Not yet old enough to buy cigarettes in the States, VINK still smoked the competition on Soundcloud - seamlessly generating gems at will, including a "sicker than your stool" remix of DOOM's Air. The young old soul spoke with us about his recent accolades, his singles, and his plan for what's next.
"Take Five" to tap into the talent beyond the surface.
1.) How did you come to join the Hard Jazz 7 label?
I released a rework of the song “Lady” by Dwele and it created a lot of buzz. A friend of mine, Kazuhiro Noguchi introduced my music to Orion of HardJazz7. We started talking back and forth about music, and eventually decided to join the HJ7 roster.
2.) You were recently selected as one of the "Top 15 Beatmakers" to watch in the New Year. Why do you think you were selected?
I can’t really think of an exact reason. I think it's because I’ve been putting in a lot of work (musically). I’ve spent a lot of time working on music and messing with different production styles, while doing various collaborations with rappers globally. Rappers like Tony Green and TheNamesMillen were a part of the learning process and helped me mould my sound. I put my heart and soul into my music, and it's been there for me, when many people gave up on me. I think that comes through in each release I put out. To me, that's what music is really about. There’s so many beatmakers out there globally and you’re forced to find lesser known music when you’re digging through
the crates, looking for samples. If I flip a well known sample like Ahmad Jamal’s classic song I Love Music, it's really simple and it's not going to sound much different from the Pete Rock version. 100,000 producers can do that, so you’re having to step your game up or else you’ll sound redundant.
3.) You have let loose of a load of free singles, remixes and edits via Soundcloud and Bandcamp. How do you
determine which artists to work with and/or which tracks to transform?
Most of the time, artists contact me for collaborations. If I like what I’m hearing, I will send them a few demo beats and get them to pick the one that suits them best. After awhile, he/she will send me the music with his/her verses recorded. If I like it, I’ll release the full song on my Soundcloud page for everyone to hear. With remixes, I look for a beat that goes well with an acapella or I will just craft a new beat around it. When it comes to edits, I just pick a song I like and have been listening to for a while. I’ll try to work from the vibe I get from that song to create a new song out of it (with respect to the original).
4.) You are set to release your debut LP this year, which will undoubtedly expand your reach internationally. How has the potential for exposure changed your approach (if at all)?
First, I want to give a big shout out to Manu Pillai for doing the artwork. If you’ve seen that, it looks amazing. I’m really excited about the release! It’s made me think further outside the box, and I hope it will lead to more great collaborations. I hope to reach even more artists than ever before. I love jamming out to new types of music and constantly perfecting my craft.
5.) Last, but certainly not least - where is the best spot to crate-dig in the Netherlands?
Well that's kind of tricky. If you’re looking for just breaks and rare grooves, you could go to smaller spots like the “Sounds" record store in Tilburg. You can find so much well priced stuff there, but on the downside you rarely find any hip-hop albums there. They sell Hip Hop music at spots like “Demonfuzz Records” in Rotterdam, but their prices are higher due to the rarity of the records. If you’re a true crate-digger though, you won’t mind paying that extra buck from time to time. Of course, that is all up to you and your wallet (haha).
LIKE VINK on Facebook
VISIT soundcloud.com/jeremiahvink
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