One of the most
indisputable objects in our universe is Truth. Truth is a titan, that
has historically opened the eyes of millions and led to irreversible
changes within societies all across the globe; both personally, and
with people as a whole. As Philly-NYC producer, Klem, likewise
demonstrates to us, Truth can also lead to one amazing record. A
four-minute sonic escapade, “The Truth”, feat. Rino, is Klem’s
breakout single from a mysterious, upcoming project. On this venture,
while guest rappers take the reigns as far as vocals go, our East
Coast beatsmith diving completely into production. And in this sonic
sea, he swims flawlessly. The track commands attention from the jump;
showing unique character through an ambient pad and EDM-esque bass
frying in a bed of vinyl crackles. Eventually, in tandem with the
verse of Rino, a loop of conventional, boom-bap hip-hop drums are
introduced, and the record immediately gains traction. Rino drops
gargantuan gems about the notion of Truth, and its impact, while Klem
guides us on an aural adventure. There is a moment around the 1:15
mark where a sweet melody of rhodes keys come in, giving the
instrumental a completely different flavor. Then, at about 1:45, a
gorgeous, soft-rock guitar rift splits the mix, seasoned by series of
melodic, reverberated licks. To tell the Truth, this is one of the
most progressive, yet gratifying instrumentals I have heard all year;
and if this is any preview as to what Klem has in store for us on the
album, he is most certainly holding a masterpiece.
“THE
TRUTH” Stream/Download:
7 Questions with KLEM
1. When did you you 1st begin making music?KLEM: Alright so I first started making music when I was 13, I’m 23 now so it’s been a solid 10 years of learning production. I started my musical experience though when I was 9 and learned how to play the trumpet. I then learned to the play the guitar when I was 12 and got my first audio interface at 13. It was an old Line 6 pod audio interface that came with Ableton.
2. What genres do you specialize in?KLEM: I grew up listening to a bunch of genres. Between Red Hot Chili Peppers, Blink 182, Elton John, Eminem, Tupac, and Johnny Cash - I grew up with every type of music and found ways to appreciate everything that was made with hard work and determination. I have been working with alternative rock for a long time and then started working with electronic music when I was 15 (it was my Deadmau5 phase and electronic music and dubstep was bumping everywhere) and recently that turned into working on hip hop beats and phusing that with typical electronic and alternative instrumentation.
3. What hiphop producer has influenced you and why?KLEM: I absolutely love the guys that help produce for Kendrick Lamar, Run the Jewels, and clipping. That includes Top Dawg, El-P, William Hutson, and Jonathan Snipes. They all aren’t afraid to try something different and new. They don’t really care if people love or hate it because they are always against the grain of what’s popular and it seems like they are all years ahead of everyone else. They take risks and most of the time it works out beautifully.
4. What kind of equipment or programs do you use for making a beat?KLEM: I use Ableton as my DAW with plenty of plug ins by izotope, Line 6, and many third party company plug ins. I use a focusrite pre-amp with my arsenal of condenser vox and instrument mics. I have a Taylor acoustic guitar along with an Ibanez semi-hollow body and another Ibanez solid body guitar. Everything I do with my beats come from either my Arturia midi controller or sounds I record myself. I also sometimes use some samples through splice when I want to add another layer to my tracks.
5. What is the concept behind your new project? 6. What artists are on the project and how did you connect?
KLEM: The concept behind my new project has a lot to do with nostalgia - either sonically, lyrically, or both. I found a lot of vocalists from around the US using Instagram, Fiverr, Facebook, and even some home town friends. I wanted to create a sonic soundscape with different vocalists for each song. There are also a couple instrumental tracks as well. I’m throwing all my chips down and putting my all into this project because I want it to be something to be proud of. I love the sounds from the 80s and I really dig vapor wave / aesthetic art styles and I wanted to find a way to paint that picture with sounds. Some of the artists include Rino, Keybeaux, Woodsy Wasabi, preachblvvk, Jordyn Oran, S-Class, and Nekrog
7. What does the future holds for your career?KLEM: Well that’s a real open ended question. I’m working on a separate alternative/folk/rock album with an awesome producer, Josh from Invengo Productions, which might be out in the winter, and I’m hoping to release this current HipHop project in October. It’s going to be called Aesthetic and I can’t wait to see how it’s received. My current single, The Truth (feat. Rino), has been received very well from most listeners so I’m excited to see where this project takes me. I love working with and collaborating with others so I’m just excited to see where this all takes me.
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