Florida based producer sktchy ppl has been setting SoundCloud ablaze with tracks like ‘leaving glendale’ and ‘love u bois’. Today he looks to make his mark on the game with his debut EP sktchcast. The project is a journey into his mind, mixing trippy downtempo soundscapes with elements of trap and experimental bass. It’s not quite like anything we’ve heard. It takes influence from Clams Casino, Flying Lotus and Mr. Carmack and melds them into something completely unique. Bent vocals are overlayed with distorted bass, pounding percussion and hypnotizing synths. If you like to get weird, you’ll love sktchcast. You can stream the project below and grab it here. We had the chance to catch up with sktchy ppl to get an inside look into the project. Read the full interview below.
How did you get into producing music? Tell us about your journey.
Oh man, so it’s a pretty cool story, I’ll try to keep it short, but my mom and dad actually met in a like, 80s hair metal band based in Florida haha. They were called Stryker lmfao. My mom was the lead singer and my dad played guitar, you know what I just realized is their drummer for the band was named Tim, hmm. Also my dad made the entire soundtrack for a PC game back in 2000 called Empire Earth, I thought that was the coolest shit.
Anyways one of my earliest memories is when I was about 3, going into my dad’s studio. At this time time he was a studio engineer, recording bands and stuff like that, actually one of the best studio engineers in Florida back in the late 90s, early 2000s, and I would hop on the drum set. I remember my dad telling me I couldn’t hit the kick pedal but I could actually keep a beat. So I got lessons when I was a lil older, but it came pretty natural. Then at about 13 I picked up guitar, my dad being a guitar player I just had him teach me, then bass, and I dabbled with the keyboard too. I was in like 2 bands, just like kids playing music in a garage.
I got into beats and hip hop around 17, Freddie Gibbs, MF Doom, Earl Sweatshirt, Tyler the Creator, Kanye. Then I found shit like Flylo, J Dilla, Shlohmo, then of course, I remember after a long night of partying in Orlando with my best friend, it was 9:00 am, we hadn’t slept yet, we just grabbed some brews we were going to our homies house to smoke up, and on the way there and my boi plays Mr. Carmacks ‘Ryukushima’ and I told him to run that one back. After that I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life, and that just inspired me so much to make beats. I knew I could do what they were doing.
Where did the idea for sktchcast come from?
Well me and the homies have always enjoyed a good, classic podcast, sometimes, before I even made music, we would be coming back from a show and it’s 5:30 am and the sun’s coming out and I’m just dead haha. We have a 30-40 minute ride home, and I just can’t listen to music at that point. So I would normally just throw on a podcast, or talk radio and listen to other people talk and laugh and that always made the end of the night fun. I’m really into like Joe Rogan, Ari Shaffir, your moms house, so yea it was just a cool idea, I’m excited to show my supporters my funny side haha.
Can you take us through the journey? How do the skits and songs connect?
Well originally I had about 5 of the tracks done before any of the skits were even written, I started the EP with the podcast in mind. I wanted it to have one meaning to it, and of course I wanted the EP to flow together as smoothly as possible. Now, the skits are just, silly/stupid humor, that maybe not everyone will find funny, so I didn’t want to over do it. But everything does connect, from my “nickname” Timmy turbos being in a commercial, to an interview with “Steve Jobless,” I have 2 of my lost dogz brothers on the skits as well, shout out Bad Chromer and Vide, and all the other dogz of course. Also shoutout to one of my best friends Colton, he helps with a lot of ideas and helped me write and did some voices for the skits. And it was just a lot of fun, I think my friends are the funniest people ever, and it was a lot of fun to make the best music I personally have made, and then be able to throw in a ridiculous skit right after it, but have it flow.
The EP is 7 tracks and sold for 7 dollars. Does the number 7 posses a significance to you?
Umm not really, I know 7 is like a lot of people’s favorite numbers. I know there’s been like at least two movies about the number 7, Seven is a good movie. My favorite number is 69 though, or 420.
I hope if I can influence or inspire one person from this, I will be happy.
What do you want listeners to feel or experience when listening to the project?
I want them to feel how much work I put into this. I mean, I have been working on this EP for about 6 months now, and every track I made sure was up to par for this EP, I probably have thrown away 10 tracks (since I started the EP), questioned the idea of a podcast, or accidentally deleted an entire ableton folder, but still, every track I am 100% proud of. I didn’t just go straight bangin ass trap the entire thing, I wanted to add some feels to it, and I loved being able to add some elements from artists like Shlohmo, Lapalux, Clams Casino (all who have inspired me). I feel I did a decent job with the mixture. I also want them to laugh at the stupid ass skits. I want people to enjoy this simply and maybe tell their friends. And I hope if I can influence or inspire one person from this, I will be happy.
Your music is super experimental and out there. How do you come up with music you create?
Ahh thank you, haha that’s what I’m going for. Well I’ve been into music since I can remember, I play drums, guitar, bass, and some keys, I was always in bands, but when I was 19 I remember my best friend showing me artists like Shlohmo, RL Grime, Hucci, and then the god Carmack. I actually started out making more ambient, chill type beats, but when I heard Carmack, and then Tsuruda, I knew exactly the type of music I wanted to make. Hip-hop has always been a huge influence on me, I basically went with, ok let’s experiment with a mix of downtempo and trap, and that mix is what gives me the sound I really enjoy.
When do you know when a track is complete?
Probably when I listen to the whole track and personally feel like it’s full, it doesn’t need anything else. Now there have been times I ruined a really dope track by just adding unnecessary shit to it, but now I always keep that in mind. I do use a lot of sounds in one track however, me being a drummer, percussion is probably the most important thing for me, so when it has that flow and that sound that I’m going for, that’s when I know it’s complete, also of course sending it to my homies and getting their opinion.
each one of them are definitely my best friends, I love them all and I don’t wanna think where I would be if i didn’t have those bois honestly.
You’ve said Lost Dogz is “not just fam, my life”. Can you expand on this? How did lost dogz come together? What’s the relationship like between you?
Oh man, yea Lost Dogz really is my family, I’ve known Untitld and Bad Chromer for probably 3 years now, I remember making ‘sktchy with my squad’ with Chromer, and of course ‘Diamonds’ with Untitld, then I remember Untitld talking to his homies, like (Abelation, Milano, chromer) and I remember him telling me about this group they wanted to create, but not like a normal collective, just a group of homies who like each others’ music, then the Eazybaked bois, who also live in Florida, got to meet up with them, instant bois you know. And being a part of it since day 1 is amazing. To see where it is at now is so dope. Now where the team is at and how much bullshit we have talked over the years, to finally being able to meet some of them was surreal, each one of them are definitely my best friends, I love them all and I don’t wanna think where I would be if i didn’t have those bois honestly.
‘im fine’ uses the same sample as ‘Real Friends’. Is there a significance/deeper meaning behind this?
Well, I love that song, I fucks with Kanye, and it’s such a beautiful sample. Actually I made ‘im fine’ pretty recently, that was the last track for the EP that I made, and it came out to be one of my favorites. I made it after playing a festival in Lakeland Florida called Wonderland, hosted by a40ozcollective, shouts to them too, mad respect for them. Anyways I made that track after I got back from Wonderland, and the vibe kind of hit the same vibe Wonderland did, and I knew I wanted a really pretty breakdown, and it just worked out perfectly, I don’t think it would sound as good with any other sample. But real friends is something I really cherish a lot, my fam, my bois, without them I wouldn’t be where I am today, and might not even be making music.
What’s your beef with capital letters?
I don’t ever try to start beef, I try to resolve it, but I’m vegan (just jokin’ where’s the chicken at?).
What’s next for you and Lost Dogz?
A WHOLE BUNCH OF DOPE SHIT, we got our shop open, make sure to cop some lost dogz gear at https://lostdogz.shop/. I know we’re bringing back the Chow mixes this year, I think I’m up in February, we have an unannounced dope ass lost dogz booking, and a bunch of top secret shit haha. Na but we have a lot in store for 2019, I think this year will be the year of the dogz. For me I plan on just making the best music I can, keep saving up for my move, and have a few shows already booked for next year. Also, I wanna start getting some merch made, so anyone out there that’s good with that stuff hmu please. Anyways, really stoked that after 2 and a half years of releasing tunes, I finally have an album/EP that I am 100% proud of and am so stoked to have people hear it. Make sure to keep with all the dogz tho, we are plotting.
