Featured Producer and Montreal Trendsetter - The Billders Group

Who's putting Montreal, Canada on the effin map?  The Billders Group, that's who.  According to these fellas, so little sites expose local artists and producers & unfortunately, their so-called musical movement has yet to see the light in comparison to Toronto (their rising star; Kardinal Offishal).  

As emerging producers; we've been working with young talents in the City such as Swift Kid, Tru-Story, Ghetto Youths Ent in order to expand our musical horizons. With original fusions and approaches to Urban sound, 'HipHopCanada.com' gave us the status of "MTL'S Cool&Dre".

When The Billders Group agreed to do an exclusive interview with yours truly, I was ecstactic to say the least.  I appreciate what these guys are putting in work to accomplish for their side of the globe.  Here's a little more about them, ya know, just to get you acquainted with your competition.

Tell us about who you are and what it is you do.

Duo-Tang Productions consists of two brothers based in Montreal (Quebec) working in the Urban Scene for now 5 years. With their various musical fusions such as Electro/Jazz/Rnb, they provide to audiences around Canada and Europe a unique sound like non-other. As emerging producers, they have recently teamed up with 3 other friends in order to create a group called 'The Billders'; an organization willing to help local young talents expose themselves in shows and projects.

What are your goals for your personal life?

Managing time wisely, cultivate a supportive social network, take care of ourselves Spiritually and Mentally and of course, maintain an organized living space

 

What are your career goals?

Set short or long realistic plans (especially when working with others),Getting involved is a must and meet/accomplish greater challenges day by day.

 

Where do you see yourself in the next year?

Probably outside of Canada pushing our musical careers further although the competition is fierce.

 

What is your inspiration to keep it going?

God first and foremost, family, loyal friends and great supporters.

What has been your promotional strategy so far? What works/what doesn't?

Networking and getting exposed in different I-Radio sites and stations around town are key promo tools for us right now. Myspace and twitter are definetly working great.

 

Tell us about how a day in your life would normally go?

Oh thats easy :"Hopped up off tha bed, Turn ma swag on, Took a look in tha mirror said wassup" Naw just playing! Every day life for us his going to work in the morning, After go to the gym(gotta keep the shape), Networking on my way back, Cooking, Reading, Making music!

What makes you the king (or queen) of what you do?

In one word: ORIGINALITY, something other producers in Montreal are lacking right now.

What do you wish you knew about this game before you started that you know now?

The Ups and Downs, the ways to reach success and avoid the pit.

What knowledge do you have to share with those following in your footsteps?

The knowledge of wisdom and Opportunity. There is a place for everyone in this world and everyone deserves his chance; Gotta stay focus and make decisions wisely!

 

 

From left to right - MJC (Max)/ KARDI (Ric) = Duo-Tang Productions DVD (David)/ Dr NEST (Ernest) = DiamondSounds Prod *Another producer by the name of Phil-Real is also part of our Movement*

Connect with The Billders Group

MySpace:  http://www.myspace.com/duotangproductions

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/duotangprod

Facebook:  http://tinyurl.com/csxz7k

 

 

Website Vs. MySpace - What's Right For Your Image?

I know a lot of artists and producers who have struggled with their brand image, professionalism, and how they are portraying themselves online. The era of Myspace has helped many people get their names out in front of those interested, but what messages are MySpace users sending out about themselves? The music industry is full of phonies who will be here today and be gone tomorrow. How do you keep yourself from appearing to be one of these fly-by-night acts? Read on to find out.

The MySpace social networking site started out in 2004 and currently has over 106 million existing profiles. That's over 105,999,999 potential networking possibilities (I subtracted your profile because I know you're on MySpace too)!!! With this enormous gathering of people in one place, it's hard not to have a MySpace account, so I certainly don't blame you for that. MySpace is free too, so it's great if your budget is limited. Your MySpace account is probably the single most important step you can make to getting recognized in the music industry. Not to mention, it's one of the first places that pop into people's minds when they think "new artist". A Myspace profile can be set up in a matter of minutes and you can be leveraging the networking capabilities almost instantaneously. What's not to love about that??

Well, while MySpace is free, easy to setup, and highly accessible, it's not always the best choice to use when promoting yourself... depending on what you're trying to accomplish for yourself. When you have a lot to say about yourself, your music, and your direction, you need full control over they way all of this information is presented. With your own web page or website, you have this control. You can add a page that lets viewers learn about the person behind the music. You can have a page dedicated to your music or video clips. You have full control over how your logo and graphics are displayed. In addition, you can choose to sell products and music right from your site to put cash in your pocket immediately. Usually, you can buy a domain name for less than $5 per year, which will give you "www.yourname.com" and your website can be a free blog hosted by your favorite platform such as Blogger and Wordpress. After that, all you have to do is get it designed and keep it up to date with news about yourself and your music. It's a little more work involved, but your fans rely on that experience to get hooked on your presence.

So, to recap, Myspace is cool when you're starting out and I recommend that everyone start there. The more qualified people you can get your name in front of, the better your chances of getting noticed. Once you've been on MySpace for a while and you've started to notice a large appeal for you and your music, it's probably time for you to add a website. Find yourself a designer you trust and get a domain name. It will definitely help you seem like you're in it for the long haul and if done right, it will give your fans an experience that keeps them coming back for more.

How to Choose the Right Recording Studio

It seems like everywhere you turn, there's a new recording studio popping up. Some are decent, some are off the charts, but some are a complete waste of time. You've probably heard lots of people saying so-and-so's studio is the best or don't go to this place because they don't know squat about recording. So, how can you decide for yourself which recording studio is right for your needs? Of course, it should be clean, organized, and a good size for your specific acoustic needs. But truthfully, above all else, the recording engineer is the element that will make or break your track!s

Your recording engineer has many responsibilities that make up your recording session. They are the ones who will set up all of the equipment you need and make sure it is working properly before your session begins. They are also responsible for editing and mixing the audio. Your recording engineer is ultimately responsible for producing clean and balanced recordings of all of your audio tracks.

I've found that most truly talented recording engineers have a very refined set of traits in common. Not only are they capable of their basic responsibilities, but they are coaches in their own right. They should be able to help you make significant changes to your music that will make it ultimately sound better. In addition to being able to give constructive criticism, they communicate well, which means they know when to butt in with advice and when to keep their mouth shut. Ideally, they should be able to really familiarize themselves with your musical style and your goals for the session. They possess strong work ethics, work lightening fast, show strong attention to detail, and a have good reputation overall. They keep an ear to the street in order to keep up with ever-changing technology as well. Basically, the great recording engineers are lifelong learners and are very dedicated to their profession.

I'd love to hear about your experiences with a good or bad recording studio or engineer. Leave me a comment here or join me on Twitter to add to this discussion.

3 Ways To Get Your Swagger In Check

Urban Dictionary defines swagger as how one presents himself to the world. Swagger is shown from how a person handles a certain situation. It can also be shown in the person's style of walk, talk, and dress. Swagger is to conduct yourself in a way that automatically gains respect. With that being said, there are several specific ways you can get your swagger in check. I have compiled this list of 5 things you can do right now to make your presence known.

1.Play the Part
Once you make up your mind to enter the music arena, you should begin thinking about how you want to be perceived by fans and colleagues. What image are you wanting to portray? Now, I'm not telling you to be something you're not because a phony can be spotted from a mile away. Be true to yourself and reflect your confidence you already have in your own music. People can sense fear, so if you know you have something worth listening to, then act like it. Once the strong stench of fear hits the air, you lose credibility which is something you can't afford to lose. No one can tell you to be proud of yourself and if you're not proud of yourself, then you might want to switch careers.

2. Stay Cool
Have you ever heard of a star-struck star? Doubt it. When in the presence of a stressful situation, a profitable opportunity, or even your favorite celeb, just stay cool about it. In the back of your mind, you need to remember that this is just a person or this is just an isolated incident. Celebs like to know they're adored, but it can get embarrassing if you drool too much. Also, know that it can't rain all the time. If you're in a bad situation, be easy and just ride the wave out. People will respect you for being strong under pressure plus you'll feel better about yourself too.

3. Exude Confidence
Confidence is hard to come by when you're starting out. You don't know how people feel about your music yet and you're nervous about hearing the news of how your "unique sound" reminds critics of fingernails scratching on a chalkboard. Contrary to popular belief, it's not okay to feel this way, especially if you're in this game to make money. In order to get that first demo heard, that first look at your Myspace page, or a click on your music clips, you must portray confidence in yourself and in your music. Without it, you will not get the time of day from busy label execs. You have to realize that your music is not for everyone on the planet. It's up to you to know when to dismiss insults and accept constructive criticism. You might want to lean on the side of dismissals because you're going to have to do a lot of that.

Need extra help getting your swagger in check? Visit these links for more on the topic.

• Confidence Secrets - 7 Powerful Confidence Tips
• Success Inspired - How To Improve Self Confidence In 15 Minutes
• Suite 101.com - Building Self-Confidence

Do you think (know) you have a strong swag? What do you do to keep your swagger in check?

B-Hamp Videos Banned?

I'm not like a super fan of dance music... end of story. Mostly because I'm not much of a dancer and never have been, but B-Hamp's Ricky Bobby and Halle Berry weren't too bad. I think I fell in love with the comical dance moves more than the actual lyrics, but I've been having problems finding the Ricky Bobby video online.

After searching everywhere online for the club version of the Ricky Bobby, I came up with nothing. Youtube...nothing. Music-related websites...nada. It was even removed from BHamp's own Myspace page. There's another version that is still available, but it's not properly recorded and I find it a bit tacky for my tastes. The dancers are lazy and he appears to be standing in a vacant parking lot.

So, after searching for that video, I noticed something else about the issue. He apparently recorded a new video at the Texas Motor Speedway. This video was actually featured on BET's 106 and Park as the New Video of the Day. However, I've been poking around at the 106 and Park site too, but no B-Hamp is even mentioned! I couldn't find the video they posted or any information on the artist.

In addition to the problems with finding the Ricky Bobby video, the song "Halle Berry" was also experiencing some technical difficulties. Although not quite as bad as a missing video, this song has been re-written for radio airplay to say Ms. Berry instead of using the actress' full name. On B-Hamp's Myspace page, this song is played as the "uncensored" version, but for how long?

I'm starting to think that these changes are due to some sort of infringement issues. Now, I'm not a lawyer, but I don't think that you can use someone's name for commercial use without permission, especially a famous person. If this is the case, I hope that B-Hamp can resolve these issues and continue to make great club hits.



All this talk about infringement has me curious. Have you run into any issues with infringement in your music or know someone who has? It's a serious issue to deal with and I'd like to know if you have any pointers on avoiding it before it happens.

My Intro...

Wazz up guys??!! My name is Mariah and I am the founder/writer/reporter for StudioRadar. I am a southern girl by heart and by nature, but far from naive. I was born and raised in Mobile, AL,which is probably about as southern as it gets. I consider this city to be a hotspot in the south or at least in Alabama. The culture is rich here since there's rumor that Mardi Gras actually orginated in this city, but we could use a pick-me-up as far as music goes. Perhaps we're too far south on the map for a big time record label to settle here. Whatever the reason, I don't want to have to travel back and forth to ATL to get my music fix. Now that's a city that never sleeps. I have family there and even thought about moving there myself, but I think everyone knows where home is.

My love for music is genre rich. I think I have a favorite artist from every genre, but I do love music though. Some people don't take it that far but I believe I am that weirdo, haha. Let's see... the last thing I added to my Ipod was Michael Bluble "Sway" and "Call Me Irresponsible". Other artists I truly truly love (in no specific order or genre) are:

• OK GO



• The Dream



• M.I.A



• Montgomery Gentry



• Toby Keith



• Franz Ferdinand



• Rooney



• The Format



• The Red Hot Chili Peppers (yup, I still love them)



• Aerosmith (yup, I still love them)

The list goes on, seemingly forever... I mean what's not to love? Okay, you may not love them, but I do and that's what music is supposed to be about. You stick to the tunes and the lyrics that mean to most to you. Music soothes us in bad times and gives us somethiing to relate to even if noone else gets us... we've always got our music, right? Every genre has a specific meaning to me because it reminds me of a certain point in my life. Some of those points are good and some are bad, but I've been exposed to many many different kinds of music and I'm very grateful for what it has made me out to be. I literally feel like a more diverse person and I feel like I can relate to a broader range of cultures than the average individual. But that's just me I guess... what do you think?