DJ Dahi

DJ Soulscape

Hello everybody. I think I’m privileged here to conduct this session with you. First of all, I just want to ask personally, I wonder what it feels like to have like global hits as a producer, ‘cause you’ve been working as a producer for a long time and of course we do know about your hits like Drake’s or Kendrick Lamar’s, but you’ve been making beats not for the commercial purpose but your own, right, so I just wonder.

DJ Dahi

In my experience producing I think the main thing that’s always kind of, I keep in my mindset when I’m creating, is always that I’m not really creating for myself, but I have to always create from the sense of like what makes me feel good. I think usually when you have that starting point when you create music or writing music or anything that has to do with an emotion, you just have to know it has to connect to people. In doing so I think it kind of makes you realize that, you know, it connects the people. So to have records that people hear, like in Korea, or in any part of the world is really kind of crazy because I make it in my bedroom. You know what I’m sayin’?

DJ Soulscape

Right, right.

DJ Dahi

It’s dope. It’s really, really, it’s powerful.

DJ Soulscape

Yeah, I want to start with the song you produced, was it like 2012 or something? 13?

DJ Dahi

No I think that was 2000 and... No, it might have been 2010.

DJ Soulscape

2010! Wow.

DJ Dahi

2010 or 2011. One of the two.

DJ Soulscape

It’s a song called “My Type of Party” by Dom Kennedy.

(music: Dom Kennedy – “My Type of Party”)

DJ Dahi

Yeah, like 2010, LA had a really big buzz of dope new artists. I had kind of started…

DJ Soulscape

Everything came as independence since then right?

DJ Dahi

Yeah, exactly, like LA had a new, it was called like the new west. You had artists like Blu, Pac Div, You & I, Jack Davey, like there was a bunch of really dope artists and so for me as a producer, before then I was always trying to send my records or beats out to big artists. I was like, “Yo, I’m going to try to get on 50 Cent. I want to try to get on Eminem.” but in that scheme of producing it’s like really hard to connect with those artists ‘cause you don’t know them.

So at the time I just said “Yo, I’m moving back to LA,” ‘cause I was livin’ in San Francisco at the time. Moved back to LA and I started producing just meeting people, and in that time frame where everybody was just working with each other. The way I got connected with Dom was actually through Like from Pac Div was like, “Hey, man you should work with this dude, Dahi, you know get in the studio, send some beats, and you know kind of vibes.”

The “My Type of Party” beat, actually I was sitting in my dorm room, ‘cause I was working at a school, and I was just making a bunch of beats and ideas and so I went to, like the next week or so, I went to Dom’s studio and we all kind of sat in a room and everybody’s chillin’ hanging out. I think Dom already had the hook, “My Type of Party,” written, but he didn’t actually have a beat to it. I went in there and played him the beat, and he just started rambling his rap, you know what I’m sayin’? It just kind of went from there. It was kind of a crazy record too, because at the time the tempo was so slow. Even as a DJ you could tell it was a slower tempo, but it was almost like a new half-timey type of grove where people were kind of like… A slow bounce.

DJ Soulscape

Right, right, yeah, for me as a DJ that was the start point of like recognizing the whole new generation of west coast sound, compared to like the typical ’90s production or something. That was like, that’s a good memory for me, recognizing the whole new sound, whole new scene. Discovering a whole new movement. Going back to the day one, I’ve heard on an interview, I’ve heard you’re not allowed to, like, listen to rap music growing up. Is that true?

DJ Dahi

Yeah, growing up I couldn’t listen to any curse words with rap. The only rap music I listened to was Christian rap, so we used to have a bunch of Christian rap artists that my mom used to only let me play. It was kind of a thing where I didn’t, I think growing up I was always into music, like I’ve always had instruments in the house and played music and I listened to a lot of like, ‘cause I started playing in a band, like marching band and like classical band in middle school. Then from there I went up into high school and just played, you know the saxophone, so I was always listening and studying music, reading music and stuff, but I couldn’t... Rap music was like a thing where like I knew it, but I didn’t like really know it. You know what I’m sayin’? The main thing I would know was the beats. The beats were always the one thing that attracted me the most. Yeah, it was illegal in the house, like I would get my ass whooped, you know what I’m sayin’, if I listened to some rap music.

DJ Soulscape

With that, I wonder, which music or which music style was your first impression. I was told you were into a lot of alternative and grunge rock type of stuff.

DJ Dahi

Yeah, like well in the ’90s, like the late ’90s like ’95 to 2001, whatever, you got a lot of these dope one-hit wonder rock bands and a lot of dope alternative bands. I was always a fan of just alternative music ‘cause I love the textures of the voices and the guitars.

DJ Soulscape

It did affect a lot, regarding your production?

DJ Dahi

Oh yeah, all day, all day. I mean I think when I look for samples or I look for melodies, I’m always looking for…

DJ Soulscape

Right, right, I’m just asking this ‘cause when I first got a chance to hear your production on Kendrick Lamar’s classic track “Money Trees,” I recognize the Beach House sample, and that was like mind blowing.

(music: Kendrick Lamar – “Money Trees”)

DJ Dahi

So the funny thing about that record is, I remember… I had went to Coachella the first year Kendrick performed. I remember Kendrick performed at Coachella and I remember seeing him perform and in my head I was like, I was praying, I said, “Yo, I gotta get a track with Kendrick Lamar.” I was like that’s my one thing I want this year, like I gotta work with this guy. Like this dude is going to be the future. I just knew it.

I remember the next week I just sat in my little home studio, and I think I got the sample from a friend of mine who would just sending me all these like alternative records and just… When I got the Beach House sample I was like, “Oh, this is really dope.” I was like, “Yo, let me just try experiment with the sample.” I just reversed it and then put it through some turns and a couple effects and stuff, and I just made a track. Then I think maybe a week or two later, I think, Kendrick heard the record and then I think I got a call from my friend, was like, “Yo, like Kendrick already wrote to it. Come by the studio.”

I went to Carson where the infamous Top Dog Entertainment studios is, and me and Sounwave and Kendrick were all in the studio together and he played it for me, and I was like, “Yo, this is like a really crazy track.” It’s like a hybrid of so many different sounds of like, you know, kind of like a... Almost like an OutKast-y type of vibe with the melody and the bounce and the drums, but also through the music is very alternative. It’s like, it’s a very vibe-y record and I think it’s going to be one of his stand out records that he’ll always play ‘cause it was so different. Yeah, it’s probably, to this day, it’s probably my favorite track that I’ve done because I think it just has a lot of, it’s like the beginning for my career, but also to his career kind of like really starting to shoot up.

DJ Soulscape

Many people say that Drake and Kendrick Lamar are opposite and comparing like and contrasting things in common and differences. I’m curious as a producer who has worked with both of them… What are your opinions on that?

DJ Dahi

I think they’re both different artists. I think Drake is one of the artists… He’s one of the greatest artists of the times because he knows his importance in the culture, and he’s always been able to be ahead of the game, and know when to turn and where to go. I think he’s a product of Kanye West’s 808s & Heartbreak, you know what I’m sayin’? When that album came out I think Drake created a new lane in music where you can sing and rap. Drake just one of the artists... He’s evolved into something else that’s different.

Kendrick is an artist where I haven’t worked with anybody as creative... Just the way he thinks about music and the way he writes and tends things. Kendrick usually has a song in his head before he even hears a beat. He just kind of knows in his mind… And then the beat is really just the platform for him to actually write to so. And he’s a lyricist, you know what I’m sayin’? He’s very into his rhyme. In some ways it’s like both of them... It’s hard to try to pin them against each other because they kind of do totally different things, but I think they’re the best at what they do so. Yeah.

DJ Soulscape

Yeah. I think it’s about time to point out the diversity and the rap scene.

DJ Dahi

Yeah.

DJ Soulscape

So, like everything from commercial to underground, to so-called “mumble rap.” What do you think about those new generations of rap music right now? As a producer?

DJ Dahi

I think as a producer, I think... Well first of all... I think that the music in general is in another genre. I wouldn’t see to say it’s like quote unquote, “hip-hop music.” It’s its own category of music because it’s so melodic, it’s so... It’s almost like a trap beat is a part of the thing so that’s a whole genre of like, the music you know? In some ways it’s not... I don’t really... I personally don’t get mad about it. I kind of try to understand it, try to see what’s fresh, what’s hip about it. Why do you like it. A lot of it reminds me... A lot of the music reminds me of... I say Lil Uzi Vert reminds me of Blink 182. Or it reminds me of like Good Charlotte. These really dope like ’90s rock bands that... Very melodic, very hook-driven. And even the aesthetic the way they look, it’s like they’re like rockstars, you know? In some ways it’s just different. I think you just gotta have a balance of everything and I think sometimes we just get to a point where everybody’s on this side of the room. But we have to find other artists that can do something different and can stand. It makes hip-hop seem a little bit stronger and diverse because there’s a lot of different categories, you know?

DJ Soulscape

Yeah. You’ve done a lot of co-work, right?

DJ Dahi

Say it again?

DJ Soulscape

You’ve done a lot of like co-work, co-production work.

DJ Dahi

Yeah, yeah.

DJ Soulscape

And collaboration in production now seems like a natural situation, right? How do you collaborate with other producers who’re like completely different from you?

DJ Dahi

Usually when I co-produce records now, I look at it more like a band so, if I’m making a record with someone, I kind of take the role of like, “Well let me do the drums.”

DJ Soulscape

Oh, OK.

DJ Dahi

Or, “Let me do the melody.” Cause I think sometimes, if you take a role, it makes it easier for someone to vibe with that and you just bounce of each other. I’ve been in rooms where if you’re producing, and everyone’s trying to be the one to like press the button... Or everyone trying to be the one to like, show off. It kind of messes up the vibe.

For me, I kind of take a step back. Or if someone needs me to lead the production, I’ll start the idea and then we’ll try to build so... But I think it’s cool. I think it gives you longevity, because you can’t do everything by yourself. If you know in your head like... There are sometimes that I run out of ideas, or I’m only listening in a certain way, but if someone plays me something cool I’ll be like, “Oh that…”It kind of opens up a new way of thinking about the song. In some ways, co-production I think is really dope. And you just gotta be open, you know? The main thing is about the vibe. As long as you and me have a good communication where we can say to each other, “This is cool. This is not cool, or this didn’t go.” I think it kinda helps the vibe of the song. The song is the most important thing. It’s not about me it’s not about the other person, it’s about the song so...

DJ Soulscape

Yeah. And of course you’ve done a lot of classic rap records as well, but you’ve been contributing a lot of production on the side for some pop sides as well, like Madonna and... Do you find any differences between those works?

DJ Dahi

Yes!

DJ Soulscape

Yeah. Oh, OK.

DJ Dahi

The pop world is a totally different beast. I think it’s different because... I think in some way it’s... Well sometimes the main difference is that most songs are written already, before the beat is even made. So if you’re writing songs, somebody’s writing songs to a piano, or a guitar... They write the song out, and then the production kind of comes later. Cause you can add the production in... So a lot of times it’s kind of like classic song writing. A lot of country songs are made that way where someone writes a song, plays it out, and then they’ll hire a producer to produce the record.

Rap is like, “Yo play me the beat.” For me it’s actually... It taught me a lot about how I want to approach rap now because, I would love... That’s really why I don’t really... Nowadays I don’t really make a lot of beats, just make a lot of beats and send to someone... Usually I have a session, and I’ll figure out what the vibe is of the artist and what they’re looking for. Then I’ll just make something there, on the spot, but I’ll have a bunch of ideas, that they might vibe with or like and stuff. That kind of... I can build from there.

I learned that doing pop sessions, because a lot of times people... A lot of pop people, or pop artists, like to write to chords. They’ll play to that and then... It just makes it easier. The production sometimes makes it a little bit too busy for the artist to write the songs… So a lot of ways it’s... You learn that... And yeah it’s just a different beast in regards to just how songs are written, you know what I’m sayin’?

DJ Soulscape

Yeah. What about difference between vocals and rappers? You’ve done a lot with R&B musicians as well.

DJ Dahi

Yeah. Vocalists... Well...

DJ Soulscape

Sometimes you need to rearrange the whole keys and the whole song structure for the vocalist as well.

DJ Dahi

Yeah. I’d say for... In general... Vocal producing is a totally different... It’s a beast, you know? It’s a totally different... It’s a skill. It’s a totally different skill that you have to learn. A lot of times when you’re vocal producing, you really have to capture the moment. You have to say like, “We have to do this many takes to record a song.” And then if you record a song, someone’s like, “Ah, that sucks. Go back and do it again,” or, “I’ll just take that part and comp it to something else.” A lot ways you’re working on that side.

With singers, it’s a little bit... Sometimes the singer has to sing to what the songwriter wrote. Sometimes the singer’s not the one who writes the song. You work on the song with the songwriter and then the singer comes in and sings that song, you know what I’m sayin’? So that’s a bit different.

Rappers go in there, they mumble some [mumbles] and then they’ll just comp and then they’ll take it. It’s a little bit more time spent with vocalists, but I think a lot of ways... As a producer, your number one job is to capture the best performance. Because that’s what it is... It’s like... you have to know when to capture the moment and then for the artist to... So they’ll feel comfortable and they know the song is good, it’s like... You’re supposed to make the song great, you know?

DJ Soulscape

Yeah, well let’s take a listen to other... Another favorite track.

(music: Drake - “Worst Behavior”)

I just wonder if you had any like... Your own approach regarding collecting samples or something?

DJ Dahi

I mean, it’s funny because... It was a while I stopped sampling. Pretty much after I did... When I did “Money Trees,” you realize that you don’t make a lot of money sampling because they’ll take a big part of your publishing and you’re like, “Oh shit, I ain’t making no money,” so I have to like find new ways of sampling.

My approach to sampling now is really trying to listen to a lot of reference records, like listen to a lot of samples, listen to a lot of records, and then I’ll just create my own samples and then I’ll... Or I’ll have people who make dope samples and then I’ll collab and make beats off of that. It’s just a different way. It’s like it’s really just a way to kind of like get around the idea of sampling, but still use it because there’s a certain technique that you do when you sample that you don’t do when you’re not sampling because it’s the way you chop a record, the way you get a groove, the way you can rearrange a record. It kind of allows you to like… New ideas, so I still sample. I think I just either sample myself or I’ll sample a lot of like new ideas or something that someone gives me. But I still love it. Like I still collect samples, I still chop samples just to get an idea, and then I’ll change it…

DJ Soulscape

Which program do you use like making beats?

DJ Dahi

Say that again?

DJ Soulscape

Which program do you use?

DJ Dahi

Ableton Live.

DJ Soulscape

That’s the main thing or…

DJ Dahi

Yeah, Ableton Live is the future.

DJ Soulscape

OK.

Dj Dahi

Yeah. I only use... I used to be on Logic and then I think I got on Ableton maybe in probably like 2012. No, no, no. 2013 or 2012, I remember. Yeah, 2013 because my friend BloodPop, he’s a really dope producer, he’s the one that showed it to me and then from there I just started just doing it and it’s crazy. Ableton is the best. I don’t care what anybody can say. It’s the best.

DJ Soulscape

What makes it like so unique, you think? The workflow or like interface or…

DJ Dahi

It’s... What I love about Ableton is I’ve never worked on a program where everyone uses it differently, but they can work fast. Like you can... You just have to kind of look at Ableton Live as a... If you could make a wishlist of what you want to do, production, there’s a way you can do it in Ableton. Like if that makes sense.

Like you can customize it to your liking because of... It just makes you think about music differently, if that makes sense. I don’t know if that really makes sense, but if you... I’ll give you this tip. If you kind of look at both windows, the arrangement view and the clip view, there’s just a lot of things you can do that if you think about the way you organize your music or the way you organize your ideas, that’s what it’s for. It’s really about an idea generator, you know what I’m saying?

But again, I’m going to use it totally differently than how you’re going to use it and that’s dope, you know what I’m saying, because you’re going to do something that I’ll be, “Oh, that’s dope,” but I have a way of, the way I make music, that I know I can work fast in Ableton and it’s helped me actually... Like I said, I can make beats on the fly. I don’t have to like make a bunch of just beats. I can collect ideas and stuff. I haven’t seen another program that does it like that.

DJ Soulscape

Do you make like melody lines first or drum lines first? It depends?

DJ Dahi

It depends. The way I kind of look at it is parts. So I’ll make a bunch of drum ideas, I’ll make a bunch of melody ideas, I’ll make voice notes to myself, I’ll chop an idea, and then I’ll just play it for someone because the thing I’ve learned about I guess when you do a lot more sessions, it’s really... I guess you have to kind of make... You kind of have to go on the fly, you kind of have to work on the fly, because it all depends on if you have the artist, I’ve got to figure out what mood you’re in. So for me it’s like I try to find space in my records just for you can have your ideas so you’ll know it. Like I’ll play you a bunch of melodies and you’ll be like, “Oh, I like that one.” “All right, cool. What type of groove you want? Oh, you like that groove? All right, cool.”

I try to start the record off the melody first, usually, because that makes it easier for someone to write to because sometimes drums lock in to a certain rhythm and you can’t move out of that rhythm, but if you found a melody that’s open and somebody can write to it, I think that’s a good place to start when you’re creating songs.

DJ Soulscape

Do you have any like... Actually, I think you’ve done a lot of like newcomers’ albums as well, right? Like Logic’s first album and Mick Jenkins mixtape and now you’ve worked with a lot of like newcomers, or so to say “rookies,” right? You seem to have a good eye for like new musicians. What do you think about that? What do you think about like... Do you have any... Your own viewpoints or like set…

DJ Dahi

Yeah. I think usually with artists you kind of have to... When you’re looking for new artists, you have to kind of just go with your gut feeling, if that makes sense, because you don’t know if it’s going to sell, you don’t know if it’s going to be good, you don’t know if it’s going to… Like if anything is going to happen, but a lot of times it’s all about, like, if you believe in the artist.

And even when I first heard… Like when I first heard Logic, I just knew he could really rap. Like I knew he was like really good at lyrics. Like lyrically he was like... He could really, really, really rap, so I was like, “OK, that’s dope,” and so we got in the studio and we kind of vibed and worked and I didn’t really know how big his growth was and with artists and how he’s built like a really strong base with his fans, like he has a lot of core fans that really love his stuff, and I was like, “Oh wow, like I didn’t know it was this big,” and so it just kind of kept building and building and now he had a number one album that sold 200,000 copies the first week.

That’s great for him because he’s really built his own lane, but I say this really to like all artists and producers and stuff. Like, I think the best thing is, like, when you believe in something before someone else does, it kind of... It’s just more rooted and it’s more powerful and it’s more beneficial for you and your career because most people don’t know why they like what music they listen to. It’s because either the DJ plays it…

DJ Soulscape

Finds like common things.

DJ Dahi

Yeah, exactly or your friend likes it. Most guys don’t... Whatever the ladies are dancing to, that’s what the guys are going to like. In that concept of just making music, it’s always important to be like, just know why you love what you like and where your pace comes from and then when you do that it allows you to believe in something when somebody else isn’t.

I try to do that as much as I can because it’s always just ups and downs when it comes to just somebody being really popular and then somebody down here that no one knows about is like the next thing, but if you don’t see that, you might miss the whole boat, you know what I’m saying?

DJ Soulscape

Yeah, I think that’s a good approach from the DJ’s point of view. Does it... Did you like... When did you start DJing?

DJ Dahi

I started DJing in college. I was like 18, like 17/18. I bought my first turntables. I had bought the belt-drive turntables, you know the little cheap one, and then I just started... I bought... I think the first record I bought was Hi-Teknology, Hi-Tek’s Rawkus record. That was the first record I bought and then I just... But also my dad had a bunch of records, so I took his soul records and then I used, like… But I learned with DJing, was super dope, is that, I think when you play music for people, you can read people’s body language and moves. You go off of that and then you keep progressively growing into the next song or things, and also, too, just how songs are made. The sequence of a song from the hook to the verse. That just always sticks in my mind when I DJ or when I produce. I got back and forth of just, “What would this sound like in this environment?” The environment is very important to your listening. People like to say, “I don’t like the Migos,” or “I don’t listen to this stuff,” but when you in the club you just turning up. You know what I’m saying? It has the energy. I think even in LA, LA has a huge car culture. When people listen to music, most of the time they listening in they cars. When you drive and you got your sub in the back and it’s banging, and you’re going through the streets, that’s when you play the music the most. In New York, people are walking down the street in their headphones or in the subway. That affects your listening. It’s environments. The environment is gonna make you make a certain type of music that is gonna create a sound in DJing and producing. They go hand in hand and just knowing what the people like.

DJ Soulscape

Do you think your DJ career affected your production work, as well?

DJ Dahi

Absolutely, absolutely. I stopped DJing... I mean consistently DJing probably when I was 23, 24, and I just really focused on production. But now it’s funny. I’m trying to go back more into DJing ‘cause I think it’s just fun and you get to connect with the people more. But it was a huge step. It really taught me a lot about just energy and mood and flow. It’s constantly changing so you have to know when to ride the wave and move it and step off or get back on. Producing is the same way, where you just have to keep evolving and you have to keep your ears open and you have to keep your... I always believe the best song I’m gonna make is gonna be the next one, so I’m always, “Oh, what’s that? What you like? What you like? Oh, let me listen to what you like? Oh, that’s dope.” It changes, you know?

DJ Soulscape

Yeah, for me, DJing is the best way of discovering music and people, feelings, moods, and inspirations. I always recommend my fellow producers or musicians to be a DJ.

DJ Dahi

Absolutely. Absolutely. Absolutely.

DJ Soulscape

Yeah, talking about attitude as a producer, what do you think is the right attitude for an artist and a producer? I see a lot of producers are... Especially in hip-hop and rap music, they’re behind the scenes, right? Sometimes I wonder if they have rights part in the music industry sometimes. I always wanna tell them to have your own attitude regarding that.

DJ Dahi

Well, it’s funny. I think we’re in a very interesting time for the producer because the producer is becoming the artist, a lot of time now. There’s a lot of producers that I’ve been noticing that are DJing or getting festival gigs by playing their own music or just DJing. Cashmere Cat is a friend of mine and I see him. He produces for a lot of really big pop artists and some rap artists, but he’ll go and tour and DJ and have his own category of music. I think it’s a good time to be able to do the artist and producer thing, where people are into production. Just the beats, not even lyrics on the beats. That’s a huge asset for you, your career, and you can go.

But I think, also, too, you just have to know how to balance, too, because I think, again… For me, at least, the way I look at it, when it comes to the song all I care about is the song. I don’t really care if I’m the face of the song or I’m in the video or did it. I’m more like I just wanna make the song great. If I sing something in the song and they keep it, cool. If they don’t, whatever. But I think it’s more about your approach to the music and also, too, that people like to work with you. A lot of times, I think people... The biggest thing in the industry, you can’t be an asshole. People have to be able to be like, “I really like working with that person,” or ,“That person gives me good energy and good vibes.” Then from there it grows into the next situation and your reputation grows.

A lot of times, for me, for example, I know a lot of dope producers or people who make beats, but I don’t like to be with them in the studio. I’m just like, “Nah, you kill my vibe,” or, “Nah, you not cool,” or it’s just whatever. Really, just being able to have the space to create and be open to ideas and not try to be a know-it-all, but in some ways let the flow of the session grow. Just be on the go thinking-wise. Don’t be stuck in this particular moment, you know? Just know that anything can change. The biggest thing I’ve learned, too, is every song’s a demo before it actually comes out. No song is really done until somebody’s selling it at Best Buy or on Apple Music. It’s not done until it actually comes out.

Even with the Kendrick album, literally we worked ‘til the very last day before the album even dropped. That’s how much time we put into it and you don’t know. But overall I think it’s that approach. If you keep that mindset open, it can get you far.

DJ Soulscape

Yeah. Talking about Kendrick Lamar’s album, I think this is most question. When you were working on album DAMN., could you tell us what the mood was like and how those people work together?

DJ Dahi

Working on DAMN. was really... It became a real family environment, just in the sense of...

(music: Kendrick Lamar - “LUST”)

The fact that everybody in the room really cared about the music and everybody’s egos were checked at the door. I think Kendrick had really a lot of trust in me and Sounwave. Mike Will, Danny Keys, it was just dope because a lot of times we all took the approach of... “I’ll do the drums, you do the sample. You have this idea, let me come and finish it. Yo, can you bring in this person? I brought this person. That person did a good job.” It was an environment where it was like everything I did or everything we did, it was all for the album and the project. It made it so much better because nobody came into the door like, “I’m trying to be the star, I’m trying to be the big producer” or “I’m trying to shine on the track.” It was like, “What’s gonna make the song the best?”

DJ Soulscape

Everything was built from scratch in the studio, right?

DJ Dahi

Yeah, all the beats on the album were all in the studio. There was maybe one or two tracks that somebody actually sent, that got on the album, but everything else was in the studio. We all made it there. We had an idea and we just built it. That was great because to me, that’s real. That was a dope experience because everything becomes synergy. Everything becomes one. It’s not like 14 different tracks. They all tie to each other, even though they sound a little different. They all have a real tie to each other. I think that was really a dope environment. I hadn’t really been in that environment other than the time I worked with No I.D. on Vince Staples’ album. That just back and forth, “You play a track, I play a track,” or, “You have an idea and we just keep building, keep building.” I think the best thing about the whole album is that a lot of it was kind of coming from just us having conversations about life, and being able to look at life, and try to make sense of where the world is at right now. Trying to really figure out, “Damn, how can you make a song that people can enjoy, but you’re not preaching?” Yeah, you know what I’m saying? You’re trying to pick to the mood, but you’re not trying to tell them, “Don’t do drugs,” or, “Watch your drinking”.

All this kind of preachy stuff is more about just enjoy life and know where you’re at, but also to just know that you have a purpose, and there’s a bigger power than who you are, and you have to remember that. But this conversation is just sitting in the studio and just talking. It kind of built the album into something that was kind of unique for the purpose of everybody in the room is there for a purpose. There wasn’t a bad energy in there. That was beautiful.

DJ Soulscape

Thanks for the great album. I think it’s about time to have a little Q&A session.

Audience Member

Hey, what’s going on? I have two questions. First one is can you tell us about any really kind of difficult sessions you had, but ended up with the best thing? Like a banger?

DJ Dahi

Difficult sessions that turned out to be good songs ...

Audience Member

Like in regards to maybe even the artist being difficult to work with? Or you guys just can’t figure out, you can’t crack that nut?

DJ Dahi

I mean there has been records. For example... I give you one example. So, it wasn’t that the artists were difficult, but I didn’t know what they liked, or the communication wasn’t really there. So I remember when I did “Drug Dealers Anonymous” for Pusha T and Jay Z, so I was in the studio with Pusha T and making a beat, and I didn’t actually know he liked the beat while I was making it.

(music: Pusha T ft. Jay Z - “Drug Dealers Anonymous”)

I was just kind of in there making stuff. Sometimes I just go off your face reaction. So I’m making a beat and, “Da-da-da.” Then he’s just kind of quiet, sitting in the corner, chilling. Then all of a sudden he just leaves the studio. He just leaves the studio, and I’m just sitting there like... And his manager is like, “Yo, this is dope, this is dope.” I’m like, “I don’t know. I’m just making a beat.” And he’s like, “Cool,” takes it. Then I left the studio thinking, “Man, this shit is whack. I’m about to go. I’m out.” Then I get a call a month later and he calls me. It’s like, “Hey man, I got one. We got this record, it’s really crazy. We’re about to put Jay Z on there.” I’m like, “Oh, all right cool. This is dope.”

So he put Jay on the record, and it just kind of takes off from there. So I think it was cool because you don’t know. Sometimes you don’t know. You think it’s dope, but again, I’m a person that kind of just... I’m not married to one idea. So if you want to change it, you can. But sometimes, I just want to kind of know what you’re thinking. So I didn’t know. When I made the beat, I didn’t know. But it kind of turned out dope. But there has been sessions where it’s almost a waste of time because the person is not focused on writing the song, or kind of getting it. It’s more like, “Yo, come play some beats.” Then I’m like, “Yo, this is not good. I feel like I’m kind of getting set up for failure.” You know what I’m saying?

It’s kind of like, “Oh shit, what do I do?” You know what I’m saying? Because I don’t know what the situation is I’m going into. But overall, I think you just have to... I think the biggest thing I can say, going into studios is just come prepared as much as you can. You got to kind of think a little bit more open, and kind of at least try to ask the person, “Can I listen to some songs?” You can kind of figure out what somebody likes, but overall you never know. But there was a bit of good in that one.

Audience Member

My second question is, you wrote with all these legends and all that, there’s level to this shit. So what’s your willingness to work with unknown artists?

DJ Dahi

Oh, I’m about it all day. If a person is dope, and they have a really unique sound in something I think that they stand out, I’m always open to working with new artists. I’m always looking for new artists. I think I’m open to development, you know what I’m saying? Have my own artists, and promote them, and get them on. That’s going to help the legacy of all the music I’m working on in people, so I’m super open to it.

Audience Member

My bad, but I don’t want to hog the mic, but just to piggyback real quick off that last one, who puts you on to new artists? Or do you look?

DJ Dahi

I have a lot of really good friends who are a&rs and managers. So I just get hit up like, “Yo, there’s this new artist you should check out.” They’ll send me an email link to their music, and I will hit them back like, “Yo, I like this person, can you bring him to the studio?” Then we’ll just kind of vibe. A lot of it is just... I don’t really sit on the internet myself and search for a lot of music, it’s really just me... Somebody introducing me to this artist, and then from there I kind of build it out. So I just trust my friends ears. I’m like, “Yo, if they think it’s dope, it’s probably dope.”

Audience Member

You told me you’re the Ableton Live is the future. Ableton Live is the future, using the Ableton Live. I’m one of the user of the Ableton Live. Can you tell me your tip of Ableton Live because you told me you’re customizing the Ableton Live.

DJ Dahi

So in the clip view, right?

Audience Member

Is it the session view? Arrangement view?

DJ Dahi

Session view... Which one is that? Clip view is the clips. The small clips.

Audience Member

Yes.

DJ Dahi

So the clip view, you have to think of the clip view as ideas. So you can record a bunch of dope drums, and loops, and songs, and whatever. You can save it as an idea bank. A library, exactly. So I save a bunch of just small ideas. I’ll spend a day of just... I’m not even making a full song, I’m just making ideas, making ideas, making ideas. I’ll throw them in this thing. So when I do sessions, I’ll go into the thing and I’ll just play little ideas. Not full songs. It helps me organize my thoughts a little better because I’m not forced to make a full song at one time. I can get 20 ideas in...

Audience Member

I see.

DJ Dahi

20, 30 minutes, and I can come to the session, and kind of know like, “Oh, so you want some jingle bell Christmas songs?” So I’m going to go here and pull down these little things that maybe it’s kind of cool. So it just allows you to kind of organize your thoughts a little bit, but also to save them as almost templates and knowing that from anything, any sounds, textures, whatever. Even in that, you can even... You can do some crazy organizing flips that is going to take me a long time to explain.

But over time, it’s kind of a really cool thing to weigh... Even if you can chop in the assembler, with the assembler thing chopping samples and stuff, it’s super fast. I can chop ideas in one minute. I just learn different ways to do it. But the clip view for sure. Save your ideas, then you can use them in the song later.

DJ Soulscape

Sounds pretty easy, which is not actually.

DJ Dahi

Yeah. It just takes time to kind of learn it, what it’s for. I’ll say one last thing. Think of the... The reason why people use a lot of Ableton Live for live shows is because you can organize a bunch of songs in one session, or you can do like a master session of clips, and stems, and stuff. So that’s why I think Ableton Live gets used so much because you can put so many ideas in one session. So you can kind of look at it. You can remix stuff, you can add stuff by just trying the different clips and changing stuff, and going back and forth. But they’re all little small ideas. So you can kind of look at it in a way of organizing all these song ideas you have, and just put them in just one song.

Audience Member

Thank you.

Audience Member

Thanks for the lecture first of all. I think you answered my question a little bit already, but I’ve got two questions. One is... So from looking at your resume I can only assume that you have a good relationship with different, so many artists, like you’ve worked with Madonna, you’ve worked with Kelela, you’ve worked with a lot of rappers and such and such, so question number one is how do you keep your relationship with the fellow musicians and artists?

DJ Dahi

Well, a lot of it is just I think I try to get in the studio with the artist and then from there it just makes it a little bit easier to have like an actual friendship and know that people actually like you as a person and you guys connect. It just makes it easier to really feel a chemistry with someone and over time you just kind of know what they like or what they listen to. I think over time… For me, I think I try to only work with artists that I really like to listen to their music, you know what I’m saying? I’m a fan of it and even if it’s different from what people would think I like, I just try to communicate with them and like, “Yeah, I really like your music,” or, “Maybe we should try this direction,” or, “What do you want to do?” I think over time usually people kind of know that, again, I’ve just got good energy. I try to have good energy with people and I usually… You know, I just call people up and say, “How you doing?” And you know, just like, “What you been listening to? What you been on?” You just have a good conversation.

A lot of times sometimes I won’t even start the session with music. We’ll talk for like 30, 40 minutes, an hour, just like what’s going on with you? How’s life? So that always helps the relationship start to something where it’s not like, “Play some music, play some music.” It’s like, “What did you eat for breakfast today?” Just simple things you know.

Audience Member

That’s dope man. I guess that was my question. So do you text them a lot? Do you call them a lot?

DJ Dahi

I don’t do it all the time, but I think it’s just…

Audience Member

Just sometimes.

DJ Dahi

Yeah, just sometimes. You just build a good relationship where you guys talk about life in general and that’s always helpful, you know what I’m saying? Because it’s not just like, you never want to be like the guy who’s like, “I’m just trying to sell you something.” You know what I’m saying? You kind of want to be like, “Yo, I’ve got this idea. I think this could be dope.” You know, so you’ve just got to be genuine. Try to really be genuine.

Audience Member

Yeah. You don’t want to be a spam mail basically.

DJ Dahi

No.

Audience Member

My second question is, so as a producer sometimes you have a bunch of sessions with artists and because there must be so many different reasons, but let’s say this artist is a superstar and this guy is super busy. It’s really hard to get a hold of him, so it’s really hard to seal the deal. You know what I’m saying?

DJ Dahi

Yeah.

Audience Member

It’s really hard to get the song finished, but you really have a lot of songs done so how do you do that? Do you bug them a lot or do you just simply pray at night?

DJ Dahi

OK, I’ll give you an example. So like me and [A$AP Rocky], we’re really good friends. Like we hang out and I’ve worked with Rocky a bunch of times. It’s like with Rocky it’s like his process of making music is like he’ll hold onto an idea we did three years ago, he’ll play it for me. I’ll be like, “Man, I thought that was done. You weren’t even using it.” You know what I’m saying? So with him, I kind of know that if I work with him I don’t know, I don’t know, but I think you kind of realize the process of him kind of like… If I know I’ve got three days to work with him, I’d be like, “Cool. I’ll just make these ideas.”

And then sometimes too it’s like those songs, he may keep them, he may not keep them, but if he don’t keep them I got three good beats and I can take it to someone else, if he doesn’t want them. You know what I’m saying? I try not to… If I made a beat for him I’m not going to give it to someone. I don’t do that because that kind of makes the situation a little bad, but a lot of times I try to just have a relationship where, you know, if you want the beat, take it, hold it. I’ll ask if you don’t want it anymore then I’ll… But there’s been situations where like I thought this person was going to put it out and I gave it to them and then the album didn’t come out. You know what I’m saying? And then you’re just like, “Damn.” So overall, again, it’s just I guess just try to keep working and try to keep doing because everybody’s timeline is so different and the process is different. But I just try to keep optimistic because, again, it sucks sometimes. You just don’t know.

Audience Member

I think it’s because of your good energy.

DJ Dahi

Yeah, exactly. It’s all music, you know.

Audience Member

Thank you.

Audience Member

[speaking Korean]

DJ Dahi

I think for me I used to have a big problem where I would get stuck on one idea, like I would just, I would never… I was too rigid. You know what I’m saying? I would spend a whole day making one beat, like just I’ve got to change the drummer trying to get that, and then I guess when I go to the situation with the studio or the artist, you know, I’ll have maybe five minutes to play a bunch of beats and be like if they don’t like any of them beats then it’s like, “OK, shit. I’m kind of assed out.”

But now I think I try to… It goes back to the idea of making… I guess if you can balance the time of… You’ve got to balance the time of living life, being creative and also to knowing experience of just keeping your ears always open helps you create more music, if that makes sense. It’s really like I try to create from a standpoint of music is not my only thing that keeps me alive. I try to live and grow and in some ways it’s really just about me being able to find the time to spend and be efficient in what I’m creating and making music and doing things. And then when I’m with the artists it’s knowing that I only have a certain amount of time, so I have to kind of be able to inspire that artist in that session and know that, “OK, it’s my job to kind of keep the ship rolling,” because sometimes, in a session, the artist is like, they’re just not focused.

There might be 20 women in the studio and people are drinking and getting high and hanging out, and I’m like, “Hey, how you doing? I got some beats.” But they’re not paying attention, you know. So a lot of times it’s like you have to kind of know and be able to be like, “OK, this is a waste of my time, and I’m going to play this music,” or, “This person has my attention, so I’m just going to leave.” You’ve just got to know what you’re worth for your time and what you’re doing and what you’re creating because a lot of the times, when you’re working with bigger artists, they may not be inspired as the new person who just wants to work hard and make dope music, and you can create with them.

Audience Member

What the situation when you need to balance with other producers ideas when collaborating with other producers?

DJ Dahi

OK, I’ve been in a situation where like, you know, there’s three producers and there’s this big artist.

Audience Member

They have all different tastes of like their own style.

DJ Dahi

All different tastes of their own style, and there are some producers that’ll be like, “Hey, look at me. I’ve got the dopest beats.” And that’s cool, but for me I’m more of a laid back, try to like see what the situation is. If we’re supposed to collaborate together I say let’s just do a jam session where you play something, I play something, a part of that, and then this person plays another kind of keys. So like, for example, when we did the “Yah” record for DAMN., we were all in New York, and we were all just like, in a session, and you know we were looking for one more track, and you know, at the time we were like, “I don’t know what we’re gonna make,” so we sat in a room, all hung out and just like listened to music, and then after we listened to a bunch of dope albums we got back and we literally just had a really dope jam session, like it was a live band where I was playing all drum breaks, and then Sounwave is playing some samples, and then Danny is in here playing piano, and so we all just kind of bounced ideas off each other for like, we made like... I swear we made like, three beats in like, you know, two hours.

Because we just made music, it wasn’t about like, somebody trying to be the star of the show, it was just like, “Yo, let me bounce this idea for you, and you sing someone in, Kendrick go jump on the mic,” and he would start freestyling, and then you start to build a cycle of ideas and ideas and ideas and ideas, and it kind of just keeps going, and then that’s how we got “Yah,” because we did the jam session, but we weren’t playing beats, you know, we all knew like, “I think you’re dope, you know I’m dope, can’t you just play this one part and then I’ll add that and just keep building until it’s like where we’ve actually made a song.”

Audience Member

Sounds like very ideal situation, but sometimes those ideas like, fight each other, against other producers idea, right?

DJ Dahi

Yeah, you don’t... I mean, I’m not... If I’m in a studio and I’m working with someone I have to like them as a person and I have to want to be around them. If I don’t like that person, I’m leaving, I’m out, I’m gone, ‘cause it’s a waste of time, you know, for me it’s like, I’d rather... Time is the most important thing for me, time is like, is so crucial, because you don’t... I guess you never can get caught up in the moment of the music or just the moment of, like, I have to do this one record, or this record has to be the one.

And sometimes with the business, the business gets bad because people are greedy or people want more, or they feel like this is their one big record, so they’re gonna try to take as much as they can. And it sucks, ‘cause it’s like, the energy messes up the music to me. So... You know I work with somebody sometime in situations that happen, but I’m more like, if you really want it that bad you can have it, but we may not work together anymore. And yeah, it just... Collaboration is really all about energy and the person is the vibe...

Audience Member

Chemistry.

DJ Dahi

Chemistry, it’s chemistry, like, you know, it’s just chemistry.

Audience Member

When you’re not in the studio, when you’re all by yourself, not in the session with the artists, at which point do you think you’re really done working on an idea? Like, as before you get it heard to the artists or like...

DJ Dahi

Usually for me I try not to overproduce a record. Which means like, putting a whole bunch of sounds and stuff in a record, where it just makes it too much. I just kind of have a point where, especially if I’m writing and somebody’s like writing a song, to a beat, I kind of will take certain things out of the beat and just have the person write the melody or sing a melody or write lyrics to the song, and then I’ll build it up later.

And I just kind of take that process of ideas and knowing that again, like everything is not a full song, until it comes out. So just try to think of music as space, like people need to have as much space as possible to see themselves on the record.

You know, sometime I know I’ve made beats where I can tell it scared the artist away. It’s like, too much going on, it’s like, fireworks and explosions and you know, screams and shouts, it’s too much. So I just take stuff out and then I just kind of build it.

I really learned a lot of that from like Pharrell, like Pharrel, I’ve never met Pharrell, but when I listen to his music, he’s very good at only having like, five sounds in his songs. You don’t hear a lot of like crazy textures, you really hear only like, five or six unique sounds in the song, and then from there it just makes it easier for the person to like sing on it, or vibe, or stuff. So the biggest advice I’d say is just, you know, just imagine if you’re gonna sing on the record, can you actually sing on it? Is there too much going on? Is it just... Is it enough to inspire the idea to like, come into a song? ‘Cause sometimes you just gotta know when to stop, be like, “OK, that’s enough, I gotta let people kind of sing on it.”

Audience Member

When you start the bottom, how to overcome your obstacles, and what is your motivation?

DJ Dahi

I think I had to get over the fear of like, trying to do something like live my dreams whatever. There was a point in time where I just didn’t know, I didn’t really know if I could produce music and if it was something that I could live off of or create, and you know, it’s, to me it was really... I had to sacrifice a lot in my life, in time and people, to kind of really focus my energy in the music, but it was all worth it I think because over time you realize you know, you gotta have... The biggest thing you have to have is just the passion, and then that’ll just guide you into places that you never thought you would make it in. And it was a good... Lot of what motivated me to keep going was just having really great conversations with people who saw the time I put into the music, and the energy that I had, and they knew like, “Oh, you’re gonna make it, because you kind of... You’re not gonna let anything stop your dream, and you just believe in yourself.”

And it kind of kept me going even when I wasn’t making any money, I didn’t really... I didn’t quit my job job until you know... I was still working a full-time job until “Worst Behavior” came out. Yeah. I was working at a school, I was still working, working, working, nine to five, just making beats when I got home.

And I was just saving money, saving money saving money, and then I got to the point where I was like, OK, I can actually live off the music because financially it was okay, but over time it was like, it was cool because I didn’t worry about the money, I just... ‘Cause I didn’t depend on music to pay me, I just was like, “Yeah, I just want to make the best stuff,” and then from there it kind of just grew into me actually starting to build off that, so overall it’s just like, it’s believing in yourself and believing in your dreams, but also too like just... Fear is a very... It’s the biggest hurdle, ‘cause if you’re scared to risk something it kind of... You kind of limit it, you stop shooting. So just kind of know that once you get over that fear and you’re able to sacrifice your time, you know, you’ll make it, you’ll make it.

And what was your second question? Did I answer it?

Audience Member

No it’s okay, thank you for answer.

DJ Dahi

[speaking Korean]

DJ Dahi

You know actually, a thing I used to do, and I still do it today, is that actually if I ever am by myself and I’m just making like a beat or an idea, sometimes I just make a song to an acapella, just like a random... Just acapella from like a remix and stuff, and I just build around the song that way. And then so I’ll know, “OK, that’s too much there, or this melody fits here, take that...” and you can kind of strip the idea out with whatever, you know, throw different vocals and see if it works. And it actually helps me create more songs, or I can write songs, because it’s all based on a melody or a chord progression.

Sometimes if you try to make a song too specific to an artist, and the artist doesn’t want it, it’s kind of a... It kind of hurts you, because it’s only for one person, you know? So I... ‘Cause I remember I used to do these writer camps, like it was a writing camp for like Rihanna, so Rihanna would... You’d do writing camps, and then you go there and you work with different songwriters, and so the singer who’s singing the song starts singing exactly like Rihanna, just like, form the melody to the ideas, and it’s dope, it’s a dope song, but you sung it just for Rihanna, so the song can’t go anywhere else, it doesn’t fit this person. So I try to be as open as possible with the song. I just write a really great song and from there it’ll grow into something bigger. But yeah, again, just try to make the song as open as possible, because it can get too... If you focus just on one artist sometimes you know, it works. But sometimes it works too because you’re giving them what they need, or you know that person likes this sound, so, you know. That usually happens when you’re in the session with the artist and after amount of time I know, “Oh, this beat is only gonna really sound good with this artist.” So it just depends, off and on, I try to be as open as possible.

Audience Member

Kamsahameda.

DJ Dahi

Thank you.

Audience Member

[speaking Korean]

DJ Dahi

Thank you. [applause]