(Producer Interview) 23Sunz

Written & Interviewed by Jerry Boyd

10+13 Studios are making waves at the moment, with a strong entourage of up-and-

coming London-based artists such as 23AZ, 23Nezz, LA Slim and Kymarcr. The

independent creative company has blessed the Balamii booth, displaying a wide

range of genres and most recently shutting down Oslo in Hackney alongside a crazy

line-up for All 4 One, presented by Sleptonme, Ukundergroundrap and Power in

Numbers. Behind their hits is producer, engineer, and musician 23sunz, who has

worked with the likes of BXKS, Joe James, Scorcher and many more.

Split60 had the opportunity to sit down with 23sunz to discuss his music journey,

creative process, 10+13, and more.

Introduce yourself, how would you describe yourself in the realm of music?

I am a producer, musician, and engineer. I work with a range of different artists

across genres such as rap, electronic music, indie stuff, and everything else in that

space. It’s been a journey and an experience. I have been doing this for about 10

years now. I have a few studios in the South which I work out of, and yeah, it’s my

life, which is dope.

How did you begin making music, where did it all start?

I started making beats in school years and years ago. I was doing it just as a hobby

for about four years. After school, I went to college for music and then built a couple

of studios. From there, me and my guys would go there all the time and lock in. From

there, I started to take it seriously.

Did you have any major inspirations when you started making beats?

Production-wise, Kanye has always been my biggest influence. I’m big into my

sample chops—pretty much everything I do is sample-heavy, so Kanye is my guy for

sure.

How would you describe your sound as a whole?

In the hip-hop space, my sound is very sample-heavy. I do a lot of crate-digging, I

love flipping a lot of soul samples and finding as much rare stuff as possible. As long

as it sounds sonically rich and there are components that I can flip and repurpose,

then that’s what I’m into.

Could you shed some light on what 10+13 is and what the vision is with the

group?

That came about when I first built my studio. Me and a lot of the guys that I grew up

with spent a lot of time in there making music. It made sense for everyone who was

around me and was into music to use it as a hub. All the guys that are involved in

10+13 have been here since the beginning, and as you can hear, all have very

diverse sounds. We have developed it to a point where everyone is on their own

path, but we have a base physically, which is our studio. We are also a very close

group of friends, so it's an ecosystem that works. It’s so important to have a strong

group of people behind you in this music landscape—there is power in numbers.

Do you have a favourite song that you have produced?

I wouldn’t say there is a favourite because every song I have ever produced, in the

moment that I made it, was my favourite. The most important song to me is probably

Big Business, which is the first song I, 23AZ and 23Nezz put out around two years

ago now. We had no following—we had just been cooking in the studio for about a

year, trying to perfect a sound. We didn’t really have an idea of what the reception

was going to be. It kind of took off on Twitter—not viral, but there was a blog that

posted it on Twitter, some notable people reposted it, and people seemed to like it. I

was away at the time in Colombia—I remember looking at my phone and being so

geeked. I had never had that many people affirm that what we were doing was new

and exciting.

What is your creative process when you are making a beat?

I am very much a session producer—I don’t really send packs out. I find the best

type of sessions are always in person. The process always begins with involving the

artist, and we can feed off each other and get a vibe going. From there, it depends

on what I am producing. If I'm with 23AZ and 23Nezz, we are going to chop some

samples up, get the drums knocking and they will get to writing. If I am with LA Slim

and Kymarcr, I’ll be on the guitar trying to come up with some riffs and ideas, and

they are going to be singing away. The process is always going to be a collaborative

one.

Do you have any advice for aspiring producers now that you have been in the

game for a few years?

Definitely lock in with your guys and build a community. It is the most rewarding

experience—if you do pop off, then you guys get to come up together. A lot of

producers might spend their time trying to get a hit straight away with the biggest

artists and, obviously, there is reward in that. If you get a smash placement, you’re

laughing, but I would always say there is so much more to be said for building a

community. It’s so important and it is always going to pay off.

Is there anything that you are working on right now that you are excited about

and willing to share?

With the guys at 10+13, we are cooking non-stop. Me and 23AZ are working on two

tapes. With Kymarcr and LA Slim, we have a bunch of tracks coming out this year. I

am very much in the UK space. I am always trying to connect with London artists

and producers, so I’m here and there, trying to work with new people all the time—so

there will be some more stuff coming.