KDMADEIT – "THE PRODUCER AND HIS MIXTAPE" by Purple Contrast 👀✏️🔥
We sat in on a studio session with KD and rapper ZEDI where we discussed KD’s motivations and his goals as a producer. The young and aspiring producer KDMADEIT has been making waves in the UK music scene for almost 3 years. With his diverse production expertise, KD has been creating beats in multiple genres, varying from Drill to Trap to R&B. The 23-year-old has not only carved his own path through the UK music scene but has also penetrated various foreign music markets including the newly emerging French rap scene, working with fresh artists such as Saamou Skuu.
KD recently became a member of the UK producer platform, “The Beatz Hub” alongside producers Tom Makes Beats and Teedee. The online platform aims to push UK and US talent by linking promising artists with The Beatz Hub’s team of experienced producers and engineers, championing collaboration and co-creation. Through this, KD has secured his own personal studio, allowing him to work towards his debut mixtape – “The Trench Tapes Vol. 1”. The now released mixtape does not only flaunt KD’s incredible talent as a producer but also demonstrates the promising talent arising from the underground Sheffield music scene. Through features from ZEDI, Rickyleupnext and Young Artz, to name a few, the mixtape hints to the future of UK music.
- How did you first get into producing music and what was your inspiration?
KD: Really just listening to music. I’ve always just loved music and then one day I thought why don’t I just try and make it. I used to play the guitar and I had an amplifier that had a loop pedal, so the first time I used to make beats was when I used to make a guitar loop and then literally just keep looping over it to layer it. I would hit the guitar to make drum patterns, and then I’d do that to make little songs and it just kinda went from there.
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Talk to us about the Trench Tapes mixtape, where did the idea come from?
Essentially, I was getting annoyed that all these artists I was working with weren’t putting music out. We’d make bangers after bangers, but everyone was just scared to release music. I spoke with the Beatz Hub but they were all busy and they were saying we’ll do it soon but in the end I just thought you know what, I’m just gonna do my own mixtape because at the end of the day you’ve just got to do it for yourself because then it’s all in your power.
- Why was it important to use local artists?
Well firstly, they’re the artists I’ve got closest to me, I’ve got good relationships with them, so it was easy to get studio sessions and I know what works with which artist. But also, I feel like Sheffield’s music scene at the minute is still underground so I wanted to push the artists as much as I can.
- How do you go about making your beats, beats then artist or vice versa?
I always like to give artists a few beats they can select from, so it’s not like I’m forcing anything on them, I want the artists to feel like it’s there track as well. I’ll make different beats for different people and I’ll have people in mind when I’m making them, then I’ll offer them a few beats and ask which one they wanna go on and normally they pick the one that I think they’d pick as well.
Rickyleupnext X Deep Green - Til I Die
5. Which track was the most fun to make?
They were all pretty lit to be fair. But you know what, its more stressful than you think. Normally when I send someone a beat, they come to the studio and make their track, and I’m chilling. But when it was my thing, I basically became a project manager. I was ringing artists saying you need to come to the studio, I’ve booked the studio for you at this time – they come, they’re late, do you know what I mean. Basically, I was project managing a group of people that are just inherently late, so it got pretty stressful. But in the end, they were all good vibes, it was more stressful than I thought but it was still fun.
6. Who would you most like to work with?
When I first started producing, I said to myself if I make one song with Deep Green, I’ve made it, and now I’ve done it I’ve realised I’ve not made it at all. It’s funny because when I first started out, I remember I would set myself goals, when I first started, all I wanted to do was make a song someone could have a music video for, and then I got to that point and I thought you know what I need a track with Deep Green and now I’ve done that. Now I’d love to go to America and be in the studio in Atlanta with Future, Young Thug, Lil Baby and Gunna, that would be so crazy – that would be the dream.
7. What do you think are the most important qualities for being a producer / creator?
Obviously if you’re a beat maker, you just make the beats and that’s it, but to be a producer you need people skills. Obviously the music has to be good, but after that, you need to be a producer that artists love to come and work with, the vibe needs to be good. The main thing is that people want to work with you.
8. How’s lockdown impacted your production?
It’s been good. Honestly it couldn’t have happened at a better time in my life. For a lot of people, it must be so shit but for me it’s been great. I did 4 years at uni, I decided I wasn’t gonna follow up my degree and that I was gonna go into music, then lockdown happened. There was no distractions, and it meant I’ve had a year of purely working, no going out, nothing to distract me. For me, If I could have chosen one year in my life to have lockdown, it would have been this year. If it wasn’t for the fact that I literally spent every day making beats, I don’t think I’d have this studio right now.
9. You’re part of the Beatz Hub team now, talk to us about that.
Basically, Tom Makes Beats and Teedee started the Beatz Hub in I think 2017, around about the same time I started producing. We connected online, they said they’d heard my beats, thought they were alright, quite raw but had potential. Essentially, over a few years, we started chatting online and I’d start sending them beats. About a year and a half ago we finally met in person and those two really made me excel. I probably wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for them. When you surround yourself with people above you, all you can think is I wanna get to that level and that was my motivation. It’s like the saying ‘show me your friends and I’ll tell you your future, and that the truest thing.
Photography by: Purple Contrast
Words by: Harris Bourne
Listen to the KDMADEIT 'Trench Tapes Vol.1' NOW!
KD is pictured wearing some of our hand-crafted jewellery made in London, including the gold ‘Cano’ necklace and our gold ‘Shift’ ring. ZEDI is pictured wearing our 18k gold plated ‘Rise’ necklace and a Silver ‘Connection’ bracelet. Through their collaborative philosophies, both KD and ZEDI perfectly represent the Stooki lifestyle and #StookiMovement.
