AraabMUZIK

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Abraham Orellana, aka AraabMUZIK, has the fastest fingers in hip hop. He is like the Hendrix of beat making.

Hailing from Providence, Rhode Island, the Self-proclaimed ‘MVP of the MPC’ has been operating as the in-house producer for Harlem heavyweights Dipset since the age of 19, having also graced the studio with a lofty list of hip hop royalty; Busta Rhymes, Jadakiss, Eminem and 50 Cent to name but a few, and most recently he released his experimental debut album ‘Electronic Dreams’ to critical acclaim. Not bad for a 21 year old.

His meteoric rise can be closely linked to three key factors. Firstly, an unfathomable display of one-man-band-manship on every song he produces on his trusted Akai Music Production Centre (he sometimes uses two, simultaneously), secondly, a series of lo-fi YouTube clips that saw his talents explode virally, and thirdly, the fact that he is able to translate his explosive talents into the live arena without seemingly batting an eyelid.

ow did you first grow to love hip hop?

Well I was born with the gift of music. Ever since I was little I was into playing instruments. I started with drumming and playing pianos, and I was just always into beats, instruments and instrumentals. I started listening to hip hop when I was eleven years old. You know, Jay Z’s 'Hard Knock Life’, that type of era, and Eminem. A lot of Dr. Dre, 'The Chronic 2001’ especially. That’s pretty much how I got started, making beats and all. I first got an MPC at like the age of 16 and I started playing around with that. It pretty much took off from there.”

How did you get your hands on your first MPC?

A friend of mine introduced me to the MPC. At the time I didn’t even know what it was, I was just making beats on keyboards and stuff like that, but once I got one that was it. I started playing around with it, learning the features and stuff, you know, I have never stopped using them since.

Did you find it quite a natural learning curve?

Yeah, cause it was all right there on the spot. You know? Exactly like drumming, but on pads. I found it easier to create beats cause there weren’t no software programmes to slow me down. You create the patterns yourself.”

Is it fair to say that your success is a product of hours and hours of graft and hard work?

Yeah, no doubt, hours of dedication. I knew it was something that I definitely wanted to do, so I did it non-stop. I stayed up late for hours and hours, just making beats for like 16 hours a day, I just had to do it.

So how many MPC’s have you gone through in your time?

Probably around six.

Let’s talk Electronic Dreams. How did the change in sound come about?

I was always doing everything, it’s just hip hop is what I was known for, but I was always making electronic music. It’s just no-one had been put onto that.

From what we’d heard before, it felt like you reinvented everything with that record.

I basically wanted to fuse the hip hop with the electronic, I wanted to fuse them together and that’s soon what I became all about.

How has the record been received?

Everyone loves the sound. It’s what people are moving towards right now, you know, the dance scene is pretty much taking over. I am just evolving and bringing a new type of sound to the table.

Let’s talk Dipset. Your relationship with the legendary group must have changed your life…

Yeah, you know, growing up, I was always influenced by them and having heard a lot of their music before I was even introduced to them, it was definitely something huge for me. Just being able to work with them in the studio. To get my music out there has been incredible. But you know, over the years I’ve started working with a whole bunch of other people, but Dipset were the first people to bring my music on.

Who else do you want to mention? I know there’s a long list…

I have worked with a lot of people that I always dreamed of working with, but I am pretty much concentrating on doing my own thing right now – I’m doing shows, I’m on tour. I am still working with people here and there but you know.

A lot of people hail your work as genius. How does that feel?

It feels good, cause you know, what I do is something that people don’t see that often, if ever. People say it’s just amazing to see and be introduced to, the way I do it, but I think everyone is a genius in their own way.