Local producer makes homage tape
‘Jeepz’ is compiling an instrumental sampling from campus radio stations
Campus radio stations CKCU and CHUO have long been staples of Ottawa’s music scene, and now one producer is paying homage to their influence.
Jean Paul Tyo, also known as Jeepz, is working on an instrumental tape made entirely of audio samples taken from Ottawa’s campus radio stations. The tape will be called “Campus Radio.”
The idea was spurred by a Saturday morning drive, where Tyo heard a song he had sampled in one of his tracks playing on CKCU. “A few more songs came on after that I thought where really incredible,” said Tyo. “Then I heard the person speak and clearly he was knowledgeable about the music.”
Later on that evening, Tyo found himself back in his car listening to a Vietnamese show on the same station.
“It pushed me to see that there’s so many different sounds available at my fingertips right here.”
With a mandate in mind, Tyo set to work on remixing songs for samples. “I grasp snippets of sounds from songs and then process them, distort them, do whatever I want and create something new with them,” explained Tyo.
In the past, he has used snippets of radio hosts to create some beats, but this time around Tyo said that he’ll mostly be using pieces of songs that he happens upon when listening to one of the two campus stations.
Tyo has worked with several local hip-hop artists to build beats for their songs. In working with these artists, he said he has discovered the importance of campus radio.
“It’s hard enough for a local artist to get heard, and they provide an avenue,” said Tyo. Much of his own music and the acts he works with have been featured on CKCU on CHUO.
“They have given inspiration, as well as given a platform for an artist such as myself,” said Tyo. “It’s good for the people who provide the music to know that they do have an impact on the listener.
Tyo has been working in music production for four years. In that time he has been crowned Ottawa Beat League champion twice and put out 46 instrumental beat tapes.
A testament to the speed at which he produces, Tyo expects to complete Campus Radio in mid-May, even though he just began it last week.
WHAT IS SAMPLING?
Sampling is a common practice in hip-hop, where an artist takes a snippet of a song and re-purposes it into another. It has been the subject of much debate around its legality when it comes to copyright law. Recently, sampling and remixing have come to a head as artists like Girltalk make original music entirely through remixing others’ songs.
OTTAWA BEAT LEAGUE
Tyo isn’t the only beat producer working in Ottawa. In fact, Ottawa has an entire league devoted to showcasing beat makers, known as the Ottawa Beat League. The league hosts beat maker showdowns, where competitors show off their chops in front of fans and judges through a three-round tournament. Beats are judged on four criterion: originality, hypeness or stage presence, complexity, and crowd response. Tyo has been crowned the Ottawa Beat League Champion twice in a row. The next tournament takes place in June.