
Written by Adam E. Smith (@theadamesmith)
The final month of the year brings with it the last efforts of artists trying to punctuate their 2012 catalog with statement moves on records before hibernating in the studio for he first portion of Winter. Or, artists are getting crafty and dropping some sort of thematic concept piece that balances their audible signature with seasonal sonic identifiers such as the always important holiday music. Nyle Bay aka Wrathmatics is a noteworthy for falling into both of those categories at the same time with his fully reimagined production take on Charles M. Shultz’s Peanuts. The tribute mixtape is dedicated to all things that the Peanuts represented during this time of year, while also offering up patterned accents and completely unexpected instrumental reconstruction.
The quintessential holiday piano sections are left intact, but subtle percussion and layered tempos make this original approach the type of record that can spin it’s way into personal nostalgia, or serve as the soundtrack for your holiday adventures. The 24 year old Wrath has been grinding out production tapes for the last four years in his homebase of San Jose, California, which coincidentally is within close proximity to where Charles M. Shultz spent he final years. As a result, his production has found its way through the underground, and its pet projects like A Charlie Brown Beat Tape that signify the young producer has the proper range to make name for himself in the elite beat sphere.
Beyond how fresh it will be to have a Charlie Brown hip-hop tape to bump during holiday gatherings, the entire project’s proceeds will go towards Wrath’s fund for Adopt-A-Family. You can name your price at purchase, so give as much as you can, and be sure to check our exclusive interview with Wrath about the project below.
DOWNLOAD : Wrathmatics – A Charlie Brown Beat Tape
What was the catalyst that resulted in you deciding to put together a Peanuts music themed hip-hop remix album?
The OG soundtrack is ill. The cartoon is home. The beats slap…and I wanted to Adopt-A-Family for Christmas but didnt have enough bread. I do have talent though.
Rock bands have covered selections from the Peanuts, but have you ever heard of any other producers of hip-hop artists using this kind of content?
Before I made the project I wasnt aware of anyone flipping the OG soundtrack. I had no direct reference. I have heard some cuts in similar vain now though, after realizing what I created and then researching the market. That is a backwards way of developing an EP, but that’s inspiration taking over structure. That’s art. Either way no ones approached it like I have, incorporating the actual dialog from the famed episode with drum minimalism between breaks.
Describe the process for constructing, and more important, deconstructing these classic tunes so that you kept their essence, but still created a finished product that is entirely different.
I made the project in six hours total. Two three hour sessions in two days. I’ve heard the classic Cince Guraldi numbers so many times that I knew exactly what chops, for the most part, I wanted to use on the tape. With that edge I kept the drums pretty straight forward and traditional to match the samples. I try and stay rare with my vinyl selection…as you can hear on [my album] 40eighty. So going into this EP, knowing nothing was rare, I wanted to pay respects to the jazz legacy of the OG soundtrack by letting the vinyl playout on both sides of each instrumental. Then when the vinyl was airing out I utilized the cartoon dialog to keep the listener entertained. It’s like appetizer, meal, desert – every track.
Given the piano work from the Peanuts is among some of the most memorable in all of music, was that they key element of the tunes that you tried to preserve. What else?
The OG soundtrack is deep. Some of the timing isnt the easiest to flip. Jazz can be tricky like that. I’m a drumhead thought, and jazz drums especially, so they get some highlights. Like on “tannenbaum” there are hella more than just the break in those drums.
Given your locational proximity, is there a history with you and Charles M. Schultz on a personal or inspirational level that resulted in your decision to do this project?
Yeah thats my big homie Chuck. I was born in Petaluma and lived there till I was nine. Charles Shultz is from Santa Rosa, which is only 20 miles or something away from Petaluma. So Schultzs imprint was always around, and his foundations helped out the local families/schools etc. We didnt have cable growing up so we watched movies. The Charlie Brown Christmas was one of the few movies we had. I’d be watching it in July for no other reason than there wasnt anything else to watch! [laughs]
Whose your favorite character from the Peanuts?
Linus van Pelt.
Will your West Coast bretheren Snoop be on the remix to fill out the thematic concept?
Snoop like the Lion or the Doggfather?
Anything else you’d like to say before presenting us with this early holiday gift?
Remember, all money donated to this project will go directly to Adopt-A-Family. Peace!