We had the pleasure of connecting with Music Producer and engineer Veniss and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Veniss, what do you love most about being a producer?
First I’d like to thank you for your time and interest. I’d say what I love about being a producer most is the constant push to challenge myself and the ability to create things freely. I’ve always been someone who enjoyed pushing my limits but also having the freedom to express my creativity how I wanted. I think music as an art form helps challenge people to always think of new ideas but also express them in a variety of ways.
Can you open up a bit about your music and career? We’d love for our platform to learn
more about your work.
Thankfully everything has been great and I feel I’m where I’m supposed to be. For a long time I felt “behind” but once I stopped comparing myself and also putting in the lonely hours to improve my skills and knowledge this changed. I currently run my own studio in Long Branch and also have an internship at a music studio in NYC. Additionally I’ve been working very closely with multiple artists who will be releasing very soon and I’m very excited for people to hear the dedication and hard work we’ve put in.
What first got you into music?
My dad had an old keyboard that wasn’t being used, and before he was going to give it away I decided to try it and I really enjoyed playing. I started learning songs to show my family and friends and enjoyed it as a hobby. But in high school when I joined the marching band, it seriously exalted the passion. It was when I started learning about rhythm, music theory, progressions, different genres, and the way that it was such an open field excited me to keep learning more about it.
Who inspired you to make music?
Honestly the idea to make music was completely on a whim. It was during the pandemic when there wasn’t a lot to do at home so that was when I began experimenting with making music. However as time went on I would say my brother definitely helped influence me early on. We had a lot of similar music taste and him also playing guitar alongside me playing guitar created an environment to begin lots of ideas and try new things.
How would you describe the music that you typically create?
A lot of the music I create is trap, R&B, reggaeton, afrobeats, pop, indie, and UK garage. Yet I could also describe them as something that is a part of me. No matter what kind of music I make, I put a little part of me in it that helps me add my own little taste to it and helps me feel like it is something valuable that I’m doing. Regardless of the genre, I always try to feel the music in some way and think to myself how I could be a little different with it and stand out, as a means to push my own style but the genre as well.
What is your creative process like?
I think I could describe my process in many ways depending on where I start. Lately I’ve been starting from scratch and not imposing any expectations on myself and just let my own creativity and curiosity take over. I often think of “what if I just…” when making music and usually that kind of thinking helps me create feelings and melodies I’ve never experienced before. Sometimes I also start knowing I wanted a certain vibe, but still I always think to myself how I could make this trap song more unique to me. My process is ultimately all about how out the box could I be and how could I enjoy myself the most.
Who would you most like to collaborate with?
I honestly have a lot of people I would love to work with, just to better understand how they do things but also because I admire their versatility and talent. If I had to think of other producers it would definitely be Metro Boomin, Mike Dean, and Focus Beatz. In terms of artists definitely Future, Travis Scott, RealestK, Luciano, Niska, SZA, and Ayra Starr.
What is one message you would give to people that want to pursue producing?
One thing I’d want someone who’s beginning to know is to hold yourself accountable. In a way you’re agreeing to be your own boss so with that comes the freedom in a lot of things, but it can also be easy to get distracted. I’d encourage someone to understand what exactly they want to get out of producing and to stick to a list of priorities and things to get done. They should sim to be as consistent as they can in creating new ideas, finding people to collaborate with, and getting out of their comfort zone.
What would you be doing right now, if it wasn’t for your music career?
If I wasn’t doing music, I’d probably be working for the UN. I’ve always been someone who was interested in understanding the world and meeting different types of people. However I made my way to music and in a way I still carry those initiatives as I dive deep into various genres and get to work with all types of great artists.
How do you feel the Internet has impacted the music business?
I say the internet and social media has been the reason I’ve been able to come this far. It’s been extremely influential when I was first learning to being able to reach out to artists near me and far. I use it everyday in some way whether contacting new artists or posting content, things that are vital to our careers and social media makes a lot of things possible.
Do you have a favorite song that you produced? If so, tell us?
I honestly love all the songs I’ve gotten the chance to create alongside other great artists. If I truly had to choose one, I would say “Distance” by Serene. It was a song that pushed my sound and challenged me in many ways. I created an entire jazz progression from scratch and it became a sort of dark and mysterious R&B song. It was in 6/8 in Bb minor and involved extended chords. I tried to combine elements and textures I didn’t often hear in this type of music like glitching synths and aggressive saxophone solos, and the song was influential in me learning my own mixing style once I had vocals involved. I think it’s the song that has challenged me the most, but also intrigued me the most as it showed me the types of amazing things that could come from nothing. But mostly, it was the way I was able to truly feel the song and its sways and drops that made it for me.
Which famous musicians do you admire?
I could say there are a variety of musicians that I admire in different ways. If I had to name a few I would say Travis Scott, Ziak, Anderson .Paak, Dave, and Nekfeu. Something all these artists share in common is that I find them incredibly versatile and have unique production and lyrical ideas. These types of musicians inspire me to try new sounds, find new ways to help my artists songwrite, and find ways to implement new sounds and spins to otherwise regular things. A great example would be a song like “Alunissons” by Nekfeu and “Fixette” by Ziak that have inspired me a lot production wise.
What is the best advice you’ve been given?
I attended a zoom call where the guest speaker, a producer, said that when he produces he “waits for the dirty water to turn clear.” What he meant alluded to where we grew up, in that before they could get clear water the sink would have to run for a little bit and was often dirty/muddy. He then related this to producing where oftentimes we over think how things should be or that it’s “too simple.” Yet he encourages to just try everything and set no expectations. To make a bunch of noises, turn a lot of random knobs, maybe combine things you don’t see being put together, and lastly to have patience as the muddy water eventually turns clear (jumbled ideas into a clear idea). The ideas are muddy but will eventually become clear, but can’t be clear in the first place if the sink isn’t turned on.
If you could change anything about the industry, what would it be?
If I could change something, it would be to normalize more support for each other. It seems to me that a lot of people are in competition rather than collaborating and I see no reason that producers can’t support producers instead of coming at their creative process. And I think the same goes for singers and rappers.
What’s next for you?
For one I have some great artists dropping soon. Shoutout to Caleum Cloud dropping at the end of this month, Jah’Skaii releasing a single early March and EBK RICO releasing his deluxe album in early March as well. My plan is to keep supporting the artists I work with, record and discover new artists, and also send out beats/loops to create new connections as well. I want to be a well-versed engineer and producer as much as possible, and my mindset for that is to be consistent with my objectives and to keep an open mind in meeting/working with people.
