Today HHHeadz took the time to interview Clipper G a producer from
Fuengirola, Spain. Recently he worked on a project with UK mc
Ryz Hope titled "Conexión Primera".Clipper G has a good ear for finding ill samples & has a second instrumental release out titled "Italian Job Beat Tape". We also take a exclusive look into a upcoming release.
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It's dope to be able to get to know the producer Clipper G. I've noticed a theme in your releases of soul covers, music scores
& Pino Mauro. Are these strong influences in your sound & style?"The pleasure is mine! Yes of course, I'm always looking for good samples from great artists like them. I have to say the napolitan artist Pino Muro has a lot of good samples to dig on. The Ballads are really melodic & powerfull.
With the soul samples, there are a lot of good artists froms the 70's & also nowadays, its all about the dig.
Why are you drawn to Pino Mauro?"Beacause I found by coincidence some good stuff from him & i started to sample those jewels."
Are you into Spaghetti Western scores from that period?
"HaHa, not really. But i also dig on some Ennio Morricone themes like 'The Good the Bad and the Ugly'"
Is there much inspiration generated from living in Fuengirold, Spain that draws you to this type of music to sample or is it something you dig up online?
"I always dig online, but there is also small vinyl shops here in my city. Sometimes i look for good music there when my pocket allows me hahaha. The good weather here also inspires me its always nice out here.
But there isn't that Hip-Hop culture that you can see in other cities. It's something that the local artists from here (there are a few) Must work on, We support each other."
As a producer what would be the city you would like to travel to the most in order to soak up the culture your drawn to the most?
"I would love to travel to NYC when things get better. I will be traveling out there to search for good music."
You tell us that you use a Maschine Mikro Mk2 to produce with, when did you start using this? Was there anything before the Maschine you ever used?
"Yes I use a Maschine Mikro Mk2 from Native Instruments. I bought it in 2012 but i had a 32bit PC (small one) with FL Studio, that's what i started from.
But I didn't use my Maschine until 2015 when i bought a better PC, so then i started to sample some Soul songs from the 70's"
How do you approach starting a beat, some artists are particular in their settings before they start, is there anything interesting about your approach you can tell us about?
"I always listen to the entire song I want to sample, because it could appear some interesting parts of the songs. I record the sample with Audacity Software, then i export it to Maschine & I make the samples.
The I select which sample I want to chop, so i work that way."
What does your studio look like right now, can you describe it to us?
"My studio is a humble home studio, I have my PC, the Maschine & two speakers (Trust PC speakers). But i recently bought an external sound card with another two studio speakers & a microphone, so I'm able to record some local artists out here."
It's always good to have that mic handy, you never know what can happen when your recording. Do you have a good group of artists in your area that come past?
Have you worked with many Spanish rappers?
"I've only worked with three Spanish guys at the moment, I have two projects with two of them that are in process. Here In the Fuengirola I know some groups of that are working on good trap music but not on Hip-Hop, but anyway their stuff is really good & professionally made."
We recently featured the album you produced with UK rapper Ryz Hope from London. Your beats here sound a lot more polished & mature than your loosies on soundcloud, was your approach to this project different to your solo efforts on soundcloud?
"Maybe that's why Ryz Hope knows how to mix & master the songs. He mixed & mastered all the album, I've only made the beats out there. My sound is humble lol, there aren't different intentions out here, I upload what I like to upload."
What can we expect in the future from Clipper G, personally when we play your beats we can think of many relevant artists that would work well with your beats. Is there anything in the pipeline?
"I never stop working on what i love to do, so in the future you will have more and more of mine hahaha. I have a visual project that is gonna be on my YouTube channel 'The Players Beat Tape' with football players as the topic & also i have some projects on the wait.
A compilation of rappers I know that are gonna rap over my beats."
"The Players Beat Tape" sounds promising, any particular era in Football in football this project is set in?
When I think of this project I consider what would a album be like between yourself & rapper Cousin Feo from L.A., are you familiar with his work?
"I'm inspired by the total era of the 90's era, not to old but it was released when I was a kid & I've put some of my idols of that era.
I know he also did a football topic work, but I didnt go into depth on his work."
Do you have any artists you have as a goal to work with in the future, something your working towards?
"I love my partners which are working with me at the moment, they are very talented. But if I had to choose an important artist out there, I would love to work with Planet Asia for example."
Planet Asia is a really cool guy & highly approachable, that would be great to see you get down on a project with him. Would you go for a classic chilled Cali sound with heaps of soul/funk, or would you go into more of a Spanish score with it?
"Yes his skills are really mad. I think that I would prefer to do some classic Spanish stuff with him. It would be easier for me & exclusive for Planet Asia hahaha.
Do you venture into any other genres or are you for now a Hip-Hop producer?
"I've tried to do some trap but i don't like how it sounds, Im not an expert on that genre, & some people also asked me to do some reggaton lol, but its the same than Trap, not my genre. I can make the sound of nowadays Hip-Hop but not the sound of that kind of music."
Do you peep any new artists? Whats in heavy rotation for you when your not producing?
"I usually listen to nowadays American Hip-Hop when I'm not diggin'. BUt im producing everyday, the most time I waste on is listening to old music that I could sample."
Outside of hearing music, finding samples & the inspiration you find there, is there any other major cultural landscapes that you feed off for inspiration?
"I find inspiration in simple things, like going out with friends, doing some sports like skateboarding (a thing that i love to do, but I'm getting old & fatter now lol).
I spend time outside like in the beach for example, I'm always inspired lol."
Any shout out's? Thank you very much Clipper G & we look forward to all future releases.
"Shout out's to my man Ryz Hope, Sunni Sparkles, Mal Dee, A Moreno, Lulianno & also shout out to my man Bobby Boyd & TStriet!!!"
Clipper G Souncloud link 1Clipper G Souncloud link 2Clipper G & Ryz Hope - Conexion PrimeraClipper G - Italian Job Beat TapeClipper G InstagramClipper G YouTube