1.28.19
The Breakfast Boys + Studio One 16 + Amanda Sweet + Breezeomatic
@ J&J’s Basement

Last Monday night, The Breakfast Boys, Breezeomatic, Studio One 16 and Amanda Sweet came together to kick of the work week properly, with an expo of presentations that sought to up everyone’s creative game. Whether it be modeling for a shoot, mastering that mixtape or edging up on your fresh cut. There was something for everyone to learn at this J&J’s Basement-hosted event. - MC’d, of course, by the ever-charming Kind Beats. Michael LaCroix. While we don’t want to delve into the very technical aspects of Ableton - let’s leave that to the pros - check out some brief notes, gleaned from the masters themselves:

Amanda Sweet - Your Creative Fairy Godmother

Amanda Sweet styles herself as the “Creative Fair Godmother”, and she came through with the magic of creating and modeling for a photoshoot. She walked us through the rule of thirds in order to help with composition, and she talked about using your vowels - A, E, I, O, U - as different facial expression whenever you need more poses while modeling.

LOFTY (Luke Peterson) - Making a Mixtape

Breaking down his latest track “Kingdom Hearts 3” - dropped mere hours before the eponymous game itself was released here state-side - LOFTY helped those in attendance visualize what putting together a track in Ableton looks like, and what his personal process looks like, step-by-step.

Breezeomatic.(Lebree Jones) - Sampling

Everyone loves a good sample - but where do you start? For anyone asking that question in the community, Breezeomatic stepped up to give us an answer. With his rig set-up and all of the necessary equipment on display, Breezeomatic broke down how to pick a sample, isolate it, and seamlessly weave it into the sequence of your next mixtape. Everybody loves a slick bass line, but now, everybody can slip it into their latest release.

Zeke the Barber - Edging up

Coming from just around the corner at Studio One 16. Zeke the Barber - complete with the slickest of custom aprons - came down for a historic moment in the Ol’ Dirty Basement: a haircut. There’s nothing more important as an entrepreneurial creative than keeping your look fresh, and Zeke gave us some quick pointers on the four main areas that your squad should focus on: your brow game, your neck hair, your nose hair, and of course, the ‘stache. It’s all about edging up and creating fades and solid lines - so next time you’re about to hit the scene, ask a friend to edge you up. Don’t go out looking anything but fresh out of the salon.

Kind Beats - Mastering a Track

And to end the night, MC of the evening Kind Beats walked us through mastering your tracks. Not everyone does it, but it’s an essential element of the musical process, akin to that last coat of veneer on a well-crafted piece of furniture. Giving us a taste of the massive difference between a mastered and unmastered track was all it took to end the debate, as far as we’re concerned. Just like keeping a sharp look is critical, making sure your track is polished will give it that professional shine that you don’t want to go without.

The creative community in this town has always blossomed, but rarely have we seen an expo like this, catering to fresh eyes and ears and giving them the tools and skills that many of us had to find on our own. We support performers and hustlers all the time; it’s refreshing to see those same people lifting each other up with professional events like this. Here’s to what is hopefully the beginning of a trend - and of course, to all the tracks, shoots, and looks it inspires.

Header image design by Kylie Phillips