Let our readers know who you are. Where you are from. And what style of music you create.
Hey guys! I’m “Kid X” and I am 1/3 of the Hip-Hop group “Regenerates” from Mobile, Alabama.
How is the music scene in Mobile? More specifically, how’s the hip hop scene down there?
You know, it would be easy to criticize our scene here, knowing how good it could be if people just left their houses every once in awhile; however, it has made us who who we are today. Through this scene, we have met a lot of really great people, and formed a core fan base that has allowed us to expand to outside markets. We still have a long ways to go, but I think I can still say we will never forget the people and venues in Mobile that have set us on the right path.
Who or what influences your sound and production style?
My brother and bandmate, Francois, is the head honcho when it comes to our sound and production. He comes to us with an idea, and through the use of our input, we produce a track that is influenced by all three members of the group. I think this is what makes us different! As for influences, we all listen to a lot of different artists, and all of our musical tastes are quite different. For that reason, sometimes you might think one of our tracks sounds like something off of the latest Kanye West album, but then you switch to the next and think we are the biggest Outkast fans around. Three brains, all with different experiences and backgrounds, equals our production style and sound.
What was the last song you listened to?
To give you an idea of how drastically different all three of us are, I called up the other guys and asked them this question. Here are our responses:
Kid X: “Runaways” — The Killers (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJKLKNmy4M8)
Jake: “Let Nas Down” — J.Cole (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lStUHwwvl9o)
Francois: “Still Life” — Beach Weather (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAq7EUo1lgI)
What led you to choose the name Regenerates?
I think every artist has had a project that was terrible from the get go. For us, it was our original project called “Rickshaw McPhearson”. If the name didn’t give it away enough, it was horrible. We never practiced, we wrote songs in about 5 minutes, and we performed to crowds of about 10 people at house parties. All of us knew our potential at that point was much greater than the effort we were putting forth. So, in January of 2012, we decided we would start from scratch. We changed our vision, we changed our goals, and we decided to make it our main focus. In essence, we were regenerated. Hence the name, “Regenerates”.
What gear or software do you use for production? Do you have a favorite piece of gear, plugin, or other software you like better than the rest?
Francois produces all of our tracks with Ableton Live. Any drums or samples are usually played in through an MPC, and all of our instrumentation, backing vocals, or anything else are recorded over the track using “Pro Tools”. I don’t think there are any plug ins we use more than any other, it just depends on what sounds right at the time.
What role is the Internet / social media playing in promoting your music and connecting to fans? Any challenges you face or have had to overcome?
We do use social networking but in my opinion, as fast as marketing through social networking came on the scene, it is falling right off. Because of “artists” who use spam, constant bugging, and other annoying marketing techniques, it’s almost impossible for social networking to be a main source of marketing. However, it is the absolute best way to stay in touch with fans. For that reason, we are regular users and mostly use it to connect with people who are into our music.
Do you actively gig? Any tours coming up?
Yes and yes! We have one more show locally before we take a break and start preparing for our tour in the fall. We will be hitting the road with “Beamin and Timmy”, an absolute amazing hip-hop duo from our area. Make sure to check them out at www.beaminandtimmy.com and be on the look out for the tour schedule.
Where can we find you online? Where can we grab the album?
Our official website is a good start, and you can check that out at www.regeneratesmusic.com!
We are also on facebook (www.facebook.com/regeneratesmusic) and twitter (www.twitter.com/R3GENERATES).
Our album is available on iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, and Bandcamp (www.regenerates.bandcamp.com)
Any shout outs? Last thoughts?
I just want to thank our band: Brad Turner and Joseph King. These guys gig with us for little to (or sometimes) nothing. They really add a whole new dimension to our show, and mean a lot to us.
