Interview with The Hood Internet
So who exactly is The Hood Internet?
STV SLV (Steve Reidell) and ABX (Aaron Brink). We have lived on the Internet for a few years. Perhaps you’ve been to our home, thehoodinternet.com.
How did you come up with the name?
STV SLV: Actually, Cam’ron did in the film Killa Season.
Tell us a little bit about your blog.
ABX: We make mashups, remixes, and mixtapes and we post them up for download. We also make photoshopped press photos combining the artists we mix together.
How did you guys find each other?
STV SLV: We played in a band in Chicago for a number of years before starting to make Hood Internet tracks on the side.
How did you both get into mashups and how long have you been doing it?
ABX: We’ve both messed around with making beats and sampling songs for a long time. We started making mahups on a whim and things took off from there.
How does being a duo affect the way you make your mashups?
STV SLV: We work on a lot of things independently, but being a duo is helpful: it’s another set of ears on a track, or a different idea for what to play next when DJing.
What is your process in making a mashup? Software? Hardware?
ABX: We both use Ableton Live to mix tracks. STV’s a Mac. I’m a PC. We’re waiting for Justin Long and John Hodgman to retire from doing those commercials so we can take over for them.
What inspires you in terms of song choice for your mashups?
STV SLV: Mostly it comes from stuff we’re already listening to, but every so often you just hear a rhythm or a melody that matches up with something else, and you go try to put it together… and sometimes it works! But: sometimes it doesn’t, sadtrombone.com.
How long does an average mashup track take you to make?
ABX: It takes one hour to make an average mashup. A bit longer to make a good one.
What kind of music do you like? Favorite artists?
STV SLV: Really a bit of everything, so maybe let’s just focus on what I’ve been listening to lately: the new FELT album (Slug, Murs, Aesop Rock), Surfer Blood, Miike Snow, Bibio, Fugazi “The Argument” is back in heavy rotation, Solange Knowles’ cover of Dirty Projectors “Stillness Is The Move,” Pill “Trap Goin Ham” is pretty awesome, and Nicki Minaj, and Grizzly Bear, and the Mae Shi, and so many more things. And and and.
Do you like listening to other mashups? Favorite mashup artists?
ABX: Not all that often. When you spend enough time working on and playing your own mashups, you usually want to listen to something else. Girl Talk is good.
What is playing live like? Do you prefer it to working in the studio?
STV SLV: It’s fun to play in a club and get a dance floor moving, a lot of energy. Working in the studio is fun too. I don’t know that I’d necessarily rate one above the other.
How much time do you spend on your music in general?
ABX: It really varies depending on how busy we are doing shows. I would say it adds up to lots of time.
What are you doing in your free time?
STV SLV: My band SHAPERS just finished an album that’s coming out early next year. http://shapers.es/
What is your view on the legality of mashups?
ABX: They are more legal than stealing music and less legal than writing and recording your own music.
Favorite song you have made?
STV SLV: ABX’s R. Kelly x Broken Social Scene is still my favorite.
Tips for aspiring mashup artists? Or tips on how to get started?
ABX: Get familiar with a mixing program, find some acapellas on the internet, and use songs you actually like. If want to use mix songs that involve singing, learn some stuff about music so you can mix songs that are in the proper key. Mixing songs that are in the wrong key together is like punching kittens, and you wouldn’t want to punch a kitten.
Plans for the future? Any goals? What can we look forward to?
STV SLV: In the interest of moving forward, we’re making a record of not mashups. A bunch of original production, guest musicians, not sure what shape it’s going to take just yet but it’s supposed to come out next year.
Favorite pizza topping, candy, color?
ABX: Mushrooms. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Blue.
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