T. Austin Reed - SystemCulture.org

Below is an email interview and review with T. Austin Reed. All interviews are published unedited and first appeared on SystemCulture.org

If you have visited SystemCulture.org before, you will have gathered by now, we are partial to analog synth pulses. These tracks are... it is early morning here and the mist is rolling in off the sea, enveloping the sand, the luscious damp hills and the rooftops below. We are being wrapped gently in a cloud like blanket. 'Let Go'.

• I really love your tracks - how did you get into making music?

ONE DAY, MY FRIEND, A.J., AND I WERE GOOFIN' OFF IN HIS ROOM WITH A SAMPLE LOOP FROM A 95-SOUTH SONG AND A YAMAHA KEYBOARD. WE RECORDED THE JAM SESSION ON TAPE, WHICH I USED TO AUDITION MY WAY INTO MY FIRST INDIE RECORD LABEL, F.L.A. RECORDS. THAT'S PRETTY MUCH HOW MY LIFE AS A PRODUCER BEGAN...

• How would you describe the type of music you create?

DON'T. I JUST LET GOD BE THE PRODUCER WHILE HE LET'S ME BE HIS INSTRUMENT. WHATEVER TYPE OF MUSIC COMES OUT AFTERWARDS...WELL, I LEAVE THAT TO THE GENRE CREATORS TO DECIDE. THERE ARE SO MANY MUSIC GENRES BEING GENERATED OUT THERE NOWADAYS THAT I GET MIGRAINES EVERY TIME I SCROLL THROUGH THE A-Z's OF MUSIC TYPES. I FIGURE, "WHY EVEN BOTHER?"

• What are your future plans - releases, live work?

CURRENTLY, I'M WORKING ON NEGOTIATING SHOW DATES FOR A FEW VENUES IN ANCHORAGE, ALASKA. AS WELL, I'M IN POST-PRODUCTION WITH MY DEBUT ALBUM, "THE 3 A.M. SESSIONS," A COLLECTIVE OF SONGS I'VE DONE OVER THE PAST 8 YEARS. I'M ALSO COLLABORATING ON PROJECTS WITH A FEW AWESOME LOCAL ARTISTS IN THE ORLANDO AREA (CORROSIVE, 949, WAX MURDERERZ, LETHALITY SCALE, AND CMONGROOVES) AND ALSO WITH JEFF STODDARD OF ROUGHHAUSEN, WHO WILL BE DOING A REMIX ON ONE OF MY SONGS, ENTITLED "A SLAVE LIKE YOU."

• Who has been the most inspirational person for you?

TWO PEOPLE, REALLY. AS A PRODUCER...ONE OF MY BEST FRIENDS, AJA LORRAINE. EVERY TIME WE'VE GOTTEN IN THE STUDIO TOGETHER, THE CHEMISTRY HAS BEEN EXPLOSIVE TO THE POINT OF ME GETTING CHILLS AND FEELING LIKE I'VE TAKEN A HIT OF ECSTASY. NOBODY ELSE HAS EVER MADE ME FEEL SO AMPED AS A PRODUCER. NOT ONLY THAT, BUT OUT OF EVERYONE I WAS SURROUNDED BY, SHE WAS THE ONLY PERSON TO REALLY ENCOURAGE ME TO KEEP PUMPING OUT WHAT SHE CONSIDERED "MY CRAZY ASS, DARK, VAMPIRE MUSIC..."

AS A TEACHER...MY LI'L BROTHER, CALVIN "BIG BOSS CD" DURAND. HE INSPIRED ME TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE MECHANICS OF PRODUCTION AND ENGINEERING SO THAT I COULD TEACH NOT ONLY HIM, BUT ANY OTHER HUNGRY ARTIST THAT HAS THE DESIRE TO LEARN HOW TO PRODUCE MUSIC ON THEIR OWN. THERE'S NO GREATER REWARD THAN GIVING BACK GIFTS THAT I'VE BEEN GIVEN...

• What comes first when you create a track, the words or music?

THE MUSIC, BABY...THE MUSIC...

• How does boxing fit in?

IT DOESN'T. NOT ANYMORE. UNFORTUNATELY, A JOB-RELATED INJURY PUT AN END TO MY CAREER...BUT IF YOU EVER WANNA GET BEAT UP BY A GIRL, LEMME KNOW!!! I HAVE A HELLACIOUS LEFT HOOK THAT'LL PUT YOU RIGHT TO SLEEP, NO PROBLEM!!! 8)

Questions by This Window

These are beautifully produced tracks, the fragile vocals (sometimes like whispers) purr and seduce.

Our house is completely swathed in an ethereal fog and the seagulls are calling over 'Dragons I Have Slain'. This is the beginnings of a great day.

T. Austin Reed said:

Though T. Austin Reed's roots stem from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the essence of her music often features diversities of a worldwide flavor. From Electronica to Dark Wave to Hip-Hop, R&B and Rock, this Producer/Artist/Performer refuses to limit her creative ability within the confines of any one particular genre. She'll be quick to say, "I don't live in a box. Neither does my music." With the exception of brief training in classical piano by Monette Sudler and the late John Gilmore (of Sun Ra and His Arkestra), T. Austin is a self-taught composer who loves to defy stereotypical images that have overshadowed females within the Music Industry.

"I used to watch guys come into studios and walk past me like I didn't exist," she'll admit. "Some even thought I was just another studio whore. But after I'd get pointed out as being a producer, I could see their attitudes change...And so would mine. I never enjoyed moments like those, but they happened all the time. Not anymore."

Current projects include collaborations with 949, Aja Lorraine, Ty Showers, Wax Murdererz, Ladder, and Jay Sparxx. Stay tuned. This is only the beginning...

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