Interview: Boonie Mayfield Discusses His Brand New Album "Black Floyd"
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“All the tracks were written and produced months apart, so there was no pressure. I had to let the songs breathe. I didn’t want to overthink or overdo anything...”
Big salute to you on the completion and release of your new album "Black Floyd"; what was your creative process for the development of its songs?
Thanks, much appreciated! Well, it basically all started from me recycling a boom bap drum loop I produced years ago during my beatmaking days. I loved the way the loop sounded slowed down, so I ended up creating new songs to it as the ideas came to me. The tracklist is literally the order each song was made, which all started with “Bootsy Collins”. That was the first song I wrote after my 3-year hiatus from music due to burnout.
Months later, I continued to experiment with the same drum loop and made “The Doubt Monster” and “Dream a Mile High”. I wasn’t even sure at first if I wanted to release any new music to the public. But once I had those 3 songs finished, I decided to release them as an EP titled ‘Black Floyd: The One Man Band’. Then after 2 more sequel EPs were made in the following years, I combined the trilogy into a full album. And that’s BLACK FLOYD.
What does the title of the album represent and what were some triumphs and struggles you endured while working on it?
My favorite rock band is Pink Floyd, so it’s definitely a nod to them because I’m heavily inspired by their work. The ‘Black Floyd’ logo has a triangle for the letter ‘A’ as a tribute to the prism from their classic album, ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’. And the letter ‘O’ is a looping symbol with the number ‘1’ in it to symbolize both the drum loop and the one-man-band. It also represents being a black sheep and embracing individuality.
One of my main triumphs was simply making music again after 3 years, because it took a lot of time and healing for me to come back to it. Another one was being unafraid to use my singing voice even though I don’t consider myself much of a singer. This is definitely the most vulnerable I’ve ever been, so I’m proud of that.
As far as struggles go, there weren’t any issues with the process of making the music. The struggles usually come AFTER releasing it to the public for me; having to deal with the rejections, uncertainty and discouragement that comes with putting myself out there again. It’s like I said in “The Doubt Monster” track: “Fearing every time I try, my heart’ll break.”
Would you say that the 3-year hiatus from music was beneficial to you when it came to writing and producing the album?
Oh yeah, most definitely. At that point, the chip on my shoulder was gone. I no longer felt like I needed to impress anybody or prove anything as an artist or producer, so my whole mindset and approach changed. Rather than treating it as if I had to “make a comeback”, I allowed myself the freedom to just live my life and let the songs come to me.
All the tracks were written and produced months apart, so there was no pressure. I had to let the songs breathe. I didn’t want to overthink or overdo anything. My approach to songwriting definitely changed as well because I’m mostly singing and barely rapping. I really like how I’ve been able to get my point across more with less words.
You're not just a talented producer and artist, but an actor and filmmaker as well; what do you enjoy most about being in front of and behind the camera?
I actually realized what I enjoy most about it after a friend of mine pointed it out years ago. He told me that beyond all the different talents I have, I’m a storyteller. That made a lot of sense to me because I operate the same way with both music and video.
I’m a performer and I love telling stories that way, but I also enjoy writing, producing, directing, arranging and editing the captured moments. And that’s how I am with music too. It’s always been about telling stories in creative ways for me, even if it’s just an emotion or an observation.
If you had to describe your music to a stranger in three words, which ones would you select?
My own sound. That’s honestly been the best way I can describe my music when people ask, lol. I’m aware how descriptive words can trigger certain expectations from people, so I’m cautious with that. I could describe my music as “funky” to a stranger who thinks that word only applies to upbeat music to dance to. So, I’d rather them find out for themselves if they’re truly interested.
Sometimes the listening experience depends on a person’s own reference point. One of the people I played “Dream a Mile High” for said it sounded like The Beatles and g-funk. Another person thought it sounded like Andre 3000 and Pink Floyd. Those are all totally different types of artists, and I’m definitely influenced by all of them and more. But at the end of the day, my music sounds like me.
Stream and Share “Black Floyd” on Spotify
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