C’est La Vie caught up with producer/engineer C Major, who discusses his upcoming project with Ca$his and how he got his start with Shady Records. He also tells us about the upcoming Monster Energy and Bone Thugs tour and the future of C Major. Check out the interview below.
How did your name, C Major come about? And where are you from?
I got the name C Major from a session I was running a long time ago. We were recording to one of my tracks and the artist took off his headphones and was like “Yo, C Major this track is gonna be crazy!” It worked out good too cause I was looking for a name at that time. What’s funny is most people who ask that question and assume it came from the Chord C Major and it really couldn’t be further from the truth, although that’s a dope idea too. [ Laughing ]
I’m originally from Berkeley but through my entire life I’ve been up and down California and even up to Seattle, so I’m an all around West Coast Representative.
What sets you apart from average producers?
I’m an engineer also so just that automatically puts me ahead of the pack. By being an engineer, there is so much you can learn about production and even just general musicality. The engineering process is very creative and I think that gets missed a lot because the title carries a lot of technicalities. On top of that I don’t limit myself to listening to one genre. Any great producer has an open mind about music, you can find greatness in any genre and can apply those ideas to his or her own music. That’s where those incredible crossover records come from.
Who or what inspires your music and creativity?
I grew up listening to Classical, Pop, Rock, Soul, Hip Hop, R&B, Alternative, Country and just about any kind of music that delivers some sort of feeling. As long as I can turn your song on and I can really feel what you are talking about, I’ll listen to it. Saying that, I find inspiration in anything and everything man. What’s funny is inspiration seems to always come when you least expect it, don’t it? I have literally dreamt about sitting in front of my MPC and producing a song, woke up from that dream in the middle of the night and laid it down. I know a few other producers and artists who’ve had that same exact thing happen to them too so you cant tell me I’m crazy [ Laughing ]. So when a real producer tells you that they eat and sleep music, they mean it! [ Laughing ]
How did you link up with Shady Records?
I hooked up with Shady Records through Ca$his. What’s ironic is I actually moved out to San Diego to get away from music for a while. I met a cat named Will who was doing promo for Shade 45 and Shady Records and he took me up to the studio a couple times. I didn’t even tell Ca$his I was a producer, engineer or anything to do with music. He had like 7 or 8 people in the studio in just one night trying to get on a song, so there was no way I was gonna be number 8 or 9 (Laughs). My homie Will put in a word for me and I played some tracks for his producer Rikanatti while we were on a trip to LA and he was feelin’ them. The next time I went to the studio, I mixed like 4 or 5 mixtape songs in 4 hours. When I saw Ca$his again he was like “You mixed those songs I heard? Man that’s how I been trying to hear myself, you the only one other than Em (Eminem) who has made me sound this good.” I’ll play second to Em any day [ Laughing ]. Since then we’ve been doing mixtape after mixtape and now we are finalizing the album. Em is mixing the more popular songs and his own tracks and I’m mixing the rest.
What’s a typical session like for you?
With recording sessions, it all really depends on the artist I’m working with. I let them pretty much guide those sessions. When recording, it’s all about the vibe and making the artist feel as comfortable as possible and make the session feel as little a technical process as possible. Software malfunction, DAE Errors and computer failure is not creative, so I do my best to make that my problem and not theirs.
When mixing I like to do that alone or with the producer. I don’t like a lot of people in the studio during mixing because I have to hear everything I’m doing. Before mixing I try to do something to relax and get my mind out of the ever day world somehow. Once I get in the “zone” of a mix I stay there until I’m burnt. If I’m in that “zone” for 8 hours straight then I’ll stay there until I’m done. I’ve heard stories of Dre staying in the studio for 72 hours straight because they had their creativity at a peak and didn’t want to stop; that’s just how it is.
They pushed back the Ca$his album two months, how’s it looking?
It’s looking great, the mixes are being finished, all the songs are picked and we’ve got a tour coming up with Monster Energy and Bone Thugs, which will be preceded by the Promo Tour. Its gonna’ be crazy!
How important is the engineer in your process?
Engineering is just as important as any other process of a song or album. A great mixing engineer can be the difference in an ok song becoming a good song, and a good song becoming a great one. The mastering engineer is just as important, just in a different way. Maybe even more important, think about it… the mastering engineer is the last person who will touch your music before the public hears it. It’s a pretty important part of the process, don’t you think?
I agree, the sound has to be perfect. Who are some of the artist that you have worked with? Any artist that you would like to work with in the future?
So far I’ve produced and/or engineered for Ca$his, Mistah FAB, V-White (The Delinquents), Too $hort, Dangerous Dame (Dangerous Crew w/ Too Short), Freeway, JT Da Bigga Figga, Mitchy Slick, Hot Rod, Young De and a gang of other people man. I’m working on a Self-Produced Album with Aftermath and Aftermathmusic.com, so I’ve been trying to get in touch with a lot of artists. My publicist Jonathan Hay and my boy DJ Maniakal have been doing most of the reaching out, and getting in touch with cats like the Nappy Roots, Focus, Killer Mike, Akon, Paul Wall, Method Man and Redman and a bunch of other dudes. There is no guarantee who will end up on it, but no matter what it’s gonna’ be real big. Plus its gonna’ be a free download exclusively on Aftermathmusic.com so its gonna’ reach a lot of people. Focus did a free album and he is at well over 300k; if you are trying to get on, hit me up.
Has learning music theory influenced what you’re doing in the studio?
Music theory definitely plays a part in production and engineering but I don’t really like to “Think” that much when I’m in that creative mode. I like everything to come out real raw, pure and then get into the technical part and song building later. “Thinking” gets in the way of creativity.
What’s next for C Major?
Well like I mentioned before, I am doing that joint with Aftermath and Aftermathmusic.com. I’m working on finalizing the Loose Cannon mixes and any last minute recording Ca$his wants to do. I’m also working on an EP with my boy Danny From Sobrante who you can check out at www.myspace.com/dannyfromsobrante and I’m doing some production with my boy Ducktape from Berkeley and Chris Daniels down here in San Daygo where I stay. I’ll be doing interviews on KPFA in Berkeley from 12-2am on Friday, September 5th and on KPOO in San Francisco on the Sunday the 7th from 5-7pm so listen in on that. I also have the second part of my interview coming up with dubcnn.com and I’ll be showing my face at Jellyradio.com again too. Shouts out to Artistic, DJ Bille Knight, DJ E Flex and the whole family over there, y’all holdin’ it down. Get in touch with me and we can put something together. I’m just staying busy any way I can, ya dig!
What is “The Life” to you?
”The Life” to me is having anything and everything at my fingertips. If I can wake up and decide to go to Europe, buy a new car or buy a new piece of equipment for the studio, I’m living the life. And as soon as I’m doing all that I’ll let you guys know [ Laughing ].
Any last shout outs?
Oh of course, again you can check me out at www.myspace.com/cmajor21 for any engineering, production or whatever you might have in mind, lets put it together. Shouts out to my boy C4 who just got a 24-year bid, hold your head up. My boy Ceda who down right now too but he’s gonna’ be out soon. All of Berkeley, All of Oakland, The Whole Bay Area, All of San Diego and of course Vegas. Like I always say, there is never a bad reason to go to Vegas [ Laughing ]. Shouts out to you guys at C’est La Vie. You guys definitely got a real good vibe going on here. I’ll be back soon, Peace!
For more of C Major, visit Myspace.com/CMajor21 and CMajorProduction.com.
For Booking: cmajor21@mac.com
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