We never get the chance to discuss his particular experiences with dopamine, but he loves the analogy, confidently saying that his music “makes you feel good, it makes you feel warm inside.” Though the way artists describe their own music is often unreliable – not to say that writers, critics and fans are particularly better – in Roy French‘s case, the description is apt. From the presentation of the music to the music itself, there is a palpable feeling of radiation, warmth. On #FACEGOD‘s cover art for instance, we’re presented with a cartoonized image of French sitting cross-legged, flanked by a vibrant spectrum of brilliant colors that he appears to be emanating. Likewise, on his song “Meditate,” French offers encouraging words over a wobbly, ambient beat. The drums are severely dulled, so dull that they meld with the synths, becoming waves of sound beaming at and through the listener. It truly is warming.

French‘s interest in warmth and his method for generating it – stream-of-consciousness rhymes, blatant weirdness, drug-induced aloofness – are clearly inspired by Lil B. French isn’t shy about the inspiration: “Lil B is definitely a great inspiration. Just how he does his shit is very – I’m not gonna say marketable – but very loving. People love Lil B. Whatever he does and the skill involved in the way he does it, it’s just crazy. I just want to learn how to do that shit. I just want to know how people can love you.” French is clearly on the right path, especially in regard to just plain sounding unique, but he’s not attempting to be a BasedGod derivative. Clarifying his mixtape’s title, he says, “It’s not based off BasedGod. ‘FaceGod’ actually means to face the obstacles that God is giving you and obstacles are like the physical form of God, the struggles and things you have to overcome to be stronger. That’s not to be religious or anything like that. Because people see God as so many things. But I’m referring to the obstacles.”

His own obstacles are formidable. Soberly, he alludes to his current predicament: “I be out here trying to get out the hood, get my mom a good place to live and a car, and even just get a better coat.” It’s a familiar grind, but it’s no less real. French sounds noticeably down when he lists even just a few of the challenges he must overcome.

Nevertheless, Roy French is a strategist. Familiar with his opponent, he approaches from more than one angle. In addition to rapping, he dabbles in producing, promising to soon release “cold ass electronic beats.” Outside of the music itself,  French even dabbles in thinking up ideas for improving the distribution of Chicago artists. Noting the absence of an established center for the release of Chicago music, he offers a solution: “If we were all under one label, the industry would have to take us all up at one time. If we had our own industry, it would be way easier to be noticed. It took me so many years – four to five years – just to get noticed on a big press outside of Chicago. Chicago needs its own MMG or something like that.”

The birth of a Chicago Motown is probably unlikely and French would rather delegate such a project to someone else rather than take on the task himself, but he won’t be idly lying by when and if someone takes the project up. In addition to becoming increasingly more familiar with the production software Ableton and taking some lessons in flowing from Andre 3000, Cam’ron and Busta Rhymes, French is currently at work on a project titled Pancakes With Syrup, a mixtape that he promises will sound like pancakes dripping “actual maple syrup, not Lil’ Wayne syrup.” It’s a strange promise, but there’s no one more likely to keep it than Roy French. Even when #FACEGOD takes rather obnoxious turns (“SaveAHoe” and “UnCommon”), French‘s commitment to how he wants to sound and what he wants to say is undeniable. Stream the mixtape below. Roy French is in his own world.

The post Interview: Roy French, Proof that Chicago is Weirder Than You Thought appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

RESPECT. 1. Are you are shark week fan? Did you watch it all this week?

AllsGlass: I am such a big shark week fan. I think I’ve seen every episode they have on Netflix. I haven’t really seen much of it this week though, I have been super busy.

2. Who do you think would win in a fight: a shark or a crocodile?
I absolutely know a crocodile would win the fight. They death roll.

3. What is up with your name? Where did Allsglass come from?

AllsGlass was sort of a random combination. At first I wanted to use something strong and meaningful, like Glass Walls, but when I googled it, a Paul McCartney documentary came up, and I don’t want anything to do with that man.

4. I saw on one of your SoundCloud posts that you tagged Ableton and Protools. Which music engineering program do you use to make your beats? What do you like specifically about Ableton and Protools respectively?

I use Ableton 99% of the time and I am a huge fan. The other 1% I will use Protools. If there is something I cannot absolutely figure out on Ableton I will switch to Protools and find a way to work it in my Ableton set.

5. Your beats are very heavy on the synths. How long does it take you to make them, and how do you know when your synthesizer is really finished? How long does it take you to make your entire beat, and how do you know when a song is finished?

I create all my own synths. Sometimes I will layer up to 5 sounds and create some sort of weird piano sound with it that matches the beat I worked up. I don’t really ever know when I’m finished with a sound. It’s usually finished when I can’t think of anything else to do with it. Whenever I start to do math equations in relation to synthesis and sound design, I call it quits. I’m trying to have a good time and not fry my brain by looking into a calculator. For how long a beat takes, it can take me anywhere from 2-3 hours if I am committed to a week or so. It entirely depends on the day and how I am feeling. Posi vibes always help me out.

6. I know some people spend just as much time naming their track as they do making the beat. What goes into the names of your songs, like Trill Clinton, for example?

I think I am really inspired by what’s around me when it comes to naming a song. I will pretty much just name the track after the first thing I see. I named a track “E-Z Wider” after the papers I had right by my mixer. “Trill Clinton” was a tricky one. I kind of stole it from another producer; they had a song called “Trillery Clinton” so I just went with “Trill Clinton.” I was going to name it “Patrony Hawk” but I thought that was too much.

7. Can you clarify the difference between the titles of “beat-maker” versus “producer?”

I guess “producer” is a pretty broad term. I do like the title “beat-maker” though. It makes me feel like I have an actual place in this weird ass music world. I would not consider myself just a beat maker though. A lot of my music has a sonic structure to it that I lay out so I think I would be down playing myself if I went by a “beat maker,” you know?

8. When you make long mixes and compilation tracks, what do you look for in samples? Are there any sites or places where you like to go track digging? What’s on your list right now of songs you want to sample?

I sample from my iTunes library heavily, and also YouTube. YouTube is the shit, and I love YouTube so much. At the moment I want to use “Pink Matter” by Frank Ocean so bad. That song gives me chills and I think I could work a dope ass beat into it.

9. Tell us about your track “Kiss My,” with Claremont. Walk us through how you made that track. Also, who is Claremont and what was it like working with him?

“Kiss my” was a pretty lengthy collaboration with my buddy Claremont from the UK. We used file sharing sites a lot to transfer what we had each done so far and that took a while. Claremont came up with the samples and then it pretty much turned into what you hear now. I started playing with the synth sound he had and eventually made it into the pumping short thing that made it into the song. I have no clue where he found the vocals at but I give him such props for that. You gotta check him out he has some rad sounds online.

10. Can you tell me how you got involved with Dom Colli on the Winter Singles mix tape? Who are Dom Colli and what was it like working with him on “Wake Up (Welcome To Your Mind)?”

Dom Colli is another internet homie I made from Colorado. He’s on the rise and I’ve been glad and really appreciate the time I was able to spend producing the music I did for him. I think I met him on SoundCloud or some site like that. He liked one of my songs, so I gave him the lease to the song and it kind of jumped off from there. He’s a good friend to have for sure.

11. Your musical past is very extensive. Can you go into detail about the music projects you’ve been involved in over the years?

Oh god, this question. I started playing in this metal / thrash / punkish metal band called Deprivation when I was like 15. That was fun. My first tour was when I was like 17. We had CD’s and shirts and stuff. It was pretty alright. I then got into this emo-type alt rock, whatever you want to call it, which didn’t last too long. After those bands, I decided to start my own thing. It is a lot easier to work by yourself, I have figured out.

12. What were the names of all your childhood bands, and why did you pick those names?

Deprivation was just teen angst I think. It’s a single word that carries a lot of weight so I think we were all into it. The second band was I was in was The Football Team. I don’t really know. I think it was kind of an American football rip-off but whatever. We killed it in my basement.

13. Do you have any advice for people working around multiple genres, specifically genres that most people do not think mesh well in typical music culture?

To anyone that makes multi-genre productions, good for you. I like to have variety in my music. I can start a project with some shitty low-fi guitar sound, and then throw an 808 all over it. It makes the process of creating fun. I love to intertwine my shit.

14. You are studying digital music at Bennington College. What is your college experience like so far? What are your favorite classes, favorite extracurricular activities, and favorite things to do with your friends on the weekends?

College has been a good time so far–maybe too much of a good time. I am taking this Fall term off so I can focus a lot on music. I started working with this big booking group so I’m looking forward to having a lot of big shows this fall, with some pretty big names. But those details are to come later. My favorite class would be my recording class for sure. The teachers are awesome. One teacher produced MJ’s Thriller and the other does big Broadway productions with Tom Hanks. So far I think I am blessed with this education. Extracurricular activities…I love my RC helicopter and smoking weed. My friends will just chill. We’ll show each other new music and just fuck around.

15. Do you have any advice for young people trying to make music and go to school at the same time?

I don’t know if I would be able to give young people advice. I am only 19, so I don’t have that many wise words. I would have to say however, that if you want to go to school and make music, make sure you keep up with your work. It’s easy to get distracted. A good balance is key for survival. I learned that the hard way.

16. Which Harry Potter House would you want to be in?

I think I would want to like in the least talked about house. Keg stands and shit. Smoking alcohol and shit, I bet.

17. What is your dream collab?

My dream collaboration would be with Ta-ku, Giraffage or A$AP Rocky. They all kill it on every single song they make. I am in love with them.

18. Who does your visuals and art work?

I make all my own art and visuals. I use Photoshop. I don’t know how to use the program that much, but I guess I know enough to hold my own haha well at least for a little while more.

19. You are planning a big winter tour and you just played a live gig at Queen Anne Square in Newport. Tell us about how live performances have been going for you. What are you most excited about with this tour coming up?

I am in the early stages of planning a tour right now. Nothing is final but I am working pretty hard on making all the right connections. I’m trying to get playing live down. It’s a hard thing, to play live. Im currently working on breaking down every song I have so it’s a little easier for me to manipulate live and kick of show off I guess.

20. How do you manage to tour during school? It is a part of your field work term?
Each January we have 7 weeks to find an internship and work in pretty much whatever field we can find. I worked with this music group in NYC called Argento and luckily they gave me quite a few days off to play music. I think I played a total of 20-something shows in my 7 weeks in the city. It was so tight.

21. What are your goals for the trip?

My goal for the tour is to hit almost every major city on the East coast. I want to hit everywhere from Maine to Florida. I just want to make people happy.

The post Interview & Free Downloads: 21 Questions with AllsGlass appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.