In SOUND CHECK, we check in with some of our favorite musicians.
At just 25, Montreal-bred producer Lunice is changing the face of hip-hop with his beat-driven sound, rich compositions, and refreshingly positive approach to music. As a solo artist and one-half of production duo TNGHT, Lunice is taking the music world by storm and it’s clear he’s just getting started. We recently had a chance to talk to him about rap music, Miles Davis, shopping in the mom section, and more.
My band is ______ and I sound like ______.
My band is Lunice and I sound like rap music––or at least, what I think of when I think of rap music.
What do you think of when you think of rap music?
I guess I don't see myself as a traditional rap producer, but as someone motivated by hip-hop culture––creating something new and different. There is so much out there right now, and I feel like people forget about the beginnings of hip-hop culture, when rappers were trying to do something jarring and inspiring.
You originally got into hip-hop as a b-boy. Can you tell me more about that?
I was into break-dancing as a kid and it got me into a lot of different types of music. There was this festival in my hometown every year called the "Do It Jam" and it was just these hip-hop heads putting on this event where you could go and learn to scratch, break dance, or do graffiti. The older guys would teach the kids how to do things, and you just did it. So every year I’d go and learn new stuff. I got really into it and learned a lot about music, like how to listen for beats and catch a tempo.
How did that lead to producing?
As I got older, I got into beatboxing and that was the first time I really thought about producing. I mean, I’ve always been super creative––whether it was building legos, doing improv sketches, or just expressing myself recording fake radio shows. I actually found the tape of my fake radio show a few years ago, and I was like “Is that a girl on there?” because my voice was so high. [Laughs] The one thing I couldn’t do was rap, so I replaced that with beatboxing and learned about all of the elements that came together to create rap music. And then I just started making music.
What’s your approach to making music?
It’s always changing. My main goal is to always bring something new to the table. I take elements from a million different things––a genre, a culture, a sound––I just take a little piece of everything and express it in my own way. I always try to take what I really love and push it further, to go beyond.
Your onstage persona is pretty next-level.
I'm comfortable onstage because of breakdancing. I was able to build a certain character and stage presence when I was doing shows, and I've been able to push it more. I try not to think about it too much, and just enjoy it and vibe with the audience.
Any pre-show rituals?
It’s really random but I did have a great time before my set at Hard Day of the Dead [the festival]. I was just about to play this huge set, and I was in my trailer just getting down to Aaliyah's “WE NEED A RESOLUTION.” If someone had walked in, they probably wouldn’t have expected it––but that’s my shit.
We talked about coming of age in the hip-hop culture. Whose style did you admi
At just 25, Montreal-bred producer Lunice is changing the face of hip-hop with his beat-driven sound, rich compositions, and refreshingly positive approach to music. As a solo artist and one-half of production duo TNGHT, Lunice is taking the music world by storm and it’s clear he’s just getting started. We recently had a chance to talk to him about rap music, Miles Davis, shopping in the mom section, and more.
My band is ______ and I sound like ______.
My band is Lunice and I sound like rap music––or at least, what I think of when I think of rap music.
What do you think of when you think of rap music?
I guess I don't see myself as a traditional rap producer, but as someone motivated by hip-hop culture––creating something new and different. There is so much out there right now, and I feel like people forget about the beginnings of hip-hop culture, when rappers were trying to do something jarring and inspiring.
You originally got into hip-hop as a b-boy. Can you tell me more about that?
I was into break-dancing as a kid and it got me into a lot of different types of music. There was this festival in my hometown every year called the "Do It Jam" and it was just these hip-hop heads putting on this event where you could go and learn to scratch, break dance, or do graffiti. The older guys would teach the kids how to do things, and you just did it. So every year I’d go and learn new stuff. I got really into it and learned a lot about music, like how to listen for beats and catch a tempo.
How did that lead to producing?
As I got older, I got into beatboxing and that was the first time I really thought about producing. I mean, I’ve always been super creative––whether it was building legos, doing improv sketches, or just expressing myself recording fake radio shows. I actually found the tape of my fake radio show a few years ago, and I was like “Is that a girl on there?” because my voice was so high. [Laughs] The one thing I couldn’t do was rap, so I replaced that with beatboxing and learned about all of the elements that came together to create rap music. And then I just started making music.
What’s your approach to making music?
It’s always changing. My main goal is to always bring something new to the table. I take elements from a million different things––a genre, a culture, a sound––I just take a little piece of everything and express it in my own way. I always try to take what I really love and push it further, to go beyond.
Your onstage persona is pretty next-level.
I'm comfortable onstage because of breakdancing. I was able to build a certain character and stage presence when I was doing shows, and I've been able to push it more. I try not to think about it too much, and just enjoy it and vibe with the audience.
Any pre-show rituals?
It’s really random but I did have a great time before my set at Hard Day of the Dead [the festival]. I was just about to play this huge set, and I was in my trailer just getting down to Aaliyah's “WE NEED A RESOLUTION.” If someone had walked in, they probably wouldn’t have expected it––but that’s my shit.
We talked about coming of age in the hip-hop culture. Whose style did you admi