Phoniks is a hip-hop producer from Portland, Maine known for his vintage-90's boom bap production style and melodic jazz and soul samples. The 23-year old producer released the critically acclaimed "Return to the Golden Era" album with emcee Awon in 2013 as well as a series of 4 remix tapes from 2011-2014. He has been featured in publications such as Respect Magazine, The Find Mag, The Word Is Bond, 2DopeBoyz, DJBooth.net, and The Source.
OK-Tho:
What is your first remembrance of Hip Hop?
Phoniks:
Listening to "Liquid Swords" on the school bus in the 7th or 8th grade. That wasn't my first time hearing hip hop or anything, but that memory sticks in my head for some reason.
OK-Tho:
Did you first start out as a producer or did you ever take a stab at rhyming?
Phoniks:
I've always been a producer. I was never really motivated to write songs, like I never felt like I had much to say and there's already too many people rapping without saying anything. I released one track earlier this year that I produced and rhymed on called "Season's Change".
OK-Tho:
Was there anyone that got you into producing or was it something you took up on your own?
Phoniks:
I really took it up on my own. When I first realized that artists were sampling beats from old jazz and soul records and not playing all the instruments themselves I became really intrigued by the process and began to seek out as much information as I could on hip hop production and sampling. It wasn't like I had an older brother or friend who makes beats that took me under their wing or anything like that.
OK-Tho:
You're obviously influenced by DJ Premier and that 90's era of music. What other producers have inspired you to make the type of beat you do?
Phoniks:
Pete Rock, Buckwild, Lord Finesse, Godfather Don, Damu The Fudgemunk to name a few.
OK-Tho:
What was your first beat machine you used to make beats?
Phoniks:
At first I had one of those Korg PadKontrol midi controllers for Reason. Then I moved to the MPC 2000 and now I'm coming off the Maschine.
OK-Tho:
Do you remember the first beat you ever made? If so have you ever used it for something? If not would you ever use it?
Phoniks:
Yeah I do because it was pretty dope, the first beat I ever made came out dope. Then I made a bunch of weak stuff after that before I started to figure things out, but I can remember the sample and everything. I went on to sample the same track for that single "Escaping Youth" with Awon, but I flipped it a little differently.
OK-Tho:
You first started out releasing remixes to industry tracks and instrumentals, was it hard trying to link up with cats to produced for?
Phoniks:
I didn't think I was good enough to produce for anyone for a long time. Being from Maine and not having any connections I never even really considered working with rappers.
OK:
Portland isn't really known for its Hip Hop artists. What was the local scene like when you got into producing? Is it more of a main stream or underground sound?
Phoniks:
For the record I'm from Portland, MAINE. A lot of people think I'm from the west coast when people just say "Portland". There is a very small underground scene here and I'm not really involved in it, honestly.
OK:
2013 saw your first official project with original work collabing with the talented VA spitter Awon. How did you guys link up and decide to make a project together?
Phoniks:
I hit him with an e-mail with some links to my remix albums and he loved the beats. He works so quickly and I was so eager to work on production that we cranked out that album in under a month just sending each other tracks every day. It was dope!
OK:
Did you guys work physically together or was it an online thing?
Phoniks:
It was all online. We did "Return to the Golden Era" and "Dephacation" via email without ever meeting in person. I just went down to Virginia last weekend and we finally met for the first time and began recording our follow-up to "Golden Era".
OK:
Dope!! can't wait for that. At this point in your career, do you feel like your production is almost perfected or is it still in a learning process?
Phoniks:
It's still a process, but I think my signature sound is well defined. Some new artists can be described as "searching for their sound" but I think I have comfortably defined my style. I will always continue to grow and expand and I want to begin incorporating more live instrumentation into my production going forward.
OK:
If you could work with one producer in the studio to teach you, who would that be and why?
Phoniks:
Dead or alive it would have to be Dilla. Living it would be either Pete Rock or Q-Tip.
OK:
What artists today do you find yourself listening to?
Phoniks:
I'm always listening to older hip-hop, there's tons of classic albums I still haven't heard yet so I can keep digging in that era forever. As far as newer stuff that's dropped this year I've been listening to Joey Bada$$, Statik Selektah, the Jazz Spastiks, Soul Chef, Damu, Dex Amora, Swerve, Anti-Lilly and a few other cats. I really don't check for that much new hip hop, honestly. I can't fuck with 90% of the stuff that comes out.
OK:
I Hear that! So after "Return To The Golden Era" you got up with Anti-Lilly to put out "Stories From The Brass Section", was the reception of that project just as good or better then the one with Awon?
Phoniks:
Yeah, it was great. I've seen more than a couple blogs mention it among the best albums of the year just like they were doing with "Golden Era". The album reached a lot of people all over the world because we chose to go the "pay what you want" route. We also have plans to press up "Brass Section" on wax, it should be dropping through Sergent Records sometime in October.
OK:
Give me 5 classic albums from start to finish?
Phoniks:
Everyone usually gives you the same "Illmatic", "Reasonable Doubt", etc. here so here's 5 underground classics:
Binary Star - "Masters of the Universe"
Da Grassroots - "Passage Through Time"
Mood - "Doom"
INI - "Center of Attention"
Typical Cats - "Typical Cats"
OK:
I'm gonna have to applaud you on that one homie. Probably never would I see Mood or Da Grassroots on anyone's list, Binary Star I can see. Now what artists do you find yourself wanting to work with as of now?
Phoniks:
Off the top of my head I'd like to do a track with One Be Lo, Blu, and Masta Ace.
OK:
I see you're a jazz fan, name some jazz artists that you like to listen to?
Phoniks:
Cal Tjader, Ahmad Jamal, Wes Montgomery, John Klemmer, George Benson, Ronnie Laws
OK:
I love Ahmad Jamal myslef. Are you into vinyl sampling or does it not matter how you sample?
Phoniks:
I'd prefer to sample from vinyl, but I do both. There are not many record stores around me so I have to order online a lot. It can get expensive.
OK:
Do you play any instruments?
Phoniks:
I used to play guitar, I'd like to learn to play the piano eventually.
OK:
Is there anything you wish you would have done in the past or are you satisfied as to how your career has come about?
Phoniks:
Well a year ago music wasn't even something I took seriously, it was just a hobby and something that I did in my spare time. If you told me back then that a year from now I'd have 3 million plays and be making music for a living I would have called you crazy. So no, I have no regrets with how everything has gone thus far, I can only be thankful for the opportunities I've been given.
OK:
What do you have planned for the future, including projects collabs etc?
Phoniks:
I'm working on a follow-up to "Return to the Golden Era" with Awon, we were in the studio working on it last weekend and expect the album to be out sometime in 2015. I'm also working on a solo album with Dephlow and have a couple tracks on Anti-Lilly's new project dropping in September. Also have stuff in the works with Swerve, the 49ers, Nieve, Raw Poetic, Priest, and others so I'll make sure to steady stream of releases coming throughout the next year.
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