Don’t Skip A Beat: Meet some of Boston’s up and coming producers!
It’s no secret that Boston has begun to bubble more and more in recent years with great talents like Dutch Rebelle, Michael Christmas, and recently Cousin Stizz making noise in the city. Its only a sign that there is a strong network of talent resting in the city just waiting to get the exposure needed and be received on a greater platform and do the city proud.
Last week NE Hip-Hop got a chance to connect with one of Boston’s promising talent making some noise in the city with their production skills. We got a chance to sit down with a young David Wilson otherwise known as D-Will as many of you may recognize his beat tag. It was a great pleasure to sit with this young man as we got to know more about him and his journey. Meet, D-Will
So D-Will, everyone has their backstory – everyone has their roots that led them to the point where they’re at. So where does the music come from with you? Is it in the blood or are you the first?
“To tell you the truth, I think the inspiration of creating music started as a little kid when I started playing the piano. I was classically trained since I was five, I was forced to take lessons and everything and it was great for my technique and skill level and everything. But, at the end of the day I just wanted to horse around and make my own shit – and I was never told that that was gunna be acceptable, and eventually I discovered that I wanted to put out stuff that was my own, I got tired of playing other people’s stuff.
So in high school I learned about music production and started making beats and I kind of developed a knack for it and people said they were digging it. So I went harder and here I am at Berklee studying electronic production design and I’m using the piano background as leverage to make my productions even better”
So you learned production through the school? Or by yourself?
“I went to a fine arts high school in my hometown Greenville, South Carolina and it offered a class called audio engineering. But the main thing was I opened up pro tools for the first time and discovered midi and the power to, like, use the keyboard to digitally record all your ideas and arrange different instruments. That’s how I discovered how to make beats.”
So you’re what, like 16, 17 at this point?
“Yeah I was probably about 17 when I first discovered it. I was looking for something as an extension for my ideas, not just playing classical on the piano. I wanted to have my shit recorded where we could be bumping at parties or just have it in my phone or my car. Now my ultimate goal is to just – I just want to make music that people like and I want to hear my shit blasting out of car speakers when I walk by wherever.”
So you say you were classically trained on the piano, so what were you listening to back then? Was it more classical stuff, or were you branching off into other genres?
“No I never really listened to classical, I f** hate that shit haha. It was good developing my ear listening to classical, but I didn’t listen to it, I practiced it and studied it but I wasn’t attracted to it. I listen exclusively to hip-hop and electronic, I mean I went through a metal phase, skinny jeans and everything – I mean I still appreciate all genres of music, but yeah, ever since high school I’ve been listening to electronic and hip hop, and I got into a lot more boom bap around 17. But right now my goal is to make dope music with Boston artists.”
Are there any producers you look up to?
“For sampling I really dug into J.Dilla and DJ Premier. For modern producers, Lex Luger had a really big impact on my sounds in terms of drums and overall sounds. But having a perspective on both ends give me a more dynamic sound, and at the same time you cant limit yourself to one genre so a whole group of people can enjoy. In terms of electronic producers, my friends back in the day introduced me to producers like BassNectar and DJ Rusko, I went to a few concerts and that shit was wild. The stuff they brought to the table, like their synthesis with sounds like with bass and electronic sounds I really enjoyed too so I dove into that as well.”
Leaving high school how did you know where to go to pursue your musical ventures?
“At the end of the day Boston was the best option for me because of Berklee’s music production program. It’s definitely given me a deeper applicable knowledge into what I’m doing. Going from high school in South Carolina to Boston was a huge transition – I didn’t know what I was doing, I didn’t know anyone so I made a decision to buckle down and focus on the music. I’m definitely blessed to know what I want and drive.”
Tell me about the evolution of your sound? Do you ever go back to your old beats? Tell me how you’ve grown throughout the years.
“Aw man, yeah it puts me on my ass when I go back and listen. It’s not that I’m embarrassed by it, its good to see the progress I’ve made. Its not like you wake up and have dope shit, you just gotta work at it. So my journey in terms of production was like, I started just paying attention to the radio – originally I wanted to be the guy who makes the instrumentals on the radio. I thought, like this doesn’t sound to hard, I can do that.
So I thought my first beat was killer, looking back I wish I could’ve talk to my past self and say ‘bro you gotta chill’. But, yeah they were terrible, I didn’t know anything about mixing, I didn’t know what was going on, just basically patching sounds together on pro tools. Overall I’d have to say where I’ve grown most is in my technical skills, especially once I switched to Ableton, which I found fit me best. I learned how to mix, compress, eq. I hated not knowing how to do something so I’m always digging and doing my homework on how to get better. I even read a book about the stuff last summer – I guess that really says how much I want it. I was surprised at how meticulous and detailed the process can be but in the technical regard I’ve definitely grown immensely. Overall I want to get ready for the radio, for the charts, all the way you know?”
Do you ever get writers block?
“Yeah sometimes there is beat block. Like sometimes I don’t have anything in my brain that I want t get out digitally. But the longer you stay away from music the harder it is to get into it. Now its just habit that whenever I have an Idea I take my phone out and record my idea or I‘ll describe it myself. “
Plans for the future?
“Well now that I’m half way done with school now so I’m seriously thinking about my future. My goal this year by the end of the semester is to drop a 5 trap EP, not beats, but full records with the artists I’m working with. Im also going to start DJing more seriously throughout the city and neighboring states. Aside from working on my craft – I’ve been focused on getting my name out there through Berklee and I think I’ve done well establishing my name throughout the Berklee community and beyond. But overall goal is to continue working my ass off and get to a place of good momentum by the time my time here at Berklee is over.”
People you’re working with? Tracks coming out?
“Oh hell yeah, so M-Dot of Boston hit me up recently and we’re working on a track coming out soon. There’s also Zed Tobani, Fleeceboi, he’s an amazing songwriter arranger and rapper. There’s a couple singers and cats that I work with – Maddie Kirby and Jessie Monro. But there’s the main rappers I’m working with currently which include Chovi, DC, whose putting out a mixtape pretty soon called Comics pretty soon, B-3, and Mike SB over in California. But yeah connecting with an artist for getting yourself out there is crucial and of course I want to get bigger rappers on my resume but I really want to work with Boston heavy because there’s so much talent here. So keep your ears peeled.”
Where Can People Find You?
Soundcloud right now. I have two accounts but my main account is Soundcloud.com/d-willmusic. Twitter and Instagram is David Brad Wilson and Facebook is D-Will.
Alright man, well this has been great. You have an awesome energy about you. We look forward to more of what you have to offer. Best of luck man.
We certainly enjoyed spending time with the young charismatic producer. D-Will not only has beats out but also records with some of Boston’s talent. Check out his links, Like, follow, and support what he’s got going on. We do. Best of luck to all you producers out there, keep it coming! Look out for our next installment of Don’t Skip a Beat! NE Hip-Hop. Boston. Good Music.
Below we have samples of D-Wills work. This guy has an amazing selection different kinds of beats. We just happen to like these one. Check out his SC, IG, Twitter, FB and stay up to date with this mans journey. (D-Will) and (D-Will Beats). Enjoy!
