Armed with little greater than a MacBook, Ableton Dwell, and a eager ear for infectious grooves to flip, Flamingosis has 12 albums and 10 mixtapes to his title with over 100m whole streams.
Since he began making loops on GarageBand at college in 2008, the New Jersey-born producer has been hooked on beatmaking. Within the early 2010s, he was a staple artist on the area of interest on-line future funk label Keats Collective and shortly discovered immense unbiased success after his Hey Arnold-sampled beat, Soccer Head, went viral, actually in a single day. “I uploaded it to SoundCloud, went to mattress, and wakened later to it doing rather well,” he says. “Then a day later, a good friend texted me saying ‘Yo, your beat is on the entrance web page of Reddit.’ It was loopy.”
The key to the Brooklyn-based producer’s underground success? “I simply preserve going — simply preserve making music and importing…In the course of the early SoundCloud days, I believe I used to be placing out 80 beats a yr or one thing.”
Now, over a decade since his debut album, Aaron Velasquez AKA Flamingosis has launched Higher Will Come. The LP explores themes of self-love and is, as anticipated, brimming with playful chops of old-school funk and soul sounds, free and phat drum beats, and even an look from improv grasp, Marc Rebillet AKA Loop Daddy.
<a href=”https://flamingosis1.bandcamp.com/album/better-will-come”>Better Will Come by Flamingosis</a>
We meet with the supremely chilled-out producer proper after his first-ever present in London on the prestigious Camden venue, The Jazz Cafe, to learn the way Flamingosis is evolving.
Oh, the title? Flamingosis was the title of a freestyle frisbee transfer his dad invented within the 80s. It’s completely on-brand.
Flamingosis: “I attempt to implement the frisbee aesthetic into each album simply due to the way it pertains to my household’s historical past. As a result of the Flamingosis transfer is a reverse spinning catch on one leg — that’s the way you catch the frisbee — and whilst you’re on one leg catching the frisbee, it’s imagined to appear to be you’re a flamingo.
MT: There’s positively a robust aesthetic to Flamingosis. Each venture has that aspect of nostalgia, with 80s-style paintings and samples, but in addition with a up to date edge.
Flamingosis: “Yeah, it’s all the time been predominantly funk, soul and groove music, however I attempt to have or not it’s a little bit bit extra peculiar sounding. And that’s simply from listening to data and bands that have been a little bit bit extra obscure, or simply from completely different nations, the place you possibly can inform the funk simply sounds completely different.”
It sounds such as you’ve blended samples and recorded reside devices in a studio for Higher Will Come, in comparison with the strictly pattern method in your earlier works…
“Proper — I labored with a handful of session musicians for this album and [2021’s album] Daymaker. So as an alternative of sampling stuff, I work with the musicians and we make extra authentic compositions from scratch, or nearly like an interpolated composition of previous samples, however so it sounds completely different and its personal factor. After which once we report that, I’ll get the stems of guitar, bass, drums, piano, et cetera. After which I chop it, as if it’s a pattern, and organize it.”
Flamingosis
“I’m additionally combining the studio session devices with a pattern, the place they’re each taking part in without delay or there’s one part. Like there’s one part the place it’s simply the studio session devices after which it transitions into the pattern, the pattern after which a transition into the pattern and the session.
How did Marc Rebillet match into this? Was it an internet collaboration for Really feel Your self or did you handle to get into the studio?
“Nicely, I caught Marc at a great time to work on the observe [Feel Yourself]. As a result of he’s a really, very busy man. However, yeah, this occurred in 2022. He’s been engaged on his solo album, which isn’t out but, and he was performing some studio classes in Brooklyn and [producer and Flamingosis collaborator] The Kount helps report and organize and produce every little thing for his album. So, throughout that point, The Kount hit me up and advised me what they have been doing. They stated I may come via if I wished to.
“It was a very fascinating recording session as a result of they invited followers to come back and see the recording course of. They usually introduced a bartender to serve drinks to the followers as they watched it unfold. I haven’t seen something like that [laughs] — it was type of like a celebration.
Then after these classes have been executed I stated to Marc, ‘Hey, I’m engaged on one thing myself, would you wish to be part of it?’ And he stated sure so we discovered a date and recorded in particular person. We didn’t have quite a lot of time — like I stated, he’s a busy man. He solely had possibly a pair hours, so we actually needed to give you an concept rapidly.
“I confirmed him some concepts, plus a beat I began working possibly like, an hour earlier than going to the studio. And he preferred that essentially the most. So we’re like, ‘Okay, simply sing no matter!’ Improvisation is his factor, so I advised him the entire theme of the album and he obtained the gist of that within the lyrics. And he’s principally singing the hook a hook. However it labored, I believe.”
Wow, an hour earlier than? How lengthy do you normally take to place a observe collectively?
“Some tracks I get the thought of what I need to make in a short time and all of it flows very simply — how I need to loop every little thing, organize it, how I need to add the results, the drums, all that. After which I simply export it, after which I by no means return to it once more. However then there are others the place it simply feels tougher. It normally nonetheless works out in the long run however simply takes extra time, possibly weeks.
“Typically it simply doesn’t work in that second in time. Typically you simply push via it, after which it simply begins sounding good, however then there’s different instances the place a number of days later, you return to it, after which it really works. Or generally if it doesn’t work, you simply take every little thing out. After which simply begin from the start.”
Do you have got many moments the place you discover a pattern or an concept that doesn’t work in any respect, however you revisit it, like, a yr or so later and determine it out?
“Oh, completely. One of many tracks on Higher Will Come, was precisely like that. I believe I got here again to it possibly two years later. It was simply a kind of little loops the place there was positively one thing there however the way in which I needed to chop it up and rearrange every little thing was simply very intense and time-consuming. And I really feel if it’s that intense and time-consuming. I can’t be lackadaisical; I’ve to be very centered.”
“However I attempt to not maintain onto issues for too lengthy. Lots of people maintain on to music for too lengthy after which time passes and it’s nonetheless not out and…
Then it hangs round on this untouched folder for years, proper?
“Yeah. And I nonetheless have some tracks that I made years in the past which are nonetheless not out. However I even have a giant output of different stuff that I simply put out. Particularly through the early SoundCloud days, I believe I used to be placing out 80 beats a yr or one thing.”
Flamingosis performing
You continue to add to SoundCloud fairly typically. Is it nonetheless a great place so that you can join together with your viewers?
“There’s positively an viewers on there, however the majority moved to different streaming companies. I additionally really feel like the larger artists are simply extra embedded within the SoundCloud algorithm.
It appears like peak SoundCloud was a particular time for music producers. I keep in mind tales of artists like DJ Boring importing a observe, going to sleep, waking up and it’s gone viral
“That’s precisely what occurred to me with Soccer Head.
“ I spent a number of hours on it after which, proper after I completed it, I uploaded it. After which I went to mattress. And once I wakened later, it was doing rather well. Then a day later, a good friend texted me saying ‘Yo, your beat is on the entrance web page of Reddit.’ It was loopy. I keep in mind when Kaytranada advised the story of when he uploaded that Janet Jackson – If remix — it was an analogous factor.”
Soccer Head continues to be going robust, too. It’s obtained 13 million views on one YouTube video. What made you need to flip the Hey Arnold soundtrack?
“I all the time remembered the Hey Arnold music being actually good however what introduced me again to that observe was a submit on Fb by the rapper/producer, Jonwayne. He posted the unique track Groove Distant by Jim Lang. I keep in mind listening to it considering ‘Has anybody has anybody made a hip-hop beat out of this?’ I simply felt like I needed to do it earlier than another person did. I believe that’s why I put out so rapidly.”
Do you run into many clearance points when utilizing extra obscure samples?
“Oh, man. I don’t need to get too into it. However at this level [in my career], sampling will all the time be a double-edged sword. Ultimately, later down the road [after a track’s released], individuals will attain out and say, ‘Hey, we heard our artist’s track in your observe. We set to work one thing out,’ which is okay. However lots of people all the time say ‘Why isn’t this observe on Spotify and all platforms?’ I simply need to reply like, ‘Hey, if you wish to clear the pattern I can go forward and put it up.’ [laughs].
Was it a brand new problem to combine the reside session recordings into this album?
“Yeah, there’s a few tracks the place it simply took me some time to determine how I’m gonna organize it [in a way] that may be efficient. It felt like a very difficult puzzle. I imply, Ableton can really feel like that generally — only a puzzle.”
Flamingosis. Picture: Jack McKain
So that you’re just about simply on Ableton — are you utilizing some other software program?
It’s simply all in Ableton and I simply use the default stuff. Actually, these inventory sound devices aren’t dangerous in any respect. Additionally, all of the inventory results and inventory mastering presets are all good yeah to me. All of it will get the job executed and that’s what I’ve been utilizing for years.
A very powerful factor is making a stable concept, arranging it so it has a starting, center and finish — so I really feel just like the observe tells some form of story — after which ensuring all the degrees sound good to me. And if it feels good. Possibly technically, it doesn’t sound tremendous polished or no matter but when it feels good, and it sounds cohesive, and it makes me really feel a sure highly effective method.”
Is there something you want you’d advised your self as a producer if you first began?
“Yeah, simply make the music that you simply need to hear, in the beginning — it’s okay to make stuff that different individuals need to hear however just remember to additionally need to hear it. And simply preserve placing out music. Don’t maintain on to it for too lengthy. And in case you are holding on to one thing to avoid wasting for later, work on different stuff to place out instantly as a result of, life is like…we don’t obtained quite a lot of time, you understand?”
Try Flamingosis’ catalogue at Bandcamp.
This interview has been condensed and edited for readability.
