It's Nizam here again from the Desitunes4u team, and I recently got the chance to talk to Code Red, who is formerly of Sound Ministry, and has now joined forces with the Canadian based Suga Kane Records, and is set to bring his anticipated album "Believe the Hype". We recently caught up with Code Red to discuss his musical endeavors.
Nizam: First off for those that don't know who Code Red is, just give us a brief intro of who you are and what style you bring to the music industry?
Code Red: Well my name is Code Red. I'm a producer out of Canada. I've been in the industry for roughly 4 years now. Some may know me from when I used to run with Sound Ministry but now I've gone solo and I'm about to give the industry a run for its money by bringing a brand new style that's going to shake up the game.
Nizam: It is rumored that you have been doing a fair amount of Ghost productions while part of Sound Ministry. Do you want to set the record straight on this! Which tracks did you produce that were accredited to other artists?
Code Red: I left Envy a year and 1/2 ago. Any work that has come out from that camp since then has not been touched by me. I've never claimed that I've done tracks for other artists or any ghost production since I left. As far as while I was part of Sound Ministry well...I guess I will let my album speak for itself and then the people can decide. I would never take credit for other peoples work like some artists in the industry are doing.
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Nizam: You are formerly of Sound Ministry and signed to EnvyRoma in the UK; why did you leave?
Code Red: I just felt like it was time for me to do my own thing. Sound Ministry in my opinion was not getting the respect they deserved. To me we were just in the background and nothing more. I needed to grow and I felt that the only way I could do it is if I went my own way. Even though I left Envy I respect DJ Sanj for bringing me into the game and my bro Kal who was the other 1/2 of Sound Ministry. Kal's still one of my closest friends and I got nothing but love for him.
Nizam: You are now signed to Suga Kane Records; what attracted you to them?
Code Red: Big Suga Kane was straight up with me. No BS. When I went solo I was getting offers from different labels but Suga Kane Records was the only one that gave it to me straight. Others were promising things I knew they couldn't deliver. I respected the |
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fact that this label was not trying to tempt me with fake promises. They were looking for an artist that could make things happen and I was looking for the same thing in a label so it worked out perfect. |
Nizam: Suga Kane Records has a bit of a reputation for bringing out stuff that is heavily sample based. Are you going to continue with this trend?
Code Red: Definitely not and my album will prove it. I just want to clarify one thing. I've been hearing that some people think I sampled the beats that are on my album. Just so everyone knows Believe The Hype is 100 percent ORIGINAL MATERIAL produced by yours truly. In a way I take it as a compliment that people think the beats on the album are so heavy that it couldn't have been produced by a desi!! I'm all about pure production and I think that's one of the reasons Suga Kane Records signed me. I've seen how well they promote and the type of vocalists they are able to get. All they needed was a producer that could take things to the next level and I felt privileged that they approached me.
Nizam: Big Suga Kane is one of the few Label heads that is actually committed to nurturing talent within Canada and the United States, how do you feel about the overall North American market and what it has to offer the Asian music industry?
Code Red: No doubt Big Suga Kane is definitely all about the artists. It's great to see that he's giving any talent an opportunity to shine. He is definitely misjudged and underestimated. As far as the question about the overall market I personally don't believe in this whole North America vs UK vs India scene. I believe that if the music is good and people are enjoying it then why does it matter where it's from? There's always been this stereo type that if an artist is truly talented and they are not from the UK it's such a big shock like..."damn this is so good...can you believe it's from Canada??" LOLS… I don't get it!
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Nizam: A lot of videos that come out these days are too explicit to watch in front on the family. Do you think we should move away from having half-naked women prancing around for no apparent reason?
Code Red: If we move away from it then you would have to cut out about 80 percent of the Hindi movies that are out there. Have you ever seen what some of the Indian actresses in these movies wear?? Basically what we are saying is we can watch half-naked girls on Indian Cinema but if a beautiful girl is in a music |
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video it's wrong. We should be moving forward not backwards. Videos are a great way to bring music to life. Sometimes it's nice to see traditional videos but it's also cool to see people break the mold. |
Nizam: If you could change one thing within the desi music industry, what would it be and why?
Code Red: I think we as a whole need to come together and support each other. From what I've seen its all about just doing things for yourself and your cliq. In the mainstream industry we see artists work with each other all the time. Kanye West can do a collabo with The Game but why can't Bally Sagoo appear in a PMC video? Why can't other desi artists make cameos on other people's records? That's what I would love to see. Breaking down all the hate between each other and just accepting each other for the music (but maybe that's wishful thinking!).
Nizam: Your new album Believe the Hype is about to release, I must say I have heard a few tracks, and so far I like what I'm hearing, can you tell us what flavours we can expect from this heavily anticipated album?
Code Red: Thanks Nizam, I've worked really hard on this album and I'm excited about the end result. I've tried to give a wide range of styles so that its not directed to only one type of crowd. Believe The Hype has tracks that range from hardcore desi anthems to club bangers and heavy bass tracks that you can just pound in your car, to dance tunes and some mainstream tracks that are definitely gonna shake up the industry.
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Nizam: You are quite an experimental producer, and will go against the grain, and use up and coming vocalists for your tracks, rather than notable names like Lembher Hussainpuri, or Surinder Shinda. Do you feel its time for other producers in the bhangra industry to try and become a little more versatile and use different vocalists rather than those we are accustomed to seeing on everybody's albums?
Code Red: For me personally this album was all about me standing on my own two feet. I want the music to speak for itself and show the world that I can come out with an album that didn't need to have big names written all over it just to make quick sales. Now |
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| that's not to take away from the singers that are on this album. The artists on 'Believe The Hype' are amazing new singers from all over the world and I was honored to be able to make the music for them. I have tons of respect for singers like Lembher, Gurdas Mann, Shinda etc…and I would love to actually sit with them in the studio and record tracks together and not just buy there vocals from some middle man. I was reading an article some time ago and I cant remember which artist said it before but they said it best…"they shouldn't call it the bhangra industry anymore, they should call it the Lembher industry"... it made me laugh cause it's so true. |
Nizam: Is there anyone within the Bhangra industry, who you would like to work with?
Code Red: If it were possible I would have loved to work with the late Bindrakia. He was just an amazing vocalist. Malkit Singh would be really cool too. Who knows what the future holds…Malkit give me a call…hahaha. Like I said before I'd love to work with any artist as long as we are making some crazy music.
Niazm: With your new album releasing, can we expect any tours in North America or the UK?
Code Red: Definitely watch out for the CODE RED Tour to hit worldwide. I'm already starting to get bookings for gigs in the US and Canada and this is before the album has even dropped. I would love to do UK as well as other parts in the world. It all depends on how much the fans will take to my music. If people are interested in getting Code Red in there area they can contact the label at www.sugakanerecords.com.
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Nizam: I know this is a common question with most of our interviews, but what is your view on piracy, and how it's effected the overall functioning of the industry?
Code Red: It works two ways. It's tough when an artist works so hard on something they truly believe in and within a blink of an eye its all over the hubs, copied and selling in desi stores all over as a pirate. The other way I guess you could look at it is that your getting exposure all over the world. Piracy sucks but unfortunately it's inevitable.
Nizam: What else can we expect from you in the future?
Code Red: Expect to see BIG things from the Suga Kane Camp and me. I'm working on some tracks for the upcoming release, West Coast Desi. I'm also working with some amazing RnB artists and rappers that you can hear on my album 'Believe The Hype.' Oh can't forget to mention that I will be opening up a brand |
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new phat recording studio this summer in Toronto, Canada so if anybody needs any type of recording work or production work you know whom to contact. |
Nizam: Is there anything you would like to add or tell to the desitunes4u massive out there?
Code Red: Nuff respect to Irfan and Nizam of Desitunes4u for giving me this opportunity to express myself here. Hope I didn't offend anybody! And definitely check out the phattest album of the year 'Believe The Hype.' You wont be disappointed. I'm always looking for new talent to work with so if you like what you hear on my albums give me a shout.... PEACE!
That concludes the interview, a big thanks to Code Red for taking some time to chat to Nizam! Watch out for his brand new album 'Believe The Hype', which is out now. To contact Code Red you can e-mail him on coderedproductionz@hotmail.com now! |
