Kingsley Studios

By The Analog General

This is my experience at N. Kingsley Studios which was a major period of my life that helped guide my development as a producer over the past 10 years.  “I’m fortunate that my biggest musical inspiration are all my  friends, and they’re some of the baddest cats out there!”

THE KINGSLEY CHRONICLES

It was 1999 when The Analog General and Tycoon arrived at Kingsley Studios in Los Angeles, CA.  The studio was more like a closet with one turntable and every kind of analog synth and sampler you can imagine donated by Vinsun and the Fruitbat.

Tycoon Playing with Rafael Saadiq

Kingsley Studios was like boot camp for beat making where for 6 years we survived on noting more than hip hop, beat battles, and guacamole.

Nick Casper of Kudu is an huge analog influence

At this time analog superstar Nick Casper crashed the studio for a few weeks, playing a few shows and gracing the gear.

Elements in LA 1999

By chance we had the hottest little club on the corner of our street, and I don’t mean the Cindy club.  Elements was hard core hip hop to the bone.  The music was sick and that was where the remaining old school LA breakers would go. The best part was that they had a $100 MC battle at the end of the night, which was mostly dominated by LA project blowed rapper Otherwize. He coincidentally knocked out Eminem when he came to LA for the Rap Olympics before he got signed.

One of our biggest influences came when Ty was working with producer Mark Sparks, who was working on a deal with Soulife records, putting out artists Anthony Hamilton, Sunshine Anderson, and working with talent like Sy Smith, Blacqtoven, and others.  Mark was always the coolest and much respect to him for always keeping it pure analog recording on 2″ tape.  Not to mention his beats are fire!  I swear that some chicken grease and a #1 special from the Jamaican spot will make you funky!

When Peanuts in LA was the home of Michelle's XXX -no dudes allowed!

A drummer friend of ours named Zoche had a gig at Michelle’s XXX on Wednesday nights that he would let us sit in on so we could get in the door.  Some good times at Michelle’s and I remember the dance floor was like a sea of girls, and at the end of the night they’d have a strip show.  Bitches would be freakin!

Tri State rapper Hannibal Faceman 24 Karat Black Battalion

One of the first rappers we met in LA was east coast rapper Hannibal Khan.  He sounded a little like Ghostface and was saying a lot of cool military lines.  He was funny because he would have papers everywhere and our studio did look like bombs went off after he left with all the whiling out going on.  I remember I was tweaking my Yamaha CS-15 analog synthesizer with my camo pants and he bust the line “The Analog General in camouflage”.  It stuck and from that point on I became known as the Analog General.

Wes The Messenger

Wes the Mes landed on the scene after a bout with the usual studio drama.  He came bringing even more analog gear to Kingsley taking over the spot on the couch, until eventually moving into Kingsley Studio B with Trashcube (dj Vinsun), who was living out of his truck for 5 years while collecting vintage analog synths.

The Analog General and Vinsun (Trashcube)

The first album I came out with was Cruz Control in 2000.  This CD album was done using logic3 with some samples and lots of plug ins.  Although my sound has improved I still make tracks that are perfect for cruising down the coast.  Here are a few tracks from album: Cruz Control, Orbit , and Get up!.

Wes managed 'Beat Non Stop' and later ran Doc Martin's WAX Records in LA

Wes was running Doc Martin’s record shop WAX on Melrose and was the record buyer.  He would always find the rare gems in electronic music that no one’s heard of and trip people out at his gigs.  After weeding through sounds and styles, Wes developed friendships with some of Germany’s premier electronic producers, Khan, Walker, and Jammin Unit of Air Liquide.  I remember Khan and Mes making one joint (Khan vs. Wes the Mes) in Studio B using an extension cord in the dark while the power was out, classic.

Khan from Air Liquide is another influence

Mes was booked for the Electro Bunker Music Festival in Battery Park, Cologne Germany along with Air Liquide, Kerosene, and other leading electronic act.

DJ Mes at Electro Bunker, Cologne, Germany

Mes and The Analog General were creating such tunes as The Monster, The Breather, Joshua’s Trip, and Evil Gunner.  Below is the monster picture disc.

The Monster Picture Disc 2001

Some of my favorite pieces in that studio were the 808, 303, MPC2000, SP1200, Korg Monopoly, Oberheim OB1, Roland System 100, X-911, SEM 2 Voice, Lexicon Prime Time Delay, AKG Spring Reverb, MXR Pitch Transposer, the moog pedals, and of course all of the Korg MS gear like the MS20, MS10, and MS50. That combo pretty much made up our sound.

With the Monster still imprinted on my brain I made the first ever sketch of Analog Junk as a cartoon.  The picture below shows the Fruitbat, Garbagecompressor, Mes the Monster, and see if you can find Vinsun (Before Trashcube was born)

Analog Junk Original Drawing c. 2000

Unfortunately, after more drama than Mes could handle at WAX, Mes packed up his belongings and moved to the hi desert to get away.  Studio B would be held down by Vinsun and his abundance of analog gear, and the Doctor moved in after graduating from Berklee and landing a job at Interscope.

Tycoon got a call from his old boy Chip, who had this homeless rapper he wanted Ty to produce. Within days the rapper Poverty was staying on the couch in Kingsley, writing rhymes, and putting together his demo with Tycoon.

By a stroke of luck, or shall we call it the Doctor, an interview had been arranged and Poverty was off to the Super Bowl with Jimmy Iovine, of Interscope. That created a buzz and Poverty signed a deal with Ted Fields, and his new company Artist Direct for millions.  Tycoon would get little from the deal, but a nice ride and some tax forms.

TYCOON & POVERTY - Ghetto Metal

When Tycoon’s brother Erick (Squashmann) graduated from Berklee, he moved back to Cali and bombarded the LA studio scene.  I remember Tycoon was working with Mark Sparks in the studio and across the hall from dj Quik so Erick hit him up about laying some bass on his track. Dj Quik thought he looked like Jesus and that’s where he got the name Jesus.

Erick 'Jesus' Coomes AKA Squashmann

This was the start that lead to dj Quik’s live style on songs like Black Mercedes, and Trouble.  Quik also did a live video with Erick’s bad the Fyre Dept, which included Adam Deitch, Adam Schmearnoff, and Ryan Zoitis.

The funk band Lettuce

Lettuce met when they were at orientation for Berklee School of music.  It was always a big deal when they would play on the west coast and Kraz would come over and make heaters with Ty and Erick.  That was the beginning of the offshoot band The Fire Dept. mentioned earlier playing with Quik, but they also did tours with Wu Tang, Slick Rick, The Game, and others.

Adam Deitch on the drums.

As a drummer it’s all about pocket, so naturally my favorite producers are also great drummers, with Tycoon and Adam Deitch at the top of the list!  Adam Deitch is the drummer for Lettuce, The John Scofield Band, The Fyre Dept, Wyclef Jean, & Breakscience.    Tycoon drummed for LA underground queen Medusa, Trey from the Pharcyde, Sy Smith, The Fyre Dept, Anthony Hamilton, and many others.

Jay Dilla was a pioneer! RIP

We would study Jay Dee continuously, making beats with off hi hats, early snares, flamed claps, and so on to try and get our swing like his. One day I spent the whole day taking samples of Rhodes lines, beautiful chorus voices, and made a total Dilla style beat to the samples .  I used the Roland  SH-2 to make  one of the roundest, fattest, sine bass sounds I’ve ever heard.  That night was the Slum Village show and Jay Dilla was mixing his songs using 2 MPC’s! He even made beats live on the spot.  After the show I was surprised when Baatin from Slum Village rolls into Kingsly Studios with our friend Phylisse.  It was the perfect chance to test my new song! I asked him if he wanted to hear a song inspired by them and played the ‘tape’ lol.  I just remember the phycho look in his eyes as he said “This is All Right!”.

Soulive are legendary

Kingsley was always the pre-party when Soulive would come to town.

The last chapter to N. Kingsley studios was in 2005 when Tycoon was battling skin cancer and at the same time working with Jack Joseph Puig,, at Ocean Way on the Danny Beddingfield album and living his dream.  Tycoon recovered and at the end of it all we moved from the ghetto in mid Los Angeles to the Hollywood Hills.  But that’s another story.

Tycoon is now working with Ron Fair, Dianne Warren,  Slim The Mobster and Dr Dre.

The Analog General, Wes the Mes, and Vinsun (Trashcube) moved down south to VLM Studios in Dana Point, where they work on their own music.

The Doctor left Interscope and Virgin and is independently scoring and placing music in films.

Erick Danger is working on everything with his latest “Crack a bottle” by Eminem.

Also lots of love to Marouan, Soluz, Davin, Dom, Elizabeth, Fruitbat, Zoche, and Jane.

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