DEF!NITION OF FRESH: Exclusive Interview with CUSCINO
South Carolina January 23, 2016
Los Angeles producer/deejay CUSCINO presents “Saucy”, his collaboration single with rapper and fellow Los Angeles native Nuutrino, also featuring J-Doe of Busta Rhymes’ Conglomerate camp as well as Roc Nation artist Troy NoKA. CUSCINO recently dropped his single “Bane” (listen) on his Fashion Sells Musiq imprint, has scored films featuring Adrienne Lovette and Edwin Bravo, and is host/producer of the weekly radio show FutureSound with CUSCINO which airs every Saturday night at 11pm (PST) on 91.3FM (San Diego) and iHeartRadio. Troy NoKA worked on Chris Brown’s Grammy-winning F.A.M.E. album and has productions credits on records with Frank Ocean, Miguel, Chris Brown, Ciara and Tyga. “I want my tracks to take you somewhere,” says CUSCINO about the new single. “They aren’t just tracks, I’m making movies. Sure, you can party to it, you can ride to it, but when you listen, I also want you to think. I rep Los Angeles and West Coast bass all day, but I’m also in the business of bringing something new to the game with everything I create.” Similarly, Nuutrino says “When I make music, I always want it to embody who I am. This is me, and what my team represents as a collective mind.”
You encompass many genres. Which style of music did you begin your career producing? How did you get into the other?
I began producing electronic music in the late 90’s, back when guys like Pharrell and Timbaland were just starting to get some shine in hip-hop and making waves in being a little left of center in their own production styes. I read mags like URB back then and still remember when Timbaland was on the cover for his “space beats”, normally the mag covered the UK scene (trip-hop, drum and bass, UK hip-hop, and dance/house before it ever was lumped into the “EDM” category). My style has always been a combination of several “genres”, and I understand all the subsets of genres, but that’s never been my focus to just aim at a single one, like “I’m going to produce a progressive electro track today” or “this doesn’t sound like enough of a typical trap track so I’m going to trash it” aren’t really things to come to my mind when I’m working. I focusing on creating, and naturally what comes out is my sound and the sum of my influences across the many genres I’m into and/or have been influenced by over the years…that ranges really broad, from bass music to metalcore to hip-hop to trap to progressive EDM. So I’ve got into producing cross-genre naturally really — I’m not, and never intend to be, a one-trick pony. I think that’s the main problem when a producer gets real hot, then disappears into the ether…because they boxed themselves in — whether they were aiming for that, or just really limited in their skills — from the start.
In what way do you feel your different genres rub off on each other musically?
Good question…I have a real fascination with creating songs almost as storylines, I’m a big film / visual / comic fan, and all those things take you somewhere. When I create a new track I often measure it by how much I can feel it. Does it take you somewhere? Could a story/video be attached to this? That’s both a sonic measurement, and a mental / emotional one for me. My influences are... [READ THE FULL INTERVIEW]
You encompass many genres. Which style of music did you begin your career producing? How did you get into the other?
I began producing electronic music in the late 90’s, back when guys like Pharrell and Timbaland were just starting to get some shine in hip-hop and making waves in being a little left of center in their own production styes. I read mags like URB back then and still remember when Timbaland was on the cover for his “space beats”, normally the mag covered the UK scene (trip-hop, drum and bass, UK hip-hop, and dance/house before it ever was lumped into the “EDM” category). My style has always been a combination of several “genres”, and I understand all the subsets of genres, but that’s never been my focus to just aim at a single one, like “I’m going to produce a progressive electro track today” or “this doesn’t sound like enough of a typical trap track so I’m going to trash it” aren’t really things to come to my mind when I’m working. I focusing on creating, and naturally what comes out is my sound and the sum of my influences across the many genres I’m into and/or have been influenced by over the years…that ranges really broad, from bass music to metalcore to hip-hop to trap to progressive EDM. So I’ve got into producing cross-genre naturally really — I’m not, and never intend to be, a one-trick pony. I think that’s the main problem when a producer gets real hot, then disappears into the ether…because they boxed themselves in — whether they were aiming for that, or just really limited in their skills — from the start.
In what way do you feel your different genres rub off on each other musically?
Good question…I have a real fascination with creating songs almost as storylines, I’m a big film / visual / comic fan, and all those things take you somewhere. When I create a new track I often measure it by how much I can feel it. Does it take you somewhere? Could a story/video be attached to this? That’s both a sonic measurement, and a mental / emotional one for me. My influences are... [READ THE FULL INTERVIEW]
