Charlie and Majent are two of the most unique producers I've come across within the chill hip-hop scene. It should come as no surprise that their first collaboration is something truly special.
On August 31st, Charlie and Majent join the Stereofox family with their collaborative release "Long Weekend". An organic/electronic hybrid jam, the track has a highly original sound, setting itself well apart from the noise of the oversaturated lo-fi sphere. I spoke to the artists about their influences and ambitions:
Charlie
“Long Weekend” is an incredibly unique track; did you have any particular inspirations going into it or did you just open the DAW and start firing blind?
Majent was the one who actually started the track, so really I just picked up where he left off. He had these really groovy basslines mixed up with lovely pads and intricate drum patterns, so I kept with that and expanded in a way that I thought felt cool, but it all came with process more so than planning for sure.
Are there any little details of the track that you are particularly proud of, either from a technical or a creative standpoint?
Honestly the little chord chops in the first drop-like part of the song I think sound really interesting and unique. I’m also quite proud of that mallet sound, it’s a weird mallet that my parents brought back from a trip decades ago and over the winter i finally took the plunge and sampled the whole thing myself, i think it sounds lovely :)
This track is the second label release for the Charlie alias; is this a sign of things to come, or are these releases anomalous to your vision for the project?
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Definitely a sign of things to come! The alias will remain largely independent but I think opening up to label release will help grow it naturally without having to resort to huge PR campaigns or anything of that sort. After all the purpose of the project is just for me to use it as an outlet, the numbers and success are all a bonus (and a hell of a bonus at that!)
A lot of your tracks have a very warm, comforting feel to them. Is this sound deliberate or has it just developed naturally over time?
I think it’s a bit of both? It definitely developed over time naturally but I have honed in on the techniques and processes used to give my songs that sound. I never feel like I have to force it though because it’s a sound I’m generally drawn to anyway so I tend to make all my stuff sound like that.
Finally, is there any particular message you want people to take away from “Long Weekend”?
The track was made quite a while ago now, early in the year, so it’s difficult to say. When we started the song I was in an intensely difficult, confusing, and mentally draining state of mind after events that transpired in my personal life at the end of 2019. I think the track was meant to be a call for hope in the future. 2020 hasn’t panned out how any of us thought it would, but we’ll all heal eventually so let’s keep looking forward to a lovely long weekend down the line :)
Majent
You’re producing incredibly mature, high-quality music especially for someone so young. What were some of your musical inspirations while you were growing up?
I remember listening to whatever was on the radio, haha. My parents liked playing bands like Journey and Queen around the house, probably more that I can’t remember. When I was around 10 or 11 my older brother introduced me to Monstercat, which is how I got into electronic music and I can’t thank him enough. Since then I’ve been getting very inspired by acts like Bon Iver and the Japanese House, EDEN also comes to mind.
When you produce music, do you actively try to be unique and push the sound where it hasn’t been before, or do you just play around and produce whatever comes to you?
Most of the time I’m just playing an instrument or mangling a sample, I don’t want to force things to happen. I also try to not have any new song or idea that I make sound ‘generic’ or like something I’ve made before (to an extent), which I think results in my songs sounding like a new take on something familiar.
Your music is often very organic. Do you find yourself often straying away from synthesis towards live recording and sampling, or does synthesis still have a large place in your process?
I’d say I want to have a mixture of both. When I’m building up a song, having live recordings and samples can bring a very organic feel, as you said. Adding that with something that was synthesized creates a cool result.
Do you have any idea as to where you want to take the Majent project in the future? Any specific sounds or genres you want to explore?
Ooh, I’ve been thinking about this a lot recently. Majent started as a very electronic project, and while it still is and (probably) will be, I want to move more into an indie-pop/folk direction. Be on the lookout for that :)
And finally, just as I asked Charlie: is there any particular message you want people to take away from “Long Weekend”?
This track has been done for a couple months now (pre-quarantine) so oddly enough I think the message for me has changed since its inception. The structure of the track goes from very energetic and bustling to a meditative and introspective outro, which kind of reflects how the world has been restructuring due to this pandemic. If anything I hope people will feel some type of comfort with this song and know that this current situation won’t last forever.
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