Interview: Rochester, NY Based EDM Producer And DJ Kabutey

Our latest exclusive interview is with Kabutey, a Rochester, NY based EDM producer and DJ who recently released the single "Say Yes (Extended Mix). After reading this Q&A, be sure to follow Kabutey on his social media streams, check out his website and tune into his weekly electro house/deep house set on Invisible Sound Radio. 

How did your love for music come about? What attracted you to EDM music specifically?

I was born in Brooklyn, NY and raised in Ghana, West Africa. As a child playing about the house one day, I found a cassette labelled Ludwig van Beethoven. After listening to a good portion of it, I realized the songs were longer than the usual timing. This peaked my interest and i even found out information on how Ludwig came to be a musician. Over the following years, I memorized my first Rap song verse, Lauren Hill's on 'Ready or Not' and performed 'Return of the Mac' in a classroom talent show. I began writing rap lyrics in my notebook more often. This is how I started my music journey in Hip Hop. Later came EDM.

In my high school years growing up in Rochester, NY I met others at school that freestyled. After making friends, I partnered up with one of them forming my first Hip Hop group Roman Empire. We found music producing softwares Acid Pro and Fruity Loops and started producing our own beats individually with a collaboration sometimes. After managing to record our first mixtape, we hit the road and started performing along the U.S. east coast.

When the time for college came around, I left for Binghamton and we were separated. We still kept contact and performed together when we were able to. At Binghamton I practiced DJing at my fraternity's parties. On vacation rides home, my friend Bill always played trance or house music. I asked him to make me CDs and that is when I started listening to more electronic dance music. I even started watching videos on YouTube and was surprised to see Hip Hop artists were collaborating on songs with electronic artists. 

By this time my music production started shifting from Hip Hop to EDM. Everything i was producing was EDM. In 2011, as i drove in my car listening to dance music on satellite radio, I made the decision to brand into EDM as a DJ and Music Producer. 

What would you say is your biggest accomplishment musically thus far?

Neitreug is my biggest accomplishment musically thus far. It is my record label. Neitreug allowed me to release my entire catalog. Without it, some productions may still be sitting on a CD in my closet. 

Tell us about your creative process for "Say Yes". How did the song come about and when did you know that it was complete in relation to creating the beat itself?

"Say Yes" started with me finding a vocal sample in the stock FL Studio library. I heard the sound and all I could think was sexy, sunshine, happiness, maybe even love. I laid out the drum pattern and focused on keeping it simple yet amazing. As I arranged the sounds, I envisioned listeners being able to dance to it in the clubs, listen to it driving their cars, work out with it, and also licensing opportunities.

The song came about first as a completed original version. The music producer in me listened to it over and over again. Mostly because I am always excited to listen to my new productions on bigger louder speakers. From listening to the original, I knew I had to add a little something more. I loaded the original version back into FL Studio and added a synth to the second half of the song and raised the pitch. Then an idea came into mind. I thought about how i mix song into song when I'm playing a DJ set. Then I thought why don't I mix the original into this new version and create the extended version? So that is exactly what I did. I flawlessly mixed the two together. That is how "Say Yes" was made. 

What equipment and software do you use for production?

I use a laptop and FL Studio for production. There are moments when I have a live musician record riffs or a solo lead then I import that sample into FL Studio to complete production. I love studio surfing; going to different recording studios. There are many cool studios so trying different ones makes the process a little more exciting. I usually record vocals in the studios. Very soon I know I will be going to studios to master my songs when working with other artists on a global scale.

Tell us about your show Invisible Sound Radio. How long has it been airing and where is it streaming so that we listen to it?

I do an electro house or deep house set that airs weekly on Invisible Sound Radio. It's almost two years now having a residency there. It is streaming on invisiblesoundradio.com.

Connect with Kabutey: Website | Twitter | Instagram | Mixcloud | Beatport