Zaheer

HHB Radio Interviews Zaheer

Ez Zaheer can you let the people know what you’re all about and what releases you have had out or have featured on?

Easyyyy now, I’m one of the producer type dudes. I’ve also been trying to get out into that whole artist development and management side of things as of late too – trying to find artists with that raw talent that need work and direction, and sort of bringing out the best of them. As for releases, man, tons. Loads of mixtapes from the likes of those on Ruthless Recordz (who manage Giggs and recently put out the new Mike GLC one), UKHHF, Wolftown, some of DJ Ames’ joints and various independent artists.

I see you’ve been making a lil noise recently with your appearance on Bobby Friction’s BBC Introducing show, how was that experience for you and how was it received?

That was real cool man, the response was really really good. They interviewed me on a Monday and on the real, I was pretty nervous. I mean, I’ve done them before but it’s been a while. I also stray off and on the music scene depending on whatever my personal situation is at the time, so this was like an indication I’m back dong what I do, but I’m definitely not as comfortable a person as I used to be.

 This one was live and was heard by thousands so it was a bit nerve wracking. I think I got more comfortable as the interview went on though. Kinda loosened up a bit. He featured my tracks all week and they read out a lot of texts and emails that were very positive, so it was a good look in all.

What’s the deal with Radio 1? I heard they’ve been supporting one of your tracks, can you tell us more about this and how you managed to hook it up? (Was it through email, or a pr service or did you just hand over your cd)

Yeah – I have been producing for a lot of artists in other ‘scenes’ (if you wanna break it down). I’ve worked with a good few asian artists, one being Raxstar, who has a HUGE  following. I put together a track for him and another asian artist upcoming – RKZ. They’re both from Luton and do a lot of shows up and down the country. Friction, Nihal and many others are backing these guys hard. The track called ‘Dreams Of You’ was on some conscious hip hop tip and was well received. They spun a good few times during the evenings when they first dropped it.

Was  blogged heavily on all the asian music sites too, and a few vids made for Youtube/other online purposes. Have a search if you wanna hear what the fuss was about
 
You’ve produced for a number of different artists including Mike GLC, 777, Respek BA, LeeN, Gadget da Wordsmith, Joe Gutta, LeEo, Jabba The Kut, Baron Samedi, Doc Freud and Kulez, how do you go about this process is it case of finding an emcee you like and emailing the track or hooking up studio time and doing it together?

You know, some of them were just straight ‘net collabs. Either people have holla’d at me for beats, or I’ve asked them to drop onto my beats cuz I really like what they do.
Sometimes that works best cuz it’s easier..it’s missions getting people together at times! More recently though I’m all about studio sessioning. Sometimes you settle down to record a song but once it’s done the creativity starts flowing and magic happens – that’s the beauty of music – whole bunch of musicians/artists getting down and just having fun. Either way works though if im honest.

What are your thoughts on the current UK rap / hip hop scene, do you think it’s as strong as it was 4 – 5 years ago?

I dunno man, some people come and go, but most are on the same level they were 4-5 years ago lol. That’s not a dig at anyone I just think it’s more to do with how you push your work. If you look at the music scene in general, you’ll see a lot of big tracks at the moment are from UK based artists, which is a good look. The problem with that typical UKHH scene though is they seem stuck in their ways. It HAS to sound a certain way, the rapper HAS to rap about x,y and z, and the beats HAVE to be created a
certain way. The end result though is just boring music that no one can get behin, which is why it may not be going anywhere.  I’m not too fond of these elitist hip hop view anyways…the same people talk about the essence of hip hop need to remember a little song by some fella’s called Sugarhill Gang. That mid nineties hip hop era was an evolution of the original style so I don’t quite understand how that’s the ‘realest’ form. Things need to evolve to survive, same with music. Only with the bullshit auto-tune and people like Jeezy, Weezy and Puh-leeze-Buh-Leave-Me god knows how the music scene will change next!
As for UK Hip Hop, as long as people are rapping with their real accents and pushing boundaries with the music, I’m all for it.

How much input do you have in the theme of the lyrics used in your productions and have you ever been tempted to rap yourself?

It varies from person to person and with that I can identify the purpose of each song, what it will do and what I will do with it. For example, if Mike GLC holla’s at me for a beat, he’ll use it pretty much however way he wants to. It’s a good look for me as it’s one hell of a feature – but with that he’ll basically have free reign as to what he does with it. However he’s an established artist that knows what he’s doing
On the other hand, on this artist development side I’d do a lot more. Like the dude I work a lot with – B-Dee. He’s a sick artist from Bristol and his stuff sounds a lot better now under my guidance. We’ll talk about concepts, record some rough versions and break down what works best and what doesn’t. Then just polish up each song, so I have a say in the final product. End of the day, it’s my name on the product/song , if I want to be recognised as someone with that professionalism and slick sound as well as bringing out the best in artists, the song has to show it.

It’s great when you get response when you work with a certain rapper and people are like “yeh that’s the sickest you’ve sounded” or “that’s your best track”. Makes me feel like I’ve done my job. But yeh, trying to push out and get them established features/artist connections as well as pushing lesser known talent is hopefully what I need to get myself out as best I can.

You’re from Milton Keynes can you shed some light on the local hip hop scene there?

It comes and goes, here. There’s a big problem with cliques and petty squabbles that ruin the music here. There’s some real good talent coming out though. There’s a producer F-Tizzle who’s pretty good – he produced Crazy Titch’s Sing A Long way back, and got a new single out with Asher D on it. I’ve been away from MK for the last couple years but since I’ve moved back I’ve got a few new tracks coming with some of the local heads like J-Hurley, Ash Future etc. A lot of good talent here but they just need to grind regularly and keep their ego’s in check. It’s a shame cuz there is a lot of good rappers/producers here.

Can you describe to our readers what sort of sound they can expect from you’re productions?

I’m quite the chameleon when it comes to sounds man. Theres a lot of variation but I would definitely have to say I like to keep my shit as musically tight on top of a banging beat and a sick bassline (I HATE UK HIP HOP SONGS THAT DON’T HAVE A SICK BASSLINE!)

I used to have quite an indie/rock orientated sound I got known for (as well as being fond of the bait samples haha). I used to do that at times as it’s a way of getting a wider audience onto your shit – that familiarity mixed with some sick lyricism, it helps the UK unsigned lot get heard. I’d much rather drop something like that and follow up with something raw – if you drop something raw first I’m sure not many would give a shit. As of now though I try to keep my samples to a minimum, so I either chop shit up heavily or create stuff from scratch, as I know chords and shit (most wouldn’t know that as I don’t push them songs out too often) It’s quite a task trying to get original composed stuff to sound like it’s a sample/chopped up but I’ve spent a while fucking around with it and I’m happy with what I can do.

Who or what has influenced your musical direction?

Everything, man. Everything. There’s so much to learn from everything, be it good or bad. I grew up listening to people like Dre, Snoop when I was real young. Over the teenage years I listened to a lot more rock and stuff. I think the only real influence anything has ever given me is to be real. Like, some of these bands, the way they approach music in terms of concepts and purpose, putting themselves in a track, that’s what I try to do with my beats and music. That element then goes into whatever I do, whether it be a hip hop beat, grime, rnb or whatever.
I even take a lot of influence from commercial music – as the way its put together, you can’t fault it. The final product is usually wholesome – sounds big and is taken seriously. I’m sure if we took the same approach the people behind making Lady Gaga a success and took them elements into our Hip-Hop shit, it would work, and without compromising our sound in anyway.

What is your favourite aspect of producing, is it the recording of vocals, mixing or is it the actual playing / sampling / creation of the music itself?

Tell you what, I hate mixing! Mixing/editing/mastering is a horrible process, which usually makes me never want to hear a song again. It’s definitely the most rewarding though – as I mentioned earlier about making people/songs sound good, as well as having that element of professionalism to your tracks – it’s gotta be done. And usually, the only person that can get the best out of my music, is me, as I know what was put into it and why, and I know what needs to be accentuated. After all, it’s my work! So who better to do it than me?

It’s definitely the creation though. Whether it be an idea of chords on a guitar which I’ve written and synthed up on my computer, adding musical layers over a raw foundation, that whole musical process – that’s what I love. It keeps me sane. Whether it’s however I’m feeling at the time put into music, the emotion I feel or am trying to convey, or just some shit I want to do to show off I can do it – it’s all beautiful. I’d def be sent to a mental institution within a few weeks if I was to cut that out of my life

Thanks again Zaheer, is there anything you would like to add / plug?

Yeh man – my music!! Check out my facebook page http://www.facebook.com/zaheermusic which has a ton of tracks and some online promotional vids on there – be sure to join the page if you like what you hear as I give out regular free downloads and it’s also the best way to keep posted on what I’m doing.

Also go cop the new Mike GLC mixtape – Last Of A Dying Breed which is out on Ruthless Recordz – http://www.ruthlessrecordz.com which I have production credits for.

Finally you should all be locking onto HHBRadio regularly! Big up HHB, OYM and Lunatrix

Interview by Lunatrix