A Conversation With Producer Diogenes | Interview
Seattle resident multifaceted artist Diogenes has been crafting someone of the nicest soundscapes you’ve probably missed if you haven’t played close attention to the Pacific Northwest scene. As a founding member of the cross country production crew Filthy Fingers United, he has proven himself as a master of whatever he get’s his hands on whether it be an SP404, Ableton or two cups and a spoon, guaranteed it will be DOPE. Off of the heels of his album Death & Acid, his collaborations with MC’s Graves 33 and Phrewill we sat and talked about his roots, the PACNW scene, cassettes, and production styles.
Grab your G-Pen, some good green, that latest collection of Diogenes FFU beats from 2015 and read along.
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DTN: Diogenes.. Producer, tape enthusiast, and Seattle resident. For those who don’t know you or of your work, break down when you started making beats, and what drew you into hip-hop culture?
Diogenes :Being born in ‘86 most of my life I was surrounded by whitewashed variations of hip hop culture, despite being raised in a small town. I mostly listened to my parents CDs growing up, being Santana, The Beatles, Cream, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and of course, MTV was in its peak up into my teens. My TV had an alarm setting so I’d wake up to Mystikal or Jay Z or Redman n shit on my TV before school, and would bump Eminem on my walkman lol. When I was 15 a friend of mine dropped me Acid Pro and a fuckpile of loops after hearing how much I loved MTV Music Generator. So I started making techno, didn’t really get into making hip-hop until I was 20. That’s when I met my friend Jewels, who runs Black Laboratory in Seattle. We worked together and would chill at his studio after work and smoked blunts, watch conspiracy theory docs and he’d burn me CDs of shit I never heard like Eyedea & Abilities, Illogic, Zion I and the likes. It;s also how I met a handful of the local Seattle cats.
DTN: You have a leading roll it seems in FFU which consists of a diverse group of producers from across the country. What brought this collective about, and why was it important for you to organize this?
Diogenes: At the time Julie C and I were running a monthly event called CHURCH! where we’d get emcees and producers that were relatively new or rare, and have them perform at this all-ages anarchist coffee shop, and Wizdumb was running an event called Pad Pushers for producers at an art gallery, there was tons of talent in the city, most of which was brand new cats experimenting with style and still learning for the most part. So I’m with the dudes from Black Magic Noize one night and we’d been talking that week prior about how we need some sort of unifying force to keep everyone on point, like a dojo for everyone to sharpen their blades, practice new shit, try out samples or techniques they’d never try on their own. So we kick a couple names around a cypher and settle on Filthy Fingers United, the next morning I set up the gmail, soundcloud, bandcamp, and facebook group and we just started going. Snowball effect we’ve picked up local OGs from around Seattle and cats from all over the states, with crossovers into numerous other beat crews and clans. It’s been fantastic.
DTN: I’ve asked this question to various producers over the last two years, but when it comes to sample sources are you a strictly vinyl/digging guy or a by any means necessary person (YouTube, MP3s etc)?
Diogenes:Whatever gets the job done. On one of my favorite beats, Matte Black, I found this filthy record on youtube, so I check it on ebay and discogs, it’s fuckin $180 rare European satanic prog record. So I flipped the MP3 jacked off youtube, haha. I dig too. I love records, DJing at local bars and all my cassettes, I don’t have a lot of money though so I keep it chill.
DTN: One of the most iconic producers in hip-hop is the very loved J Dilla, who left us one of the greatest legacy’s in music. When you decide to step away from music what would you like little go take away as a lasting legacy? And did Dilla impact you and your approach at all?
Diogenes:I’ll start with Dilla. I didn’t learn about him til I was already deep into making beats. I was listening to DJ Shadow, Madlib, Sixtoo, El-P, FlyLo and a lot of weird electronic music that influenced how I sampled and organized tracks. The Mars Volta (up into Frances), The Gorillas (into Plastic Beach), and Madvillainy really inspired how I put together an album, or a project. As far as a legacy? Man, I just wanna make one, huge, amazing album, involving multiple parties, that goes on vinyl and people play in their living rooms and DJ with and brag about owning. That’s it. Fuck a namesake, fuck money and fame, fuck people askin for autographs. I just wanna make one super solid piece of music. Maybe get my crew talked about in some prestigious magazines, hahaha
DTN: What do you find are some of the most difficult things about being an artist from the Pacific Northwest? Do you think that Seattle and Portland are still overly slept in comparison to other larger cities across the country?
Diogenes: I could (and have) talk about this for hours. Seattle and Portland are for white people. They are both very VERY white cities. They like punk rock, they like old white people singing jangly folk tunes about Bukowski, they like Metal, stoner metal, weird noise bands, and northern European looking ass EDM producers. These are blanket statements, and don’t get me wrong I love stoner metal, jangly shit and noise, but I also love hip hop. People do not come out for Hip Hop. They are not hype on hip hop. NY and LA are hype as fuck for everything. Everything. Their shows are crazy, their crowds enjoy themselves, they make money and have fun. Seattle is a dark cold place with hyphy ass summers, so you can get people out of their houses for a show like 1/3 of the year. Fuck, many of the local venues, especially in Portland, don’t allow hip hop. It’s easy to be slept on when you can’t make enough money in your city to travel to other cities to get a real fan base. I go to beat shows with some of the filthiest dudes all the time in mostly-empty venues. Doesn’t matter what day of the week, the turnout is the same. 90’s DJs also… they love that shit
DTN: Tapes have made a resurgence over the last few years, and you recently dropped your own really dope album on cassette yourself with “Death & Acid”. What do you think it is about the format that has reignited the love of it?
Diogenes: It never really stopped. I learned about it via a friend of mine who makes Skweee music, and another friend who was making minimal wave, and they were both putting out tapes. When they broke down the production costs and resale profit it just made sense for DIY artists. Besides I love the medium, it takes more to destroy it than a CD and it makes more sense than selling a thumbdrive for 7 dollars. Plus with Bandcamp and download codes… fuck man why not? Besides, you get to make rad packaging for it. I love designing cassette sleeves.
DTN: So now that Death & Acid has been out, and there are the continuous flow of FFU releases, where is your next musical journey taking you? What’s the next album like and when can we expect it?
Diogenes: On tour would be a cool journey. Working out kinks for that. My next beat tape is coming out via Future Science in Toronto, and it’s coming out the month of my 30th birthday, I’m a mystic of sorts and a Pisces, so I’m trying to work it out thematically as a Pisces beat tape. Hopefully 45 minutes or so of more rawness.
DTN: You had produced a very DOPE EP with the multifaceted Graves 33 that I LOVED. Are there any other MCs or vocalists that you’re currently working with?
Diogenes:Don’t forget the other fire tape I did with Phreewil! I’m currently working out beats for as many rappers as I know around Seattle, most recently Zuke Saga, Dex Amora, Astro King Phoenix, Araless and I are gonna do something EVENTUALLY just cause we have to. Imprints for sure, maybe Rik Rude some time, I’d love to make some shit for Silas Blak but I wont know it til I make it. I produce really organically so it’s tough for me to “work” on music cause if it feels too much like work it’ll sound like shit. I hate jobs.
DTN: If there was something you can say to the listening public who might not be fully aware (outside of Macklemore or Shabazz Palaces) of what Seattle has to offer what would it be? Who would you want to make sure they check out?!
Diogenes: OCnotes, Imprints, Kung Foo Grip, Wizdumb, Black Magic Noize, Astro King Phoenix, J'von, Dex Amora, Zuke Saga, BZKT, Dil Withers, Brakebill, Wolftone, Sk8God Nice Nate, The entire roster of FFU, OK, Goldenbeets, E. Grady, Vaughn Illa, Akira Gautama, Fish Tank Friends, Jamie Blake, Julie C, DoNormaal, Nu Era, Metal Chocolates…. and really anyone that any of these cats fuck with…
2087
stormborns
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pixelskylines
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