A sit-down with one of Uganda's finest audio producers

Sep 19, 2016

BARU FRANK is one of those few and he has steadily made himself a name especially within the Hip Hop circles as he produces great tunes at Dustville Records in Ntinda.

The Ugandan music industry has grown so fast that producers are finally earning quite a living. Uganda boasts of amazing music producers who have made great hits over the years and even those that never understood the role of a producer now do. There are many new awesome producers on the market but one or two catch our eye simply because of how young they are and how determined they are to make history. Baru Frank is one of those few and he has steadily made himself a name especially within the Hip Hop circles as he produces great tunes at Dustville Records in Ntinda. He recently released an EP called ‘Young King' and we talked about it with him.

 

QN: First things first why that title Young King? Are you trying to send out a message?

Young king is a mindset I carry which is more concerned with how I look at and feel about myself, what I go through, what happens on a day to day basis. My goals, the challenges, most importantly the achievements and what I consider myself ( A Young  King ) to be amidst all these things that happen in life that give it more meaning. Am always learning and growing from these experiences. Most of the stories on the project revolve around a point  where I was in my life at that moment  when the project was coming to life and hints  on the hustle, love, freedom, fantasies, how I perceive myself etc.

 

QN: I do realize you've taken a different direction with this project from sound to the way you're packaging it. What drove you to this direction?

I sort of wanted to use the different artists I worked with ranging from musicians, arrangers, engineers to artists to showcase their abilities, push boundaries and make a presentation of us, of me and show a side of us that had never been explored, go to places we had never been as artistes. A lot of randomness and experimentation was involved during the creation process hence the nature of the project. Plus I wanted to exploit all the resources available to me much as I could to push the envelope.  Everyone went in hard as far as creation of project is concerned. It had to sound like the present and the future. Ability exploration.

 

QN: From the conversation we had you said its creation is organic. What did you base on to feature these artists?

The whole process of creation was natural. I was vibing off feelings as a result of the situations and experiences during that period of time most of the time and running with what would come out at the moment bring in an artist explain my side of things to them and let them create with me. For example. Let's say I woke up feeling sad that day, I would get into studio try to exploit that sadness and create something out of it.  Artist selection was based on individuals I thought would understand what I was aiming for and be able to have a great level of expression. More concern was put on expression and execution rather than who is whatever. The  project has contributions from Pryce Teeba, Abaasa, Patrobas, Play01, Kevin, Love Child, Kevin Abuka, Sitenda, Delboy, Sanyu Sings, Ivory Namara, Nel Muhire a mix engineer with c19. A bunch of video directors are also getting on board as far as visuals are concerned. But of course all the above had to be at par with standards attached to the brand name.

 

QN: In terms of production, did you approach this project any differently compared to other projects you've worked on in the past?

The production on this project was mostly experimental and random. No particular rules were followed in terms of structuring ideas, arrangements, choosing topics and so forth which is never the case with other projects. We basically went to places we had never been to and explored a bunch of influences. All we had to do was tell stories, push boundaries and have fun while at it. It's definitely different.

 

QN: Not long ago you had a couple of singles that shook up the hip hop circles in addition to Redefinitions which undoubtedly redefined the industry. For some producers that would be enough for their brands then concentrate on just producing but here you are again here with a new project, what keeps you going?

 

I have never wanted to put myself in a box so to speak. I am always creating, always looking for new ways of pushing myself, always looking for the next interesting thing to push for and always pushing the envelope. I don't see myself stopping until I stop as long as the universe still wants me to create with it. Through this creation I find those moments of true happiness once in a while. The urge to want to express myself also can't allow me to stop and that I can't do on other people's projects. So can't stop won't stop.

 

QN: Where do you see yourself in relationship to other producers in hip-Hop and the music industry as a whole?

Looking back to how I got into music. It's been a crazy journey. Right from high school when we used to make beats at my friend Nature's house to how I got to meet people like Flex D'Paper, A-Pass at campus who were on the same music hustle and loved what they were doing. These were like my age mates and they were doing what they loved doing. This even gave me more reasons to push and always push for more when it came to following my heart and pursuing what I wanted to pursue. There is always an amount of inexplicable joy that has been attached to what I go through pursuing music production and sound engineering as a career, the experiences, the lessons,  and where there is joy I follow. For me am in it mostly for the love, to make more out of this gift and how making music makes me feel better about myself. What's better than doing what you love on a daily? In relation to other producers, I think we are all in it for different reasons. I would love to change how music is consumed by raising the bar which might help improve the quality of music made by Ugandans. Am in a good place.

 

QN: What should the audience expect with this project and also in future what's next for Baru now that you're taking this direction and approach?

 

The project explores a bunch of influences but mostly hip hop and RnB. You will also hear a little bit of dance, electronic, afro-fusion, reggae influences but all working together to represent my biggest influences hip hop and RnB. Like I had said earlier, production on the project was very experimental, the arrangements are random, the sound is fresh. It's a trip. Baru like you've never heard before. Good music over all. Creative people and broad thinkers will enjoy it. There is a song for everyone and that I promise.

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