Jacob Interviews…. R&B/Hip-Hop Producer Simmy (End of Year Interview)

After a highly successful 2012, Australian R&B/Hip-Hop Producer Simmy and his artists prepare to dominate in 2013. (Photo property of Simmy)

By: Jacob Elyachar

2012 has been a really great year for Australian R&B/Hip-Hop producer Simmy.

The Melbourne-based music mogul has amassed fans around the world for his impeccable beats and amazing line-up that includes Giulietta and GABE as they continue to deliver quality music for the masses.

Recently, I had the honor and privilege of corresponding with Simmy for an end of the year interview where he discussed his move to the artist side of the recording business, several of his highlights of 2012 and what fans can expect from him in 2013.

Jacob Elyachar: How have you grown as an artist/producer in the past year?

Simmy: The last 12 months have been extremely important to me, both professionally and personally. Like all artists and producers, the quality of material only gets better from one day to the next and I feel like my production in particular has jumped leaps and bounds this year.

Every year I produce close to 100-120 beats – something like a quantity over quality thing – but this year I only officially finalized 50-60 beats allowing me to fully immerse myself in achieving the highest quality, not the largest output. I still have another 40 or so ideas on the computer that I can explore further but most of those were disregarded, as I didn’t feel they met the benchmark I had set myself for 2012.

JE: You recently made a move to the artist side of the recording business. Was it an easy transition for you?

Simmy: It was initially quite a challenge but something I’m now slowly growing into. I’ve only put out one track and a snippet under my own name this year with a whole lot more coming in 2013 but the plans were put in motion with the assistance of so many producers coming to mainstream prominence this year.

You’ve got acts like David Guetta, Calvin Harris and Afrojack that are really paving the way for younger electro-pop & R&B vocal lead music.  I’m trying to stick to my roots and still maintain an incorporation of hip-hop and R&B elements while coming up with dirty and energetic dance breaks, leads and bass lines.

JE: What have been some of your personal highlights from 2012?

Simmy: Of course, the Giulietta project has been big for us this year.  With Giulietta now on her very own Asian tour, 911: Code Pink has certainly received overwhelming support – I suppose you get that more with free albums in that a larger part of your market, your not so immediate fan base, can still access the material and judge it on its merit.  We had a lot of online promotion and the video clips produced thus far were done at an exceptional standard.

On top of this, I think the whole rebranding of the label was really important for me this year.  I’ve taken the label on a very producer-centric structure, allowing imagination, creativity and individuality to shine with the new logo design, website design and marketing formats.  The major highlight from 2012 however has to be the material that hasn’t yet been heard – the solo work and the new album by Atlanta-based recording artist GABE, which I am super excited about!

JE: What are the qualities that you are looking for in an artist or a songwriter?

Simmy: Uniqueness. Something fresh, different, unique and individual yet something that still fits into the direction of the label and the material we release. We’re really focused on radio-ready material right now so that’s very important.

The way artists present themselves, communicates with others and their image holds a lot of weight in to who I look at working with next. Most importantly, there’s got to be immediate chemistry.  From the get-go, the vibes have to be right. You know when you’re professional partnership is a perfect match after the first conversation and then the first record is cut and you can both sit back, look at each other and nod your head in satisfaction.

JE: What can fans expect from you and your label in 2013?

Simmy: Big things! Big, big things! My debut solo record is set to drop in either the third or fourth quarter of 2013 depending on what else comes up and feature availability.  This is something I’m extremely passionate about as it’s my first real opportunity to show the world what I can do by myself, with purely my own direction and ideas. We’re also looking at a February release for GABE’s debut Simmy Music album which is super insane! You can check GABE out on twitter @gabesingin – In my opinion, this project that we’ve worked on together is my best material to-date and fully reflects the new marketing shift in the label that was taken this year.

Other artists can also FINALLY expect collaboration requests to be made available. In 2013, I’ll be marketing my production, mixing, mastering and studio time services to the general public, which is something, a lot of people have been asking for on a regular basis. Oh, and also before I forget, the Simmy Music app for iPhone and Android will also be available and ready to give you access to all things Simmy in 2013!

For more information about Simmy’s activities, you can visit his website by clicking here: http://www.simmymusic.com/