How are you discovering new music everyday?
Edem: Usually word-of-mouth. Shout out to Rick Beato…he is a great source of intel on what’s happening out there. My son Griffen keeps me up to date with the latest R&B and Hip Hop too.
Brett: I love to surf iTunes & Spotify. I’ve lately added BandCamp and I have been enjoying that too. There’s a ton of new music out there, all great.
How are you connecting every day with the fans that are discovering you!
Edem: Unfortunately it’s usually not every day, much to the chagrin of our Social Media guru at BsquaredMGMT. Brett and I have to address our bills first, after that it’s all music. We’re doing as much as we can, when we can though. Hang in there with us esteemed Followers out there! We are doing our best to send you as much new content as is humanly possible! BTW, we just released our latest single “Electric Sheep”!
Check it out at: https://kindercrowdcontrol.bandcamp.com/track/electric-sheep
Brett: We can’t connect every day because there’s always so much to do, and there’s always a ton of new ideas we’re working on. For me, I usually have about 20 minutes to connect with fans through either Instagram or TikTok. Otherwise I’m spending most of my time deep in the music.
What is the most you have gained out of your career so far?
Edem: If you’re looking for one word, it’s confidence. Having BsquaredMGMT discover us through an article on my art in Voyage LA Magazine in 2021, and though this, knowing that our music is really reaching people out there, is amazing. Not only this, but a major music industry influencer was blown away by our sound.
Brett: Soul satisfaction. I know that sounds a little selfish, but that’s the truth. I love to see our increasing fan base and love that they’re digging our sound, but to answer truthfully the most I’ve gained has been myself.
What inspired you with your latest project?
Edem: Creating, and hearing back, KinderCrowdControl music always inspires us. Sandra Ban too. She is an amazing Croatian artist and brilliant mind. She tasked us with creating a 7-part opus to accompany a fine art performance she has scheduled for Croatia this summer, and Brett and I are thrilled at this opportunity to step out of our comfort zones and push our musical boundaries. Fantastic!
Brett: I would add that Sandra started the ball rolling with her request (part of which can be heard by listening to our latest 4 tracks), but inspiration comes from all 3 of us. What I find amazing is how we can create based on a small, yet simple, seedling type of idea. In the journey of a thousand steps, the first step (no matter which direction) is always the most important. It helps to motivate each other after the first step is taken, even a small one.
How do you stay inspired throughout the process, especially if it’s a long process?
Edem: KinderCrowdControl music. We never know what will be realized from a conceptual idea. We are constantly surprised by what we create. I always look forward to tackling the next composition.
Brett: We have many irons on the fire, so when we stall on one idea we usually find something else to catch our attention. I would say we may appear a little ADD that way, but with 3 writers this is how it usually goes. Inspiration happens from a variety of different actions (not all are necessarily from musical inspiration). These small sparks of inspiration are what gets the ball rolling which then leads us all down the path of discovery and creation. Writing music is a journey, and there’s no one way of doing it. But that’s OK because there’s magic everywhere and all you need to do is see it; to just free your mind up long enough to find it.
What is the most tedious part of curating your sound?
Edem: Nothing. Loving the writing, composing, and the producing of our KinderCrowdControl music.
Brett: I have to say knowing when it’s done. There’s a balance between too much and too little that is the most important aspect of art. Too much salt or too much pepper can ruin a good meal, and so it goes with music. I think the key to art is knowing when to stop and to understand the need to leave a little room for the listener to participate. We’ve honed our production skills to become better at this and it’s been paying off.
What are you making more room for to make moves in your music?
Edem: As a mentor of mine at Art Center in Pasadena, Roland Young (Art Director at A&M Records in Hollywood in the 70s and 80s) once advised me: no preconceptions. A diamond for sure. That’s as far as the music composition end goes. Anything goes these days which is fantastic. Making TIME is the key here though. While taking care of day-to-day obligations to keep the mortgage paid, it’s making time for our music and all the social media requirements that’s important.
Brett: I think that I might have answered this question above already, but here goes. Music is art. Art is beauty, and beauty is in the eye of the beholder. When your music doesn’t leave enough room for the listener to feel a way to connect, you’ve already lost them. Then once they feel connected, your job is to deliver something that’s unique and beautiful enough that they’ll want to come back for more. We’ve been making more room for our listeners, and as a result more people are listening.
Links to listen:
http://kindercrowdcontrol.bandcamp.com
FB: https://www.facebook.com/KinderCrowdControl
IG, TikTok, Spotify and the like: kindercrowdcontrol (remember, that’s one word!)
