There was once a time when SoundCloud was the wild west for music producers and fans alike. Uncleared samples roamed freely, bootlegs and unauthorized remixes stood tall, artists were able to express themselves without constraints and fans soaked it all in. After a period of harsh strikes and account take downs things started to change. With artists scared of loosing their work and followers, they began sampling more carefully, unofficial remixes slowed up and part of what made the platform so special began to fade. As things have seemed to loosen up lately, that classic energy is returning and Sebjin’s INSERT TRENDY WORD HERE may be the best example yet.
The Parisian producer has been setting SoundCloud on fire with his future beat mastery for the past two years. Today he brings us his biggest body of work to date, a 14 track offering that blurs the lines between remixes, bootlegs, edits and originals. Featuring all original production, the project packs his signature slap; a perfect combination of hard-hitting percussion and bass alongside moving chords, cheery synths and exotic elements. Layered on top of that are a smattering of iconic acapella’s ranging from Drake & Rae Srremurd, to Timbaland, Fat Joe, and even Belgian rapper Hamza. Oh and it also includes a fresh feature from SIKA DEVA who drops bars in English, French and Portuguese. Transcending languages and genres INSERT TRENDY WORD HERE is some high-level heat that’s primed for the Summer. Today we have the pleasure of premiering the project as well as presenting you with an interview to get some deeper insight into the talented Frenchman’s mind. Check out both below and grab the compilation here.
How long have you been making music?
I started to get interested in music production in 2015 thanks to my crew GVLVXY who made me discover FL studio and all the universe of beatmaking. So it’s been four years now that I produce.
Unfortunately, in France, people are not really curious, they are afraid of new things and they’re not really open to what is different. It’s a real struggle for future beats producers to find a place here…
There seems to be a new wave of French producers taking over on SoundCloud. What’s the community like over there? Are you all connected?
It makes me so happy to see more and more French people who want to produce and bring a new kind of music here. Unfortunately, in France, people are not really curious, they are afraid of new things and they’re not really open to what is different. It’s a real struggle for future beats producers to find a place here because this music is still misunderstood, so, we try to help each other and to stay connected that’s why I decided to create Outsiders with Maryam (who is also my manager)
Can you tell us a little bit about Outsiders Paris?
Outsiders is a French label and media that aims to develop and expand the Future Beats in France. We help DJs and producers to get their music more heard by doing interviews, exclusives releases or mixes, weekly fav, playlists, shows, challenges, etc. We want that Paris makes more Future Beats shows or give more opportunities to these talented artists.
I want people who listen to it to decide how to use it, how to feel it and how to live with it, that’s why I let you choose the title of this compilation, because it’s yours.
What is the meaning behind the title ‘INSERT TRENDY WORD HERE?’
The meaning behind INSERT TRENDY WORD HERE is simple. My two last EPs (MONA and eVi) was about me, my story and my feelings, but with this new compilation, I wanted to thank everyone who listens to me and supports me by putting my most festive tracks for your shows, parties or as a playlist summer. I want people who listen to it to decide how to use it, how to feel it and how to live with it, that’s why I let you choose the title of this compilation because it’s yours.
A lot of producers are moving towards strictly “original” music to avoid take downs and get full distribution across all music platforms. You kind of went the opposite way with a lot of the project leveraging samples, well-known acapellas, etc. What made you want to go this route?
As I said above, French people are not ready for something totally different and unknown, so with edits and remixes they have the feeling that they already know this music and they feel readier to listen to it. It’s a good way to bring more future beats during shows, and to be honest I love using samples in my music. I can still release it on Spotify and iTunes (thanks to Dubset) and these are the streaming platforms that I prefer, with SoundCloud of course. The track ‘THIEF’ with the French rapper Sika Deva is totally original without any samples.
Where do you usually find your samples and sounds?
I actually starting with the composition of the production and then I got the idea of putting some vocal samples on it. I dig for a lot of acapellas on YouTube and when I can’t find it, I rework them by myself. For my sounds I use a lot of VST and drumkits. I also love to dig for some samples from movies and video games.
What’s the weirdest/most obscure sample on this project?
Honestly there’s no obscure samples on this album because it’s a summer and colorful project. The only “weird” sounds I used are on the track Logobeats. I used a sample of a Logobi music (it’s an Ivoirian dance that is very famous here in France, and the music is a mix between electronic and African rhythms). I really found it funny to make a track with it because I think that no one ever did something with this kind of samples.
What made you want to create a full project vs. releasing each of the tracks as individual singles?
I have a lot of unreleased tracks, more than 14 ! I can’t release all as singles it would be annoying and I prefer to make an album that would be more useful, that we could find on Spotify and iTunes because these two platforms are not made for singles as SoundCloud. I also wanted to release it as a project for DJs who could use it during their sets and also a summer playlist for everyone.
The project features both English and French vocals, sometimes on the same track. Did you have any reservations about combining languages on any of the songs?
‘THIEF’ with Sika Deva combines three languages: French, Portuguese and English. It was absolutely what we wanted, we had a lot of fun making it and it was a great experience! The first track ‘VIBE’ is a remix of ‘Vibes’ from the Belgian rapper Hamza, an artist that I really appreciate!
For the end of 2019, I have the project to surprise you by releasing something that nobody expects it…I can’t tell you more for the moment.
What’s next for you musically?
For the end of 2019, I have the project to surprise you by releasing something that nobody expects it…I can’t tell you more for the moment.
Thanks a lot FUXWITHIT for this interview, I really appreciate the love
