Imagine hearing your current favorite artist over your past favorite artist instrumentals.‘The Blend Master’ known as DJ Critical Hype has that covered for you. In his latest blend tape, Adam (DJ Critical Hype), lays André 3000’s vocals over Tyler, The Creators brilliant production.
- Let’s backtrack a little. Where are you from?
I’m actually from Montreal originally but moved to Vancouver BC about 6 years ago.
- What’s your earliest memory of Deejaying in front of a crowd?
My friend in high school bought cheap turntables and we used to practice a lot. I remember deejaying with him at a house party when I was like 17 even though I wasn’t that good then. Haven’t thought about that in a while, just thinking about it brings back memories. (Laughing)
- Igor is undeniably a superb music lover’s album. The instrumentals alone are magnificent! Getting a shoutout from Tyler in regards to ‘André’, after all the hours you set creating this, how satisfying was it?
I agree Igor is so incredible, I was blown away hearing it and think it will be considered a classic.
When Tyler retweeted it & put it on his IG story it was really satisfying and I was really thankful for him doing that. I sent him some snippets a few weeks before it dropped and he was fuckin with it. I wasn’t sure if he would shout me out or not. I would never ask an artist to push my mixes on their social media but glad it happened organically.
- Tell me about what initiated you to start on this? Were you running through some old Outkast when the idea came about?
A couple years ago I was gonna flip André on Kaytranada beats. I think it would have been dope but it didn’t happen because Kaytra was ok with it but then asked me not to drop it a few months later. I was trying to decide who to flip his André’s vocals on and after IGOR dropped I thought of the idea. The cover art and name just made sense. I wasn’t really running through old Outkast but was really familiar with their catalog.
- Out of the 34 tracks on ‘André’, which 3 or 4 tracks can you say blew you away the most and gave you the reassurance of why you’re great at what you do?
I definitely worked on this like crazy. 34 tracks is the most I’ve had on a recent blend tape. Some of my favorites are “Come Home”, “Chronomentrophobia”, “Int’l Players Anthem”, “Vibrate” & “Mighty “O”.
- Which route would you rather take when creating from scratch; Having 5 instrumentals w/ 3 a cappella’s to choose from? OR, 5 a cappella’s w/ 3 instrumentals? Elaborate on what your creative process is when in the beginning stage.
I think I would rather have 5 instrumentals and 3 a cappella’s because it would be more beats to choose from. Not every verse sounds good on every beat. I have to find the right fit. It has to hit the pockets right and sound as natural as possible to me. To start off a project, I make as many a cappella’s as possible and collect as many instrumentals as possible to give me the maximum amount of possibilities. I hate when a blend/mashup sounds forced.
- When a blend doesn’t completely sound right to you, what’s the trial & error? How are you figuring out which a cappella’s to place over what instrumentals?
If a blend doesn’t sound right, I scrap it and try a lot of different options. If I think I have a good blend, I listen to it a lot and make sure it still sounds good after that. A good blend should sound better the more I hear it. I record way more blends than I use. I scrapped a bunch of André x Tyler blends that didn’t sound good enough in my opinion.
- What else is in the works for you? Do I hear a blend of Nipsey over Tupac beats?
Yeah! I’m dropping Nipsey over Tupac Beats soon! I’m super hype for that. Then I’m doing Griselda over Diplomats beats. Also working on Megan The Stallion over Biggie beats. I might drop that early next year. And I have a few other ideas I’m still messing with.
- How do you feel about the current state of Deejaying and the overall musical artistry given how technology is making it easier for an amateur to create?
I think since the internet and streaming took over, DJ’s have less and less impact unfortunately. People get music instantly and it’s so easily accessible that DJ’s don’t really have exclusives like they used to. That’s why blends are cool because I’m creating something unique that nobody else has.
Also, music comes out and people are onto the next thing so quickly. I think that causes the average artist to put out music more frequently than they used to. The quality sometimes suffers. There are still artists like Kendrick that cares a lot about the music and doesn’t rush the process.
- Were there any lessons or techniques you had to learn from being hands on that newcomers might miss out on for being strictly digital?
Not sure. I think from an artist or DJ’s perspective it’s actually easier to make it in the industry because you can use the internet to reach people all over the world. Before, you would have to be in a major city like NY, LA or ATL to make moves or travel to those places frequently.
- What makes you want to get into the A&R field?
I think I’ve always had a great ear for talent and what a hit song sounds like. I want to help find and develop talent and I think I would be great at it.
- Who or what do you credit for keeping you focused over the years and doing what you love?
Honestly, I’ve only been focused for about the last 4 years. I always did it for the love and released mixes. I think I’ve become more concise and strategized more in the last 4 years. I would credit myself and my manager/homie Victor who has helped a lot as well.
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