It’s one thing to play music and get something good, but it’s even better to play music and it’s takes you to place you never knew you needed to be. That music that grabs you in and brings you into their world that you never leave want to leave from. That’s the type of music Laps has with his latest release “Starcourt Memories”. Laps was gracious enough to take some time to answer some questions. The Spotlight is on Laps.
Who is Laps the Producer?
I was born in Cava De’ Tirreni, south Italy, but moved to London in 2009. I’m an Anarchist producer, mixing and mastering engineer, founder of Studio Laps, London.
How did you get into producing?
I decided I wanted to become a producer when I was around 12 years old. I grew up in a house where, thanks to my father, music and books were bountiful; I also spent endless hours going through and listening to my sister’s music tape collection, she’s 15 years older than me so she would have all sorts of genres for me to feed on. One day I came across Public Enemy’s “It takes A Nation Of Millions To hold Us Back” and nothing’s been the same since. The sonics created by the Bomb Squad hit me so hard I became obsessed with that sound.
Eventually, I found out that it was all created by sampling, chopping and rearranging bits of other recordings through something called a sampler: I had no idea what a sampler looked like (no internet back then) but I decided that sooner or later I would get one. A few years later I bought my first MPC and got my sound engineering degree. That’s when I started producing for a lot of rappers from my area, and collaborating with musicians and songwriters from different backgrounds, I was even part of a rock band for a couple of years.
What production software do you use and why?
My MPC1000 has been at the centre of my setup since I started producing; though last year I got an MPC Live and it really was a game changer. While before I would bounce tracks from the Akai to Logic or Ableton to arrange and mix them, now I do everything on the MPC Live, including the mix. I still use Logic for mixing and mastering works for other artists.
What’s your creative process for creating “Starcourt Memories”?
I did the whole song on the MPC Live but felt like it needed a solo, so I got in touch with Tom Bailey (who’s not just a very talented singer, he’s also a fantastic guitar player) and asked him for a full-on 80s, Purple Rain sounding electric guitar solo and he delivered an amazing one in my opinion.
What was your favorite project to work on?
I think that would be Emily Kraemer “Cat Fish Bird”. She’s a very talented folk singer-songwriter from a family of classically trained musicians. In 2010(?) she asked me to record, mix and produce her new album, so she took me and a string quartet to a house in the middle of nowhere, right on the beach in Porthcothan, Cornwall. We recorded everything in one week with the few bits of (bad) recording equipment I had (3 sure 58, a couple of AKG, a motu Ultralight and a 4 channel Soundcraft mixer) in a holiday house lounge with terrible acoustics. Somehow the album came out great and it was a fantastic experience.
Which artist would you love to collab with and why?
In no particular order: Kendrick Lamar, JPEGMAFIA, Jay-z, Run The Jewels, Kate Bush, Robert Wyatt, Pav4an, all artists I admire for the way they conceive music completely free from the boundaries genres often impose.
What’s next for Laps?
Milano based video-maker Michelle Pan has made a video for Starcourt Memories and it’s coming out on the 10th of May. There’s a couple more singles coming out in the next 2 months, until my first solo EP “Fantastico 82” drops on the 5th of July. It’s a concept album: four instrumentals representing my childhood in the 80s, I hope you’ll enjoy it. I’ve also just finished the mix and mastering for Breakstarr last EP Sickstrumentals, the mastering for first three official releases by Will Know and a killer funk tune by Tom Bailey, “Phone Number”.
Check out Laps “Starcourt Memories” below and follow him on social media!
https://instagram.com/laps_music?
