Read the Chef Boyarbeatz / Joseph Koppenheffer Interview below and share it on social media.
Please tell our readers who you are and what you do?
My names Joseph (Joey) Koppenheffer aka Chef Boyarbeatz. I'm from Anaheim, California right next to Disneyland! I've been producing and Dj'ing for about four and a half years. I've dabbled in lots of genres but my niche has fallen into the experimental bass category. I used to play drums for a little bit and picked up piano over the past year. While growing up I had always dreamt of being in a band, so producing music has kind of filled that desire to create that has always been there. I just started at Icon Collective out in Burbank/LA this past fall, so I'm super excited about where the future is heading! Hit me up on soundcloud or twitter, always looking for new music and friends ?
Soundcloud:
https://soundcloud.com/beatzbychefb
Twitter:
How would you describe your influences and how have they changed over the years?
My influences have changed so much over the years…music has always been a detrimental part of my life. Growing up I was heavily into classic and alt rock. Led Zeppelin is one of my favorite bands, as are the Foo Fighters. I first got into electronic music by listening to the very first 100 shows of Armin Van Buuren's A State of Trance and Tiesto's Club Life, as well as finding music from World of Warcraft PvP videos. I remember finding Spor's remix of The Qemist's "Stompbox" in an arena video and instantly fell in love. That song still bangs to this day. When I found out a few years later that Feed Me was Spor, it blew my mind that THAT was him. From there I discovered Porter Robinson's Spitfire EP that really launched me into the scene. From electro house to progressive house/trance to techno, my influences kept growing. These days I'm super into the west coast bass and halftime styles. Guys like Chee, Noisia, Moody Good, G Jones, Eprom/Alix Perez, Ivy Lab, Kll Smth, Kursa, Woolymammoth, Razat, X&G and Vorso have really been pushing the envelope of bass music. If you're looking for new music be sure to check out Noisia Radio, they're always putting on good stuff! Some other stuff I'm super into and try to incorporate into my sound are jazz and old hip hop. Badbadnotgood, Robert Glasper, Yussef Kamaal been my go-to jazz binges recently. While J Dilla, Slum Village, A Tribe Called Quest and that whole style of hip hop are some of my favorites.
What´s new right now?
What's new right now? LOTS!! I have a ton of unreleased music, some slated for release, some will stay in the vaults haha. I actually just released my remix of X&G – Belong. So check that one out below. Super stoked on how it came out!
https://soundcloud.com/beatzbychefb/xg-belong-chef-boyarbeatz-remix
Other than that, I have one of my favorite songs I have ever made coming out mid March or so. I have another unreleased one I'm going to shop to some labels/artists and see if anyone fucks with it, it's a super weird experimental trap/dub hybrid I made with my close homie and old roommate big greg. Has some Um.. vibes if you know them. I just played my first ever direct support slot for LO'99 this past week at La Cave in Costa Mesa! They do house shows every week on Wednesday, shout out to the MDA crew for letting me do my thing. I don't produce a ton of house music but I loveeeee Dj'ing it. It was a great time. I'm also slated to play an MDA x White Rabbit takeover on February 2nd at Envy Lounge in Newport Beach! If you want to keep up, my links to my socials are below!
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/beatzbychef/
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/chef_boyarbeatz
Soundcloud:
https://soundcloud.com/beatzbychefb
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/chef_boyarbeatz/
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Are you a superfan of anyone? How did you become a superfan? Do you remember how you become a fan and what turned you into super fan? Have you ever thought about why you´re such a fan?
I'm a huge superfan of Mat Zo. He's been one of the most creative and forward thinking artists both musically and intellectually. I remember becoming a fan after hearing Arty and his tune "Rebound." That was back when I was super into trance and Anjunabeats. From there though his sonic sound has expanded into many areas, and it's been a real pleasure to see his growth. I haven't really given crazy thought about why I'm such a fan because I think his music speaks for itself. If you know, you know. If not, check him out!!!
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What was the biggest mistake you made when you started making music and what would be the number one tip you could give to a newcomer musician?
I don't think there was a "big mistake" type thing because in my opinion, there are no bad mistakes in producing. Every "mistake" you make teaches you something. It's how to process those moments and use them to better yourself. The number one tip I would give to newcomers would be to not sit on tracks for too long early on in your first years. Finish tracks and move onto the next one. I guarantee a track you make a week later will be miles head from the one you just finished.
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How do you get gigs? Can you share any tips?
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Do you have good promotion tips for other musicians?
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Do you have insights on how to grow your audience on soundcloud that you want to share with our audience?
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What has been your biggest challenge right now? Have you been able to overcome that challenge? If so, how?
I think my biggest challenge right now has been finishing tracks that are about 80% done. Those tracks that sound full but are missing one to two elements…this has been my biggest hurdle to overcome. You know it's good enough to play out live but not set for a release. It's hard to come up with additional harmonic or FX content the longer you've replaying the same song over and over again.
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How do you personally discover new music?
I personally discover lots of new music from live mixes and/or radio shows. Soulection radio has put me onto so much new stuff…same with Noisia radio. Soundcloud feed can be iffy at times, but their random song selection is sometimes super on point!
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Once you discovered new music, do you tell others about the new music/artist you discovered? If yes, how exactly?
“Yes I love telling my friends about new music. I have a facebook music group of close friends with similar music interests and we're always sharing new stuff in their or our group chat.
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What is your number one tip to improve your music production or songwriting skills?
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What is your best tip for those who struggle with finishing their tracks?
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We meet again in one year. What has changed?
I don't really have any concrete plans. Just some goals I want to attain. Other than that, it's always just been day by day, working hard on new music.
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https://soundcloud.com/beatzbychefb
https://www.facebook.com/beatzbychef/
https://twitter.com/chef_boyarbeatz
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Enter your questions to the artist in the facebook comment section below.
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