Club Sounds: An Interview with Slick Shoota:

I don’t go to clubs often, so I am not as fluent in club music as I could be. But I do know good club music when I hear it. Slick Shoota is one of the good ones. His music jumped out at me the first time I heard his EP, and gives me a charge every time I hear it. He is a producer from Trondheim, Norway, and this is his debut EP. He was also kind enough to answer a few of my questions, and I thank him for that.

Andrea Weiss

Andrea Weiss: What do you want your songs to mean to people?

Slick Shoota: I just want people to enjoy the tracks basically, the meaning of the tracks will vary from person to person i guess, that's what's beautiful about music isn't it, you make your own soundtrack to life with the tracks you feel fit to any given situation. If it's in the club though, I want people to feel like they can't resist dancing and brocking out. I mean, i can make deep tunes that's not really dancefloor destroyers but my main aim is to create a vibe that makes people want to have a good time.

AW: Do you start with a rhythm or melody when writing songs?

SS: Most of the time it's the drums, cause that's the basics of the tune and if you have a solid drum groove i find it's easier to build around that. I don't have any "rules" as to how i approach a tune though. I can sit and just browse my sample library for ages and if i find a sample that has potential, I can work with chopping that up first, for a good while, try different variations and then build the rest of the tune around that.

AW: You use vocals so well, who are the vocalists, and how did they contribute to the writing of the lyrics?

SS: It's mostly just samples chopped up to the unrecognizable to be honest, unless it's remixes where the original has great vocals like the Murder Mark - Bad Bitches Drop It Low remix I did. I definitely want to work with real vocalists on my own original tracks in the future though!

AW: How did you get started in music?

SS: I was a big jungle and drum n bass head from an early age, so it was from getting into that scene that I wanted to learn production as well. So I just started trying out software and stuff like that you know. After a while i took a years music production course and learned producing more professionally. I've always had school and jobs and stuff taking up alot of time though, so it's first like in the last three years or so i feel like I've created my own sound that I'm comfortable with.

AW: You mix styles very well, does that help you open up a song, and play around with it?

SS: Thank you. It's not something I think about when starting a track. I just find a vibe and go with the flow. A while back I found myself a bit tied up in "the rules" of genres and how other peoples production sounded. I think I've managed to get away from that though. Now I just make a tracks, no matter the vibe or style, in my own way.

AW: I hear jazz and 70s R&B in the mix. Are they two types of music you’ve been influenced by?

SS: I don't listen to it that much, but yeah I'm definitely influenced by it through sample culture and that. I'm a bit all over the place that way i guess, I just love blending all different styles and make club music you know!

Slick Shoota

8 Bit Beauty EP

Loose Squares

The voices pop out of the mix, joyfully and excitedly, singing Slick’s name, and other things like “I love you”. The music flows alongside, nimbly, like a ball in a pinball machine, and just as much fun. Slick Shoota, a club artist from Norway, made his first EP for Loose Squares a dandy, fun to dance to, and also fun doing anything involving motion. A great debut all around.

Andrea Weiss