NATE OG @NATEOGDET INTERVIEWS PRODUCER/SONGWRITER ACHICKWITBEATZ

1.Whats good Ms. Jordan and thank you for blessing me with this interview/ Now I have only known you a short while but your extremely dope at what you do for those who may not know you tell the readers more about yourself. Who You Are? What You Do? and Where You are From?    Why, thank you so much! I appreciate the love! I am Achickwitbeatz, I'm from the marvelous mitten     known as Michigan (more specifically Kalamazoo) and as the moniker suggests I am a chick with       beats. I produce instrumentals of various genres, often blending varieties whenever I can. 2,Where did your name come from? its dope by the way and its simple yet effective? Thank you! When I originally started producing I went by "Wyldkard" but people frequently            asked me what I did..."Do you sing?", "Do you rap?", etc.  which became tiring.  When I would          explain that I made beats, primarily because I'm female, people would always have that look of           shock on their faces or even if it was an online conversation I'd get "really?!" sometimes with          tons of question marks and exclamations as if the concept had blown their minds, haha.         So it was kind of a running joke or a play off of the shock and responses I received I would           always respond "Yes, I'm a chick with beats" and it stuck.  It was a way to simplify things and           alleviate the guesswork as to what it is I do. 3,What was the moment or event that made you say I wanted to do production?        Well, I'd say I don't really have a specific moment.  I've always been one of those people that         would be captivated by the melody or rhythm  of a song before tuning into the lyrics.  Even         back when I was in high school, riding the city bus to my after school job some of the older kids         would ask me to beatbox while they free-styled to whatever I made up. At that point, I had no         idea that I would wind up producing but I kind of feel like it added to the build up.  If I had to         narrow it down though, I'd say the closest  thing to an exact moment or event would be when I         got  my hands on Garageband for the first time.   I was playing around with some of the sounds         and I looked up and the whole day had gone by.  It was dark outside and I had forgotten to eat,         which was something that NEVER happened to me before because I LOVE food haha. 4.How long have you been producing not showing age but what year did you start?        I officially began producing in 2008.  I don't include my teenage years when I had some         "unconventional" tactics as far as trying to make instrumentals which included a karaoke          machine, two mics, a Casio, and a drum machine from JC Penney. 5.Who are some of your influences?        I have a lot of producers and beatmakers that I look up to, a long list actually, but to name a few         (in no particular order) J Dilla, 9th Wonder, Pete Rock, Premier, Pharrell, Madlib, Q-Tip, RZA,           M-Phazes, MF Doom, and more. 6.What is the local music scene like where you live?        There is a tremendous amount of talent in Kalamazoo.  There are a lot of artists, promoters,          and independent labels working hard, not only in the studio, but also to provide live         entertainment in the area often bringing in well known names to share the the stage with.  It's         eclectic, there are artists to suit just about any style of music you're into. 7.Does your local scene affect how you create? What you create? and your output?        What a great question. To some extent it does.  I enjoy live vibe sessions in which I create         beats as artists write or freestyle to them, therefore I feed off of the energy that is in the room.          So far, I have only done this locally, so I would say that would be the primary way that the local         scene affects how I create.  Other times that I am creating music, my focus is broader as I have         connected with artists outside of the local scene and of course styles, tastes, and demand         varies from region to region so I have to remain flexible to accommodate that. 8.Im a producer as well and was wondering what your lab set up consists of not giving away secret weapons and how has it change when you first started?    My lab only consists of secret weapons (insert maniacal laugh here) haha. Basically, I am a     proud Maschine fanatic, I also have mad love for my trusty Axiom 25 midi keyboard, MBox and M-    Audio studio monitors.  I first started with only a Macbook, so yeah...basically EVERYTHING has      changed since then haha. 9.Are you affiliated with any labels or companies if so feel free to tel us about them and how you became affiliated with them?     I am currently a free agent, no official ties at the moment, though as an artist I have an upcoming      single that the good people at Intimate Venues Recordings are releasing in about a week. 10.What is your creative process like as a producer?           My creative process varies slightly depending on the mood I'm in.  Sometimes I create based            on melodies or rhythms already in my head or sometimes I just sit at the pads/keys and play            whatever comes to mind.  11. What are your current projects and how can the readers find them?            I'm currently collaborating with various hip hop artists in and/or from Michigan to showcase             some of the talent we have here.  "One Day" featuring Detroit emcee Valid can be found             here: http://valid313.com/2013/10/one-day-achickwitbeatz-ft-valid/              I have a single "Within" being released in about a week             through the Intimate Venues Recordings label which is something outside of my usual              production.  It's spoken word over jazzy deep house, so if you're into that please do check it             out here: https://soundcloud.com/intimate-venues-recording/achickwithbeatz-within-just.  I             released an instrumental album earlier this year "Wyld Imagination" that is available on               Bandcamp. I am currently working on a few more things up my sleeve, but I like to share             things in somewhat of an unconventional manner so I rarely give any warning. Some songs/             instrumentals are available to check out now on Soundcloud and ReverbNation.            12. What are some of your future  projects and which ones are you looking forward to the most?       Some of my future projects will be follow ups to some of the current ones I am working on that I        referenced a just a bit earlier. I'd say the one that I am looking forward to the most is the one that        will be dedicated to those who are fans of my writing as well as my production.  It will be filled        with poetic sensuality, matters of the heart, feel good vibes and will feature all original        instrumentals. 13.How can readers stay connected and updated on you, your work and your brand?            The best way to keep up with me would be to follow me on Soundcloud, Facebook, Twitter,             ReverbNation and check me out on Bandcamp.   14.Any advice for aspiring producers such as jewels you might have learned along the way?      Never ever try to blend in with the crowd.  There are so many people doing the same thing, and         there is a lot of pressure to conform for those seeking notoriety, but when you don't make music        from the heart and what feels good to you the music has no soul and people can't authentically       connect to it.  If people don't connect to it, then it runs the risk of going out of style and fading into       obscurity and there's no longevity in that. Be proud of your style and the right people will       appreciate it. 15.Any special shout outs or thanks if so feel free to drop them here    I'm always so afraid of forgetting someone when I get to this part, if I do please charge it to my     head and not my heart, I'll try to keep it general and brief for that purpose.  I appreciate all of the     support, encouragement, and opportunities provided to me by my loving husband and family, my     consultant Phire Free, Unk Funk, Praverb, Nuff Said and the I Live Hip Hop community, record     labels Intimate Venues Recordings, Titan Records, FatBoy Entertainment, Truth Tone Records     and affiliates, and a special thank you to each and every client who has ever purchased an     Achickwitbeatz produced/written track. Also thank you to anyone who has ever taken the time to     listen, follow, like, comment or share my work, or placed a microphone in my hand...I appreciate     you more than you could know. Thanks for the interview sis and i look forward to oding more anytime.     Thank you so much Nate, I appreciate the opportunity! Achickwitbeatz  http://achickwitbeatz.bandcamp.com/album/wyld-imagination http://reverbnation.com/achickwitbeatz http://soundcloud.com/achickwitbeatz https://twitter.com/achickwitbeatz_ http://facebook.com/Achickwitbeatz achickwitbeatz@gmail.com