Zay Mason

How would you describe your music to people who have never heard it before?

I would have to call it honest raw lyricism . Its gonna take you to a different place in Hip Hop people don't normally want to go. I represent the lost and forgotten and the people that are angry for no Damn reason.

Do  you think that hip hop is still as powerful and influential as it was say 5 or even 10 years ago? Why?

I think Hip Hop is even more influential now than it was back then. Popular culture takes a lot from one genre , from one lifestyle and I think that shows how important Hip Hop has become and how profitable it has grown to be. As far as influential in a positive way... that's in question there aren't many artists with big things to say or stories to tell, atleast in that mainstream bracket.

Would you say that your environment has an effect on your music?

Yes, definitely. Not to be a cliche- but personally I'm like a sponge I observe and take in everything and turn it into my own energy its one of the fun things about being artist you can draw inspiration from almost anywhere or anybody especially your own natural habit on a daily basis.

Where do you hope to be professionally in five years?

Hopefully by then I would like to put the talented people I work with in a better position to eat off the artistic visions we have as individuals. It would be cool to be able to give back as much as you've been given or give more.

Where can people find your music and connect with you?

thesentinelsmusic.com/

My personal Ig/twitter is @whoiszaymason and my teams handle is @sentinels_  

Sophie Jill's 'Cocaine Love'

Cocaine Love is a pretty bold title. What is the story behind it and the song?
The story behind the song is all about having an addiction for something, so its a metaphor really. The song is about me and my passion for music, how it makes me feel to sing, and songwriting. 'The drug that i need' Music is my drug. I've gone times in my life where I haven't been able to make music and singing a focus, but its never lasted long, I'm drawn to it. Its part of who i am, its like I can't live without it. So that's the story behind it, and it seemed only fitting it would be the title track of the album too.

What was the process of creating the songs for this project? 
The process began when i met up with who is now my songwriting partner, David Nevard. I was working with him on a project for another band, and we had a couple of spontaneous songwriting sessions and just clicked on a musical level. We both had the same ambition to write and found we were writing song after song, and it was working so well we decided to create a Solo album for me. I took the natural lead surrounding the vocal, lyrics and ,melody, and he took the lead on the music and instruments. We went with the natural flow of creativity and sometimes worked on more than one song at a time, or i would have melodies and lyrics and id send them to David and vice-versa through soundcloud, or when we'd have jam sessions, etc. 

Were the songs spontaneous, scripted, or a little bit of both?
Many of the songs are spontaneous and plucked from an idea that could stem from a great guitar or vocal hook, or an interesting title even..each tells a different story so it is like a fictional script, and not always about the same thing or same someone, but they all compliment each other in their styles. There are elements of my real life in there, songs like 'come my way' and 'social network' are very much written from my perception of the said scenarios. And of course Cocaine Love is the most personal track on the album. 

Is there a song on Cocaine Love that is your favorite?
I don't think i could pick an absolute favorite because I love them all for different reasons. For example the production of 'Social Network', 'C'mon Darlin' and 'Fell for the Badman' and 'easy option' really represents the grittier, fiestier, pop, rnb, reggae side of my music taste and influences, and then tracks like 'springtime love affair' show the softer side, and its special because its the first song I wrote for the album, and the first song I think I'd written where I kind of took a step back and thought, 'yeah this is possible, we have the ability to make a really great album here'.

Where can people find Cocaine Love & keep up to date with your music?
Cocaine Love will be available the beginning of September Itunes, amazon, and many online stores, as well as hard copies. I will also be doing a Free Download of one of the tracks July 2nd, and also a teaser mix prior to its release. People can keep up to date with everything surrounding my music on all of my networking pages listed below.
www.sophiejill.co.uk
www.facebook.com/aspiringsophie
www.soundcloud.com/sophiejill
www.youtube.com/lovehurtslovescars
Twitter @aspiring_sophie 
Insta @sophiejill

Mouse Sucks

You've been working a lot with the Dojo Fam Collective. Has that had an affect on your solo stuff?

Well naturally when you're around people for a long period of time, you pick up certain things from them. I've definitely learned a lot from them over the past couple years and I know that they've had an influence on the growth of my sound.

When creating your song "Toes" you used Rhythm Roulette. Can you explain what Rhythm Roulette is and why you decided to use it for this song?

Mass Appeal has a segment called Rhythm Roulette where they blindfold a producer and take them to a local record store. Then the producer blindly selects 3 records to sample. I did mine a little different, just closed my eyes and the first 3 samples in my library that I clicked on were the songs I was gonna flip for "Toes". My favorite producer of all time is Justin Nealis aka Party Supplies and when I saw him on Rhythm Roulette, I dropped everything and got to it. 

Is there a specific process you have for making music or do you just go by feeling?

The process varies for production. I try not to get too comfortable making music the same way and it's always fun to experiment. However when it comes to writing, I always come up with a funky hook first. Capital Ode put me on to that.

I know that you enjoy sampling a lot. Are there any songs that you are dying to sample or do you like to keep those things secret?

Sampling is fun. When I first got into making music, Charles Hamilton was on the come up and what he did with samples was amazing to me. Back in 2012 he had a show where he was making beats on stage and asking the audience what he should sample and after that I wanted to start producing my own records. Thus, I started off with a lot of samples in 2013 and these 2 tracks (which are from last year) but I haven't really been sampling at all on the new music I'm working on..... and nah, there's not really any tracks that I'm dying to sample.

Can we expect a project from you any time soon?

I'm not looking to release a full solo project any time soon. Or maybe I am. I might pull a Beyonce and drop it haha. But honestly, I'm just taking my time and building special original pieces.

Where can people find your music and stay connected to you?
 All my music can be streamed and downloaded from my Bandcamp and I love connecting with my fans via my Tumblr.

May Favorites

Wes Period - "Highs & Lows"

 Wes Period is the poster child of inner city artists who are grinding. This song is depiction of the struggles you go through in order for to accomplish your goals. The instrumentation is dark and eerie, but it is in perfect correlation with the hopeful lyrics- which just adds to his story about his current journey.

Favorite Line: All these highs and lows is all I need to know. Some day we will grow. Leave behind the mess we made.

Kehlani - "Runnin' (Interlude)"

Kehlani is becoming my favorite artist right now. Her new project, "You Should be Here", is one that you can play consecutively and repeatedly and not get tired of it. This song in particular is one of my favorites from there. It has the subtly cockiness I love in a female artist that gives you a sense of strong sensibility.

Favorite Line: Does it make you nervous I'm not afraid to say what I want? Does it put fear into your heart that I know where I started far from where I begun?

Alessia Cara - "Here"

 Newcomer Alessia Cara took the indie scene by storm with this song about the struggles of being an introvert. This the song that every introvert can relate to and has been on repeat for me.

Favorite Line: Honestly I'd rather be somewhere with my people. We can kick it and just listen to some music with a message like we usually do.

Yeek - "Sad Summer"
This song is so ridiculously chill you don't even care that "it's gonna be a sad summer". With it's simplistic lyrics and trippy composition it is the perfect prediction to what this summer may entail.
Favorite Line: I'm dying from the heat. Just take me to the beach. Take me to the deep end. I'm trying to fall asleep.

Flying Lotus - "Transmolecularization"

Flylo shared this unreleased outtake from his album "You're Dead!" track on his BBC Residency show and it is amazing. It is a sultry space track that features jazz artist Kamasi Washington. I am dying to hear the full because it is that good. You literally can't find a link to this song anywhere surprisingly, but it starts at about the 5:00min mark of his set.