Talking To: Juesswork
Juesswork is a beat maker and producer hailing from Buffalo. His latest EP ‘Beat Pack’, though short, is packed with lusciously inventive LoFi instrumentals. One notable feature of this beat tape is the use of silence. Press play on this EP and you’d be forgiven for thinking your Spotify keeps buffering. These unexpected pockets of silence keep you on the edge of your seat making for an immersive and unusual listening experience. Beat Pack is an EP not to be missed.
We talked to Juesswork about his setup, inspirations and plans for the future.
Take us through your setup.
My setup currently consists of my 2015 MacBook Pro a copy of FL Studio 20 and a sweet little Korg Micro 32 Key which comes in handy since it doubles as a usb hub. These days I find myself utilizing a lot of the stock plugins native to FL Studio, but for the EP I used Goodhertz Vulf Compressor, Audio Damage's Rough Rider and XLN Audio's RC-20 Retro Color.
What’s your workflow when creating beats?
Even through putting together this EP, I never approached any two beats the same way. A lot of times I'll find myself building around a sound, whether it be a sample or a loose snare hit, if it inspires me I'll find a way to make it work.
‘Beat Pack’ is a collection of instrumentals but do you have any tracks featuring rappers out already or upcoming?
Yes sir. I've been working closely with a couple of up and coming rappers and producers (shout out Mvrro) from my city, as well as other neighboring cities on the east coast. 2020 is definitely the year you'll hear a lot more rhymes over my beats, for sure.
Who are your biggest influences as a producer?
My influences are all over the place honestly but I can't deny the impact of J Dilla and Flying Lotus on my sound. Those two showed me that beats can go further than just your everyday four bar loop; they can ultimately tell a story from start to finish.
You also make sample packs. What’s your process for building these?
The drum kits in a sense make themselves since I'm always chopping and cutting stuff up. My first drum kit release did surprisingly well. Since then I've been putting them out more frequently, even doing an exclusive pack for LoFi Weekly (shout out icouldbeyu). A lot of my packs are made exclusively for lofi hip hop and boom bap producers, but all are welcome to use them.
Finally, what’s your favorite track on ‘Beat Pack’?
Man, that's like asking which is your favorite kid! If I had to choose probably "Goodbye" since that was my introduction to the lofi scene and the community. Since then they’ve been nothing but supportive of me and my music.
