40 - Kimchi Kriminal

Author

Giannis Kampiotis
January 06, 2023

Hello music people 👋

Today in the spotlight, Kimchi Kriminal

Coming from Amsterdam, he is a beatmaker that knows what he wants. He's been through a journey with his setup until he figured his needs.

A lot of gems in this interview, let's see how he does it 🎶

Read Time: 8 minutes 📰

Studio

Gear List

Plus other stuff like a midi keyboard, patchbay, dj mixer, turntable, headphones etc.

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Interview

Who are you and what is your relationship with music?

I am Kimchi Kriminal and I am located in Amsterdam.

I always wanted to rap but didn't know anyone who made beats. So I decided to figure out how to do that myself. I was always was very curious about how records and songs were made. I always read the production notes trying to get a picture of what people were doing in the studio.

I remember seeing that famous Dr Dre and Mel Man picture surrounded by stacks of vinyl and samplers. That really resonated with me and I wanted to be like those guys, without knowing what they were actually doing and what those machines were. It was before YouTube and other convenient online sources for starting beat makers. But I ended up buying an MPC500 and things started rolling from there.

Like any other beat maker and producer I upgraded my setup bit by bit, did a few albums/ EP's and contributed to several beat tapes.

My music isn't really a part of an income for me. I am not actively promoting my music to sell it. I am actually happy with it being a serious hobby. I just want to make art and not being pressured by negotiating, adjusting beats for rappers and doing too much promotion besides running an Instagram account.

What's the one thing in your studio you can't live without?

Akai MPC2500.

Hands down. It's the thing I would grab if my house was on fire.

What is the least expensive piece of gear that gave you the most results?

I think it's a banged up MPC500 I re-bought two years ago.

I wanted to have it as a side piece but almost ended up being my main one. Did a lot of dope beats with it. Think I did 80% of Bulgogi Beats with it. Dragged it with me all around Amsterdam and across the globe, but unfortunately it died on me last month.

What's your process?

Almost every time I get inspired by a song that I then sample. Sometimes I get inspired by other artists and songs. On a very rare occasion I start with figuring out a chord progression and work from there. But I think the core of that all is a certain mood or vibe that I am feeling or caught my attention that I transform into my own stuff.

I feel like finishing a track is sometimes harder than starting it. Knowing when it's enough is an overlooked skill I think. But when I am still adding stuff to a beat and catch myself adding stuff to a beat just to add stuff... I know I the beat is finished.

I always try to do more stuff with a beat than just letting it be a 4 bar loop. But sometimes a beat is just a 4 bar loop and adding anything else will only take away from the vibe. That really depends on the beat, but it's sometimes hard to feel when it is finished.

Trial and error basically.

How would you explain your style?

It feels I have multiple styles sometimes.

But I do really love the Jazzy stuff. Lo-Fi and Jazzy boombap. And horns, I always love having horns on the track. So much I refrain myself from adding horns to a beat and look for other instruments to add. With the Jazzy stuff I also like to chop up multiple records and blend them together and apply a fairly simple chopping technique.

I also like to do Soul beats and do some more heavy chopping but getting all the parts from the same record. And sometimes I just want to bang out some aggressive or dark boombap beats. I think the Jazzy samples and the horns are a bit of my signature if I have any.

What’s your biggest struggle?

I think it's the promotional and releasing stuff.

I just want to make beats. I know it's a good thing and motivating to work an a project. I have to push myself to compile beats, track them out etc. I also have some stuff I should upload to Beatstars. But simply almost never feel like doing. Usually things like that are temporary with me.

When I am on a roll I can bang out multiple tapes a year. But for now it's not my strongest point.

Has this journey of building a hardware setup changed the way you think about music or life in general?

First of all I really respect the way people did music before the computer era. It's not easy having a hardware or hybrid setup. The lack of flexibility and amount of space one needs compared to running a DAW.

In my first couple of years I bought so many stuff and hooked everything up with each other that I ended up with a very cluttered setup. Instead of making beats I was trying just to get sound out of anything and wasn't productive at all. What I learned from that is that having no more than I need is just perfect for me. It's a bit cliche, but less is more. Also in life.

With almost anything I buy I ask myself: do I really need it? What will I gain from it? Is it really worth the money in my case.

What’s your ONE tip on music-production or creativity?

Choose YOUR weapon of choice, there is no right or wrong in that. But learn it from the inside out.

A book/movie/article that fueled your creativity?

It's a 2007 Sound on Sound interview with DJ Premier in which he talks about using the MPC and how intuitive it's workflow is. And how he turns off the quantize for a looser feel on the drums. That's when I knew I had to get myself an MPC.

How can people find you?

In Case You Missed It

For jams, knob-twists and pad hitting videos go to G.A.S. Instagram

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