Talking Shop: Suicideyear

Originally hailing from Baton Rouge and now a resident of New Orleans, James Prudhomme produces a take on electronic music richly influenced by his Southern US surroundings, with hints of bass-heavy Southern hip-hop and dark, gothic undertones. With his debut LP, Color The Weather, out now on LuckyMe, FM caught up with him to chat production.

When did you start making music?

“I first started making beats on a laptop I had in 2011 after downloading a cracked copy of Fruity Loops. I was inspired by Lex Luger and Southside but also guys like Main Attrakionz and Friendzone.“

Tell us about your studio

“It’s at home: I use headphones typically but I’ve been using a friend’s studio in mid city New Orleans for the last couple of weeks. I don’t own much hardware – I’ve always enjoyed the mobility of having all my VSTs in Fruity Loops but recently I’ve been using a lot of synths for my album Color The Weather.”

What DAW do you use, and why?

“My DAW of choice is Fruity Loops, one of the DAWs that’s more centred towards beatmaking compared to others. It’s always easy to get an idea or melody I’ve been thinking about out fast in Fruity.”

What one piece of gear in your studio could you not do without, and why?

“A piece of hardware I could never do without is my laptop, because without it I can’t make music!”

What has the latest addition to your studio been?

“The latest addition to my setup is a VST called DSK Saxophones. I’ve been making a lot of songs that sound like the LawAndOrder theme and it’s been sounding great.”

What dream bit of gear would you love to have in you studio?

“I want to own my own CDJs or even just a single one plus a DJM-900. I spent time at RBMA recording playback from a CDJ while running melody stems through it with effects and loop points, with unique results!”

When approaching a new track or project, where do you start?

“Usually when starting something new, it’s always melody that comes first. Most times I’ll come up with an arrangement and try a few different sounds/VSTs with it and decide where I want to go. I like to work on more melodies before going to drums, because personally, when I start making drums I get into a finish mode. Leaving the melodies open-ended/free of drums helps me build on it more.”

What are you currently working on?

“My debut album ColorTheWeather is going to be released this summer! I’m starting work on a new EP, but I’ve also been making new music with Lil Reek, Soldado, Nedarb Nagrom, Brodinski and Bbymutha.”