Def Pressé continue their Def Pressé Editions-KPM Crate Diggers series with a new album by Deca. Source Material sees the acclaimed producer tackle the KPM sound library archives, including parts not explored by Damu The Fudgemunk for his recent series entry, Conversation Peace. We spoke to Deca about how he created Source Material, and are also premiering the video for one of the tracks, “Sleepwalker.” Watch that below, and keep scrolling for the interview.
We spoke to Damu The Fudgemunk when Conversation Peace was released, and it was fascinating to hear how we approached using the KPM archive. What was your process?
I had a rough idea of tracks I wanted to sample from the KPM records in my collection, and then I made playlists as I listened through the digital archive of things that I could potentially use, and loosely organized them by basslines, breaks, horns, main samples, etc. I would also just sample pieces into the MPC and try things out as I listened through everything.
Tackling a catalog that big must have made for an exciting challenge, but was it also daunting?
Definitely daunting. The catalog is massive. 90 percent or more of it I had never heard before, so I tried to familiarize myself with the archive as much as possible and listened to the bulk of it. I spent weeks going through different albums everyday.
You were given access to the same Green Sleeve material as Damu, but also the KPM Themes International series and the Conroy Recorded Music Library archives. Can you explain more about what they are, and how you used them?
Conroy and Theme are two other labels that made stock music for TV and film. My understanding is Theme was a subsidiary of KPM started by Alan Parker, and I’m not too sure about the history of Conroy or how they ended up under the umbrella of KPM. I used Alan Parker’s “Beauty Spot” from the Theme label on “Slow Healing.” I then chopped and pitched different parts of the Rhodes on the intro and then added other sounds and flourishes on top of that.
“Sleepwalker” was a Jim Lawless sample. That one is a pretty straight forward use of different parts from the song. And the last one from Theme that I used is another of Alan Parker’s called “Wizz Kid.” I used it on “Set Course” and pitched the sound on the intro way down, and then added a bunch of different elements. I also used pieces of Andy Clark’s “The Starting Point” on the chorus.
I think the only song from Conroy aside from some smaller little sounds was Sam Sklair’s “Themes and Variations: Tempo Changes.” For that one I used the guitar when it breaks down mid-song and created a melody from that.
I know that library music is something you’ve always been interested in. What is it about this kind of material that grabs you so much, and do you prefer it to sampling more well-known artists?
I do prefer it over the more well known stuff and usually go for the lesser known, more obscure records. A lot of library music lends itself perfectly to the kind of production I do and the types of sounds I gravitate towards, and these records have all the elements producers look for. There’s a lot of stripped down melodies, basslines, breaks, spacey electronic sounds etc. And because I have a heavy collage, layering approach to my music, those are the kinds of things I dig for. There’s also a ton of library music, like some of Alan Parker’s stuff on Theme, that’s essentially ready made hip-hop. Pacewon’s “I Declare War” is a good example of that. It’s one of my favorite beats of all time and is just a straightforward use of Lee Mason’s “Shady Blues” on Chappell.
I read how you felt the need to do justice to other hip-hop producers who’ve pulled from specific catalogs, whether that be DOOM, Madlib, Dilla et al. Can you elaborate on how that impacted or influenced how you created, Source Material?
It was more that I wanted to do justice to the actual source material and to such a legendary label. Aside from it being incredible stand alone music, one of the reasons why it’s such a legendary label and why people like me know about it in the first place, is because some of the all time greats have pulled from the catalogue. So I think that was just something in the back of my head and a little added pressure while I was making the album.
Has making Source Material changed how you’ll approach making music from now on at all, or inspired you to take on a similar challenge again?
My approach with this album was pretty much the same as how I approach all my beats, so I don’t think too much changed in the process of making it. But I would definitely take on another project like this, and am honored I got to take part in the series.
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Source Material by Deca is out Friday, November 19. Buy it here via Def Pressé. Follow Deca on Twitter and Instagram. Interview by Grown Up Rap Editor Ben Pedroche.