Inf Beats – A Dutch Master Production

You are what I call a producer’s producer , an Artist even before producer , I was first introduced to your sound through making a project together in the Netherlands through mutual friends, you went on to produce the remix to my Control Song feat. KRS-ONE and so much more! One of my favorites behind the boards , for those that may not be familiar with you yet, please let them know , who you are , what you do and what you represent?

• Thanks for the kind words! My name is Inf, I am a producer/beatmaker living in Utrecht, the Netherlands. Best known for making instrumental albums like The Go Round. I use samples, real instruments and vintage synths. All the beats and projects I have done are slightly different, yet they are all tied together my hard-hitting drums, nasty synths and dusty sounds. I release everything via a US label called Beats Broke.

As a veteran producer what advice would you give to a younger version of yourself just starting out with the craft?

• Buy a Jupiter 8, the prices in 2019 are insane! Ha. Music making has been a journey and all steps have served a purpose to get me where I am now so I don’t think there is something I would have done differently.

Music is self expression , what was it that originally made you want to express yourself through music? Was there a moment or a particular person that moved something within you?

• I started making music because I was a rapper in need of beats. I spend a lot of time at my cousins house, he made beats with an Amiga 500. So it started with that. At that time I discovered that producers where using samples. It felt like a door openend, because I had no musical background and didn’t play an instrument. Digging for samples enabled me to make things by ear. Find a sample and hear how I could chop it up and make something new.

Production wise , who are your greatest influences?

• A lot of hiphop producers have inspired me along the way. You learn something from everyone and make it your own. Obviously every producer from the 90’s like Premo, Dre, Dilla, RJD2, Da Beatminerz, Prince Paul, RZA, Dungeon Family, The Alchemist etc. But also the less obvious or known ones like Aesop Rock, Embee, Rob Lewis (who did the Cloud 9 album of Nine) and many others. And that’s only the hiphop part of inspiration. I have also learned a lot from listening to people like Janko Nilovic, David Axelrod, Shawn Lee, Menahan Street Band etc. I think it’s a must for any producer to hear other music and wonder ‘how the hell did they do that’ and then figure that part out and make it work in your music. I feel that not having a musical background made that journey longer and deeper because I couldn’t learn it in music theory. I am very sound orientated.

If you could pick one producer to score the instrumental soundtrack to your life, who would it be and why?

• Janko Nilovic, simply because everything he made is amazing.

What is your favorite track of your own you have ever produced and why?

• Ha, that’s a difficult one. I have many favorites for different reasons. But City of Angles from the Meal Ticket album is the first one that comes to mind. I love it that the song switches a lot between moods and styles. It feels like a piece of music, rather than a beat. Plus I made it when I got a Wurlitzer for my birthday, special moment.

What is your favorite piece of musical equipment and why?

• Rhodes MK1 and Wurlitzer 200 and by far my favorite ones. Both are so organic and unique. Every single one of those instruments sounds different. It’s a way to differentiate your sound from other producers. You can also run it through guitar pedals and get weird sounds.

What are the main differences between the Hip Hop scene in the Netherlands compared to what you have seen in the USA?

• I think that the differences between countries are very small nowadays. Hiphop is global and the internet took away the national borders. Back in the days I always felt that European beats where different, more experimental. But I am not sure if that still goes.

Do you have any hidden talents?

• It’s not really a talent, but I am always super curious. I want to learn how things work and do them myself. So I am a Jack of all trades and a master of none. Refabric a couch with a sowing machine, carve a pumpkin, repair a cellphone or toy, build a wobbleboard…everything turns into a project. And once I have succeeded, the motivation is gone and the acquired skill remains.

What is a misconception about you that some people may have?
That I am always a cheerful person. People find it difficult to believe that I have dysthymia (chronic depression).

Favorite Movie?
A nightmare before Christmas. The music and the lyrics are so freaking creative. Blew my mind when I was younger. Plus it’s one of the few movies I have seen multiple times.

Favorite Book?
Anything from Roald Dahl.

Favorite Musical Album?

• Janko Nilovic – Rythmes Contemporains

Where can people find your music?
https://open.spotify.com/artist/6yGW6Z2OraCYUr9OsqZo2x?si=X0iNl4JzTQ-e-IoQnLlX-A
and on Instagram I post video’s of the creative proces @infbeats

What is next for you? Last Words?

• I have been busy the last couple of months to release a new track every (other) week. I’ll continue to do that. And I have a new album coming out with the Fifty Dollar Band called Songs From The New West. It’s something totally different from the music I made thus far, yet has that Inf sound. It’s country/folk with singer, with synthesizers and without drums.