1. Whats good bro and thanks for the interview. I have known you for a minute and what you do and how dope you are at what your craft is etc Feel free introduce yourself to the readers who you are? where you're from or currently reside and what you do as a career/craft?
2.D-Que what inspired you to pursue your craft at production and i must say your one of my closest comrades and are extremely talented. what happened that made you go "This is what I want to do"?
IDK. I was always curious as to how beats were made. Every since I was a little kid my dad use to always play dope hiphop in the car from Busta Rhymes to tribe to slum village. I never used to listen to the words but just the beats. so one day I asked my best friend Brotha-Gif how were beats made and whats the cheapest route I could take to get started. He mentioned something about Fruity loops and Reason. I did my research and started making horrible beats on Fl Studio 5 lol I still have nightmares about those beats. I got addicted to it because it was so fun. I continued to perfect my craft and it brought me to where I am today.
3.How long have you been producing? like when did you start at what age etc?
I started right after i graduated from Middle school so Fall of 2005. I first started making Juke tracks before I actually learned how to make actual hiphop and R&B beats. So its going on 8 years now.
4.Who are some of your influences that have inspired you or serves at motivation to keep going?
When I first started making beats. I wasnt too familiar with the names of producers to the extent I am now. I always recognized the music but could never put the face to the beats. After I got serious and hungry and started to research, I was overwhelmed by the constant hits I loved to listen to back in the day and the present and who were behind those beats. I would say what made my want to REALLY learn how to sample and to chop and manipulate samples is when I heard Donuts in 2006 from the late great J-Dilla. After that all i did was dedicate my time to learn how to sample.
I am a big fan of ILLMIND. He's a real humble dude and down to earth. I actually met him at SxSW this year at a beat showcase and we actually hung out and had a drink lol it was crazy. We were chopping it up and talking about how hot it was in texas and how cold it was at the same time in our home towns NYC/Jersey Vs Chicago. He has a great since of humor as well haha. I also had my beats played a few times on his producer radio show Blap On The Radio which was pretty cool.
5.D-Que, I know you Chi-Town born and raised but what is the local music scene like now?
Wow i think this is the best time to be doing music in chicago. We have our train tickets into the industry now. Incredible producers, rappers, singers, rockbands, house dj's etc right now that are really taking flight such as Chance the Rapper, Vic Mensa, Pavy, the whole Save Money crew. Then you also have Treated Crew with Mic Terror, Mikkey Halsted etc. You also have the hood scene and the GBE cats such as Chief Keef, Lil Durk etc. Great producers such as C-Sick, Rob Bates, Nascent, Trumaine, Cam (which he just moved to chicago from Vegas), Thelonious Martin, WIll Brown, Brotha-Gif, Wes P, Doc da Mindbenda etc. I will be here all day naming producers lol. I go to the a same school as C-Sick and Thelonious Martin.The crazy thing about the Chicago producer scene is that we ALL know each other LITERALLY lol its like a producer secret society cult. Its kind of cool.
6.Does the Local scene where you live affect your creative process as far as how often you create, what you create how you create when you create etc?
No if anything it inspires me more to stay hungry and keep making bangers.
7.Not asking for any secrets because every producers always there trade secrets what is in your lab like what you use and do you have a favorite pieces of gear? I saw the video of you and you partner Brotha Gif in the lab a few years ago with Gif recording vocals but was just curious of your set up and how it may have changed over years from when you first started?
Im not running anything to spectacular. I have a laptop with a focusrite audio interface for my Yamaha Hs80m Monitors. An M-Audio Midi Controller with Fl Studio and Reason. Thats it. I also have an MPC 2000 but I dont use it.
8. What is your creative process for producing in general and has it changed over the years at all?
I always start with the sample and work on the fly. Sometimes I hear a melody in my head and start laying down what I hear. It all depends. I could not make a beat for 3 months and out of nowhere make bangers back to back. Its just spontaneous sometimes.
9. What are you most known for the new readers and fans? I know you from YouTube and you competing in the Red Bull Big Tune but how else may people have seen known or heard your work?
Red Bull Big Tune was my biggest notoriety so far. But I worked with local chicago artist such as Gif, Mike Schpitz and Pavy. I also have done some work with Dominique Larue who is based out of Ohio...real dope female emcee you should look out for her.
10. Are you affiliated with labels/crews etc if so feel free to place them here? I know you were repping CTC for the longest hows the rest of the members doing and do you guys still keep in touch.
haha naw man no more CTC. that was something we came up with in highschool with the four of us guys starting a production team. I guess you can say we are still here as "CTC" but we arent claiming that name anymore.
11.What are your future plans projects etc and which ones are you looking forward to most?
Right now im in the process of building my own pro studio. Later down the road I want to team up with a music publishing company and get alot of placements on upcoming albums. Im looking for steady work.
12. What is you ultimate goal that your would like to achieve through your craft?
My ultimate goal is to at least win 1 grammy and to live comfortably financially.
13. how can the readers keep connected and updated on you as a person and as a brand for your projects etc?
You can follow me on twitter @DQueBeats
instagram: DQueBeats
14.Do you have any advice or jewels that you would like to pass along for aspiring producers or up and coming producers that you have learned along the way?
Always stay humble and be the student. Never burn bridges because the world is smaller than you think, especially in the music industry. Stay consistent and dont let anyone stop you from doing what you feel will take you to that next step.
15. Do you have any one you would like to shout out or show love to if so feel free?
Shouts to my Mom & Dad for believing in what I do and are behind me 100%
shouts to my professors at columbia college for teaching me so much about the music business
shouts to my homies over at Melodic Muzik
shouts to the chicago producer cult haha.
16. Thank you very much for interview D-Que we will mos def do more in the future. Do you have any final words for the readers
keep making heat and keep supporting dope music.
D-Que (Producer)
Chicago
D-Que Productions (ASCAP)
For Beats Contact:
No FREEBEES
RED BULL BIG TUNE 2010 ST.LOUIS SEMI-FINALISTChicago
D-Que Productions (ASCAP)
For Beats Contact:
No FREEBEES
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