(AllHipHop News) Evan”Eagle” Gilhooly and Thomas “Motion Picture” Dulany are up and coming producers out of Florida burgeoning on the cusp of success. Cultivating Florida talent, the production duo speaks EXCLUSIVELY with AllHipHop on their beat making process and more.
AllHipHop: How does the story start, individually, for each of you making beats? Where did you grow up?
Motion Picture: Before I started producing in 2007, I was an artist tired of constantly looking for instrumentals. I felt as though it would be easier to start making my own beats. When I moved to NYC, I began to take producing more serious. I grew up in Exeter, NH.
Eagle: Much like Motion, I started rapping and engineering myself before making my own beats. At 15, I was making basic instrumentals in Fruity Loops until I moved to FL and got Logic Pro 4 years later. By then, I fell back from rapping and focused on producing. Funny enough, I grew up 45 minutes south (Nashua, NH) from where Motion grew up, but we met down here in Florida!
When did you two decided to form the duo Base Camp Beats?
Motion Picture: In 2009, we established an immediate shared interest for East Coast hip-hop and production. At that point, we were merely rapping and playing each other our individual beats. Gradually, we started making collaborative efforts on instrumentals, but without any agenda or plans. It wasn’t until late 2010 that we actually assigned a name to our production duo.
They say that it is hard for parents to choose their favorite child and artists feel the same way about all their pieces of art. So I won’t ask you which is your favorite beat but which beat has your favorite story?
Motion Picture: There’s a beat named “Loud” (circa 2011) that consists of drums and two distinct sample chops. Aside from being soulful and upbeat, the switch in the sample is indicative of our unique but cohesive styles blending on a beat. Eagle laid the original chop and the drums, and Motion found the song to sample and chopped the switch up. We occasionally still do different individual chops to this day.
After you realized production was your path, how soon did you start thinking of the business side of it?
Eagle: Although we both moved to FL to attend Full Sail University for their Music and Entertainment Business degrees, we began to expand and promote more heavily once we migrated to the west coast of Orlando in 2012. We’ve both been keen to the business side of hip-hop for a long time, but it was the validation from peers that helped us realized the potential for what we had to offer as Base Camp Beats.
Who are the music producers you look up to or seek inspiration from?
BOTH: Dj Premier, 9th Wonder, Kanye West, Just Blaze and Alchemist.
Technology has evolved tremendously over the past 10 years. Tablets, quad processors, etc. How has technology’s advancements changed your production style?
Motion Picture: When I first started producing, I was using vinyl a lot more. Although I still love the crackle of a record, I’ve learned to develop other ways to sample and achieve a similar sound.
Eagle: There are a plethora of drum sounds available now, apposed to the typical break beats that we’ve all heard recycled. Also, the processing and modulation power is amazing. If you’re so inclined, you can record voices and sounds to use as instruments, like a SFX designer on a film might do.
How has your equipment arsenal changed over the years?
Eagle: Before Full Sail, neither of us had as much equipment or know-how regarding gear, but since then, we’ve merged our collective assets to create our current arsenal. In addition to a quality condenser mic and studio monitors, we’ve been steadily working on expanding our sound banks and drum kits.
How is the talent in Orlando, FL and what are your plans with cultivating that talent?
Motion Picture: So far, most of the artists we’ve come across are very talented and determined individuals. What’s ideal about central Florida is it’s proximity to both Atlanta & Miami but it’s lack of full ‘trap’ or ‘southern’ influence. It’s not entirely populated by a certain kind of rapper, so that has allowed us to hone aspects of our production skills to accommodate the talent. In addition to one-off tracks and/or collabs with local acts, we’ve been working closely with a hand full of truly skilled MC’s with plans to create EP’s and LP’s produced exclusively by Base Camp Beats.
What artists would you want to work with and which of your beats would you think work with them?
Motion Picture: We have some grimy, up-north, boom-bap for MC’s like Action Bronson and Styles P. We’ve also got more soulful east coast stuff for artists like Talib Kweli.
Eagle: We’ve also been polishing our stoner and club-rap joints for people like Wiz Khalifa. But being in the south has given us inspiration to make beats for people like Big K.R.I.T. and Jeezy.
If you could have produced one artist’s album over for them who would it be, which album and what would you have done to help it?
BOTH: We wouldn’t want to produce an album over, per say, but we would want to make something from scratch; fresh and new. We appreciate how much time and effort goes into producing, so we don’t want to downplay anyone else’s work. But it shouldn’t go without saying that some rappers skill level exceeds the production they choose and vice versa.
What’s the ultimate goal for Base Camp Beats?
BOTH: Ideally, we’d like to launch our website (www.basecampbeats.com) and start to profit from that. Eventually, we’ll expand the operation so that most of the site is automated and can function fully without much interference. Then, sooner or later, have artists fly us in to work with them. Ultimately, the aim would be to live anywhere we wish and still collect money, make music and relax.
Check out BaseCamp Beats’ production at their official Soundcloud page. Check out behind the scene footage of the production duo in the studio below: