Interviews – RCRD LBL

September 10, 2025

September 10, 2025September 10, 2025 Mew Zikwryder

Jairic Talks High-Impact Performances at Elite Venues, Blending Film Scores into Hip-Hop Production & More [Interview]

(Jairic / Image Credit: Lukas Merka)

From the gritty streets of Detroit to the sun-soaked vibes of Cannes, Jairic has carved out a fierce spot in hip-hop as a self-made musician, producer, and storyteller, blending raw lyrical punch with genre-bending production that draws from icons like Nas and Wu-Tang Clan, alongside Detroit underground edges, classic funk, 60s rock, and film scores. With nearly 2 million streams across platforms from his fully self-written, self-produced, and self-performed tracks—paired with visuals that mix luxury and grit—he’s a rising star at the crossroads of music, film, and fashion, having delivered standout performances at elite spots like Château Les Alouettes in Cannes, Villa Balbiano on Lake Como, and the Paris premiere of the short film Azur, while his work spans France, Italy, Prague, and the U.S.

His latest drop, ‘Don’t Let Me Put A Track On You’, hit on September 5, 2025, via Rich Air Music, premiering on CLASH Magazine and earning props from EARMILK, packing quick-witted bars, chaotic sound design, a Caribbean pulse, and a bridge with warm female vocals that echo his unfiltered energy.

We sat down with Jairic to dive deeper into his journey, influences, and this bold new track.

What’s it like growing up in a musical family in Detroit, and how did that shape your early days in hip-hop?

I’m incredibly grateful I had music around me from such a young age. In Detroit, rhythm was everywhere — every get-together had live music, and I grew up playing drums and piano. That foundation shaped everything I do in hip-hop.

How did you transition from producing beats for local Detroit artists to creating your own independent sound?

I loved producing for others, but I love writing too much to stay quiet. It’s therapeutic and engaging — I had to find my own voice.

Can you talk about the influences from Nas, Wu-Tang Clan, and classic funk that show up in your music?

Part of me is always chasing that standard — a beat as timeless as ‘C.R.E.A.M.’ or lyrics as poetic and hard-hitting as Nas. Classic funk adds the groove that ties it all together.

What’s been the biggest adjustment living and working in Cannes after coming from Detroit?

The toughest adjustment has been being away from family. I was performing and working on a project in the South of France, and ended up missing part of my daughter’s soccer season — that was hard.

How do you blend elements from film scores and 60s rock into your hip-hop production style?

When I produce, I see it like a film scene — every track feels like part of a soundtrack. That’s where the cinematic elements slip into the hip-hop foundation.

Tell us about performing at places like Château Les Alouettes and the Azur premiere—what stands out from those experiences?

I’ve been fortunate to collaborate with incredible people — but at the end of the day, it’s the relationships, the audience connection, and the places themselves that stand out most.

What inspired the lyrics in ‘Don’t Let Me Put A Track On You’, especially that “don’t run up on me” vibe?

Someone in my family was going through a really tough time — they got attacked for doing the right thing, and I had their back. As it started to spill onto me, I thought, ‘Oh no, you don’t want any of this.’ That energy sparked the track, and from there it took on a life of its own.

How did writing this track in the south of France bring in that Caribbean pulse and contrast between smooth and chaotic elements?

I was staring out at the Mediterranean, layering these wild percussion. It felt peaceful and soothing, but underneath it was a fight song — I was missing my family. That ‘manic, full of nonsense and grammatical’ section is where it really explodes. The bridge had been written for another track, but against that ocean sunset, it finally clicked and came together.

Can you walk us through the sound design choices in ‘Don’t Let Me Put A Track On You’, like the stirring intro and the bridge with female vocals?

The intro is actually a king cobra — a subtle nod to danger. I love layering percussion; sometimes I overdo it, but that’s where the beat takes me. The bassline has a reggae rhythm that locks in with the drums, then halfway through the verse it explodes into chaos — my favorite part. For the bridge, I originally sang it myself, but I wanted a female voice to bring contrast. Her harmonies and background vocals really added to the tension and build of the track.

If you could collaborate with anyone from your influences on a future track, who would it be and why?

Nas would be dope. I saw his Illmatic anniversary show in Germany with my son last year — legendary and effortless.

Stream ‘Don’t Let Me Put A Track On You’:

Follow Jairic:

Website – Instagram – Soundcloud – Youtube – Spotify

May 22, 2024

May 22, 2024May 22, 2024 Mew Zikwryder

Q+A with avant-garde artist Jeannel

We spent five minutes with multi-modal artist Jeannel (Jeanne Amiens), who shared a new single, ‘Blue’, and its equally breathtaking video on 03 May 2024 via Unfelt Recordings. The video premiered on the notable tastemaker NOTION. The song was produced by Jeannel herself and oh.no.ty (Tory Lanez, Belly, Moses Yoofee Trio), mixed by oh.no.ty, and mastered by 4x Grammy-nominated engineer Zino Mikorey (Hans Zimmer, Thom Yorke, Metronomy, Parcels, The Kooks, Fred Again). The Berlin-based songwriter and producer has garnered 1.5 million streams across platforms, earning praises from likes of Resident Advisor, Vice Mag, CLASH Mag, Earmilk, The Line of Best Fit, Kaltblut Mag and more, as well as landing placements on various Spotify playlists and earning spins on radio stations such as NTS Radio. Jeannel has graced the stages of Red Bull Music Festival, Clouds Hill Festival and Reeperbahn Festival NYC Edition, in addition to performances at art galleries and museums, and artist residencies (such as one in Havana, Cuba) abroad to boot. These are but a few of the host of achievements under her belt, and she’s showing no signs of slowing down. Jeannel’s music delicately dancing between the borders of alt-R&B, avant-pop, trip-hop, neo-classical and beyond, has been compared to feminine luminaries such as FKA Twigs, Solange, Lana del Rey, Sevdaliza and Charlotte Day Wilson.

Walk us through your creative process?
It’s always a bit different, but usually it starts with the music. I am always on the look for sounds that inspire me when I start working on a piece, I scroll through my plugins and go from there. Or it’s a chord progression on the piano, or a cello phrase, or just soundscapes that I catch somewhere. Then vocal melodies come up that I record on the phone, and the lyrics come in bits and pieces. Over the years I learned to let my subconscious guide me and let it provide bits and pieces of lyrics. From there the pieces unfold, really like a puzzle piece most of the time.

Who are your biggest artistic influences?

I won’t stop naming Jeff Buckley, as he just got under my skin the first time I heard him. His rawness, his expression, his honesty, his darkness, the lyrics, his voice and play. He truly was one in a million and I find his music still so timeless and inspiring. Sevdaliza definitely is an inspiration as well. She’s a brilliant artist and I find her boldness very inspiring.

What would you like to work with if you weren’t a musician?
Definitely in the therapeutic field, which I am already doing. I have a deep urge to work with people. Archeology I’ve always found and still find very interesting as well. But if I needed to choose it would be the first named.

Tell us about the process of creating the stunning video for ‘Blue’.
It was a long process with many obstacles. I’ve been meaning to make a video for the song since quite a while, spoke with different directors and things always got in between. At last the stars aligned and I gathered an incredible team of creatives that committed to making this project happen against so many odds, mostly financially. I can say that it was the most draining but most rewarding project I’ve ever made, as I didn’t have fundings or a production company in my back. So all of that was on my own shoulders this time, from gathering the team, to financing the project, to making the music and doing a super vulnerable and strong performance on camera. It’s a CRAZY thing to do, making music videos with low budgets and I am so grateful for the team for sticking with me and being so generous and helpful throughout the process.

From day 1 I had the vision for the video of telling a (my own) love story in its stages, from bliss to destruction and everything in between. I wrote the song for my ex partner during Covid when we were actually still together, and I knew I had to create this piece to somehow honour the relationship, to do something that I had control over meanwhile the relationship was crumbling uncontrollably. As it’s such a personal and vulnerable piece, my biggest concern was finding the right performance partner, with whom I’d feel comfortable enough and who would himself understand the project and could contribute his own emotionality, his own story, which luckily happened very easily. I made an Instagram post and Kelvin reached out. We had been following each other for a while and I already had him in the back of my head. We had a first phone call, met for a coffee and then started ‘rehearsing’, with my dear friend Marie, holding the space for us to explore and get to know each other. It was a super organic process, from first becoming acquainted with one another, losing inhibitions etc. It was important for me to be able to tell my own story, meanwhile giving Kelvin the space to tell his, so we could eventually merge them into a story of its own. It’s all improvised, bit by bit creating our language, images and tools to tell love’s stages.

Then Lauren, the director, joined the rehearsal and translated our performance into video language.

Last minute, the location we had initially counted on cancelled and I had to find a new one. It was so crazy stressful. But the stars aligned and the rest is history and I couldn’t be more content and touched by the piece we created.

What’s one piece of gear you can’t live without? What equipment are you using?
TC Helicon Voice live touch.

If you could meet one performer/artist, living or passed, who would it be?
Definitely Jeff.

What does the future hold for you as an artist?

I am in the middle of finishing my debut album, which I am quite excited about. Besides I’m working on a collaboration with Âme, also very exciting, but cannot reveal too much about it. I am planning a few collaborative projects which I’m very passionate about, more in the institutional field, galleries, museums etc.

Then hopefully playing a bunch of international shows in connection to the release of my album in 2025 and see where that takes me. But first and foremost finishing my album.

Follow Jeannel:

Facebook – X – Soundcloud – Youtube – Instagram – Spotify

February 2, 2024

February 2, 2024 Mew Zikwryder

Q&A with the multifaceted Yung Saber

London-born Dancehall and Hip-hop artist, freelance A&R, model and actor Yung Saber has just released an infectiously feel-good new single, ‘Gucci Prada’, on January 26th, 2024. Boasting over 10 million streams across all platforms, Yung Saber stormed the UK Dancehall scene with his track ‘Tump & Kick’, which became an international hit and earned radio plays across the globe in 2021. He went on to do two remixes, the first one featuring Stylo G followed by an All-star remix featuring UK Dancehall trailblazers Big Zeeks, Shanti Force, The Rara, Doktor & Irah. Saber has performed at MADE Festival, Brighton Harbour Festival, Glastonbury, Notting Hill Carnival with Amazon, +44, and many other venues throughout the UK. He has appeared on several BBC radio shows such as Rampage, Seani B and BBC 1Xtra. In February 2023, he attended BBC Maida Vale Session with Seani B and performed his hit single ‘Karl Kani’ with a live band for BBC dancehall weekender.

Influenced by the likes of Super Cat and Vybz Kartel, Yung Saber’s sound can be compared to J Hus, Govana, MoStack, Not3s, Krept & Konan and Yxng Bane.

Read our chat with him below.

Looking back, what were some of your earliest entries into music appreciation? And music production?

I’ve grown up around sound system culture – my mum’s a DJ, she used to run pirate radio stations, my uncle was a sound man (one of the founders of Coxsone Sound), and my older brother Brakeman being a well-known MC in the late 90s and early 2000s (at that time with it being hard to become a household name). This is what I was surrounded by and was my inspo very early on to become an entertainer.

Tell us about your first live performance – what was it like?

My first live performance was at Burgess Park in Peckham in 2005/2006. I was 15 and all I remember was that I was nervous but at the same time having the time of my life finally doing what I love to do.

What is London’s Dancehall scene like? Have you found it easy to build community through it?

When I entered the London dancehall scene it was a mess – no love, no unity, no support, there were certain gatekeepers but me and a few others were able to build a community in which talented individuals are now getting the right exposure that they deserve.

If you could paint a picture of your unique sound, what would it look like?

My sound is a combination of UK rap with dancehall.

Take us through your songwriting process. Is it spontaneous, or do you have rituals?

I can’t tell you my process but everything is spontaneous and off the top of my dome, and I’m a heavy believer in prayer and God guides me through the process.

What do you personally consider to be the highlight of your artistic career beyond your music (as an actor, A&R or model) thus far?

Finding fresh new talent and acting, one of my goals is to do more acting and to run a successful record label for young fresh talent.

Do you have any non-musical hobbies?

I enjoy cooking and gaming with my kids.

As an artist, it becomes apparent that there is a huge difference between the art and the industry. Is there anything about the music scene that you would personally change?

Yes, the way the females are treated the way they are sexualised and almost feel like they need to use their body just to get their foot in the door, obviously this isn’t every female’s experience but it is the vast majority.

What is the most memorable response you have had to your music?

Managing to create momentum around the viral hit song ‘Tump and Kick’ during the COVID-19 pandemic.

If you could go back to the beginning of your career to give your younger self one piece of advice, what would it be?

Believe in yourself, have the right people around you, and don’t trust so easily.

Follow Yung Saber:
Facebook – X – Soundcloud – TikTok – Youtube – Instagram – Spotify

November 24, 2023

November 24, 2023November 24, 2023 Mew Zikwryder

Interview with TTeo on his disco-soul homage, Loveexpress 77

TTeo is the pseudonym of Matteo Capreoli – singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer with a rich musical heritage. In 1970, his father, Fernando Antonio Capreoli, left Salento for Germany, before forming the disco-funk-rock outfit Lovexpress. They toured Norway, Sweden, and Denmark from 1974 to 1979. Now, in 2023, Matteo pays soulful homage to his father’s funk outfit, with the help of some old tapes – the bygone band’s only known recordings. Signed to Sonar Kollektiv in 2020, TTeo’s compositions are high energy and full of heart. Read our interview and listen to Loveexpress 77 below:

Walk through your creative process for us.

Something in my mind overcomes me. It’s difficult to explain. And it’s always different, never the same.

What has been the most defining moment of your musical career?

10 years ago I was the musical director for a festival in Hamburg called Soul im Park. Where I coordinated one band for a lot of artists and their songs for the whole day. It was a big success and extremely beautiful. After that night I realized that I love collaborating with other artists a lot. From then on I started to concentrate more and more on productions/composition for and with other artists.

What equipment or software did you enjoy writing with the most?

I use Logic. And mostly I love to have just a good upright piano.

What’s your performance setup looking like? Are there any differences between your live and studio kits?

Extremely different. My studio is full of instruments. Drums, percussions, pianos, synthesizers, guitars, mics and so on. My live setup is stripped down to a Maschine from drums and samples, a little Roland J6 synth, one mic, and a MIDI twister for effects. All runs through Ableton.

Give us a brief dive into the inspiration for the EP’s samples and themes.

My samples for the album LOVEXPRESS77 are recordings of my dad’s band Loveexpress from the 70s. They played dance music in clubs and recorded some of their live sets on tape. That’s where the samples and the inspiration for the album come from.

What is your favorite sample from your dad’s old Lovexpress tapes?

Two of them, are from the song ‘Follow Me’, and ‘Lovecircus’. Especially in ‘Lovecircus’, the sample was a song that came out through some jams during their concerts, my dad said. And the vocals are sung by the bass player Leo in that case, in an invented language. Culturally they were super mixed as a band.

How did you find the collaborators who appear on the LP?

Owen Ross is a good friend and an incredible musician. We just met for a hang out in the Studio and then it happened that we worked together on ‘Samba’

Same with Kristine Bogan. I met her through Concord Publishing. It was our 2nd time in the studio together and we put her love and lyrics into the ‘Follow Me’ chorus.

What’s your favorite way to pass the time when you aren’t playing, or listening to funky bops?

I love nature a lot. Living at the beach in Salento I spend a lot of time outside, doing sports, climbing, cooking, and gardening. But to be honest, most of the time I do music.

What’s next for TTeo? Any notable events or plans for collaborations coming up?

I did some beautiful remixes for some artists and stayed in the Lovexpress-Soundworld, so there might be something coming next. On the 1st of December, I am playing a show in Berlin at Stranger Funk before I leave for Costa Rica, for a live set in the jungle.

Watch the fresh new video for ‘Follow Me’: