Certified Banger: Can you tell us your necessary background details so we can build on basics for the rest of the interview? For example: who you are, where you are from, projects you have worked on, people you have worked with.
Vee Kay: I'm Vee Kay, I make Hip Hop and trans-atlantic-speed-bhangra. It's a fairly new genre, but it's coming on with quite a following - so far there's about 14 people into it!
CB: How would you describe your sound? Is there any one track that would best define your style?
VK: My sound is a mixture of Rice Krispies and chocolate. Oh, sorry, that’s Krispy Cakes. Well then my style is just whatever it comes out like at the time of creation - sometimes I'll make a beat with an artist in mind and we'll go from there, otherwise it's whatever sound I find that inspires me first.
CB: Who have been your biggest musical influences and which Hip Hop producers have inspired you?
VK: Biggest musical influences are people that I grew up listening to like The Big Bopper or Frankie Goes To Hollywood....also Annie Lennox.....later on, when it came to Hip Hop I always wanted to make beats like Wyclef and A+.
CB: Do you have a musical background? Do you play any instruments?
VK: I got a Kazoo and a Penny Whistle. The Kazoo got some pimped up diamantes on it, so you know that s**t bangs.
CB: How did you find out that you were handy when it came to crafting beats?
VK: My old producer went off and started making music for Pete Waterman, so I decided that after they didn't want my dulcet tones on their tunes that I'd go back to underground hip hop and pretend that I never sold out....the rest is history...
CB: Do you feel like many producers are overlooked or overshadowed by the MC's that rap on their beats?
VK: Yeah, some producers are really unlucky and get overlooked.....Andy from Wham was a brilliant songwriter, but George Michael f**ked him off and went solo. Same with Kanye - Jay Z overshadowed Kanye on their tunes, but that’s cos Kanye sucks.
CB: What are your three pieces of equipment do you value most when it comes to production?
VK: I got a AMD Athalon PC that I got from my mate Dave, it's got a 10GB hard drive and 32KBS of RAM, so its fast as hell, I also got Cubase 5 which is what I use to sequence my Akai s20 with 16 seconds of sample time.....I also got a broom to keep my s**t tidy!
CB: What other programs/equipment do you use?
VK: Sometimes I use a mic to record vocals, but most of the time I rock some headphones through the input so I can keep it grimey. Programmes wise I download all my samples from Limewire.
CB: What process do you go through when writing a track? Do you start with a tune, a sample, a drum beat or a concept? What happens next?
VK: Most of the time I'll get a track that I really like, like Black Eyed Peas, put that into the sequencer, then I'll layer my sounds and drums EXACTLY the same as they are on the B.E.P tune, then once I've finished, I mute the B.E.P tune and voila! I got myself a banger straight up.
CB: How do you prefer to work when collaborating with rappers? Do you both get in the studio and write together or is there a separate process?
VK: I got a slight case of Agraphobia, not massive, but sometimes I get nervous around rappers, mainly because I hear them sounding really aggressive on the tracks. If I want some vocals then I'll usually myspace them and see if they can record at theirs and then send me the stems. Black Eye Peas don't come across aggressive so I'd be happy getting in the studio with them, but that’s about it.
CB: Have you ever been given some invaluable advice when it comes to producing? What tips would you give to an aspiring Hip Hop producer?
VK: Someone once told me that you should never, and I mean NEVER, start the bar with the snare at the beginning, basically switching the pattern of the drums. Snare, Kick, Snare, Kick. It's true too, it sounds awful. If you want to make Hip Hop, the best advice I can give you is to get on myspace, get limewire, a copy of a sequencer and then just loop everything up. No one cares about finding vinyl anymore, so get in while it's easy!
CB: What can we expect from you in the future? Are you currently working on any exciting projects?
VK: I'm working on a 16 track concept album that’s like a Jazz odyssey, but completely inspired by Buddy Holly. He was massive into his Jazz, and if he hadn't have died, he'd have been a pioneer of Hip Hop. There's no proof of that, but it is fact. Before he died he was tentatively in talks with Herbie Hancock to work together. I'm currently looking for labels for it at the moment.
CB: Any last words or plugs?
VK: Enjoy life and live each moment like it's your last. Do one thing a day that scares you and never throw a 15 year old to the floor - there's a good chance they'll punch you in the ear!
Vee Kay: I'm Vee Kay, I make Hip Hop and trans-atlantic-speed-bhangra. It's a fairly new genre, but it's coming on with quite a following - so far there's about 14 people into it!
CB: How would you describe your sound? Is there any one track that would best define your style?
VK: My sound is a mixture of Rice Krispies and chocolate. Oh, sorry, that’s Krispy Cakes. Well then my style is just whatever it comes out like at the time of creation - sometimes I'll make a beat with an artist in mind and we'll go from there, otherwise it's whatever sound I find that inspires me first.
CB: Who have been your biggest musical influences and which Hip Hop producers have inspired you?
VK: Biggest musical influences are people that I grew up listening to like The Big Bopper or Frankie Goes To Hollywood....also Annie Lennox.....later on, when it came to Hip Hop I always wanted to make beats like Wyclef and A+.
CB: Do you have a musical background? Do you play any instruments?
VK: I got a Kazoo and a Penny Whistle. The Kazoo got some pimped up diamantes on it, so you know that s**t bangs.
CB: How did you find out that you were handy when it came to crafting beats?
VK: My old producer went off and started making music for Pete Waterman, so I decided that after they didn't want my dulcet tones on their tunes that I'd go back to underground hip hop and pretend that I never sold out....the rest is history...
CB: Do you feel like many producers are overlooked or overshadowed by the MC's that rap on their beats?
VK: Yeah, some producers are really unlucky and get overlooked.....Andy from Wham was a brilliant songwriter, but George Michael f**ked him off and went solo. Same with Kanye - Jay Z overshadowed Kanye on their tunes, but that’s cos Kanye sucks.
CB: What are your three pieces of equipment do you value most when it comes to production?
VK: I got a AMD Athalon PC that I got from my mate Dave, it's got a 10GB hard drive and 32KBS of RAM, so its fast as hell, I also got Cubase 5 which is what I use to sequence my Akai s20 with 16 seconds of sample time.....I also got a broom to keep my s**t tidy!
CB: What other programs/equipment do you use?
VK: Sometimes I use a mic to record vocals, but most of the time I rock some headphones through the input so I can keep it grimey. Programmes wise I download all my samples from Limewire.
CB: What process do you go through when writing a track? Do you start with a tune, a sample, a drum beat or a concept? What happens next?
VK: Most of the time I'll get a track that I really like, like Black Eyed Peas, put that into the sequencer, then I'll layer my sounds and drums EXACTLY the same as they are on the B.E.P tune, then once I've finished, I mute the B.E.P tune and voila! I got myself a banger straight up.
CB: How do you prefer to work when collaborating with rappers? Do you both get in the studio and write together or is there a separate process?
VK: I got a slight case of Agraphobia, not massive, but sometimes I get nervous around rappers, mainly because I hear them sounding really aggressive on the tracks. If I want some vocals then I'll usually myspace them and see if they can record at theirs and then send me the stems. Black Eye Peas don't come across aggressive so I'd be happy getting in the studio with them, but that’s about it.
CB: Have you ever been given some invaluable advice when it comes to producing? What tips would you give to an aspiring Hip Hop producer?
VK: Someone once told me that you should never, and I mean NEVER, start the bar with the snare at the beginning, basically switching the pattern of the drums. Snare, Kick, Snare, Kick. It's true too, it sounds awful. If you want to make Hip Hop, the best advice I can give you is to get on myspace, get limewire, a copy of a sequencer and then just loop everything up. No one cares about finding vinyl anymore, so get in while it's easy!
CB: What can we expect from you in the future? Are you currently working on any exciting projects?
VK: I'm working on a 16 track concept album that’s like a Jazz odyssey, but completely inspired by Buddy Holly. He was massive into his Jazz, and if he hadn't have died, he'd have been a pioneer of Hip Hop. There's no proof of that, but it is fact. Before he died he was tentatively in talks with Herbie Hancock to work together. I'm currently looking for labels for it at the moment.
CB: Any last words or plugs?
VK: Enjoy life and live each moment like it's your last. Do one thing a day that scares you and never throw a 15 year old to the floor - there's a good chance they'll punch you in the ear!
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