Interview With Deuce Maxwell
January 15, 2009 | Author: OfficiallyHipHop
While genres like Hip Hop and R&B continue to be dominant in the mainstream, nu-jazz artist and producer Deuce Maxwell successfully creates his own niche in music with his own brand of light jazz over a foundation of strong hip hop breaks, kicks, and snares.
Without relying too heavily on one particular sound, the self-taught musician pulls inspiration from several unusual resources in order to create his groundbreaking debut album entitled “The Plushcat Sessions”, a melodic urban rhapsody that encompasses both soul, and hip hop vibes to create a refreshing alternative to the repetitive sounds of today’s urban music.
And in the light of his upcoming debut album, Deuce Maxwell contacted OfficiallyHipHop for an interview January 6, claiming that “we would enjoy a break from the norm”. Maxwell turned out to be correct, and as he would say of other artists, Maxwell is one cool cat.
So where did you grow up?
Deuce: I grew up in California and I’m from San Diego, but I spent time in the Midwest too. Kansas City to be exact.
Nearly half of your upcoming album is light instrumental jazz. In your mind, how do you put together all the various sounds that will create one song?
Deuce: Good question. I usually try to create a mood for the most part. Then I just add whatever feels good without trying to overdo the production, ya know?
Some of your songs have hip hop elements in them, but overall, you’ve created your own genre of music. How do you classify it?
Deuce: Wow…that’s a big compliment. I never really thought about it. My manager always tells me it would be categorized as Nu-Jazz, but I tend to think it’s a little more Hip-Hop than anything else, so I would still call it Hip-Hop, only a little smoother.
Why are you setting yourself apart with your unique sound, as opposed to blending in with a mainstream genre, such as hip hop or R&B?
Deuce: I never intentionally set out to separate myself from anything, I just made what I felt was good. Musically my tastes have always been a little different from most cats anyway, so this was no different. But I do make attempts to fit the mold too, cause I am selling an album. So I still got songs with rappers on ‘em too like my song called “iPromise” with emcee David Macc. Also, my first single off the album, “Birdsong”, features the next west thing named YOUNG MaSS. This dude has been courted by Digital Underground and Dr. Dre, so it was a honor to have him jump on my single with me.
