ColDrip Interview - Transforming Samples

Meet ColDrip, a Melbourne producer and sound engineer, who is now residing in Berlin. We had a chat to ColDrip about his history with music, moving overseas, and how he creates his sensuous productions through transforming samples.

Futuremag Music: Could you talk us through your relationship with music over the years? How did you move into production? 

ColDrip: My father is a musician, so as I was growing up I was exposed to a lot of different genres and was able to experiment with all kinds of instruments as a kid. I found that drums were something that was right up my alley and at age twelve, my dad bought me my first drum kit for my birthday. I would practice a lot after school and attend lessons over the weekend but I never joined a band as I was too nervous about playing in front of people, So I mainly just enjoyed playing by myself.  

At age 16 I discovered an artist like Nujabes, Madlib, J Dilla, flying lotus and MF doom and immediately got hooked to their music. I thought the style was really cool and different from Mainstream hip-hop as some of the tracks were just beats with no vocals in them whatsoever. It was only 2 years ago that I started making beats and as a drummer, it goes hand in hand with beat making, as the flow of the beat can be determined how the drums are laid out.

Futuremag Music: Can you tell us about your move to overseas? What similarities and differences are there between the Australian music scene and where you're located now?

ColDrip: I was actually doing a tour in Japan with my crew Lab Co for 2 weeks and then after I flew over to Amsterdam for 3 months to work at a record label as a sound engineer. After the work finished I took a bus over to Berlin and basically out of impulse decided to stay and live in Berlin, I wanted to see what I could do here and see what opportunities this city has for me and my music. Berlin and Melbourne have similarities in a sense that there is always something on, such as a gig or exhibition but the difference is that Berlin itself is a much larger city than Melbourne and has a larger range of venues for potential shows. 

Futuremag Music: What are your processes when it comes to producing and remixing tracks? How do you find and select samples and implement them into a track?

ColDrip: I use my MPC1000, Sp-404sx and sp303 Dr sample to create/remix music. My main sounds I enjoy sampling is Jazz and Soul records, so I would go to thrift stores and dig through the one dollar record bin to find the right sample to chop up on my MPC.

Futuremag Music: You're known for your beats and instrumentals. Why did you move down this path, rather than the traditional producer road?

ColDrip: For me creating sample-based instrumentals is really enjoyable. I like creating a new sound from what the sample originally is and the process of doing so is very satisfying to me.

Futuremag Music: If 'ColDrip' was a cocktail, what would be in it to best describe yourself and your music?

ColDrip: A nice warm drink with a kick to it.