2008ighties and BRKF$T Club affiliated producer Sani connects with Daily Chiefers as he hands over his debut instrumental LP Genesis featuring 21 categorically divided tracks.
A year after dropping and talking with us about his beat tape RetroGrade , Hasan Odom aka Sani returns with a full LP that goes deep into the young producers mind state that this past rotation around the sun has offered up. A self-professed Hedonist of sorts, this project reflects his journey into the the subconscious with themes of beliefs, reflections, and marvels as the subject of his three part record. To get an insider look into the process, Daily Chiefers matched wits with Sani on how this all came about. Here is what he had to say.
This debut project is categorically moody by design. What instigated the emotionally charged topics of beliefs, reflections and marvels?
Life. It wasn’t going good after RetroGrade, so I wanted to make a potentially final project to help get me through. Dropped out because I was missing too many big opportunities. Couldn’t find a job so I was putting in on mom’s rent from my $1800 refund check just to have a floor to sleep on. That, along with everybody pushing my potential compilation tape to the side for their solo endeavors, combined with getting out of a bad relationship, made me realize I was truly alone. I could’ve bitched about it and become more depressed, but I decided to become a Hedonist instead. I spent a big chunk of the refund check on a Macbook, so if she kicked me out again, music could still be produced, homeless or not. I made a huge list of every artist from every genre and decade I ever heard and/or enjoyed, downloaded their discographies, researched every drum, sample, loop, and sound effect that intrigued me, collected those, listened to the original sampled artist and sampled their work along with similar artists from that genre. I’m actually still doing this, as its the process of my new production style. I can fully express myself as an artist now.
Process-wise, what has lead to this evolution from rap geared instrumentals to a more standalone production approach that is airy and stretched out in terms of sonic feeling?
I wanted to show everything that I’m capable of now that I’ve made this new style. I don’t want to just attract rappers. I want singers, dancers, painters, poets, directors, everyone who enjoys music, let alone entertain. I want to be able to make people move like they’re doing a Sonya Tayeh number on So You Think You Can Dance. I want to produce something that could make someone write material as beautiful as Jill Scott’s Love and Sounds Vol. 1.
Between RetroGrade and Genesis you have collabed with a female vocalist. Can you give some history of how you came to work with Via Rosa and if that work has influenced your priorities as an artist?
She came to our first 2080 show. I was in the crowd and she started hitting on me [laughs]. I told her I produce, she said she sings, exchanged twitters, sent her RetroGrade, the rest is history. Yeah working with her definitely influenced my priorities. Her work ethic is amazing, a little too amazing. Sometimes I wish I had her to myself [laughs], but then again I do have priorities.
