Interview: Trenton, NJ Duo xDMWDx Discuss Their New Album "Rhythm & Vybes: Book 2 Side"
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“Time and circumstances brought us from four members to two. We needed a new name to fit this new direction, so we settled on xDMWDx. A name that we thought encapsulated both our personal and creative ideals.”
What initially compelled you to form the musical duo xDMWDx and do you remember the first song that you recorded? If so, describe that experience for us.
xDMWDx is the evolution of our original group, DBA, which consisted of four members. The two of us have always been close, being raised in the same house. Music was just there all the time.
Time and circumstances brought us from four members to two. We needed a new name to fit this new direction, so we settled on xDMWDx. A name that we thought encapsulated both our personal and creative ideals.
We've done so many songs together it's hard to remember the first one. You're talking about some time in 2005 or 2006. We just like to approach each song as if it's our first.
If you had to describe xDMWDx's music to a stranger in three words, which ones would you select?
Anything. Can. Happen.
Congratulations on the completion and release of the "Rhythm & Vybes: Book 2 Side" album; tell us about your creative process during the development of its six songs.
Thank you. We like to start every project by immersing ourselves in whichever type of music we're aiming to make. Just to try to get into the mood of what we wanted to bring to this chapter of the Rhythm & Vybes series. After that it's beat selection and brainstorming. Allowing the beats to speak us and listening to understand rather than respond.
Using past experience as well as intuition in the writing process is one of the most important things we've learned during our 15+ years in music. So, Book 2 draws a lot from our past relationships and you can hear the authenticity in the work.
What are some things that inspire your creativity when working on new music?
Listening to what we consider good music. That is energetic, soulful, thought provoking, and pioneering music. Life's experiences always provide ample inspiration for us. Also, the idea of leaving our mark in the world broadens our imagination and enhances our creativity.
With Rhythm & Vybes each Book pulls from different inspirations. So for Book 2, we listened to a lot of Kid Cudi, Drake, T-Pain, Andre 3000, Maleek Berry, J. Cole and Jay-Z. Each giving different vibes, if you will, while collectively forming a rhythm which became Book 2.
How did you decide to develop the "Rhythm & Vybes" album series and are there songs that you have worked on that will not make the four album track lists? If so, why?
Following the success of our sophomore project “9 Ball”, we were searching for our next inspiration and in one of our many brainstorming sessions, we thought about the idea of doing four albums in one year. We wanted to give people a ton of new music, but we didn't want it to be the conventional full length album or an extremely long double disc.
As far as song selection, we decided on the 6 song structure before we began working on the music. So some songs and concepts were left on the table, but any creative knows what that feels like. It was tough deciding on which 6 would make it, but we believe this is the best of the best.
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