» » » » » Sweet and Sour With Mr Sakitumi

By / Friday, July 04, 2014 / No comments /

Sweet and Sour With Mr Sakitumi

| No comment

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH MR SUKITUMI 


Hello Mr Sakitumi and welcome to Think in Electronic, thank you for taking time out to do this interview with us.




How are you doing and what was your first record you bought?
I'm doing just fine thank you… first record…ac/dc 'flick of the switch'

What about South Africa do you love?
It's my home.

Can you tell us a bit more about yourself and what attracted you to music specifically electronic music, have you always wanted a career in music?
My whole family is musical (even my dog is musical;) i grew up surrounded by music and musical instruments, so it was a no brainer. I started on classical piano which formed the basis of me being a multi-instrumentalist. My first electronic sampler (roland ms-1), although super basic, got me onto the path of producing electronic music. I was chopping up samples and making my own beats. the fun factor of that alone attracted me to make more electronic music. Never really thought i'd be doing music as a career, so i feel pretty fortunate. (i really wanted to be a juggling astronaut, but realized that i can't juggle;)
                       
You go by the name of MR SAKITUMI can you give us a little insight in to the name?
It's a play on how it sounds. originally, it was spelt differently (but with the same intention:) Years ago i was booked to make a feature performance with my sampler at a hip hop party….and had to come up with a name….this is the result.          

What is your interpretation of the word music and how would you depict your musical style using one food and why?
Music will always be different for everyone, but whatever you're into, it forms the soundtrack to your life. Whisky (whisky can be a food group:), it's a taste you acquire over time and then it sticks with you. you can party and relax with a good whisky.
                        

What are your fondest musical memories? In your house? In your neighborhood or town? Do you remember the first gig you ever attended?
There was school dance in my hometown and the band was made up entirely of my siblings (trevor, brendan & lynette) and myself. We were like the jackson 5, but without the afros and the legacy of hits!…well, we also played covers. It's so un-rock n roll to say, but i think my first gig that i attended was a classical piano recital.

You are an Ableton certified trainer please can you tell us what this means and how has this helped you in your career?
I currently use ableton live 9 to produce all my music. it's such a flexible, musical program and heaps of fun to produce with.With the advice of fletcher, i signed up to do the certified training course held in cape town nov 2013.There were 3 stages to get through, which really tested my knowledge of live 9. (felt like a beauty pageant, except that we weren't doing the bikini round;) to cut the story short, i qualified as an ableton certified trainer, so i have the backing of one of my favorite music companies. To put into perspective, they only allow a few in each country, so i'm 1 of 4 trainers in south africa and 1 of about 100 in the world. While i'm in europe at the moment, ableton has connected me with other trainers to do some workshops etc.,to share my knowledge and experiences. It's like i have my springbok colors in ableton :)

Can you take us through your current studio set up?
Sshew, being a multi-instrumentalist i have soooo much gear in my studio, ranging from drum gear, to bass gear, to guitars, to keyboards, to recording gear, electronic toys etc the heart of my studio setup is a relatively old iMac running ableton live 9 with the ableton Push. sound card: motu ultralite, speakers: events asp 8's. My traveling and live gigging setup ; mac air running ableton live 9, with a korg padkontrol, novation launchpad and an akai lpk (mini keyboard). sound card: NI audio kontrol 1, speakers: sennheiser hd215 mkII headphones.
                        

Sweet and Sour Volume 2 is set for release what influenced the EP and what was the most challenging segment of producing the EP?
The concept of sweet & sour vol.1 definitely set a prescedent for this ep as i'm continuing the same theme of contrasts. So once again, i'm creating harder, faster, grittier tracks (different to what i normally do) and then doing intimate piano / orchestral versions of those same pieces. So far, the most challenging aspect is finishing up the ep while i'm here in berlin. i'm not in the usual comfort of my studio...and of course… i'm in Berlin! :))) 
          
Would you say your style and sound has changed /matured from the first single you produced to your latest one?
Most definitely. i think that's a natural progression of being a musician. your tastes change, your abilities and skill levels change, so style and sound evolution will follow. plus, i can't imagine doing the exact same thing year after year. Matured… like cheddar? hopefully not stale?

Favorite song of Sweet and Sour Volume 2 and why?
'mr & grrrl (sour) feat. the grrrl' we were jamming around using our voices and hit upon a fun little hook. from there this whole track developed. the grrrl even kicks out a verse on this one. This is the first time we're actually doing a type of song (if we can call it that), so that's a favorite. In future we plan to bill ourselves for live shows as "mr & grrrl", so this theme song is a good start i guess. 

With Sweet and Sour vol 1 you were trying to have fun with the EP concept and used it as creative license, to  experiment with other electronic genres, to push the envelope beyond. With Sweet and Sour vol 2 what were you trying to achieve and what message are you hoping to send out?
With the sweet & sour concept, i'm continually trying to push myself. it's a way to step outside of what i know, so vol.2 just continues that journey.  The fact that the grrrl and i even did a song on this was both a challenge and a sense of adventure. I suppose the message in a nutshell is, don't be boxed by others and especially yourself.

Who are some producer/musicians you look up to and why? Also whom would you like to work with?
Most of my friends/peers in cape town, mix n blend, card on spokes, sibot, dank, fletcher, christian tiger school, liver, phfat, haezer….wow, the list can go on and on…Everyone is so sharing of music knowledge, techniques and ideas. the way they continually push themselves also has an influence on keeping me driven and motivated. Mix n Blend and i have been planning a collab ep together in the near future. i love their sound and style and they're really great guys.
                        
Refried Noodles, Sweet and Sour Vol 1 and now Sweet and Sour Vol 2 you are clearly influenced by food if we were to invite you to cook us a meal what would you cook ?
A really good whisky for starters, a better whisky for mains and the best whisky for dessert. (Nothing beats great whisky as a 3 course meal;)…or a maybe a sweet & sour whisky? that's just weird.

If you could trade places with any other person for a week, famous or not famous, living or dead, real or fictional. Whom would it be and why?
The abominable snowman…i'd walk into a bar…declare to everyone that i do exist…order good whisky, then go tenpin bowling.
Why? it sounds like a fun idea at this very moment.

Where would you like to see yourself in the next 5 years and what can we expect from you in the upcoming year?
 I'd like to be doing more gallery installations with the grrrl. In the upcoming year we plan level up our live show with some new, fun toys and ideas. 

Any last messages for fans?
Smiling makes you think happy thoughts.


Download SWEET & SOUR VOL. 2 here:







Watch the video for MR & GRRRL (SOUR) feat. THE GRRRL here:










MR SAKITUMI Contact: 













Thank you so much for doing this interview with us ;) Layla and Yasmin
thankyutuyu ms laylatumi and ms yasmintumi 
Labels: , , ,
Share This Post :
Tags : , , ,

No comments:

Post a Comment

Let us know what you think

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Facebook

Twitter

SOUNDCLOUD