A Chat with ChuckT (22.09.2020)
ChuckT has always lived and breathed music from his families vinyl record collection to learning to play multiple instruments. He was later introduced to the music industry in 2004 and started working in music production. Since 2013, he has been creating his own music and has released a new album, Electronic Maestro. We sat down with ChuckT to talk about the album, his creative process, music, future plans and much more!
OSR: You have been involved in the music industry for a while, what do you enjoy the most producing or recording your own music?
ChuckT: I really just enjoy the process of creating no matter if it’s someone else’s music or my own. From sitting down with basically nothing but an idea for a song or melody in mind and making that into a full song or instrumental or working with other creative people and helping them bring their own ideas and dreams to reality; it’s just cool to see the power of the mind and imagination at work. There are times when songs have started out as very simple ideas but by the time it is done things like movie quotes and different effects have been added to add to the full dynamic of the song and in a way, give the song its own identity.
OSR: What was your creative process for your new album Electronic Maestro?
ChuckT: This album came together from two things. Creating instrumentals for clients and also from just experimenting in my own time. I started off as a hip-hop/R&B producer and sometimes clients contact me because they want me to create beats that have a similar style to artists that they like. One day a client contacted me and said that they wanted me to make some EDM/dance music beats that sounded similar to some popular dance music producers and, being a little unfamiliar with some of the artists that they referenced, I had to go listen to their music and get an understanding of their sound, song structures, and style.
After listening to the producers, I started making some of my own beats for the artists to choose from which they did and so some of these beats on this album are what they didn’t choose while some of the other beats on the album are EDM beats that I made in my own spare time just as an experiment and/or to diversify and expand my sound.
OSR: What was the biggest challenge you overcome when making Electronic Maestro?
ChuckT: The biggest challenges were trying to create something that didn’t sound generic or like it came out of a “cookie-cutter” and learning which sub-genres of EDM each individual beat fit into. Like I said earlier I started off as a hip-hop producer and although it has many sub-genres it doesn’t have quite as many as EDM. So learning which sub-genres each song fit in was important because I needed to know how to properly market each track and when and where to submit each song so that I don’t do something like send a house track to someone looking for trance music.
OSR: 2020 has been a very busy year for you in terms of releases, where does all your creative energy come from?
ChuckT: Well, with 2020 and COVID-19 having California on quarantine and sheltering in place I’ve been finding inspiration from a lot of things. For starters, boredom has been a big factor because there’s only so much Netflix that I can watch before I start to feeling like I’m wasting time and opportunity. I also find inspiration from listening to current music that’s out because sometimes I write songs that I feel are missing from today’s current sound/song options or I may take a current topic or trend that’s out and talk about it from a different perspective because I may feel everyone is going at it the same way. Whenever I create I really try not to come off as just another producer/songwriter and instead attempt to carve out my own lane with my style or approach.
OSR: What was the easiest and hardest song to create on the new album?
ChuckT: None of the songs were hard to make but if anything about making them was hard to do it would have to be figuring out which sounds to use and not to use and also how to use them. There are certain sounds which are good for using as textures in songs but not as main or supporting melody makers. There are also are some sounds that sound good being placed in the song but as I continue to preview sounds while making the song I end up finding other sounds that sound just as good if not better. So it becomes a game of balance and not over or under-loading your song with sounds and melodies so that it is still sonically entertaining.
OSR: Is there a common thread linking all the tracks?
ChuckT: The only common threads that I could think of would be that they’re all created by me using Reason music production software and edited using Avid Pro Tools. Outside of that, the album is like a collective of different productions I made over time.
OSR: If Electronic Maestro was a new addition to the crayon box, what colour would it be and why?
ChuckT: Emerald green because the album is fun, warm, friendly, and can be liked by all but it’s still rich with culture, flavour and originality which would be what gives it its colour distinction.
OSR: Has the pandemic affected the way you make music or your creative process?
ChuckT: Yes, because I am interacting with people and other artists less than I normally would and with all the death and isolation, sometimes I’m just not in the mood to create. I believe everyone is being affected one way or another right now and with everything that’s going on it is important to do your best to keep a positive mind state but realistically, some days that is easier said than done. So on days where I’m motivated to create something I usually spend all day working on different beats and songs until I fall asleep.
OSR: What else can we expect from you in the next 6 months?
ChuckT: As stated earlier, I also write music so on 25 September I will be releasing a song called ‘Put In The Work’ under my rapper persona, Ash DaBlunt. This song is a motivational song designed to help people start their day, go after their goals, and/or get their gains and milestones when working out. This will be the first of a few singles that I will release over the next few months.
I will also be releasing another beat tape in October as another addition to my More Beats Than A Heart Murmur series which will be Volume 3 and I will be releasing collaborative albums with some clients in the next few months. So follow ChuckT & Ash DaBlunt on your favourite streaming and social media platforms so that you can stay up to date with everything that’s coming in the next few months.
Thanks to ChuckT for chatting with us! You can find more about him on his website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
