This week we're dropping an exclusive 320 from Northwest Washington-based producer
Cedaa. He was happy to lend us this recent tune of his, a re-edit of Destiny's Child with some footwork influenced ankle-spraining percussion. We had a chance to catch up with him and get to know a little more about his musical background and what he's got on the horizon for 2011:
BF: Yo, big up Simon. Thanks for taking the time out.
CEDAA: For sure man, thanks for having me.
BF: Could you take a minute to introduce yourself and give us a little background on your production name 'Cedaa'?
CEDAA: Sure. My name is Simon Ho and I'm a 20 year old college student from Washington state. I mainly produce music and also DJ a bit, most of the time under under the named you mentioned. My older brother is named Cedar actually, so that might have something to with the name. I'm also just a big fan of trees, cedar trees included. And i like the way it sounds.
BF: What was it that initially attracted you to producing music and what were some of the main influences of your early productions?
CEDAA: I played the drums before I produced, so I was already pretty into music before I started. I played the snare in my high school's drumline; we marched in the Rosebowl parade and stuff like that. I feel like it definitely influenced my productions. I even base some of my rhythms off cadences we used to play. Actually, the toms and various other elements of Juke remind me a lot of the quads (toms) and tonal bassdrum parts of my drumline. I'm sure I have plenty of other influences, but that's probably my favorite one.
BF: Earlier this year you released 'Tiffany / Simba' on Seattle's Car Crash Set label. How did that release initially come together?
CEDAA: I wrote those songs last Winter/Spring in a period of time when i was listening to a bunch of juke mixtapes. I wanted to juxtapose the raw energy of juke with some elements from the current "bass music" scene and the vibe of the area I live in. I found out about C/C/S through a blog I think, but I instantly hit them them up when I heard some of the releases they had put out and the fact that they were based in my area. I can't thank Cosby enough for working with me and putting out the single, he's got a great thing going. With some 30 odd releases, C/C/S is shaping up to be a really amazing label and I'm just glad to be a part of it.
BF: After hearing your tunes on Girl Unit's XLR8R mix as well as on Dusk & Blackdown's Rinse.fm show a month or two back, I was initially taken aback to find that you live out in Northwest Washington. How have social networking tools and resources like Soundcloud aided you in getting your music out there from the Pacific coast all the way across the Atlantic?
CEDAA: Haha, Soundcloud is dope! There's a really active little community of juke producers who post tracks all the time, some of the stuff on there is really great. Always heartwarming to be part of an encouraging community like that. I've met a lot of people online from overseas, as well as those from other parts of the country, that i doubt I'd ever have been able to get in contact with without the internet. I'm also pretty sure I've seen more DJs spin on Ustream than in real life. I almost linked up with Girl Unit when he came to San Francisco, but I couldn't get into the club because i'm not 21 yet, so I still have never actually met him "IRL"...(excuse the bad pun)
BF: Are there any artists that you'd like to collabote with in the future?
CEDAA: Of course, tons. I'd definitely like to work with some of the footwork producers from Chicago. It would be fun to work with a live drumline as well.
BF: Lastly, what can we look forward to from ya in 2011?
CEDAA: I'll be releasing my next EP on BYRSLF sometime very early next year. I'm doing some remixes and working on a third EP right now, as well as starting a little side project which you'll hear more about soon. I'm also planning on starting to play out a little bit, so if anyone is interested in me spinning at your function you know what to do!
Cedaa Top 10 [October 2010]
1. Girl Unit - Wut
2. DJ Rashad - Jus't Dont Know
3. Cedaa - Hypnotiq
4. Amber - Empire
5. Dro Carey - Pipe Hoop
6. O'Jay Boulevard - Scarlett
7. Skanky - Do you
8. DJ Hilti - Strawberry Juice
9. DJ Rashad - Madnezz
10. Mungo's H-Fi & Warrior Queen - Nice lookin Bwoy (Chrissy Murderbot Remix)
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