Haastattelussa espanjalaistuottaja JL Ortega.
- What’s up, JL Ortega? How are you today?
What’s up, bro! Well, today I’m especially fine. I’m preparing for a little family vacation, so I can’t complain.
- Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Well, I am someone quite normal. I have my family, a wife, and two beautiful children, and a job that feeds me. In addition to that, I dedicate the rest of my time mainly to music, which is one of my passions.
- How long has music been a part of your life?
I honestly do not remember any stage of my life without music being present. I will turn 46 this year, and I have been listening to rap since 1983/84 (Fat Boys, Kurtis Blow, LL…). I started producing music in 1996 with the few means that I had, and since then I have not lost the illusion.
- What are you influenced by?
My main influence is the West Coast sound. I have always been a fan of 2Pac, groups like N.W.A. or Outlawz, and producers like Johnny J, Dr. Dre, or Daz. I love what they have done.
- How do you produce your beats? Do you prefer the analog or the digital way?
I like the analog warmth better, but I use quite a few emulations since my budget doesn’t allow me to have a lot of analog hardware. I use Ableton Live, and normally I don’t use any samples. Ninety-five percent of my beats are all composed by me.
- How would you describe your style of music?
My music is based on that West Coast style that was made during the time that impacted me the most, between the 90s and early 2000s. I miss those albums like “The Chronic,” “Tha Doggfather,” or “All Eyez On Me,” where you could listen from beginning to end 500 times without getting bored. Music is something cyclical, and we will hear things like that again, and I will be there waiting for those who need it. LOL.
- Where do you find your artistic inspiration?
I always get carried away by what my fingers do on the keyboard, especially at nights when I take advantage of the fact that my family sleeps.
- How do you see your sound evolving in the next couple of years?
I don’t know; I hope it gets better. I’m a very meticulous and non-conformist person, and I try to learn new things every day about mixing and mastering. So, I would like it to evolve to a better sound in that regard as well.
- What can you tell us about your next release?
Well, I can say that “Killah California West” is my best work without a doubt, the one that excites me the most, and the one that is costing me the most work and effort. Working with Bossolo has been incredible and very easy. He is a very professional artist, and thanks to him, I have been able to access some of the artists with whom I have always wanted to work. There will be 22 songs (the full 80 minutes of the CD) with many collaborations, such as San Quinn, Ras Kass, DJ AK, MC Eiht, and many more that I cannot reveal yet. But I can say without fear of being wrong that whoever listens to the entire album from beginning to end will hear one of the best West Coast albums that will remind them of what it was for me, the best moment on the West Coast.
- If you could collaborate with any artist, who would it be and why?
In “Killah California West,” there are many of the artists with whom I have always wanted to collaborate, but there are always many. Maybe I would tell them that Ice Cube has always been a reference for me.
- What’s a bad habit you wish you could kick?
It’s not a bad habit, but these last years of projects and music have made me take a lot of time away from my family. I hope to try to recover that soon, at least during the holidays.
- What have you got in store for the near future?
Right now, I am not thinking about the future. I am still focused on finishing this album with Bossolo so that it turns out as well as possible. Then we will see what happens. Possibly I will try to do some collaborations with some of the artists I have already contacted and have not been able to work with, but I still don’t know.
- Where can our readers find you online?
My main website is https://jlortegabeatz.com/. There I am uploading my beats, you can see my information, studio, or the artists with whom I have collaborated, and I usually post news regarding my music.
Haastattelu: J-P / Fileerausveitsi
