{"id":13070,"date":"2021-04-29T13:45:57","date_gmt":"2021-04-29T12:45:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/strettoblastercom.stage.site\/?p=13070"},"modified":"2021-06-17T15:00:48","modified_gmt":"2021-06-17T14:00:48","slug":"doctor-zygote-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/strettoblaster.com\/it\/pieces\/doctor-zygote-interview\/","title":{"rendered":"Doctor Zygote: fare dell'inventiva un marchio di fabbrica"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 style=\"text-align: left;\">Doctor Zygote: a journey into sound with Boot Records&#8217; creative architect.<\/h2>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p>If you ask me which has been the most interesting (borderline awe-inspiring, actually) Hip-Hop act that came out on the international scene in the last decade or so, probably the first name I\u2019m gonna say is that of <strong>Strange U<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Does it ring a bell? If not, you either don\u2019t like Hip-Hop or you only follow the charts. Either way, what we are here to discuss today is the musical mastermind behind that project: <strong>Doctor Zygote, <\/strong>o<strong> Dr. Zygote, <\/strong>if you fancy.<\/p>\n<p>These days, among other things, he&#8217;s the counterpart to <strong>King Kashmere&#8217;s<\/strong> lyrical prowess, to put it simply, but there&#8217;s much more than that. The funkiest and most informed of you may probably remember Strange U&#8217;s debut <em>LP4080<\/em> from a couple of years ago, maybe?<\/p>\n<p><iframe style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https:\/\/bandcamp.com\/EmbeddedPlayer\/album=1174385738\/size=large\/bgcol=ffffff\/linkcol=0687f5\/tracklist=false\/artwork=small\/track=3214113728\/transparent=true\/\" seamless=\"\"><a href=\"https:\/\/strangeuniverse.bandcamp.com\/album\/lp4080\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">#LP4080 by Strange U<\/a><\/iframe><br \/>\nAlthough the Doctor&#8217;s name as such is not really well-known outside England (or, to be blunt, it is criminally overlooked, like many other non-American beat-smiths and music producers), his career spans over almost three decades and crosses different genres and styles of music production.<\/p>\n<p>Over the years, the experimentation with different influences and sounds has always been an essential element of his creative process, and distinctive to his sound.<\/p>\n<p>I remember Dr. Zygote first as half of a production duo, alongside his partner <strong>Jazz T<\/strong>. They were part of the underground supergroup <strong>Diversion Tactics<\/strong>: their cult classic debut \u201c<em>Pubs, Drunks And Hip-Hop<\/em>\u201d could be easily considered as one of the UK\u2019s most interesting albums of the early TwoThou&#8217;s.<\/p>\n<div class=\"single-article__video-wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\"title=\"Hug - Complexity Kills - feat. Diversion Tactics\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/n9xLT0sYyeo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>In 1999, he and Jazz T also started a small independent label, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/bootrecords.bandcamp.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Boot Records<\/a><\/strong>, mostly as a vehicle to release their own beats, with several other projects that piled up over the years. Have a look at the label\u2019s catalog to catch a glimpse of what is lurking in the shadows of UK\u2019s Hip Hop &#8211; and check also <strong>Zoot Records<\/strong>, Boot&#8217;s offshoot label. You probably won&#8217;t be surprised to find also some <a href=\"https:\/\/strettoblaster.com\/it\/pieces\/senz-beats-montreal-scene-interview\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Senz Beats<\/a> in their coming catalogue.<\/p>\n<h2>The idea of &#8220;weird&#8221; and &#8220;odd experiments&#8221; in music production: Dr. Zygote&#8217;s recipe.<\/h2>\n<p>Doctor Zygote is one of those producers that remain firmly anchored to his own idea of music, despite everything. He&#8217;s well capable of odd experiments, noodling about sound and vibes, but, as far as I see it, always with a peculiar taste, refusing to pander the cyclical currents of what the taste of the moment offers.<\/p>\n<p>Plus, not only he sometimes dabbles with real instruments, which leads to tracks produced with almost-to-none samples, but under the moniker <strong>The Maghreban<\/strong> he also produces dance music (a glimpse of what he is up to recently could be found <a href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/zygote\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">browsing the Doctor&#8217;s own Soundcloud page<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>In all honesty, I can hardly find something more fit to be called &#8220;<em>weird<\/em>&#8221; than Strange U\u2019s overall atmosphere and soundscapes, with maybe the notable and, in a way, commendatory exception of <strong>Kool Keith<\/strong>. Other than King Kashmere&#8217;s poignant lyrics, the merit is of those uniquely dark-but-grand instrumental sceneries that the Doctor delivers effortlessly.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, as Strange U has recently published two new epic (and somewhat <em>Merovingian<\/em>, let me say) songs on vinyl, a dope double-sided 45 rpm single, we strongly advise you to <a href=\"https:\/\/shop.high-focus.com\/collections\/vinyl\/products\/strange-u-maybe-arm-leg-limited-edition-7-vinyl?variant=39250047434933\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">go get it<\/a>!<\/p>\n<p>Doctor Zygote was so kind to have a brief palaver with us, opening the boxes of his production expertise and musical creativity, so take notes and&#8230;keep experimenting!<\/p>\n<p><iframe style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https:\/\/bandcamp.com\/EmbeddedPlayer\/album=3367196021\/size=large\/bgcol=ffffff\/linkcol=0687f5\/tracklist=false\/artwork=small\/transparent=true\/\" seamless=\"\"><a href=\"https:\/\/strangeuniverse.bandcamp.com\/album\/arm-leg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Arm Leg by Strange U<\/a><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>Hello Dr., thanks for being with us. Let&#8217;s start from the beginning of your musical journey. Can you remember what was your first beat, either sold or placed?\u00a0<\/strong><br \/>\nI cannot remember really! I think maybe the first beat I placed with an emcee who was outside our crew could have been one myself and Jazz T made, and we gave it to Kashmere for a track called &#8220;<em>Drunken Style<\/em>&#8221; on his &#8220;<em>Raiders of the Lost Archives<\/em>&#8221; album.<\/p>\n<div class=\"single-article__video-wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\"title=\"kashmere feat severe &amp; baronsyn back - drunken styles\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/3VRaR1aE4b4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p><strong>How long did it take you to produce something that you were proud of, once you began messing with samplers and machines?<\/strong><br \/>\nI started producing in 1993 and had my first record out in 1994, and I was proud of that. That was a jungle record. So pretty quickly I think, not too long.<\/p>\n<div class=\"single-article__video-wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\"title=\"Ayman - Get Ruff\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/qFD0qNm0PCI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p><strong>What is your favourite production set-up to this day?<\/strong><br \/>\nAt the moment, it&#8217;s Ableton Live as my sampler and sequencer. I&#8217;ve been through many setups: Akai S01 with a Mac running Opcode Easy Vision Sequencer, then upgraded to an Akai S1000, then started using Cakewalk to sequence on a PC, then got an AKAI S5000. Then onto all-in-the-box with Logic 5.5.1 on the PC, Logic on a Mac, and then now Ableton Live. This has to be my favourite. It\u2019s so quick. I\u2019ve got a small desk and a couple of bits of outboard and some synths which all help, but in the main, it&#8217;s all in the box, and sampling.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is the best digging advice, if any, that you&#8217;ve received from someone ever?<\/strong><br \/>\nThe best advice I got from someone else? I guess like a few names of people to check for, from some people who came before me. Like someone passed me a record and said &#8220;Check the drums on this&#8221;, or told me about a particular bass player that was good, to look out for, or a good label. Jazz T showed me a lot early on, and then we learnt a lot together. My advice to someone else would be: &#8220;Listen to the shit, cheap records, there&#8217;s always a sound somewhere&#8221;.<\/p>\n<div class=\"single-article__video-wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\"title=\"Strange U - The Cake is a Lie\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/brq5M4qja08?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p><strong>Is there any producer, in the last 3 months, that made you say: \u201cOh, shit, I have to go back to the lab!\u201d?<\/strong><br \/>\nOn a hip-hop level, I rate Sumgii. I rate <a href=\"https:\/\/strettoblaster.com\/it\/pieces\/beat-butcha-production-specs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Beat Butcha<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is the worst production mistake you&#8217;ve ever made, in your opinion?<\/strong><br \/>\nOvercompressing drums sometimes in the past before I learnt about parallel compression. Sometimes I sucked the life out of my drums that way. Always learning still.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Let&#8217;s get it home: one essential mixing tip from the Doctor, and we&#8217;re off.<\/strong><br \/>\nSee above. Now I mix into a bus compressor &#8220;Glue Compressor&#8221; on Ableton and put a good RMS meter on the master chain so I can see when I am not getting enough dynamics. I try and preserve as much natural dynamics as I can. So, I won\u2019t compress the drums other than the mix bus compressor, unless they need beefing up, in which case I will smash them through parallel compression, and add that in until I get the desired heft.<\/p>\n<div class=\"single-article__video-wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\"title=\"Doctor Zygote - Raga (Black Acre)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/dS8NHRsILGI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__video-wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\"title=\"Strange U - Maybe (OFFICIAL VIDEO)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/wJhjFmQDRjA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__video-wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\"title=\"Serious (feat. Verb T)\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/KqBLEKbxLAs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__video-wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\"title=\"Jehst X Strange U &#039;Dolph Lundgren&#039; (Official Video)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/60uWwgva4kc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Doctor Zygote: a journey into sound with Boot Records&#8217; creative architect.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":13075,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[3368],"class_list":["post-13070","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pieces","tag-production-specs"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/strettoblaster.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13070","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/strettoblaster.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/strettoblaster.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/strettoblaster.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/strettoblaster.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13070"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/strettoblaster.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13070\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13110,"href":"https:\/\/strettoblaster.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13070\/revisions\/13110"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/strettoblaster.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13075"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/strettoblaster.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13070"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/strettoblaster.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13070"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/strettoblaster.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13070"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}