Teaser of 6 tracks off side_b’s upcoming album “calm”, coming out April 26th!
Source: SoundCloud / Side_B
![HeadNods Interview with Side B
What name do you go by and where are you from?Well my name is Nick, but I go by Side B. And I’m from (and currently residing in) Fresno, CA. It’s not that great of a town to be honest with you, there’s no local scene for beats or anything like that. We’ve got a pretty vibrant jazz scene though, and I’m way into that.
How did you begin to make beats?When I was about 11 years old my neighbor’s older brother had an mpc2000 and I remember I was really really REALLY interested in how that thing worked. So eventually my buddy and I started messing with it and instantly I fell in love with the concept of sampling. Ever since then I’ve been putting together little beats and big beats however I can.
Who are your biggest influences?That’s a tough question, haha. As far as musicians in general go I’d have to say I’m a big Al Hirt fan, Martin Denny, anyone who I’ve dug for and sampled really. And as for producers I’d have to say : Kay Gee, Dilla, Dj Regend, Dibiase is also a savage.
How do you describe your style?Definitely jazzy and I guess laid back, I’m a huge jazz fan so a lot of my stuff is based around that. The upcoming beattape/album is pretty diverse though.
What type of equipment do you use?Well well well, I’ve actually never answered this question, haha. Currently I’ve just been messing with the MPC a lot, then adding extra shit with software or whatever BUT I try to keep it analogue as much as possible. I mess with the MPC2000xl, have an mpd32 (but everyone knows MPC > MPD any day), I have a few vintage synths laying around those of which will remain unnamed ;]. I’ve got an APC40 I use mainly for the knobs and faders (feels so much better than clicking with a mouse), countless numbers of sub-par decks/turntables laying around, Bought a VMS2 recently for the interface features but I’m working on a custom midi mapping for ableton, got a dope little TR-606, and a few other small midi devices.
Who would you like to collaborate with?I’m gonna have to say dibiase, also I’ve hit up Little Dragon I don’t even know how many times now, haha.
What is the biggest challenge for you on music? For me personally, finishing songs. Most of the times I decide to start a beat I sit down with fresh ideas, get them out of my head, and end up starting like 3 different beats instead of working on one. The beauty of creating music is that you can create anything you want, but sometimes not all of that shit will fit into one song. In those cases I end up with 3 or 4 unfinished beats, resulting from trying to start just 1.
What do you like to do on your free time?I have some pretty dope friends who I love to spend time with as much as possible. I also Dj a little bit, just for fun though at friends parties and shit like that. To be honest it’s kind of hard to think of things I do in my free time that aren’t music related, haha.
Are you working on anything on the moment?I’m so happy that you asked! I actually AM working on my first EVER beattape/album that drops June 22nd, THIS MONTH!!!! It’s titled ‘excuses’, and it’ll be up for free download, so everyone better get it!
http://soundcloud.com/side_b
https://twitter.com/#!/_sideb
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Side-B/239904612712897](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m5kmi6g0Jg1r2l3aao1_1280.jpg)
HeadNods Interview with Side B
What name do you go by and where are you from?
Well my name is Nick, but I go by Side B. And I’m from (and currently residing in) Fresno, CA. It’s not that great of a town to be honest with you, there’s no local scene for beats or anything like that. We’ve got a pretty vibrant jazz scene though, and I’m way into that.
How did you begin to make beats?
When I was about 11 years old my neighbor’s older brother had an mpc2000 and I remember I was really really REALLY interested in how that thing worked. So eventually my buddy and I started messing with it and instantly I fell in love with the concept of sampling. Ever since then I’ve been putting together little beats and big beats however I can.
Who are your biggest influences?
That’s a tough question, haha. As far as musicians in general go I’d have to say I’m a big Al Hirt fan, Martin Denny, anyone who I’ve dug for and sampled really. And as for producers I’d have to say : Kay Gee, Dilla, Dj Regend, Dibiase is also a savage.
How do you describe your style?
Definitely jazzy and I guess laid back, I’m a huge jazz fan so a lot of my stuff is based around that. The upcoming beattape/album is pretty diverse though.
What type of equipment do you use?
Well well well, I’ve actually never answered this question, haha. Currently I’ve just been messing with the MPC a lot, then adding extra shit with software or whatever BUT I try to keep it analogue as much as possible. I mess with the MPC2000xl, have an mpd32 (but everyone knows MPC > MPD any day), I have a few vintage synths laying around those of which will remain unnamed ;]. I’ve got an APC40 I use mainly for the knobs and faders (feels so much better than clicking with a mouse), countless numbers of sub-par decks/turntables laying around, Bought a VMS2 recently for the interface features but I’m working on a custom midi mapping for ableton, got a dope little TR-606, and a few other small midi devices.
Who would you like to collaborate with?
I’m gonna have to say dibiase, also I’ve hit up Little Dragon I don’t even know how many times now, haha.
What is the biggest challenge for you on music?
For me personally, finishing songs. Most of the times I decide to start a beat I sit down with fresh ideas, get them out of my head, and end up starting like 3 different beats instead of working on one. The beauty of creating music is that you can create anything you want, but sometimes not all of that shit will fit into one song. In those cases I end up with 3 or 4 unfinished beats, resulting from trying to start just 1.
What do you like to do on your free time?
I have some pretty dope friends who I love to spend time with as much as possible. I also Dj a little bit, just for fun though at friends parties and shit like that. To be honest it’s kind of hard to think of things I do in my free time that aren’t music related, haha.
Are you working on anything on the moment?
I’m so happy that you asked! I actually AM working on my first EVER beattape/album that drops June 22nd, THIS MONTH!!!! It’s titled ‘excuses’, and it’ll be up for free download, so everyone better get it!
