Since you guys don’t click links, just read this shit on your dash. I did an interview with Antisteez.com my good friends<3
For someone that has only had an activated solo project for the past 3-4 months, AbdeCaf has been making a lot of noise. A WVUM Interview and music showcase had taken place a few weeks ago, and a couple of weeks ago opened up for Com Truise at Bardot. Right now AbdeCaf is near completion of one of his EPs and continues to work towards his other musical ventures like selling beats. The big news also includes one of his tracks being the only track favored by DIPLO on SoundCloud. Well I hope you all remembered our tiny interview a few months back with AbdeCaf but for someone that’s constantly evolving their sound, AbdeCaf had more questions to answer.
AbdeCaf Live at Bardot Opening Up for Com Truise
How’d you come up with your sound?
I didn’t really sit down and decide what I wanted to sound like. It just kinda happened. If I had to pick, I’d want to sound like Clams Casino or Flying Lotus, but that’s bad to want that, I’m glad I have my own sound. Right now for instance, I’m working on a pretty Techno-y song right now, but I’m certainly not a Techno producer. I like a lot of different shit. My sound just happens, I pick instruments I like and that sound full and rich; instruments that give the song texture, and play them.
You sampled Bjork recently, tell us about that. Are you a Bjork fan?
I honestly wasn’t until my friend Jinxo of MMC Da Click pulled up her song Unravel, and chopped it up, and suggested we sample it. It was his idea, and he chopped it up, so he should get the credit for that brilliant idea. It ended up making that song. When the vocals drop and everything slows down, I honestly think that song becomes perfect. It’s funny, I wanted to sample Anthony Green for that song, and then after we did Bjork, he posts an acoustic cover online of him singing Unravel… by Bjork.
Who else do you plan on sampling?
The Weeknd, Dallas Green, Billie Holiday, Curtis Mayfield, Michael Jackson, Etta James, Ella Fitzgerald, Portugal The Man, Anthony Green, Thom Yorke, a lot of people I also can’t seem to name right now, but that happens when you’re on the spot. I just want to sample things that I can turn into that perfect touch on one of my songs.
We hear you like Ryan Gosling… Tell us about that…
No homo. That’s all I have to say about that… He’s my role model. I wanna be like him when I grow up. He’s the reason I wear pointy shoes and button downs.
You’re a student at FIU right? What are you studying?
I’m not really sure at this point. My major’s Psychology. I’m fascinated by people and how their minds tick but I don’t like school. I love learning, I love knowledge and education, but the idea that my entire future weighs on what degree I get and how well I do on some papers and exams is just too heavy. I like music, making it makes me happy, I just want to make music and be happy.
Are you a movie buff?
Fuck yeah. I want to score movies. I don’t even know where to begin. Everything from 70’s Italian Giallo flicks to 80’s grindhouse/ exploitation cinema, to thought provoking indie dramas and romantic comedies… cough… Ryan Gosling, cough. I love when a movie successfully uses the soundtrack to set a mood. Like: Drive, or The Social Network. I’m really big on horror though, Dario Argento, Umberto Lenzi, Darren Lynn Bousman, Ruggero Deodato, Lucky McKee, John Carpenter, Wes Craven (before Scream), Lars Von Trier, Jason Eisener, Bruno Forzani & Héléne Cattet, Adrian Garcia Bogliano, Xavier Gens, Jorge Michel Grau, Yoshihrio Nishimura, Park Chan Wook, Jee-woon Kim, Takashi Miike, Marcel Sarmiento, Srdjan Spasojevic is a huge one, I’d do anything to work with him at any capacity, Timo Tjahjanto, Quentin Dupieux, Ti West, Adam Wingard… the list goes on.
Who would you cite as direct influences to your productions and beats?
Nujabes, Clams Casino, Star Slinger, Com Truise, Flying Lotus, Kanye West, Diplo, M83, Toro Y Moi, Washed Out, Neon Indian, Twin Shadow, Mux Mool, The Sound of Arrows, Millionyoung, Tycho, SBTRKT, James Blake, Active Child, Zombi.
Tell us about your love life, last time you did an interview it was in a pretty dark place, have things improved?
Man. No more talking about that relationship. I’ve moved on and am enjoying the single life. Really enjoying the single life. Like more that anyone really should. Like orgies of Spartan women, and me, and a cat.
Any cool collaborations in the works?
MMC Da Click, Sleep City Crisis, O’Grime, Caligula, After The Smoke, Jackie Ransom form Mask Era. I think those are all that matter for now.
Tell us about your songwriting process.
I sit down and try to build something substantial off of one riff or lick. I create something I like, build on it, then flesh it out.
Dream label(s)?
Mad Decent, Brainfeeder, XL Recordings, Fools Gold, Ed Banger, Ghostly, Tri-Angle. I’ve even got some UK label after me right now. Don’t wanna speak too soon on that one but they’re talking, and I’m listening.
Is the internet a big part of your life?
I’m on twitter, facebook, soundcloud… yeah it’s safe to say I’m consumed by the net. Pitchfork and Consequence of Sound are my bibles. I’m online a lot. I’ll sit in class and tweet about how much I hate school, or use my friends iPhone to check my emails. I think I’m addicted to the internet. Without it, I wouldn’t have any of the programs I have, or the music I listen to.
Do you ever think about how the ways that we listen to music has changed so much?
I think we shouldn’t worry about how we listen to it, and just jam. Technology is really something, all I want is for someone to develop a format with perfect tonal clarity, sonic depth, a full bitrate and very small file size. Everyone would die happy if that was the case. Make digital music sound as good as Vinyl. That’d be the only change I really want to see at this point.
