“Sampling will always be a double-edged sword”: Flamingosis talks modern hip-hop production on ‘Better Will Come’Armed with little more than a MacBook, Ableton Live, and a keen ear for infectious grooves to flip, Flamingosis has 12 albums and 10 mixtapes to his name with over 100m total streams.
Since he started making loops on GarageBand at school in 2008, the New Jersey-born producer has been addicted to beatmaking. In the early 2010s, he was a staple artist on the niche online future funk label Keats Collective and soon found immense independent success after his Hey Arnold-sampled beat, Football Head, went viral, literally overnight. “I uploaded it to SoundCloud, went to bed, and woke up later to it doing really well,” he says. “Then a day later, a friend texted me saying ‘Yo, your beat is on the front page of Reddit.’ It was crazy.”
The secret to the Brooklyn-based producer’s underground success? “I just keep going — just keep making music and uploading…During the early SoundCloud days, it felt like I was putting out 80 beats a year or something think I was putting out 80 beats a year or something.”
Now, over a decade since his debut album, Aaron Velasquez AKA Flamingosis has released Better Will Come. The LP explores themes of self-love and is, as expected, brimming with playful chops of old-school funk and soul sounds, loose and phat drum beats, and even an appearance from improv master, Marc Rebillet AKA Loop Daddy.
Better Will Come by Flamingosis
We meet with the supremely chilled-out producer right after his first-ever show in London at the prestigious Camden venue, The Jazz Cafe, to learn how Flamingosis is evolving.
Oh, the name? Flamingosis was the name of a freestyle frisbee move his dad invented in the 80s. It’s totally on-brand.
Flamingosis: “I try to implement the frisbee aesthetic into every album just because of how it relates to my family’s history. Because the Flamingosis move is a reverse spinning catch on one leg — that’s how you catch the frisbee — and while you’re on one leg catching the frisbee, it’s supposed to look like you’re a flamingo.
MT: There’s definitely a strong aesthetic to Flamingosis. Every project has that element of nostalgia, with 80s-style artwork and samples, but also with a contemporary edge.
Flamingosis: “Yeah, it’s always been predominantly funk, soul and groove music, but I try to have it be a little bit more peculiar sounding. And that’s just from listening to records and bands that were a little bit more obscure, or just from different countries, where you can tell the funk just sounds different.”
It sounds like you’ve mixed samples and recorded live instruments in a studio for Better Will Come, compared to the strictly sample approach in your earlier works…
“Right — I worked with a handful of session musicians for this album and [2021’s album] Daymaker. So instead of sampling stuff, I work with the musicians amd we make more original compositions from scratch, or almost like an interpolated composition of psat samples, but so it sounds different and its own thing. And then when we record that, I’ll get the stems of guitar, bass, drums, piano, et cetera. And then I chop it, as if it’s a sample, and arrange it.”
Flamingosis
“I’m also combining the studio session instruments with a sample, where they’re both playing at once or there’s one section. Like there’s one section where it’s just the studio session instruments and then it transitions into the sample, the sample and then a transition into the sample and the session. Yeah, instruments all at once.
How did Marc Rebillet fit into this? Was it an online collaboration for Feel Yourself or did you manage to get into the studio?
“Well, I caught Marc at a good time to work on the track [Feel Yourself]. Because he’s a very, very busy guy. But, yeah, this happened in 2022. He’s been working on his solo album, which isn’t out yet, and he was doing some studio sessions in Brooklyn and [producer and Flamingosis collaborator] The Kount is helping record and arrange and produce everything for his album. So, during that time, The Kount hit me up and told me what they were doing. They said I could come through if I wanted to.
“It was a really interesting recording session because they invited fans to come and see the recording process. And they brought a bartender to serve drinks to the fans as they watched it unfold. I haven’t seen anything like that [laughs] — it was kind of like a party.
Then after those sessions were done I said to Marc, ‘Hey, I’m working on something myself, would you like to be a part of it?’ And he said yes so we found a date and recorded in person. We didn’t have a lot of time — like I said, he’s a busy guy. He only had maybe a couple hours, so we really had to come up with an idea quickly.
“I showed him some ideas, plus a beat I started working maybe like, an hour before going to the studio. And he liked that the most. So we’re like, ‘Okay, just sing whatever!’ Improvisation is his thing, so I told him the whole theme of the album and he got the gist of that in the lyrics. And he’s basically singing the hook a hook. But it worked, I think.”

Wow, an hour before? How long do you usually take to put a track together?
“Some tracks I get the idea of what I want to make very quickly and it all flows very easily — how I want to loop everything, arrange it, how I want to add the effects, the drums, all that. And then I just export it, and then I never go back to it again. But then there are others where it just feels more difficult. It usually still works out in the end but just takes more time, maybe weeks.
“Sometimes it just doesn’t work in that moment in time. Sometimes you just push through it, and then it just starts sounding good, but then there’s other times where a few days later, you go back to it, and then it works. Or sometimes if it doesn’t work, you just take everything out. And then just start from the beginning.”
Do you have many moments where you find a sample or an idea that doesn’t work at all, but you revisit it, like, a year or so later and figure it out?
“Oh, absolutely. One of the tracks on Better Will Come, was exactly like that. I think I came back to it maybe two years later. It was just one of those little loops where there was definitely something there but the way I had to chop it up and rearrange everything was just very intense and time-consuming. And I feel if it’s that intense and time-consuming. I can’t be lackadaisical; I have to be very focused.”
“But I try to not hold onto things for too long. A lot of people hold on to music for too long and then time passes and it’s still not out and…
Then it hangs around in this untouched folder for years, right?
“Yeah. And I still have some tracks that I made years ago that are still not out. But I also have a big output of other stuff that I just put out. Especially during the early SoundCloud days, I think I was putting out 80 beats a year or something.”
Flamingosis performing
You still upload to SoundCloud pretty often. Is it still a good place for you to connect with your audience?
“There’s definitely an audience on there, but the majority moved to other streaming services. I also feel like the bigger artists are just more embedded in the SoundCloud algorithm.
It feels like peak SoundCloud was a special time for music producers. I remember tales of artists like DJ Boring uploading a track, going to sleep, waking up and it’s gone viral
“That is exactly what happened to me with Football Head.
“ I spent a few hours on it and then, right after I finished it, I uploaded it. And then I went to bed. And when I woke up later, it was doing really well. Then a day later, a friend texted me saying ‘Yo, your beat is on the front page of Reddit.’ It was crazy. I remember when Kaytranada told the story of when he uploaded that Janet Jackson – If remix — it was a similar thing.”

Football Head is still going strong, too. It’s got 13 million views on one YouTube video. What made you want to flip the Hey Arnold soundtrack?
“I always remembered the Hey Arnold music being really good but what brought me back to that track was a post on Facebook by the rapper/producer, Jonwayne. He posted the original song Groove Remote by Jim Lang. He posted it on his page and he said And then I remember listening to it thinking ‘Has anyone has anyone made a hip-hop beat out of this?’ I just felt like I had to do it before someone else did. I think that’s why I put out so quickly.”
Do you run into many clearance issues when using more obscure samples?
“Oh, man. I don’t want to get too into it. But at this point [in my career], sampling will always be a double-edged sword. Eventually, later down the line [after a track’s released], people will reach out and say, ‘Hey, we heard our artist’s song in your track. We got to work something out,’ which is fine. But a lot of people always say ‘Why isn’t this track on Spotify and all platforms?’ I just want to reply like, ‘Hey, if you want to clear the sample I can go ahead and put it up.’ [laughs].
Was it a new challenge to integrate the live session recordings into this album?
“Yeah, there’s a couple of tracks where it just took me a while to figure out how I’m gonna arrange it [in a way] that would be effective. It felt like a really complicated puzzle. I mean, Ableton can feel like that sometimes — just a puzzle.”
Flamingosis. Image: Jack McKain
So you’re pretty much just on Ableton — are you using any other software?
It’s just all in Ableton and I just use the default stuff. Honestly, those stock sound instruments are not bad at all. Also, all the stock effects and stock mastering presets are all good yeah to me. It all gets the job done and that’s what I’ve been using for years.
The most important thing is creating a solid idea, arranging it so it has a beginning, middle and end — so I feel like the track tells some sort of story — and then making sure all the levels sound good to me. And if it feels good. Maybe technically, it doesn’t sound super polished or whatever but if it feels good, and it sounds cohesive, and it makes me feel a certain powerful way.”
Is there anything you wish you’d told yourself as a producer when you first started?
“Yeah, just make the music that you want to hear, first and foremost — it’s okay to make stuff that other people want to hear but make sure that you also want to hear it. And just keep putting out music. Don’t hold on to it for too long. And if you are holding on to something to save for later, work on other stuff to put out immediately because, life is like…we don’t got a lot of time, you know?”
Check out Flamingosis’ catalogue at Bandcamp.
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity. 
The post “Sampling will always be a double-edged sword”: Flamingosis talks modern hip-hop production on ‘Better Will Come’ appeared first on MusicTech.

In 2024, many Y Combinator startups only want tiny seed rounds — but there’s a catchWhen Bowery Capital general partner Loren Straub started talking to a startup from the latest Y Combinator accelerator batch a few months ago, she thought it was strange that the company didn’t have a lead investor for the round it was raising. Even stranger, the founders didn’t seem to be looking for one. She thought […]
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Complete Access is going live!You're invited to the first Complete Access live stream on Thursday 13th June (9 - 11am PST / 5 - 7pm UK)

On Thursday 13th June at 9am PST (5pm UK time), Slate Digital team members, Chad Carrier and Kevin Dorsey, will be hosting a live event, where they will show you they use plug-ins in the Complete Access bundle in their mixing and mastering sessions.

After the two-hour session there will also be a Q&A where you can ask questions and interact with the ever-growing Complete Access community.

The live event is FREE to sign up to and you do not have to be an active subscriber to attend.

What are you waiting for?

RSVP your place on the button below:

SIGN UP HEREThe post Complete Access is going live! first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

MNTRA Instruments Releases FREE Reson Modular Synth Library
MNTRA Instruments have released a new free modular synth sample library called Reson, which runs in their free MNDALA sampler. MNTRA Instruments have many sample libraries in their arsenal. They cover a wide range of styles with a common thread of sound design to create new sounds out of existing instruments. Some of their sample [...]
View post: MNTRA Instruments Releases FREE Reson Modular Synth Library

The IBM PC: Brainchild of a MisfitWe’ve read a number of histories of the IBM PC and lived through that time, too. But we enjoyed [Gareth Edwards’] perspective in a post entitled The Misfit who Built the IBM PC. The titular character is Don Estridge, a decidedly atypical IBM employee who was instrumental in creating the personal computer market as we know it.
It’s not that IBM invented the personal computer — far from it. But the birth of the PC brought personal computers to the mainstream, especially in offices, and — much to IBM’s chagrin — opened up the market for people to make add-on cards for printers, videos, and other accessories.
IBM was a computer juggernaut in the late 1970s. Its divisions were the size of other companies, and some have compared it to a collection of mafia families. The company was heavily invested in big computers, and management was convinced that personal computing was, at most, an avenue to video games and most likely a fad.
Known as a conservative company, the PC project drew from a number of corporate misfits who had been technically successful but often punished for coloring outside the lines. They developed a prototype. The post quotes one of the people involved as saying, “The system would do two things. It would draw an absolutely beautiful picture of a nude lady, and it would show a picture of a rocket ship blasting off the screen. We decided to show the Management Committee the rocket ship.” Wise choice.
That’s just the kind of tidbit in this post, and if you have any interest in computer history of the 1980s, you’ll definitely want to check it out. Estridge died in 1985, so he didn’t get to see much of the result of the market he opened up. Of course, there were many other players who appear in this story. The PC has many parents, as you might expect.
We’ve done our own recounting of this story. However, we tend to obsess more over the internals.

Kendrick Lamar is working on new music, producer Terrace Martin saysAfter a heated exchange of diss tracks with Drake last month, Kendrick Lamar‘s creative juices have continued flowing if the testimony of producer Terrace Martin is anything to go by.

READ MORE: Metro Boomin invites rappers to jump on beat mocking Drake

The update came when Martin responded to a fan’s comment on his Instagram Story, which predicted “the West Coast is about to return to the Mecca of Hip Hop”.
“We always been the Mecca, bro,” he wrote. “We take a little break sometimes. We gotta take breaks to let the other people have a little bit. We back, though.”
Martin went on to detail some other upcoming rap records that he’s excited about.

#TerraceMartin says he is super excited for #RoddyRicch and #KendrickLamar’s albums on his Instagram Live!
Possible Roddy Ricch x Kendrick Lamar collab finally happening #THENAVYALBUM LOADING…
(via @terracemartin on Instagram) pic.twitter.com/Ais4Kh8bJW
— RICCHSZN (@ricchszn) June 4, 2024

“Let me tell y’all the records I’m excited for. I’m excited for YG’s album, I’m excited for Mustard’s album,” said Martin. “I’m excited for a lot of people, but there’s two albums, I’m going crazy, I can’t wait ’til they drop — Roddy Ricch album and whenever Kendrick drops his album, I’m excited for those two. Those two Compton artists is like, I’m excited. So much shit bubbling, you know?”
The album Lamar is reportedly working on is the follow-up to 2022’s Mr Morale and the Big Steppers. 
In other news, following Lamar’s beef with Drake, Metro Boomin invited rappers to jump in on the action with a spicy “BBL Drizzy Beat Giveaway”.
Sharing the Soundcloud link to his version of BBL Drizzy (sampling a track by comedian and AI storyteller King Willonius), Metro announced on X: “Best verse over this gets a free beat. Just upload your song and hashtag #bbldrizzybeatgiveaway.”
The post Kendrick Lamar is working on new music, producer Terrace Martin says appeared first on MusicTech.

From price hikes at Spotify to Warner’s major new hire… it’s MBW’s Weekly Round-UpThe five biggest stories to hit our headlines over the past seven days…
Source

TIDAL is now available directly on Bang & Olufsen audio devicesDanish high-end audio brand Bang & Olufsen has joined forces with TIDAL to provide customers with a new hi-res listening experience.
TIDAL positions itself in the streaming market as a provider of high-resolution lossless audio, which in tandem with Bang & Olufsen’s luxury speaker catalogue, will make for an enticing prospect for hardcore audio enthusiasts.

READ MORE: Bang & Olufsen is selling a CD player for $55,000

From today, TIDAL’s library is now fully integrated into the Bang & Olufsen app. Bang & Olufsen customers can now explore TIDAL’s high-res music catalogue and play tracks through their speakers.
“TIDAL is delighted to partner with Bang & Olufsen who share a legacy in giving fans music experiences with best-in-class sound”, says Dan Murphy, SVP of Partnerships and Business Development at TIDAL. “We understand the importance of sound quality for both artists and listeners and are excited to now make TIDAL easier to access in the Bang & Olufsen app.”
“With the partnership, we are merging the best audio formats from TIDAL with high-end sound systems from Bang & Olufsen,” adds Christoffer Poulsen, SVP of Business Development & Brand Partnering at Bang & Olufsen. “We strive to bring the best music experiences to our customers, and the sound quality of music streaming is imperative to that journey.”
Development teams have strived to make the wireless functionality as lossless as possible, with further functionality and updates coming down the line.
If customers are overwhelmed by the sudden influx of tracks, editorial specialists at TIDAL have also curated a selection of exclusive playlists for the Bang & Olufsen app.
The post TIDAL is now available directly on Bang & Olufsen audio devices appeared first on MusicTech.

DJs on Twitch can now split revenue with record labelsLivestreaming platform Twitch has announced a new programme for DJs that will enable them to use copyrighted music in their streams in exchange for a fee.
The new development has been expected for a while, with CEO Dan Clancy saying in April that DJs using Twitch would soon have to share their revenue with labels, but the platform would be helping to split the cost.

READ MORE: 76% of aspiring artists say a career in music is unsustainable

To make this happen, Twitch has signed deals with major labels including Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, and Sony Music as well as “hundreds” of independent labels.
Launching this summer, streamers will pay a percentage of their earnings from a stream to rights holders, but the amount will vary slightly depending on which monetisation methods streamers use. Twitch will split the cost with them 50/50 but to start with, the platform will cover “more of the cost”.

Attention DJs on Twitch!
We're launching a new DJ Program that will let you stream the vast majority of popular music in a new DJ Category launching later this summer.
Made possible by a first-of-its-kind partnership with hundreds of companies, including all major… pic.twitter.com/qblcnS7BTR
— Twitch (@Twitch) June 6, 2024

Some DJs can access a one-year subsidy paid for by the platform that covers the difference between their earnings and money paid to labels and artists. DJs who don’t monetise on Twitch won’t need to pay fees.
“DJs often build upon and leverage pre-recorded music from other artists as a critical part of their creative expression,” the company wrote in a blog post. “However, when streaming pre-recorded music over the internet, there are a variety of copyright issues that need to be considered that vary across regions.”
Until now, DJs have been left on their own when it comes to handling any copyright problems that have cropped up while they’ve been steaming on Twitch. Indeed, some Twitch DJs have said they’ve faced an influx of DMCA takedowns. While they’ve been negotiating with labels, the company says it’s been “mitigating” the risks of takedowns.
“It’s crucial that DJs understand the status quo on Twitch was not sustainable, and any viable future for the community required we find a solution,” Twitch said in the blog post.
The changes won’t apply to other types of content like video on demand and highlights, which are covered by a different set of rights than livestreamed content.
For more information, head over to Twitch.
The post DJs on Twitch can now split revenue with record labels appeared first on MusicTech.

DJs can stream legally on Twitch under new ‘pay-to-play’ label dealsTwitch's long-standing music licensing dispute over DJs spinning on the platform has been resolved thanks to new deals between the live streamer and UMG, Sony, WMG, and Merlin.....
The post DJs can stream legally on Twitch under new ‘pay-to-play’ label deals appeared first on Hypebot.

What is Tracklib? A look inside the pioneering music sample serviceFACT: 20% of songs on Billboard 100 contain samples. But where do they come from and how can they be used legally? Andreas Ahlenius from Tracklib joins Michael Brandvold and Jay Gilbert on the Music Biz Weekly podcast to discuss.....
The post What is Tracklib? A look inside the pioneering music sample service appeared first on Hypebot.

ASM reveal HydraSynth Silver Edition To celebrate the HydraSynth's fifth anniversary, ASM have announced the upcoming launch of Silver Edition versions of the 49- and 73-note versions.

5 tips for introverts looking to nail music networking eventsNetworking is crucial in the music industry, but it doesn’t come easy to everyone. Here are a few tips to help any introvert plan to impress people. by Chris Robley. Continue reading
The post 5 tips for introverts looking to nail music networking events appeared first on Hypebot.

Abletunes Analog Drums is a FREE Virtual Drum Rack for Ableton Live
Abletunes released Analog Drums, a free virtual drum rack for Ableton Live.  Analog Drums is an Ableton Live native release compatible with all editions of Ableton Live 11 or newer, including Intro, Standard and Suite. Abletunes states, “Analog Drums sets a new standard for drum racks, delivering a complete analog-style drum machine experience right inside [...]
View post: Abletunes Analog Drums is a FREE Virtual Drum Rack for Ableton Live

76% of aspiring artists say a career in music is unsustainableA new study has shown that 76% of new artists feel their career in music is unsustainable. The findings come after a series of comments by Spotify CEO Daniel Ek, in which he compared the music industry to professional football – saying only a few will be able to turn it into a career.
Part of Toolroom Academy’s report From Mix to Mainstage – The Blueprint for Emerging Electronic Artists [via Mixmag], the study aims to “identify and understand the barriers that emerging artists face and provide actionable strategies for overcoming these challenges, ultimately paving the way for sustainable careers in the industry”.

READ MORE: Serato promises “versatility and creativity” with new upgrades for DJ Pro 3.2.0

The study saw 250 up-and-coming artists surveyed, and interviewed more established artists, too.
These subjects were asked about what they felt were their personal, professional and financial barriers to success within the music industry. Key takeaways included that 50% of artists struggle with self-confidence, and 82% said they rely on jobs outside of the music industry to sustain themselves. Of these 56% work in said job in a full-time capacity, and 26% part-time.
The report concludes that “there is a significant gap between talent and recognition”, and Toolroom Academy subsequently announced the launch of its new Artist Development Masterclass, a 12-month programme which will help artists “create a complete business plan”, spanning topics including music law and networking.
In another blow to aspiring career musicians, Daniel Ek earlier this week said the cost of creating content in 2024 is “close to zero”, prompting swift and widespread outrage from the internet.
You can view the full report or find out more about the Artist Development Masterclass at Toolroom Academy.
The post 76% of aspiring artists say a career in music is unsustainable appeared first on MusicTech.