Sampling on the Fly with MALCI
MALCI is an emcee / producer running a one man hip-hop show that he performs live . We caught up with him on one of the last nice days in Chicago to talk about the end of his summer tour.
Emulsion: So you just wrapped up a tour?
Malci: Yeah, I was out for about two and a half weeks. I went to Charlotte, Portland, San Francisco, LA, San Diego, San Juan, Seattle - I think that was it.
Emulsion: Sounds like a flying tour.
Malci: Yeah, it was hectic. My dad was a pilot so I fly standby! it’s cool because I can go some distant places. I was touring on a record that I put out this summer.
Emulsion: Are you from Chicago?
Malci: I was born in Fairfield, CA then moved to Indianapolis then here. Now I kind of switch between different parts of Chicago. I just moved to Bridgeport.
Emulsion: How do you find the beats for your music?
I make everything. made the beats, mixed it, rapped on it. everything. I'm self taught so I’m looking at youtube videos everyday. I was just making beats every day in my spare time for… six months I guess.
Emulsion: It has to be difficult to stay inspired though.
I listen to a lot of music - new and old stuff. I was listening to a lot of Flying Lotus and Milo when I was making this album. I was like, man, I really enjoy what they’re doing there - I always crate dig too thats just a part of hip hop for me. But I have to listen to a lot of stuff because I wanna stay relevant. To me it gets real stagnant when rappers have the same flow every time. I like to change it up.
Emulsion: And you perform a lot of the beats live?
Malci: Oh yeah, all of them. I used to have a dj but I hate the idea of a rapper not being a musician. When you’re performing the beat live, all the intricate stuff slowing samples down and setting off triggers, it’s a performance. Lately I just love to do it.
Emulsion: Tell me about the record? You produced it all yourself which is pretty wild.
It was really fun to make. Everything is a sample, just taking it from vinyl - and I’m like yeah, this is real hip hop! And I've been learning and teaching myself as I go throughout this whole music career. But then there’s the legal aspect of it. My approach is to make a sample so unrecognizable and a weird chop - speed it up, slow it down - if you find it I guess you deserve something from me. Probably it won’t always be like that but it was fun for this record.
Emulsion: Have you considered just making your own samples then?
Malci: Now I’m working with some musicians to help create some cool loops - it will get there but I’m working on it, it’s a process.
