Tune-In Tuesdays #2: Interview with Chill-Hop Artist & Producer XtaSeay

By: burgundy bug

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XtaSeay performing live on April 24, 2018.

Source: XtaSeay LIVE // 4.24.18 PART 1 | Penelope Peru Photography P³

Celebrating the recent release of his single Chipped Tea Cups across all major music streaming platforms, this Tune-In Tuesday features an interview with special guest XtaSeay.

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Another shot of XtaSeay performing live on April 24, 2018.

Source: XtaSeay LIVE // 4.24.18 PART 1 | Penelope Peru Photography P³

XtaSeay is a local musician and producer who specializes in a subgenre known as chill-hop, a blend of hip-hop and lo-fi elements that has risen to popularity in recent years.

Currently, XtaSeay has five singles available on iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify, and Amazon, among other platforms. You can also find the artist on SoundCloud, Instagram, as well as Twitter.

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XtaSeay’s singles Leafs; Dogma Slumber; Come, “Die” with it…it with “Die”, Come; Feeling is Intangible; Chipped Tea Cups on iTunes

Source: XtaSeay on iTunes & Checkout XtaSeay on iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify, and MORE!

Although Chipped Tea Cups was originally released on SoundCloud in June 2018, the single was not available across other major streaming platforms until Jan. 11, 2019.

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XtaSeay ‘Shroom Head’ Stickers on Etsy

Source: Glossy XtaSeay “Shroom Head” Stickers | P3Stickez

Interview with Chill-Hop Artist & Producer XtaSeay

The “Philo-seay” of XtaSeay

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XtaSeay in ‘Trespassing’

Source: Trespassing

burgundy bug: When would you say you first started getting into music?

XtaSeay: I got into DJing in 2012 because I liked the concept of either manipulating the sounds and sharing a similar taste or a different perspective on music to a broader audience.

How did that evolve into your music career?

It kinda just flowed naturally. Slowly, overtime, I got more and more equipment to work with. It was kind of a process of working with what I had until I had more stuff to keep building and actually put something out there.

What’s some of the equipment that you use?

GarageBand, Reason, FocusRite – which is what I would use to plug the microphone into the computer, so it’s like an amplifier in a way. I can also plug instruments into it.

What is your general process? Do you ever go into creating a song with a certain mindset?

I just flow. Honestly, whatever I’m feeling, whatever I’m hearing, whatever I can find, it just goes with it. It’s not really a ‘process’ – Well, it’s a process, but there isn’t really a ‘process’ I shoot for.

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XtaSeay working in GarageBand

Source: WHEN YOU SLEEP (BEHIND THE SCENES)

Are there any sounds you prefer to use as your base? For example, do you start with piano, drums, etc…?

It really depends because each time is different. I couldn’t necessarily say whether I start with something because I’ve been working with a lot of samples lately. It all just depends on what sounds I have at that time.

I’ll take a sample of something, edit it, see if I like it, keep adding more sounds, and organize it from there.

Chipped Tea Cups on Spotify

Source: Chipped Tea Cups | Spotify

What was your mindset while you were working on Chipped Tea Cups?

My honey, friends, relationships with people.

What does a chipped tea cup mean to you? What was your inspiration?

I’ve never really thought about it. I kinda just flowed with it. Maybe a free spirit? Someone who’s had it all and is still striving.

Even though most people don’t like chipped tea cups because you could cut yourself on them or because they’re broken, there’s also an appreciation for the aesthetic that it’s broken. It’s still their favorite cup.

How long would you say it took you to make this song?

I didn’t really calculate it, but it was probably over the course of four or five months. Some songs can take a day while other songs can take a year, months.

What’s next for you?

Living. Making more tunes, of course. Chilling with my honey and our friends.

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XtaSeay in ‘Woodsy Walk 02’

Source: Woodsy Walk 02

What would you say to someone who’s just starting out?

Don’t stop. Even if you don’t have the equipment, technology, or support, if you like it you like it. A lot of people have iPhones which makes [GarageBand] accessible, but there are also a lot of people who do not have the resources. If you don’t even have a computer, you can just start by hitting random stuff around the house or outside. You can record [those sounds] and work with it.

Lastly, who or what would you say are some of your biggest inspirations – on a musical or personal level?

My honey, my family, my friends. Other artists, local artists, Kweku Collins.

Genuine sounds, natural sounds, just walking and hearing everything. Even though I don’t really like speaking, I like listening to sounds. You get more from sounds than visuals. They mean a lot more than visuals, sometimes.

Visuals can either kill it or not explain enough.

You used to be into film too, right?

Yes. That’s why it’s tricky, because how you represent something can really crush it or not.

In music, it’s all up to the listener’s perspective. Yeah, you can do that with film, but [the perspective] is already given to you. With music, it’s about feeling – with lyrics or not.

What do you hope listeners feel when they listen to your music?

Whatever they want. If they hate it, they hate it. They don’t have to like it. It could be garbage, trash in the street. I’m okay with that because I know I did something.

Do you have any final thoughts or additional commentary?

Just live.

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XtaSeay

Source: XtaSeay on Penelope Peru Photography P³

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Check out Chipped Tea Cups on iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon, and more!

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