Sahil is an experimental producer hailing from the UK. He’s in the middle of working on some projects, but he sat down with us to help us learn more about the spectacular producer.
Hey Sahil, how’s it going? Give us an update on what you’ve been up to so far this week.
Hey, I’m good thanks. I’ve been in the studio a fair bit mixing down the last few tracks for my upcoming album, ‘207 LP’, I’m just about premiere my new single “Memoirs” with Montreal singer Nicole Musoni.
So you recently dropped a collaborative single with fellow west London producer Skit on “207”, which has picked up some speed, racking up over 50,000 plays now. How did the single come together and did you imagine the song to do as well as it did?
It was definitely a great achievement, it’s my first release that’s gained that sort of traction, and people seemed to love it! It’s good to know people enjoyed what they heard and are now looking forward to hearing the album. I created the melody and showed the idea to Skit, as I enjoyed a lot of the music he’s put out. He loved the idea and decided to complete it, especially in the second half where it really takes off, he also mixed & mastered the track. “207” is easily my favourite, hence why I made it the title track of the album.
You’ve got a new project in the works, which will serve as your second solo effort. What can we expect from it in terms of sound and direction?
The thing is I’ve spent a lot of time just trying to create my own sound. I feel like I’m finally there and this new album I am about to drop is evidence of this. I wouldn’t say it has a specific genre, but there’s elements of live instrumentation and electronic music. I’m pretty much just experimenting with different styles, but it has an atmospheric vibe throughout and also quite hard-hitting at times.
You released a couple of graphic-heavy visuals leading up to the release of your first album ‘The Third Dimension’. Is this a theme we can expect you to continue running with?
This album I’m working on doesn’t have the same theme, ‘The Third Dimension’ was intended to be cinematic, however ‘207 LP’ is more about progressing musically rather than base songs around movie excerpts. I have a few ideas I was working on for ‘T.T.D.2’ so if I decide to release that in the near future, I’ll definitely continue the theme, but as for visuals, I’ll probably take a totally different approach if we decide to put something together.
The standout from ‘The Third Dimension’ would have to be “I Feel It”. Will you be making a return to conceptdriven songs?
Yep, however I am saving those ideas for when I complete T.T.D.2. I just haven’t made any recently as the focus on the new album is to mix different styles within each song, blending genres and switching up the tempo.
Let’s talk about production. Who are some producers you’re digging at the moment?
There are some dope producers I’ve discovered in recent years, the main ones being Kaytranada, Flying Lotus, WaveMob and of course the Soulection camp.
Who would you say influenced you production-wise early on?
I would have to say The RZA, Dr Dre & Pharrell Williams, mainly because they have their own
unique styles. Listening to these guys really motivated me to experiment with my own sound and just
be original. I also love how they continue to reinvent themselves, which has played a big part in their continued success and relevancy today.
When it comes to constructing a beat, walk me through your process on how you do things?
Well it always starts with the melody first. I just experiment with different synth sounds until I finally create something I love. Then I add in a bass-line that fits and top it off with some drums. That’s pretty much the foundation of how I work, then I fill in the gaps with additional sounds or effects to help beef up the track.
Major cities such as London, Paris & Los Angeles have thriving scenes for producers, with all types of new genres being invented, thanks to collectives such as Soulection. What have been your favourite moments to come from producers in the last couple of years.
As you said, Soulection are a collective of people who really took the DIY approach and spearheaded the independent movement for DJs and producers, they also brought forward a new sound that’s been essential in creating a vibe rather than a trend. The fact producers like Kaytranada came up releasing beats and have now progressed in to DJ’ing their own shows, doing mixes for major channels, as well as releasing a commercial album. It just goes to show producers can transition through different lanes and levels.
What’s next in terms of the release ‘207 LP’, how’s the rollout looking?
The second single “Memoirs”, is coming out in the next few days. It features Nicole Musoni, an awesome singer from Montreal who can sing in both English and French! Once that’s out, the album will drop soon after; we’re looking at an end of September release. And maybe release a video after the album. ‘207 LP’ is an album I’ve spent a lot of time working on to get it right sonically, so I’m really excited to release it now.
Lastly, what are your plans for the rest of the year and into 2017?
So once I put out my album, I aim to get some guess mixes in, probably release an EP before the year’s over and eventually release my first full-length album, complete with guest features sometime next year!
Written by Parth Barot.
