#so much as he expands from within it like a lot of the earlier post-beethoven romantics did. and that's just more to my taste personally

[supercantaloupe]

ANTI CHORAL SYMPHONY??? BLOCKED???

joking but omg I can't believe mahler 2 doesn't do anything for you it reshaped my bones

maybe if i heard it live or studied it i would change my tune but so far at least mahler 2 does very little for me. i tend not to be a huge fan of late romantic works in general, and the overwhelming length/size/expansiveness of these gargantuan symphonies from the likes of mahler tend to strike me as tedious more than majestic. and as for choral symphonies, i think in pretty much every one of them i've heard post-beethoven 9 i've not been terribly impressed by the addition of vocalists. (honestly, one of the things that frustrates me so much ABOUT beethoven 9 is that it really is the one that makes it work, and beethoven's legacy/impact was such that he made so many other composers think they can do the same things he did just as well if not better, which i think succeeds in very rare cases only...but i digress.) in its smallest form (ie a soloist or two added to a movement or two) it just feels like an unnecessary addition to me, and in its largest form (full choir in every movement that is the true focus of the work, a la vaughan williams' sea symphony) i kind of think these works cease to be symphonies at some point. like, apologies to vaughan williams, but that's just a cantata. you can just call it a cantata. it's okay. i know it follows traditional symphonic structure to some extent but it's vague enough and totally dominated by the singing to be a different genre to me. and returning to mahler for a second, a symphony like mahler 2 feels very much like the precursor to something like das lied von der erde, which is more of a song cycle with orchestra (or a "song-symphony" but you can probably guess by now my feelings on that name). mahler 2 of course isn't quite that voice-heavy but it bears strong resemblance to what would come later in his output, i think; i'm still comfortable enough calling it a symphony, but i'm not entirely convinced that the choir ultimately adds to the genre in mahler 2 or in any other late romantic-modern choral symphony. personally, i'm not convinced that we should even cling so fast to the genre label of symphony for all of these works; many of them i think can (and probably should) be classified with a different genre label, whether it's something extant like "cantata" or "song cycle" or something newly coined and retrofitted (it's not like musicians have never fiddled with the naming of past works without the blessing of the composer before). idk, maybe i'm biased as to accept a much narrower definition of "symphony" than most, but the distinction matters to me.

[rbeatz]

rBeatz Exclusive Interview with dwilly

We here at rBeatz have had the pleasure of interviewing dwilly, who released his first single in 2017, Birds and the Bees, last week featuring one of our favorite new artists, Kyle Thornton.

David Wilson, aka “dwilly,” gave us some insights into the charismatic young producers life and story.

INTERVIEW:

Where are you from and how has that shaped the musician you are today?

I’m originally from Greenville, South Carolina a southern town not too far from Atlanta and Charlotte. It’s pretty much the perfect place to live besides the fact that musical opportunities are sparse. People are huge into trap and hard rap down here so I believe that living close to ATL has definitely had a “harder 808ish” impact on my sound. People generally don’t listen to electronic music where I’m from so I really wasn’t exposed to it until I came up to Boston to study at Berklee College of Music.

 Where does the name dwilly come from?

“dwilly” is the alias derived from my name David Wilson. I was formally known as “D-Will”, but changing it to “dwilly” recently was a decision my crazy dope manager Noah and I thought would be better for my branding. It has a sense of “silliness” to the sound of it and I’m a silly ass mofo.

   What was the best studio moment when you recorded, ‘Birds and the Bees’ with Kyle Thornton?

Hitting the studio with Kyle was a blast. We’re both goofballs so in between moments of seriousness were pretty much joking around and laughing our asses off non-stop. My favorite moment was bringing Kyle out of the tracking room into the studio room and thinking of crazy moist harmonies for the chorus together. Most of the creation behind the track was very spontaneous. We definitely spent a good amount of time in the writing process to experiment and play around with ideas until we were satisfied.

Can you explain a bit how you made that bird synth sound on  ‘Birds and the Bees?’

Honestly, I had no intention of replicating the sound of a “bird” when I was designing that patch. The character of the sound is a result of both pitch envelope and basic filtering. My whole manifesto as a producer is designing my sounds from scratch with intentions to make my music both powerful and unique. It wasn’t until after I had designed the “drop” that I titled it “Birds and the Bees”. I had my buddy Demitrio Albano, a brilliant sound designer that works in NYC, send me some samples of outdoor bird nature and you can hear those ambiences throughout the track, especially in the intro. After finishing the skeleton of the track, I sent it over to writer and a good friend Jake Torrey out in LA where he quickly became inspired with the theme of the track to write the hook. Jake also recently wrote on Lupe Fiasco’s recent single “Wild Child”.

 What instruments did you play when you were younger?

My parents pushed me to learn as many instruments as possible. Fortunately, they realized my love for music at a young age and had me taking classical lessons when I was 5 with the amazing instructor Steve Griner. Later on when I was in middle school, I started taking drumset lessons as well. I was inspired by classic rock legend drummer Neil Peart (Rush) after my dad showed me his performance videos online. After being accepted into the Fine Arts Center high school in Greenville, I expanded my musical studies into orchestral percussion and jazz drums. There, I joined several student orchestras focusing on timpani and mallets. My percussion professor Gary Robinson helped me organize my audition for Berklee where I was accepted for my principal instrument as Orchestral Percussion. Now, I am graduating in May with a degree in Electronic Production and Design. I believe the best producers are performers as well. My piano and drum skills contribute to both my melodic and rhythmic process of producing records.

Are there an instruments that you currently wish you COULD play?

Saxophone. I’m always amazed at how much expression a monophonic (one voice) instrument is capable of achieving. Maybe one day I’ll have time to pick it up and figure it out. 

What do you like to do when you’re simply hanging out – aside from music?

You’ll find me either kicking it with my friends around Boston or watching Netflix in my underwear. Every activity I do in my free time is pretty impulsive since it’s rare when I not working on music in some way or the other. In the summer time, I spend a lot of time outside exploring the city on my longboard with my best friend Zach. Usually when l let off some steam on the weekends we’ll hit our local favorite bars/restaurants around the area.

Who are your musical influences?

Growing up on legendary artists like Michael Jackson and Rush rooted me in a strong respect and understanding for music and theory. But sonically, my influences come from current artists and producers like Porter Robinson, Skrillex, Disclosure, and Graves. Like most kids, I went through a variety of musical phases including classic rock, metal, and rap. Even classical composers like Bach and Beethoven contribute to how I choose to dictate melodies and phrasing. I love where Pop music is headed and how artists/labe ls are integrating more contemporary styles like electronic and hip hop into the charts. 

What DAW do you use and why? 

Ableton is more than my go-to-DAW, it’s like a family member to me lol. I use Protools as well but explicitly for recording. I find that sequencing and composing in Ableton is much faster and efficient than alternative DAW’s like Logic and even Protools because of the way that the workflow is designed. Ableton has an amazing capability to synchronize external devices within the workspace. Also, the way it handles automation allows me to create extremely precise and flexible paths for instrument and plugin values.

What is your favorite MIDI Controller right now?

I really enjoy using Ableton Push. It’s great for drum sequencing and creating loops. Using a surface pad such as Push is a luxury that most producers don’t have. Honestly, I don’t even use controllers in my production except when I need to hop on my Akai 49-key midi keyboard to play a quick loop or idea. Most of my composition is done internally within the software on my mouse and keyboard.

What is one of your favorite or go-to VST Plugin?

SERUM!!! I hopped on the bandwagon a couple semesters back during the earlier version and it has been the best decision I’ve made as a producer. It has so many capabilities such as FM modulation and the ability to design your own wavetables. It has a very “sharp” sound so I mainly use it for heavier synthesis in my tracks. For more “bread and butter” patches like bass or super-saws I tend to use Massive. It’s a classic reliable VST that always yields incredible results.

Do you have a key production tip for our young producers out there?

I’d say the biggest thing is to trust your ears. There’s a lot of great software to utilize these days and it’s easy to get distracted by fancy visuals. Also, use reference tracks in the mix-down process. It’s taken me years to get to the point where I am as a mixer and I still use references to ensure that my tracks are sounding commercial. Another important thing– send your music around to your fellow producers and friends and ask for feedback. Sometimes a non-musician’s opinion is more important than a musician’s because their impression on a song is often based on “how it makes them feel”.

What is your biggest accomplishment to date? 

Recently I got picked up by a student organization here at Berklee that sends artists to summer festivals. They are sending me to Outside Lands Festival where I will be performing my music to big crowds. That’s my biggest accomplishment so far.

What has been your top favorite venue to play and why?

I’ve played at several venues here in Boston, but my favorite place to play so far has been at this basement house party in Allston outside Boston. It’s a very intimate experience playing at house parties as opposed to playing in a club. All these kids were just crammed in this basement bouncing around and having a blast. It was an amazing experience just being able to party with people and see the crowd react to my music.

What is your favorite color?

Red.

What food do you eat the most?

I eat a lot of Kraft macaroni and cheese.

 What is your favorite social media platform and why?

My personal favorite is Snapchat. Like I can post the most savage things and I don’t have to worry about it really affecting my image as an artist or professional. **Knock on wood**

What is next for Dwilly?

More releases throughout this summer, and appearances at several shows in Boston and LA!

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