remix came out great in my opinion. All the remixes posted were contest entries (which I didn't win of course). As far as being recognized, those remix contest have hundreds of entries worldwide. So it's hard to believe the actual artist or a third party listens to every submission.
But yeah, when you have a hard time coming up with a theme for a Beat This, just throw up an accappella.
You've been a member of IllMuzik since 2004, and I don't think you've updated your avatar since! What keeps you coming back here?
LOL, I did update it once… I think...
What keeps me coming back, I think it's out of habit, plus you do a great job keeping the site relevant. When I initially joined everyone was excited and new to making beats. How you were hoping more people would enter this month's Beat This, that was never a problem back then regardless of the theme. You had to sign up early because those 20 slots would fill up quick, and if my memory serves me right you also had to have 25 or 50 post before you could enter a Beat This. The Showcase section was always interesting, some people used to really get heated about feedback or lack thereof. Most of all, it really was a community then, you really got to know people and looked forward to hearing their tracks. People like Dac, Relic, Dream, Afriq (The GOAT of Beat This), Ash, Classic, even DJ Hoppa before he was with Funk Volume, and etc...
If you had the chance to work with a well known producer, who would it be and why?
I don't think I'm good enough to work with them, but I would love to hang out with Pete Rock or Q Tip in the studio, Organized Noize, and The Neptunes both Chad & Pharrell. I'm a huge Pete Rock & CL Smooth, A Tribe Called Quest, and Outkast fan so I'm automatically going to be influenced by their sound. The late 90's and early 2000's when guys kind of got away from sampling for a while is when I became a fan of the Netpunes/N.E.R.D.
What do you think the main difference is between beatmakers today versus those from the 90's?
I don't think there is really a difference, you can always say equipment, hardware vs software, but you use what's available to you. Everyone thinks the era of Hip Hop they grew up in is the best, but Hip Hop has to change, it can't stay the same. Yeah, I may prefer a certain style of beats, but who am I to tell a 16 or 17 year old kid what he/she is doing isn't Hip Hop. As long as the individual is making the kind of music he/she wants, then there is no difference between beatmakers today or any other era.
Thanks for the interview. Any shoutouts you'd like to give?
Shoutout to Fade for all the handwork on Illmuzik... And to my main man Mike Freeman aka "400 meters".
More Information on Ozmosis
For more information, visit his SoundCloud page, and his IllMuzik member page.
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