Get To Know The Artist: Tyler Major

Get to know, Tyler Major.

Rarely do we see young artists today with a love and appreciation for their craft that goes beyond the surface level. So when one comes along, passing up the opportunity to rack their brain is out of the question.

We had the privilege of interviewing multifaceted musician Tyler Major of the collective NRK (Nobody Really Knows). We discussed in-depth his influences, song creating process, upcoming project “Dance Of Petals” & more. Get to know Tyler below. Enjoy!

DC: Tell us a bit about yourself

TM: I’m 23. I live in a small town called Powder Springs in Georgia. I was born in Des Moines, Iowa. moved to GA when i was 5.

DC: You’re a member of the group Nobody Really Knows. How & when did that connection between you all come about?

TM: All of NRK went to the same high school and I met Pyramid Vritra and Lombardi the summer before our junior year in 2008. I had just started making beats that summer and i knew they made music too from checking out their music on Myspace and their sound was so unique. Nothing i had ever heard before. All of us just clicked. We all appreciate music for the same things so its easy to catch a vibe and create with any member in the collective.

DC: When did you start making music & who or what was the impetus for that?

TM: Ever since i heard Lonnie Liston Smith’s keyboard playing on his Exotic Mysteries album when i was 8, i knew i wanted to play piano and produce albums that sonically take you to another world through textures and atmosphere. That album was the first album i enjoyed that wasn’t vocal- based. Just good lightly played melodies and rhythms that made the song just so incredible to me. My mom told me that when i was younger i used to sing the melodies played by the instruments rather than the lyrics the artist were singing. I’m still like that. It’s one of the things that bonded everyone in NRK. We all do it. Just loving the music.

DC: What is your song creating process from a from a production standpoint?

TM: From a production standpoint, I love blending genres. Most of my days consist of listening to Bossa Nova, Hip Hop, Jazz Fusion, Deep House, Downtempo and 90’s R&B so when i create its like “what if i made a bossa nova like arrangement, but used a trap snare, then added a four-to-the-floor kick pattern then put a funky bass guitar solo as the breakdown. What genre would you call that? Figuring out a way to incorporate all those different elements but still have them make sense musically and sound good together is always my motivation for creating music.

DC: Some of the most important elements of a song are a product of perfecting the intricacies & polishing it’s finishing touches. As a producer, how do you decide what (re)/arrangements work best? And how does that fit into overarching umbrella of mixing music?

TM: When it comes to the arrangements it just depends on what i’m trying to accomplish with the song. If it’s more jazz inspired, theres going to be more melodic things being emphasized in the song structure like solos and melodies playing around each other rather than the drums driving the song like a Downtempo, Hip Hop, or Lounge inspired song would have. Its really a gut feeling though. I just trust my ears and they take me where i need to go.

DC: Compare your past instrumental projects to Dance Of Petals. Are they more alike or different from one another & in what ways?

TM: All of my instrumental projects are very similar in how they are sequenced. I sequence them to align with my headspace during a morning walk in a park or forest. Easing into it, getting upbeat towards the middle of the record, then ending it with a longer more drawn out piece to bring you back “home.” The instrumental projects are Tyler Major to the core. Rapping has always been secondary to my production for me as an artist. When i rap, i’m rapping from the same headspace i have when i make these soundscape projects. Which is the tranquility of hearing the birds chirp, the dew on the grass, just being fully present with nature and soaking up the stillness of all of it.

DC: What picture were you trying to paint with your upcoming project Dance of Petals?

TM: With Dance Of Petals, i was going for a more mature sound. I really didn’t want this to come off as like a beat tape so i made sure my performances were played with more precision than just vibe and groove. That’s another reason why the drums don’t really “knock” but they are heard and there to play off the melodies.  My soundscape projects are all about how the melodies relate to each other and the atmosphere, space, and mood they create. The title was inspired by admiring the stillness of the petals on a flower. That stillness at its height gives me the same joy that dancing to your favorite song does for you.

DC: True NRK Fans know of your multiple Aliases. Give us some insight behind ‘Sage’ & what he represents.

TM: Sage is my way of expressing my more southern influences of hip hop whether past or present. From UGK to Bankroll Fresh to MJG. I love UGK’s Ridin Dirty album just as much as i love George Benson’s Give Me The Night album and i want to express that side of me through my music as well because i know no matter what i’m doing lyrically or flow wise, the sonics and textures are going to always be hinting at jazz because thats what i love and thats who i am.

DC: If you had the chance to collaborate with any artist dead or alive. Who would it be & why?

TM: its a tie between Chad Hugo & Mort Garson. I’ve always been a fan of Mort Garson’s composing and how he arranged his melodies with so many different instruments to keep in mind but not making the music sound too busy or huge. Particularly on the album Plantasia.  And any die hard fan of The Neptunes know that Chad plays a lot of the instruments on our favorite Neptunes records. The bass line on the breakdown of Frontin changed LIVES. How he balances their hard drums with their warm chords and layering is something that definitely influenced how i like to mix my mid to high frequencies in songs to give them a warm air feeling.

DC: What are your main goals as an artist/musician henceforth?

TM: I just want to bridge the gap between some of my favorite genres like Hip Hop, New Age, Lounge and Bossa Nova when it comes to production. All of these styles of music make people feel good and dance why not explore them even further? and on top of that rapping about nature, stillness, jamming screw, and Goodie Mob deep album cuts. Its 2016, make what you love and master that sound. Keep at it because the more you do, the more you set yourself apart from everyone else.