Mentored by production legend Noel ‘Gadget’ Campbell, Grammy and JUNO award-winning audio engineer and producer David Strickland has been a crucial denominator behind the success of numerous groundbreaking acts in Toronto. Over the past two decades he’s elevated the work of seminal hip-hop and R&B artists like Pete Rock, EPMD, Method Man and Sade, and was mixing assistant to Drake’s chart-topping debut Thank Me Later.
Born and raised in Ontario, Strickland started as a b-boy, before evolving into the roles of DJ, MC, engineer and producer. Embracing his ancestral origins, Strickland has long sought to strengthen ties between hip-hop and native music traditions by bringing artists together. Now, 25 years into his career, he’s ready to sit in the artist’s chair with his latest album project Spirit of Hip Hop, showcasing indigenous MCs alongside his unique blend of mainstream rap rhythms.
You began as a b-boy, which I guess is a terminology that’s lost on young people today. What did that expression mean to you?
“I was an athlete, so maybe it was just another form of expression. Hip-hop is indigenous culture in a modern form and it was the first time I’d tapped into that sort of thing. The ties between hip-hop and native music traditions show that the DJs are like the drummers, the MCs in hip-hop are the storytellers, the b-boys are the dancers and the graffiti writers the sand painters.”
Has modern hip-hop moved too far from the genre’s origins?
ãã®èšäºã¯ Future Music ã® October 2020 çã«æ²èŒãããŠããŸãã
7 æ¥éã® Magzter GOLD ç¡æãã©ã€ã¢ã«ãéå§ããŠãäœåãã®å³éžããããã¬ãã¢ã ã¹ããŒãªãŒã9,000 以äžã®éèªãæ°èã«ã¢ã¯ã»ã¹ããŠãã ããã
ãã§ã«è³Œèªè ã§ã ?  ãµã€ã³ã€ã³
ãã®èšäºã¯ Future Music ã® October 2020 çã«æ²èŒãããŠããŸãã
7 æ¥éã® Magzter GOLD ç¡æãã©ã€ã¢ã«ãéå§ããŠãäœåãã®å³éžããããã¬ãã¢ã ã¹ããŒãªãŒã9,000 以äžã®éèªãæ°èã«ã¢ã¯ã»ã¹ããŠãã ããã
ãã§ã«è³Œèªè ã§ã? ãµã€ã³ã€ã³
SONIC DESTRUCTION
From overdriven signal paths to rhythmic malfunctions, thereâs plenty of creativity to be found by doing things just a little bit wrong
Feed Me
EDM producer Jon Gooch revives his cartoonish Feed Me moniker. Danny Turner finds out how the use of live instrumentation changed his production approach
Exploring Akai MPC
Leo Maymind takes a detailed look at an iconic groovebox whose influence helped shape modern hip-hop and much more besides
Liars
Dissolving the contours of rock and electronics, Danny Turner charts the making of Liarsâ 10th album with Angus Andrew and Laurence Pike
Jean-Michel Jarre
The pioneering musician who introduced generations to futuristic sounds the first time around is at it again. He joins Matt Mullen to talk experiments in VR gigging, spatial audio and more...
Noise
With roots as far back as 1913, noise is the genre thatâs also a state of mind
1010 Music Bitbox mk2 £549
Rob Redman finds out whether this updated sampler box of tricks contains any more surprises
Erica Synths and Sonic Potions LXR-02 £499
Rob Redman braces himself for another resurrected blast from the past
Modal SKULPTsynth SE £169
Modal are back with an update to their SKULPT synth. Bruce Aisher takes a listen to see if it can rustle up a big sound
Reason Studios Reason 12 £399
Now in both DAW and plugin realms, Reason gains a sampler and refreshed Combinator. Si Truss investigates