Shy One Interview

As you know by now, I like GRIME music not the bullshit that has been passing for it lately, so I was pleasantly surprised to come across a young producer on RWD Forum (during one of my hate campaigns), most of the time the producers and MCs on RWD doing their self promotion are terrible but Shy One caught my eye!, Not in a Wiley & NY underage sex way but in a respect for her grimy production kinda way......

What Software you using?

FL Studio 6 (Fruity loops) and if I'm sampling i use Wavepad

What's your production process, when you're building a Grime beat? What's essential to the track?

Well because i rarely use samples and am more of a 'from scratch' beat maker i usually start with the melody then go on to do the drums and then bass, then i'll start to build the beat and add all the extra's as i go on. BASS is definitely essential in grime!


Who are your production influences?

My main influences are Wiley, Wookie, Rapid, Target and JME but i listen to quite a lot of other genre's and am influenced by other artists like Skream, Nirvana, Sihlouette Brown and the Neptunes

Do you use samples and loops?

Sometimes i'll use a sample in a beat but to be honest sampling is isn't really my thing. I prefer making beats without them.

There is alot of debate about what Grime actually is right now, So what is Grime to you?

Im not going to say something cliché like Grime isn't just a genre its a lifestyle because I feel by saying that you're basically saying you cant be a true grime fan or artist unless you're working class and from an estate in London. To me grime is a genre created by us for us as its relatively new and audience are mainly under 20. People in my age group seem to be going crazy recently and young people been getting a lot of bad media so grime is also showing that we can be artistic and express ourselves in other positive ways.

What do you think of all these Bait Hip Hop tracks?

I know that grime is influenced by Hip Hop and obviously Hip Hop came first and i don't mind grime tunes that have a slight hip hop feel but are still grimy but i think if you're gonna do a cheap imitation of hip hop and call it grime just make a real hip hop tune. It's annoying a lot of people including me when you but a mix c.d. expecting it to be grime and get some 140bpm hip hop sounding tunes.

Is it any harder for a female producer to get heard in the scene?

It is and it isn't really. I get people either rating me more than they would if i was a boy, because I'm female but then i get people who i can tell don't take me seriously and wouldn't put me in the same class as other male producers. Luckily most people who go on my myspace don't bother to read my profile and automatically think I'm a boy and still give me props lol.

Any plans for some vinyl releases soon?

I would love to. Not just because it would be a big achievement for me as a new up n coming beat maker but also because right now I think grime's slacking with vinyl releases and whenever I take a trip to my local record shop, Im not too impressed if there is anything new, I think producers are getting lazy and just flinging on any old beat sometimes. Hopefully this year Ill do a joint EP with someone though if not one on my own.

You working with any MCs?

You know what, MCs really p*ss me off. You get them asking you to make them or send them beats and if you decline they'll say you're big headed and when i do actually make beats for them do i ever even receive a vocal? The few MC's i have/will be working with are Castro Saint, Shalo Dat Kid, Kwam, Random Impulse and a few others. I've made beats for others but i rarely get any vocals back.

What MCs would you like to work with?

I've got favorite artists but i've never really thought of working with them, it's not too realistic lol. Wiley, Trim, JME and scorcher probably.

What's the feedback from the grime scene been like? The Grime acts, Grime fans, RWD Forum, Myspace users...etc..

I'm lucky to have been receiving some really positive positive feedback on Myspace and even RWD (which we all know isn't the easiest thing). Most of the people who like my stuff say it's because it's different which at first i was unsure was a good thing but i now realise seems to be working in my favor.

Check out Shy One production on Myspace:

www.myspace.com/shyonebeats
www.myspace.com/shyonebeats2